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Earning his B.A. in Film Studies from UC Santa Barbara and M.F.A. from the UCLA Producer's Program, Ross has been the Head of Development and Management at 1stAveMachine since October 2017. Prior to 1stAveMachine, he was the Director of Development and Programming Strategy at Maker Studios, part of the Walt Disney Company, and the Head of Features from 2014-2017, working in feature film development and production while spearheading Maker’s entry into the digital movie business. He also worked in both television and short-form video series development. In 2015, Ross oversaw the acquisition of Maker’s first released feature, SUMMER FOREVER, starring YouTube music star Megan Nicole, and development and production its second, INTERNET FAMOUS, a co-production with Lakeshore Entertainment, which was bought by Netflix. Ross oversaw series Maker produced in conjunction with Key & Peele, Freeform, Skybound Entertainment, and CBS Studios & CBS Network, YouTube Red, among others.
Ross transitioned over to digital media side of entertainment in 2012, working for Fullscreen. There, he held several positions, working in Branded Entertainment and Influencer Marketing, helping to grow several of the company’s core businesses by pairing Fullscreen’s top influencers with blue chip entertainment brands such as MTV, VH1, CBS, 20th Century Fox, AOL, Disney, among others. The marketing platform Ross helped to mount, Influencer+, was acquired and whitelisted by WPP in 2013. Before moving over to digital media, Ross spent over a decade in the film business as a producer and executive. He was named the Director of Creative Affairs at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) in 2007, one of two production executives overseeing the studio’s slate of Direct-to-DVD and Made-for-TV movies. Some of the films Ross oversaw included PICTURE THIS starring Ashley Tisdale, INTO THE BLUE 2: THE REEF, STARGATE: CONTINUUM, LEGALLY BLONDE, among others.
Ross was Director of Development from 2003 to 2007 at the Paramount-based production/management company Guy Walks into a Bar, which produced ELF starring Will Ferrell and MEET DAVE, starring Eddie Murphy, during his tenure. He also set up projects at numerous studios and networks during his tenure, including 20th Century Fox Pictures, Paramount Pictures, New Line Entertainment, Universal Studios, 20th Century Fox Television, Touchstone Television, Revolution Studios, and Lakeshore Entertainment, among others. In 2000, Ross started his career at 20th Century Fox Television as a writer’s assistant on the CW one-hour drama Roswell, and then later joined the William Morris Agency, serving there as an assistant in both the Motion Picture Talent and Motion Picture Literary Departments until 2003. Ross graduated with an M.F.A. from the UCLA Producer's Program in 2002. There, he co-founded the Producers Program Marketplace, which still runs annually today.