Beyond the facilitation and governance of Sports in Space, Space Games Federation®
is staunchly committed to the principle of outer space as a peaceful Non-sovereign territory.
We also believe in globally beneficial outer space endeavors such as Sports in Space,
and the use of international sport as a venue for respectful, good-faith negotiation, communication, cooperation, research and education.
The Equal Space™ Council (ESC) is an expert advisory body tasked with providing wise counsel and expert guidance to SGF on matters relating to space-athletics governance, space policy, and STEM edutainment initiatives.
Comprised of leaders from across multiple industries and areas of inquiry, the SGFESC brings the multi-disciplinary knowledge, experience, and strategic thinking necessary to synthesize real-world solutions to emerging challenges surrounding space-athletics and humanity’s collective future in space.
Multi-award winning actress, model, animal rights activist, recording artist, and Space Games Federation SpaceCaster, Shari Belafonte brings a whole set of dimensions to the sports of tomorrow. With a B.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon University and three runs on “Battle Of The Network Stars,” (as well as occasionally co-hosting with the late, legendary Howard Cosell), to her wide range of credits, she can’t wait to jump into the game.
If you’ve ever watched the Super Bowls, Olympics, pro tennis, pro football, or prime-time college football, you’ve seen Bill Bonnell. Or at least his fine hand behind-the-scenes, producing and guiding your viewing experience. With over a dozen Emmy® Awards to his long list of professional accolades, Bill brings that “big game” feel to whatever sports events he produces. And with an arena the size of the galaxy itself, imagine what his eye will bring to Sports In Space™.
We all like to watch. Which is how Mike Cohen has amassed multiple Emmy® Awards as a sports producer and executive of more than 30 major events including the Super Bowl and the Olympics. He’s eager to bring that knowledge and know-how of gameplay, marketing, and fan engagement to the next generation of sports.
Still breaking records right-and-left, NFL legend, Olympic athlete, actor, and businessman Willie Gault is an absolute rocket (he is, after all, the fastest NFL player ever). In his 11 seasons with the Chicago Bears he can claim 6,635 yards and 44TDs—and a ring from Superbowl XX. Competitive to this day, this world-renowned 58 year-old superstar is on track to become one of the first Astroletes, while engaging and entertaining fans–and shatter all the barriers for the next evolution of modern sports in Equal Space™.
The First & Ten virtual first down line, Racef/x GPS for NASCAR, and basketball’s K-Zone are just a few of the technical innovations CP Communications’ Jerry Gepner has to his credit. His brings that passion for new ways to make broadcast sports more engaging through technology to this next generation of sports.
Nora brings well over a decade of investment banking and financial services experience to SGF, having served as advisor on over $30 billion of transactions during the course of her career. She has worked with a wide range of clients, including some of the largest global corporations, governmental agencies, and municipal authorities on equity and debt issuances, corporate restructurings, and M&A advisory mandates. She also has extensive experience advising start-up companies on their venture, Series A, and Series B capital raises in the digital media, entertainment, and consumer products sectors.
Imagining complex, new worlds, and inviting audiences to come and explore them in such films as 2018 Oscar® Best Picture nominee “Black Panther,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Iron Man 3” and “Star Trek: Nemesis,” to name just a few, Visual Effects Supervisor Bryan Grill has the insight and know-how to visualize the coming of off-Earth stadiums and previously undreamed-of playing fields.
One of Washington’s “80 Greatest Redskins,” Ken Harvey wears his many, many accolades (“Redskins Ring of Fame at FedEx Field” inductee, five-time nominee for the NFL Hall of Fame, four-time NFL Pro Bowl player, and more), with a mix of pride, humility, and a desire to serve as a role model in his community. He is also an accomplished speaker, published author, screenwriter, dreamer (and therefore doer, in the mode of our co-founder, astronaut Gene Cernan), and staunch advocate for Sports In Space.
Van is addicted to emerging technologies and innovative solutions. She has harbored a lifelong love affair with the Internet and all things digital, and is passionate about harnessing these channels to cultivate brand-centric communities. As a huge space geek and cosmos aficionado, she is thrilled by the prospect of exploring space, and hopes to make the kessel run in less than eleven parsecs.
With a background in Molecular Biology and business, CNBC financial contributor James Lebenthal has a firm understanding of the intersection of science and commerce. He’ll bring that to bear on evaluating the finance behind the science for sports played in zero or microgravity.
Executive management of entertainment-related growth companies, including CFO, Human Resources, and Investor Relations; experience in M+A and product launches for major biopharmaceutical companies. All-around sports fanatic whose earliest memory is the first moonwalk. One of the Original founding members of SGF.
In college, Jim Michaels was in love with football and dreamt of a career as a pro athlete. But when football didn’t love him back, he was savvy enough to switch dreams. Today, Jim Michaels is co-executive producer of TV’s “Supernatural,” now in its 14th season, with a long list of other popular shows to his name. A feel for the fantastic and a love of sports give him a unique eye into what makes fans—and the athletes they watch—tick.
The logistics of planning, shooting, and broadcasting of professional sports are second nature to producer Michael Pearl. An accomplished and creative Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame member, Michael has a firm grasp of what makes sports exciting and compelling, and how to bring eyeballs, hearts and minds together to make you watch.
Award-winning director and one of the visual effects maestros behind “Stranger Things” and “Stark Trek: The Next Generation,” Fred Raimondi is responsible for some of the imagery that haunts our collective dreams to this day. With his flair for storytelling and wildly creative imagination, he brings a rock ’n’ roll perspective to creating an immersive fan experience around the sports of the future.
Global sports, entertainment, special effects, and technology entrepreneur and visionary; multiple award winning producer; emerging technology integrator, and holder of various trademarks and patents. Linda grew up playing, living, and working inside the JPL and NASA Space Programs and is deeply passionate about space, technology, sports, broadcasting, and education. She is also the founder of theiDoggiebag Foundation, which spearheaded the movement to bring FDA regulation to the pet food industry and resulted in the Food Borne Illness Act in 2013. Linda is a cancer survivor and has worked on live sporting events for all of the major broadcast networks for over 30 years. She is a 2017 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee.
Greg is an internationally recognized acrobatics coach, former Canada Trampoline National Team member, and pioneer in the emerging sport of Freestyle Trampoline. He has revolutionized acrobatics by developing science-based biomechanical equations allowing any movement to be quantified. Greg has appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” and social media outlets across the world with his “crazy” feats of athleticism, firmly rooted in science. Greg hopes to become an Astrolete to help other sports achieve the same goals both on Earth and beyond.
As an actor on MTV’s “Teen Wolf,” Cody has one foot in the realm of dreams. And with his status as a prominent social media influencer and his personal story as a product of the foster care system and the work he does on behalf of other foster and adopted kids, he has a good lock on the real world as well. Helping to realize kids’ dreams in the new reality of Sports In Space™ is another of the many drivers in his life.
A leading sports medicine surgeon at renowned Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedic Center in Los Angeles who’s worked with the San Francisco 49’ers, Dr. Saliman has invented widely-practiced technology for the repair and renewal of sports-related joint damage. His drive to excel and innovate makes him a valuable addition to Astroletes®, future sports, and SGF.
Making the viewer feel like they’re right in the middle of the courtside action is stock-in-trade for freelance sports producer Mark Shah. A longtime producer for the L.A. Lakers telecasts on Spectrum SportsNet, his grasp of storytelling and a sixth sense for the drama of live sports make him uniquely positioned to evaluate this new wave of sports.
20 years business development, strategic alliance and cause marketing executive, connecting evolving technologies and great causes with great entertainment and educational partners, such as: COSMOS and Warner Bros. Passionate about beneficial collaborations inspiring a cooperative future for all One of the Original founding members of SGF.
A PhD in Earth & Planetary science and a BSc and MSc in Theoretical Physics, plus an avid interest in sports, Dr. Stamenković brings solid science combined with a fan’s engagement to Sports In Space™. His ability to blend the theoretical with the practical has already helped in the development of new game concepts for zero and microgravity.
Actor, veteran, and raconteur Marshall R. Teague has always had a fascination with outer space, which is why he is SGF’s NASA Ambassador. And with more than 37 feature films including “Armageddon,” and 100 TV shows such as “Stargate SG-1” and “Babylon 5,” plus soap operas, voice overs, commercials and theatrical productions to his credit, he knows how to spot real talent. Melding the two interests, he’s excited to start finding the next stars in space.
Brock graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Communications and spent his 4 years there on the football team. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears and went on to spend time with the Vikings and Patriots. With a passion for sports and media, Brock has contributed in the past to Sports Illustrated and best-selling book Elevate Beyond as well as in-studio hosting at NFL Network. With a firm grasp on the current climate of sports and competition, he is eager to merge his experience with the wonders of space and zero gravity.
Dancing on the moon? Justine Walker dreams that you’ll do just that. A dance and physics major from the College of Wooster, she received a 2017 Brooke Owens Fellowship for exceptional women in aerospace and aviation, working at the Sierra Nevada Corp. on the flight dynamics simulation team for the Dream Chaser spacecraft. Her senior thesis on the physics of dance in various gravities intersects brilliantly with the future of Sports in Space™ demonstrating the endless possibilities of movement and entertainment on the horizon.
Robert is a recognized leader in all things microgravity for 25 years, logging thousands of parabolas across multiple platforms in a variety of roles. His accomplishments include founding the Microgravity Projects Office at Embry-Riddle, and helping certify the nation’s first commercial provider of parabolic flight. He currently is a pilot for a major American airline and serves his country in the Florida Army National Guard. Robert remains active in the parabolic flight and space tourism communities, which makes him a powerful voice for Sports In Space™.
Overcoming barriers is what Heather Wilkens does best. As a business development exec at ATA Engineering, Inc., and a board member of Wharton Aerospace, she is adept at bringing complex technologies—like, say Sports In Space™–from R&D stages to actual production. Her ability to inspire others makes her a valued part of the judging panel.
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