The GI Film Festival Team
Laura Law-Millett
Co-Founder & DirectorLaura Law-Millett is a successful entrepreneur and the Chief Operations Officer at Constant Motion Entertainment, a full service entertainment company located in Alexandria, Virginia.
Laura is also the co-founder of the GI Film Festival which is currently in it’s 6th year of operations. The GI Film Festival is a non-profit organization and is the nation’s only military film festival. The mission of the festival is to honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women in uniform through the medium of film.
Films screened by the GI Film Festival have gone on to win Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and air on Showtime, HBO, and the Military Channel as well as gain DVD distribution deals. In 2009, The GI Film Festival was awarded the coveted American Legion National Commander’s PR award. Previous award recipients include Lou Dobbs, Tim Russert and former MPAA Chairman Jack Valenti, among other media moguls.
Laura has also served the nation for over 18 years as an Army Officer in the US Army and US Army Reserves serving in Korea, Turkey, Bosnia, Germany, Colorado, Maryland and Virginia where she earned many distinguished awards. From 2006-2008 Laura was selected to be the subject of a national recruitment media campaign for the US Army reserve.
Laura also has a career in volunteering at Girls State and with Junior Achievement. She served on Congressman Tom Davis’ staff in Virginia to help nominate candidates for the military academies. She also created and teaches a leadership class for at-risk high school girls. Laura’s organization Not Too Young to Care brings awareness on ending sex trafficking. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering and English Literature from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Brandon Millett
Co-founder and PresidentBrandon Millett is an award-winning communicator, writer, producer and media entrepreneur. Millett is currently an Owner and Executive Vice President of American Way Productions, a full-service film production and distribution company, CEO of the GI Film Group, which supports military-themed film and television projects and Co-Founder and President of the GI Film Festival, a national non-profit organization dedicated to tell the stories of American veterans. The GI Film Festival is now in its seventh year of operations.
In recognition for his creative work, Millett is the co-recipient of the 2010 American Legion National Commander’s Public Relations Award previously presented to the late Tim Russert, Tom Brokaw, Lou Dobbs and the late Jack Valenti, to name a few. On behalf of the GI Film Festival, Millett also accepted the 2012 Carlton Sherwood Media Award from the National Blind Veterans Foundation and the 2007 George Washington Valley Forge Honor Medal from the Freedom Foundation.
Millett is the Executive Producer of a weekly television series currently airing on The Pentagon Channel (TPC), which is broadcast to every military base worldwide, inside the Pentagon, and to 34 million homes via cable/satellite television. Millett is also the Executive Producer of a primetime television series that aired on the Discovery Network’s Military Channel in 2010. Through American Way Productions, Millett has numerous projects in various stages of development.
As a communications and media professional, Millett has advised a variety of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies to non-profit start-ups. Millett’s media campaigns have earned coverage from virtually every major news outlet worldwide, including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian, to name a few.
As a spokesperson Millett conducted hundreds of interviews on national radio and television programs from Dennis Miller to NPR’s To the Point to Fox and Friends, while his written work has appeared in numerous top publications, including The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and the Baltimore Sun. Millett previously served as Director of Communications the nation’s largest government watchdog organization.
Millett also previously worked for The Leadership Institute, an organization that trains young people for success in politics and the media. Millett holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Psychology with a concentration in Political Psychology. Millett also studied theater and acting privately with Anthony Abeson and at HB Studios in New York.
Katelyn
Marketing and PR ManagerKatelyn Gimbel is the newest member of the GIFF team. Graduating from Radford University in 2008 with a BS in Communication and concentration in PR, she began her career interning and then landing a position with Shirley & Banister Public Affairs. There she gained experience working with national media and handled interview scheduling and press for political strategist and well known authors, including New York Times best-selling. She then moved to Linda Roth Associates, where she gained experience in hospitality PR and event planning.
As her passion for event production grew, Katelyn went on to handle media relations and event planning for Kafè Leopold and L2 Lounge, located in Cady’s Alley courtyard in Georgetown. Events at L2 Lounge ranged from art exhibits, fashion shows, charity fundraisers, corporate and prestigious private events.
Katelyn also serves as the Associate Producer of The Funniest Celebrity in Washington Contest; an annual event involving Members of Congress, White House administration, media personalities, pro-athletes and other prominent “movers and shakers” of Washington, who perform stand-up comedy to support an annual beneficiary. Since beginning her involvement in 2010, her comedic abilities have yet to improve.
Marlene
Outreach Coordinator
