Judges
Brock LaBorde is a writer and producer who’s developed films, TV shows, digital series, and commercials for Dreamworks, Sony, WWE, VENN, Quibi, MTV, Comedy Central, AT&T, and Intel. His recent projects include the award-winning gun violence doc, 91%; and the animated pilot, SpaceWorld (his third project with cult film icon Tommy Wiseau). Currently, he’s designing a video game, ARBO: Arena Tactics, and developing its IP into a graphic novel for ReBlink Studios. He served as a judge for the Southern Screen Film Fest for 3 years, and is honored to serve as a Comedy Film Fest judge for a second time.
G-Su Paek is a Korean-American actor known for his work in independent films like Somebody Up There Likes Me (2012), 7 Chinese Brothers (2015), Call Me Brother (2018), and Lucky Doug (2022). He has appeared in TV series such as Crunch Time and HBO’s The Leftovers. A writer and performer in the 2020 CBS Showcase, he also co-founded award winning improv troupe "Y’all We Asian". His work spans film, television, voice acting, and live comedy, with festival appearances at San Francisco Sketchfest, Dallas Comedy Festival, and more.
Tiernan O'Rourke is a seasoned film festival technician and event production specialist based in Austin, Texas. Over the course of the last fifteen years he has ensured that thousands of films have had stellar premiere experiences at theatrical venues across the capitol city. When he's not running or attending festivals, you can likely find him lending a hand on the set of an independent feature or trying to start up another very important podcast about sandwiches.
Alice Nelson is a student in Austin who’s passionate about TV-production and film editing. She is a writer who creates and edits horror/comedy shorts with her friends, does production gigs with TBN and A&E, and will continue involvement in local theatre projects. She spends her free time talking to her cat, recording outside noises, and watching comedy TV.
Crew
Eric Rousseau is a filmmaker who splits time between Austin, TX & Charlotte, NC. He prides himself on being able to jump into any role on a set. His feature film, Lucky Doug, played at a dozen festivals between 2021-2023, and won numerous awards.
Patrick Neese has directed, produced, operated Steadicam, edited, animated, written, and acted in short films, web series, podcasts, feature films, live shows, and so much more.
JJ Pollack works as a freelance editor and director in Austin, with work featured on ESPN+, Gunpowder & Sky’s DUST channel, Film Shortage, and Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture. He was awarded a grant from the Other Worlds Film Festival to make his last short, Jettison, which premiered at the Austin Film Festival and made its LA debut at HollyShorts. JJ is currently in pre-production to direct his first feature, a two-hander chamber dramedy, after industry vets read his script and raved "Why is this a movie? Feels more like a play." and "This is the least marketable idea anyone's ever had."