Chris Berger
CEO
In 2005 Chris founded The Christopher Group International (CGI), amassing five international awards since that time, including a national cancer patient education program and Fortune 500 corporate social responsibility program.
Chris’s non-profit experience includes serving as the President of OCEARCH.org, where he oversaw 26% growth in fundraising, 100+ events per year worldwide and the launch of a national K-12 free education program. He enabled 15x growth in media reach and engagement through a uniquely integrated press and social media strategy in 40+ countries.
Chris has managed partnerships with Costa Sunglasses, Caterpillar, YETI, Shell and SeaWorld. He also conducted briefings for more than 30 Senate and Congressional offices, advocating policy for conservation and education.
Inspired and humbled by his active duty and former military family members who serve and have served the Air Force and Marine Corps, Chris joined the Gary Sinise Foundation in April 2020 to lead outreach efforts to military and veteran communities, law enforcement, and the local Orlando business community.
Jennelle Jordan
Producer / Production Manager
Jennelle has been in the entertainment industry for over 17 years, garnering a reputation as a driven, highly experienced people person who can run very complex projects.
She has produced 244 episodes of the critically acclaimed television series Forensic Files, over 250 content pieces for corporate and non-profit experiential projects and has served as Production Manager and Producer for multi-location, multi-platform virtual events.
Through every endeavor, Jennelle is focused on growing organizations and brands while engaging audiences. Working on a wide range of projects, from television, commercials, corporate, music, and web videos, to production and on-site management of live events, her talents lie in organization and planning, getting to know the intricacies of each different production and personnel she works with. Her goal is to create visually and emotionally compelling content with as seamless a pre-production and production process as possible.
Karen Young
Program Director
For more than two decades, Karen Young has made a name for herself as a respected and trusted leader in the meetings industry. She has planned and operated hundreds of meetings and events of all sizes all over the globe — for as few as 12 key option leaders to as many as 10,000 attendees — with budgets stretching into the multimillions. This experience gives her a broad perspective as an innovative thinker and skilled collaborator, intent on providing creative and effective brand solutions for clients that meet or exceed objectives. Karen is a proven expert in attracting high-level clients, staying within budget guidelines and driving ROI for virtual events, national sales meetings, product launches, sales incentive programs and everything in between. In her years of executive leadership, Karen has successfully led as many as 50 employees at a time, engineering custom events and incentive programs that create measurable value and yield true results. To ensure she stays in tune with the industry and evolving client needs from the ground floor, she continues to actively work alongside her team members — everything from brainstorming themes to planning menus. Karen — who has a bachelor’s degree in hospitality from the University of Central Florida in Orlando — is a member of Meetings Professionals International (MPI).
John Grilli
Director of Photography / Editor
John Grilli is an award-winning broadcast and postproduction professional with over 35 years studio and field production experience. His credits range from television shows to independent films. John’s expertise includes complex editing on multiple platforms, chromakey work, compositing, color-correcting, sound design and many other facets he has mastered over the course of his extensive career.
Most importantly, John understands the craft of storytelling. His ability to see a storyline before it’s flushed out is a gift he shares on every project. John’s skill in the edit suite is matched by his mastery behind the lens in the field. He brings incredible efficiency to a project by understanding how a piece is going to be edited and allowing that to drive decisions he makes behind the camera. One of John’s hidden skills is that of an amateur chef; he’s passionate about the craft of cooking – a craft we all hope he’ll bring one day to the set.
Doug White
Creative Director & Choreographer
Doug White is a creative force for award-winning projects – as a Choreographer, Director, Producer, Dancer, Costumer and Creative Director. He has choreographed or staged award-winning shows at the Orlando International FRINGE Theater Festival as well as 100+ corporate theater and short film projects in Central FL, across the country, around the world and even at sea. He has performed with Carol Lawrence, Betty White, Michael Knight, Michael Feinstein, Bea Arthur and Debbie Allen to name a few. Doug’s corporate project experience includes Harley Davidson, Compass Group, Lens Crafters, Ortho-McNeal, Johnson & Johnson, Siemens, PGA, Westinghouse, AT&T, The Home Depot, People Magazine, Ford Motors and many others.
It all started for Doug as a little boy in West Branch, MI, donning a turkey costume in his second grade Thanksgiving Day pageant. After conquering his high school and community theater, Doug attended Central Michigan University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Theater and Interpretation. While at CMU, he gained national recognition and the privilege to perform his original work at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Doug started his professional career by landing the role of Action in West Side Story, followed by many other roles, as well as performing for 15 years at the Walt Disney World Resort in various shows and special events. His fashion show experience includes Calvin Klein Fragrance, Adidas International, Versace, Puma, DJP, Adidas, Kenneth Cole, Armani Exchange.
Doug is masterful at bringing the most out of talent, professional or complete novice. His ability to make you feel at ease under the lights or in front of a camera is a true gift you need to experience.
Richard Jacobs
IT, Web Design & Development
Richard has helped businesses throughout North and South America grow their online presence for the last seven years as a web developer, frontend designer, and digital marketer. His love for coding was developed long before his professional career in 1996 when he began to work in text editors, developing small websites and coding small applications to help small non-profits and groups have a presence online.
After earning a Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Tennessee in 2005 and jumping right into the corporate world, he began to look for ways to follow his passion, helping others. In 2014, he took a picture of the exit door and walked out to begin pursuing that dream.
“Building up others in their roles, providing resources to build others’ dreams, and making people walk away with a smile and knowing that I care is my mission.”
Gabrielle Neisch
Special Projects Support Lead / Chief Executive Assistant
Gabrielle has over eight (8) years of diverse administrative experience, ranging from project management to marketing. With each endeavor she has learned new skills and has worked on her craft. She graduated from San Francisco State University in 2009 with a BA in Psychology – an incredible asset in dealing with people and dynamic situations with grace under pressure.
After graduation, she realized she had a passion for the complex world of senior executive and project-based administrative management, and has continued to excel in that field. As a military spouse of an Active Duty Army Soldier, she has learned to operate under stressful situations and has welcomed a lifestyle that is ever changing.