Our Team
Meet the team behind the New Jersey Web Festival
Neem Basha
CEO, Founder, Festival Director
Neem Basha began his film career training under the tutelage of Emmy-Award winning writer Barry Goldsmith (“The Joan Rivers Show”). Neem went on to become a multi-time award winning writer/director/producer, starting with his full-length feature film “Ten-Buck Baton,” which was screened at multiple film festivals in 2013 and won four awards -- including Best Feature Film at the New York/Los Angeles International Film Festival.
Since then, Neem has been at the helm of several successful projects. His varied portfolio includes feature films, music videos, commercials, government PSAs, and short films, including “Home Invasion” and “Repentance,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime.
Neem’s most successful production is his smash hit “Neem’s Themes,” an internationally award-winning sketch comedy series with over 30 crowd-pleasing episodes. Most recently, Neem created a new series titled "Girl Dad," which is currently in production.
Neem’s work has been seen by well over 40 million people - on The Big Screen, on digital media, and on platforms such as Hulu, NYC cable stations, and others. His award portfolio is varied, having won and been nominated for dozens of awards for his directing and writing, a People’s Choice Award from an international audience in Valencia, Spain, and a filmmaking Achievement Award in Seoul, Korea, among others.
Neem brought his background and expertise to the New Jersey Web Festival, which went on to become one of the best-reviewed festivals on Film Freeway. He enjoys greeting creators from all over the world for this annual tradition, while also continuing to produce varied and crowd-pleasing productions of his own.
Michael Lieder
Executive Board Member
Michael (Mike) Lieder is an actor of almost 20 years and a founding member of the NJ WebFest. He grew up right here in New Jersey where the dream of being an actor began.
Mike had been featured in multiple independent projects throughout the years. When he auditioned and earned a role on a Neem Basha film, Mike and Neem discovered that they had an incredible synergy as director and actor, and they went on to work on several award-winning projects. Several years later, Michael was by Neem’s side for the inaugural New Jersey Webfest.
Mike wears many hats as one of the NJ WebFest board members, and his favorite is when he gets to meet and greet people from all over the world! As we get ready for another epic year, Mike is ready to feel that Jersey Magic.
Ned Donovan
Director of Audio Fiction
Ned is a multi-hyphenate artist based out of New York City working in Theatre, Podcasting, Television, and Film. His career currently spans theatre, podcasting, television, film, and audio fiction.
His actual play podcast, Encounter Party, recently finished its first season as a television adaptation in partnership with Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Studios. That show is available to watch on demand now on Plex or on the Dungeons & Dragons Adventures Channel.
His web series, The Hunted: Encore, won more than 70 awards at over 40 festivals worldwide and ranked #4 USA, #23 worldwide in the 2018 Web Series World Cup. Those festivals paved the way for his professional career to take off.
Ned works to expand the professional and promotional opportunities for web content creators and audio fiction creators around the world. That brought him to approach Neem about adding Audio Fiction to the NJ WebFest, and he is the founder of the Audio Fiction World Cup, now in its second year, bringing audio fiction to more than 10 other festivals worldwide.
Nicole Gibault
Executive Board Member
Nicole Guilbault is a versatile SAG-AFTRA actress and stuntwoman with a passion for horror and sci-fi genres. With extensive experience in film, TV, and voice-over roles, Nicole has showcased her talents in projects such as the episodic series "Girl Dad."
Trained with various esteemed coaches, including the Barrow Group, she brings a unique perspective as a Canadian born LGBTQ individual. Currently, Nicole is channeling her creativity into writing her first feature film, eager to explore new and exciting narratives.
Katie Browe
Assistant Director of Audio Fiction
Katie Browe likes to make things happen especially when supporting artists. From editing podcasts, to mentoring, to event planning, to stage management, she helps art and people achieve their potential. Katie has been working in CT theatre for the past 10 years and the audio fiction world since 2019. When not working, Katie is planning her upcoming 2025 wedding and training to run a 10K.
Chelsea Komorowski
Executive Board Member
Chelsea Komorowski is a freelance media producer working in a variety of commercial, film, and live sport productions. She has experience in the pre production stages, on set, and post production, and anywhere in between.
In addition to her freelance work, she works for a number of film festivals and coordinates and organizes them all the way from beginning, to the very end. She works to continue her media career with bigger and better projects and pursue a career in screenwriting one day.
Jenni Tyliszczak
Executive Board Member
Jenni has been involved with New Jersey Webfest since 2021 with the introduction of audio fiction. Jenni has helped lay the foundation with Ned Donovan on operationalizing the audio fiction submission, judging, and acceptance processes. In addition to this, she has supported attendees for the screenings and gala over the past 4 years. As her day job, Jenni is a Senior Manager of Technical Program Management at SiriusXM for Commerce and User Services. Jenni loves to spend time with her husband, watching defending NWSL champions Gotham FC and hanging out with her dog Buggsy Mogues.