Snarky Elephant Productions Appoints Toby Shorter as CLO, Launches CEO Search
The indie studio behind ZARI and upcoming feature LILLIAN, NEXT DOOR expands its board amid the transition.
Snarky Elephant Productions (SEP), the independent production company whose work has centered LGBTQ+ stories and underrepresented artists since its founding in 2018, today announced the appointment of Toby Shorter as Chief Legal Officer, a forthcoming expansion of its board of directors, and the transition of founder Vishaal Reddy from his role as Chief Executive Officer. The company has begun a formal CEO search.
LGBTQ+ Track Record
The announcement comes during LGBTQ+ Pride Month, a fitting moment for a company whose productions have consistently centered queer stories. SEP's short film Zari won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at NewFest — the largest LGBTQ+ film festival in the U.S. — before broadcasting on AMC+, and has since screened internationally. The company is currently producing Lillian, Next Door, a feature film starring four-time Academy Award nominee Jane Alexander opposite Marco Pigossi and Kanoa Goo, directed by SXSW Audience Award-winner Janice Engel. The film, which centers on an unlikely friendship between a retired CIA operative and her gay neighbors, was developed and led by a predominantly LGBTQ+ creative team and is being sold by WME Independent. Production wrapped in Nova Scotia earlier this year.
Founder Transition
Vishaal Reddy co-founded SEP in 2020 alongside entrepreneur Neal Ludevig. Under his leadership, the company produced work that has garnered attention from Tribeca, Sundance, Dances With Films, Outfest, and NewFest, among others, and expanded its slate to include scripted and unscripted series, short films, live events, and an artist incubator program. Reddy will remain involved as Founder and Creator through the leadership transition.
"Serving as CEO of Snarky Elephant has been one of the great privileges of my professional life," said Reddy. "What started as a small creative project has grown into a company with a real track record and a community of artists committed to meaningful work. I look forward to supporting the organization as it enters this next chapter."
Toby Shorter Joins as Chief Legal Officer
Shorter brings two decades of experience across television, film, music, digital media, and new media.He most recently served as in-house counsel at William Morris Endeavor, where he oversaw business and legal affairs for Rachel Maddow’s documentary production company, Surprise Inside, and Chris Corcoran’s podcast production company, Audity. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.
Shorter also serves as a Board Member for Hawks FC, Inc., a nonprofit soccer club supporting young female athletes from underrepresented communities, and as an Advisory Board Member for South Stack Studios, LLC, a nonprofit media-tech fund focused on South Asian stories.
Board Expansion
SEP will add the following members to its board of directors. Their full bios are available on SEP’s website:
Newest additions to the board include:
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Camille Blake Fall is a social impact attorney and arts leader serving as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway Theatre, home to the Maryland Film Festival. She has worked with numerous mid-Atlantic film festivals including the Maryland Film Festival, DC Independent Film Festival, and SILVERDOCS, and also serves on the selection committee of the Maryland Filmmakers Fellowship, which annually awards funding to independent filmmakers in Sundance Institute Labs Programs. Additionally, Camille serves on the board of the Film Festival Alliance.
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Paolo Ciccarelli is a Strategic Advisor in film, television, and digital content, working at the intersection of storytelling, talent, and international strategy. His expertise spans scouting, evaluating, and developing scripted content, and advising talent with international ambition. He joined MIA | International Audiovisual Market in Rome in 2017 and was appointed Head of Drama in 2023. He has also served as a consultant to Paramount in Italy and as a curator, mentor, and selection committee member for leading international training programmes and festivals - consistently championing bold, underrepresented voices across global markets.
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Lisa Tawil is Senior Vice President of Brand, Communications, and Audience Growth at ITVS, where she leads marketing and distribution for the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens. An Emmy-nominated marketing executive with 20+ years of experience at National Geographic Channel and PBS, she also serves on the board of INPUT, an international nonprofit dedicated to global media collaboration, and is a member of the Television Academy and Women in Film.
