Story Author
Robert W. McKnight
Robert W. McKnight is a retired businessman, former Florida State Senator, and current business and political consultant. He has written books and commentary on politics and public policy for television, radio, newspapers, and blogs. His writings, experiences, and commentary are the basis of a new screenplay, Calle Ocho.
Senator McKnight is a 1962 graduate of Lake Worth High School where he was an All Suncoast Conference Football End, and has been inducted into that high school Athletic Hall of Fame. He graduated with a BS degree from Florida Southern College in 1966, where he served as President of his Sophomore, Junior and Senior Classes. He held membership in Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Society, Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity, and Pi Kappa Alpha Social Fraternity. He is listed in the 1966 edition of Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. McKnight was an Army ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant upon graduation. In 1995 he received his college Alumni Achievement Award and served on the Board of Trustees for 10 years.
He took his MBA at Florida State University where he was tapped into the Business Scholastic Honorary, Beta Gamma Sigma. Upon graduation, McKnight entered the U. S. Army and served in Korea with I Corps, where he earned the U. S. Army Commendation Medal.
Senator McKnight was recruited by the IBM Corporation at FSU and was awarded the Outstanding Rookie Salesman Award for the Southeast United States. He served in senior management positions with Planned Development Corporation, Miami; and Fringe Benefits Management Company, Tallahassee; and served on the Board of Directors of two national banks.
McKnight was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1974, and was re-elected without opposition, in 1976. He defeated two State Senators to win his seat in the Florida Senate, District 38, representing Miami and the Florida Keys. He was selected as the Outstanding First Term Member of the Florida Senate and House of Representatives, Runner-Up. In a poll conducted by Florida Trend Magazine of the legislative members, Senator McKnight was identified as “Admired for Dedication, Honesty, Integrity and Regard for the Public Welfare.” McKnight was nominated as the Most Valuable Member of the Senate by the Tampa Bay Times newspaper in 1980.
In 1980, Senator McKnight was selected as one of the Five Outstanding Young Men in Florida by the Florida Jaycees.
Story Author and Screenwriter, WGA
Jeremy Culver
Jeremy Culver is an independent filmmaker with a passion for storytelling, often focusing on themes of redemption and reconciliation.
Culver’s first feature film An Evergreen Christmas (starring Robert Loggia, Naomi Judd, Charleene Closshey, and Booboo Stewart) was distributed on Netflix. His latest film No Postage Necessary (starring George Blagden, Charleene Closshey, Robbie Kay, and Michael Beach) was shot on Kodak 35mm film and releases in select theaters, online, and via the blockchain July 2018.
Culver’s feature documentary Radical Kindness (narrated by Martin Sheen) explores the life and teaches of noted Irish author and priest Monsignor John Sheridan, awarded both the Gabriel Award and the CIMA Award.
His short art film Walking with Francis chronicles the last days of St. Francis of Assisi, ultimately receiving had an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis I. A documentary under the same name is currently in production and features author Tobias Wolff, Franciscan monk Brother Bill Short, and noted sociologist and spiritualist Jean Houston among others.
Culver is a member of The Directors Guild of America and The Writers Guild of America. He is a Board Member for Vevue, the world’s first decentralized video platform application. He has been seen on FOX Business and in Variety Magazine discussing the future of the Blockchain.