2025 FESTIVAL LEADERS / SPEAKERS

Kieran Dollarhide is a multifaceted actress, content manager, digital media creator, and passionate youth ministry leader. With experience in short films and stage productions, she has also produced and emceed numerous large ministry events. Kieran studied Theatre at Messiah University and The Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland. In 2022, she was awarded "Best Actress in a Short Film" by the LifeFest Film Festival for her role in The Gift. Kieran resides in the Metropolitan Atlanta area with her husband, Brian, and their three beloved pets. Kieran’s work is dedicated to honoring God and cherishing the memory of their daughter, Everest Joy.

Jamie Seller led worship at last year's Atlanta Christian Film Festival and we are excited to have him on the team again for 2025. Jaime grew up in North Carolina and has been leading worship since the age of 14, and he has been in vocational ministry since age 21. Jaime is a graduate of Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC, where he holds a Bachelor's Degree in Comprehensive Music. He also studied Worship Leadership at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. Over the past 20 years, Jamie has served at Baptist churches in North Carolina, Tennessee, and (now) in Georgia where he is the Worship Pastor at Briarlake Church in Decatur, GA. Jamie played clarinet, timpani, & mallet percussion in various instrumental ensembles through college. His vocal recordings include a 2003 Christmas album that was produced for Target department stores and a 2007 album for the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary's men's praise group, Faithful Men. In 2013, Jamie led worship for the North Carolina Baptists Annual Meeting which was attended by thousands of Baptist delegates from around the state. He has led worship internationally in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central America, as well as throughout the United States. Jaime is married to his wife Britany, who is an English teacher. The two met while working at a missions camp in Philadelphia, PA, were friends for two years, dated for two years, and then were married in 2016. They have a love for missions and desire to share the gospel locally in their community and to the ends of the earth. They have one son, Jack, who is in first grade. They also have a miniature schnauzer named Fox.

Dr. Tillis is the Senior Pastor at Briarlake Church in Decatur, Georgia. He is on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Christian Film Festival where he serves as the festival's Spiritual Advisor. He was the keynote speaker at last year's festival and we are delighted to have him speak to us once more in 2025. Dr. Tillis has dedicated over 20 years to pastoral ministry, demonstrating a profound commitment to preaching and teaching. As a professor of Preaching at two esteemed seminaries, he has imparted his extensive knowledge and experience to the next generation of church leaders. His ministry extends far beyond the classroom and local pulpit. Dr. Tillis has served overseas in the British West Indies, where he focused on strengthening local churches in the Cayman Islands. These congregations, comprising over 30 different nationalities, have benefited from his efforts to train natives throughout the Caribbean for church ministry and pastoral leadership. Dr. Tillis's international ministry also includes travels to Costa Rica and Panama, where he has preached, distributed Bibles to those in need, and engaged in street evangelism. His multiple trips to Romania have seen him preaching in local churches, ministering in orphanages, and conducting street evangelism. Additionally, he has played a crucial role in mentoring village pastors, equipping them for effective ministry. His leadership extends to training other pastors on how to lead short-term mission trips with their congregations. At home, Dr. Tillis finds unwavering support in his wife Connie, to whom he has been happily married for 15 years. Connie is deeply involved in church ministry, particularly in the leadership of Women’s Ministry, where she organizes Bible studies, discipleship groups, and ladies’ events. She is known for her ability to build meaningful relationships and excels in mentoring others. Together, they are blessed with two sons, James and Luke, who bring joy and laughter into their lives.

Camero Arnett stars as Joshua Moore in the Kendrick brothers’ latest blockbuster hit, The Forge,

and as Sheriff Stan Proctor in the feature film Faith of Angels.

Other recent projects include the series These Stones, and the films Forty Seven Days with Jesus and Unfailing Love

for which he won the 2023 Best Actor Award at the Christian Family Film Festival.

Cameron is the founder of Christ Over Career, a movement of believers calling the Church back to

the Lordship of Jesus Christ, putting Him and keeping Him at the helm of every decision.

Andrew Bullard hails from Chattanooga, TN, though he was born in Germany while his father served in the Army. A passionate musician, Andrew earned his Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2014. His love for storytelling through music videos inspired him to step into the director's chair, leading to his award-winning directorial debut with the short film Ain’t God Alright, released in 2020. In 2022, he further showcased his talent with the release of the award-winning feature film Access Control.

Ken Horstmann graduated from Atlanta's Mount Paran Christian School in 1990. He began his career as a tape operator at Turner Broadcasting which eventually led to directing commercials as well as television series. His series credits include Cartoon Network's Fridays, Fried Dynamite and The Break. At CNN International, he directed Vital Signs, hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Ken has also directed numerous music videos for Family Force 5, including the one for their hit song "Never Let Me Go". This music video was nominated for a 2008 GMA Dove Award. Ken's first feature film, Upside, was based on his script and starred Randall Bentley of NBC's Heroes. The movie was released in 2010. Ken is currently a Director / Partner at Spyplane Films in Atlanta.

Gloria Stella is a film producer, author, motivational speaker and content creator.  She is best known for producing the Regal Cinemas’ exclusive “Tulsa” which also served as her directorial debut and producing the Netflix-streamed film “Blackbear.”  Outside of film, she is a regular contributor for platforms like Christine Caine’s “Propel Women” and has authored a few books including her latest release “I Can’t Help the Way I Feel?”  She lives near Atlanta with her husband and their three young children.

Rich Christiano has been writing, producing, directing and distributing Christian movies since 1985. His passion is to put forth films that have strong messages for the gospel and the truth, and he first aims to please the LORD with his work and trusts that God will use the messages of these films to speak truth to his viewers.  He has written and directed nine Christian movies while having produced thirteen Christian movies.  Rich shares his ministry with his wife Regina.

Phillip E. Allen is an award-winning composer, conductor, producer, musician and mentor. His career spans many genres within the professional music world. A distinct honor was being awarded a Peabody Award for his moving score for the landmark national television production “The Boy King.” His music may also be experienced in feature films, short films, commercials as well as in live stage productions featured Off-Broadway, The Kennedy Center and The Beverly Hills Playhouse. Film music from this Atlanta native can be felt in “The Friend,” “The Gift,” “Trouble in the Plate” and others. Featured theme song for the “Macy’s Christmas Parade,” commercials for Kentucky Fried Chicken, Planters Peanuts, LifeSavers, GummySavers, etc. have been heard on television. His original song “The Dream” was pivotal in securing the Olympic Games in Atlanta when the city bid to be the host. Honoring God with every note of music also led to composing two original works performed by the Israel Philharmonic in Jerusalem, Israel as a part of the historic and epic “Jerusalem 3000 Anniversary Celebration.” As a published composer, his stock of well over 5,000 compositions, arrangements and orchestrations have graced the catalogs of many publishers. With God’s ongoing blessings, Phillip is an active professional musician in both Atlanta and in the recording studios of Nashville. Further, he is sought after as a featured conductor of symphony orchestras. Overall, as a mentor, God has allowed Phillip many amazing opportunities to encourage and impact the lives of others as they use their talents and abilities to bring glory to God!

Michael is a twenty year veteran of the audio post production community in Atlanta, and an Honors Graduate from Middle Tennessee State University with a B.S. in Recording Industry Management. A constant “listener”, Michael is always mixing and always communicating. He is currently Vice Chair of the Atlanta chapter of the Audio Engineering Society, and enjoys lecturing and teaching workshops as a way to give back and inspire others. When he’s not actually mixing, he’s playing his PS4 in surround sound and listening for ways it might sound better!

Jason Vizza has been composing to picture for over a decade. His passion for excellence drives him to create scores of high cinematic quality, which bring out the emotions on screen in a way that viewers continue to feel for the characters long after the movie has ended. Jason utilizes a broad variety of sound palettes, from traditional orchestral instruments, world instruments, and electronic elements. His philosophy is that music should not elevate itself above the movie; rather, it is there to emotionally support the story in order to elevate the movie to its potential. Jason is the co-owner of an Audio Post Production company called Vizzamedia, which is located near Pittsburgh, PA.

Gary T. Smith is an actor, filmmaker and live multi-camera television director. He has a Master's degree in Cinema & Television Arts / Script & Screenwriting from Regent University. Gary's latest film is The Friend  (directed by Robert Thomason) in which he plays the lead, James Orson Bragg. The feature can be seen on Roku, on Tubi, and on the YouTube channel @ChristianMovies. In a career spanning over half a century, he has worked on-staff at 5 television stations (Georgia, Virginia, and Florida), on-staff producing media at First Baptist Church of Atlanta, and on-staff as a Content Producer at the Chick-fil-A Support Center. While at CBN he was Crew Chief for it's flagship program, The 700 Club, and he ran camera for the inaugural broadcast of what was to become "The Family Channel" (now  "Freeform", part of The Walt Disney Company). He was also a director for TBN's flagship program, Praise the Lord  (now Praise). In the 1990's he co-developed Prep Sports Plus, a half-hour weekly high school sports program, seen on Georgia Public Television. The series has since morphed into GPB Sports. Gary is an ordained Southern Baptist minister and he served as a commissioned officer (Captain) in the Georgia State Defense Force, which is a legally constituted element of the Georgia Department of Defense. The founder and president of the Atlanta Christian Film Festival, he is the recipient of a Southeast Regional EMMY® Award, presented by The Atlanta Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and 2 Redemptive Storyteller Awards, presented by The Redemptive Film Festival, Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was recently a member of the Advisory Board for Cedarville University's Broadcasting, Digital Media, and Journalism program, and he teaches Media Arts to high school students at the Gwinette, GA campus of Artios Academies. In 1976 Gary was married to Vicki Irene Greer. The couple have 3 adult children and 8 grandchildren.