Robert Slaughter

As Founder, President & Creative Director of the Arts Olympus, Robert has much experience in all areas of the visual arts, music, dance and theater, both on stage and behind. A founding cruise staff member and entertainer of what is now the largest cruise ship company in the world, Carnival, he has also had hands on experience in ship hospitality. This coupled with experience in all aspects of event production globally give Robert over three decades of experience enabling him to launch a project of the magnitude of the “Ship of Global Goodwill.”

 With a credential list that would extend out the door, he has worked with some of the greatest names in show business starting with “Cotton Club” legend Leonard Reed who gave him his start singing ragtime, jazz and blues. Through the years, he has worked with everyone from Stevie Wonder to George Winston. On ships, he started performing on the Mardi Gras the very first and only ship that Carnival had. His most recent international production on the Queen Mary received four and half stars out of five by the LOS ANGELES TIMES. While in Miami Beach, he put together entertainment for a city wide seven day event that kick started the now famous DECO DISTRICT in South Beach only to go on and then help produce the first Miami International Film Festival. He has worked on a number of UN projects that include “Artists for Peace” in Geneva and a “United Nations Day” celebration in New York. He would go on to produce the first “Humanitarian Film Awards” in New York which included stars participating such as Nicolas Cage and Martin Scorsese. With a degree in Fine Arts and experience in antiques, Robert was the North American correspondent for South America’s “Art and Antiques” magazine. He world later become an international art dealer frequenting major auction houses and brokering important paintings from Picasso to Rembrandt. As board member of the “Poverty Awareness Coalition” in New York he worked with homeless. On a Hudson River Pier he helped produce a fundraising concert for victims of Hurricane Katrina and his humanitarian efforts just goes on and on.

Amelia Voorsanger

As Executive Director, Amelia brings to the Arts Olympus huge credentials in the corporate world. Her exceptional talent in strategic planning has made her a leader in the development of new business opportunities and launching and tactical implementation of initiatives at state, national and international levels. She has worked in over thirty three countries which includes the Hellenic Development Corp. in Greece to the Resource Holding Co. in West Africa. This has given her tremendous multicultural skills in branding and marketing world wide. She has been involved in creating over one hundred and fifty promotional road shows for over fifteen companies in the USA and abroad. Amelia has been involved in government remedial and adult literacy efforts and has and has designed and implemented community outreach programs, educational and empowerment projects. She’s been a public speaker and a talk show host of Current Affairs on PBS among others. She has a background in the arts and has won numerous honors including the 2000 Notable American Women Award and the “Who’s Who” of Women.

Geraldo Mercado

Geraldo is a Graphic Designer at NBC Universal working on popular news shows such as Early Today and Morning Joe. Prior to joining NBC he worked as a Freelance Art Director for the International Federation of Body Builders (I.F.B.B.) designing Pay-Per-Views and at many New York City advertising agencies where he helped shape campaigns for many high profile brands, including IBM, Coca-Cola and Colgate-Palmolive. Mercado has a degree in Advertising Design from Fashion Institute of Technology and was previously an Adjunct Professor there.

Ranjit Sivaprakasam

As President and CEO of DSI Live his experience is vast in financing and the implementation of technology and entertainment. Spanning three continents, Ranjit has created strategic alliances and joint ventures out of Los Angeles, London, New York, Sri Lanka and Singapore. He and his USA partners created one of the first offshore technology transfer and training projects, located in Asia, for the Mid East and Asian Engineers. As VP of Finance for A & I Investment, a Small Cap Investment firm in entertainment, Ranjit founded Finance Technology Company (FINTEC) for collateral-backed financing, small cap companies and merchant banking services. He launched Building Net, a value add telecommunication and revenue share service for Class A building owners. In 1998, he launched Online Gateway Services (OGSI), a catalyst for conscious causes to engage audiences through entertaining content over Broadband Internet, while promoting causes and events that benefit socially responsible, charitable organizations.

Ed Lantz

He is a media and entertainment engineer, inventor, scientist, artist and entrepreneur. He is internationally recognized as a pioneer and leading authority in large-format digital cinema and immersive experiences for mass audiences; Ed continues to nurture the development of the “fulldome” medium, which is now surpassing IMAX’s installed theater base by replacing film and analog star projectors with large-format interactive computer graphics projected onto domed screens.

Elizabeth Estrada

As Chairperson of the META (MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT, TECHNOLOGY AND ARTS,) Elizabeth has an extensive background in television and the production of feature films. She lived and worked in Singapore for a number of years giving her unparalleled knowledge of the market, not only in North America but Asia as well. She also has considerable expertise in banking and hotel development.

Sven Garrett

Born in Germany, Sven is a television and screen actor with much experience in production. His long standing relationships with media in Europe, especially in Germany, such as with RTL television make him a very valuable asset for future media development in Europe. Sven also has a long history in event management and is known to spark events with a very creative eye for possibilities.

Sylvia Destefano

Born in Mexico, Sylvia had been a television producer for a number of years before she took on producing the news for the Americas for the largest Spanish speaking television network in the world. Her skills at coordinating mass media are exceptional, and her knowledge of the Latin American market is unparalleled. She is now assisting in developing a global arts news program for the Arts Olympus.

Faye C. Feller

As Executive Director of the “National Association of Women for the Arts”, Faye Feller and President Sandra Berger recently hosted an international conference on “Women Who Impact the Power of the Arts.” She was a New York State Cultural Commissioner and served as Co-Chair on C.O.N.G.O. a United Nations educational committee. Her work on Radio and Television was used for training for AmeriCorps VISTA leaders.

Iris Merlis

An award winning producer specializing in musical programming, Iris comes to the Arts Olympus with many years experience in the television industry with PBS and the various networks. With numerous nominations and awards, she has won the coveted Emmy for her outstanding creative programming.

Rob Thurmer

Rob has had over twenty-three years experience in all aspects of event production. For years he managed events for Paramount Studios in Hollywood. His private events include the “Who’s Who” of the entertainment world from Johnnie Carson to Michael Jackson. Other events include Barbara Streisand’s comeback concert and Madonna’s wedding. Not a stranger to coordinating events on ships, his most recent event was to coordinate the World Press Launch of the Arts Olympus on the most famous ship in the world, the Queen Mary.

Jeffrey S. Glover, Esq.

With years of high level international experience as an Entertainment Attorney, Senior Corporate Officer and Creative Program Executive, Jeffrey Glover has a rich history of innovation in developing cutting-edge projects at the crossroads of Entertainment and New Communication Technologies. Jeffrey is a pioneer in integrating major strategy, branding, programming and launch programs for such paradigm-shifting companies as: TiVo (1stDVR),
AOL Plus (1st AOL Broadband Service), Orbit Satellite Network (1st All Digital SatNetwork), Intertainer (1st VOD Service). Jeffrey is an Advisory Board member of various non-profit companies and projects such as: The Island of Tolerance, Arts Olympus, and Project One for the Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations.

Thomas Xenakis

From Greece, Thomas Xenakis has lived many years in France receiving his Masters degree from the University de la Sorbonne. Now living in New York, he is working in the film and the television industries including ABC, Bravo TV, GM, Eurovision and many others.

Xin Fu

Living in Shanghais and having received her degrees from Oxford University, London University and the University of Bologna in Italy, Xin has been for the last number of years involved in the booming contemporary art scene in her country. Her gallery in Shanghais exhibits some of the most recognized artists of Asia. This year she was curator to the SH Contemporary 2010 at the WORLD EXPO in China and has participated in some of the most important art shows in the world from Miami to Rome. As a journalist she has written for countless publications.