Meet Our Team
Jackelyn Viera Iloff, President and Co-Founder
As an executive producer of Starlighter Films and Entertainment, she brings a vast array of business experience and knowledge to filmmaking and production. Her skills include strategic planning, marketing, public relations, social media, financing, and production, making her a valuable member of executive profiles in the industry. She has worked as a producer and consultant on numerous projects, including the award-nominated History Channel’s Jesus: His Life, the films IAmAllGirls, Walking with Herb, the Houston Ben-Hur Film Premiere, and Channel 55/Wild About Houston. Additionally, she has been an executive advisor for the 18th Annual NFL Sanctioned Houston Super Bowl Gospel Celebration and the Houston Recovers with Clay Walker and Friends Benefit Concert.
Jackelyn is also the author of “What if You Could? Find Faith in the Face of Fear” and serves as a Senior Advisor and ordained minister at Joel Osteen Ministries/Lakewood Church, where she leads Lakewood MovieNight - a faith films ministry outreach. She regularly writes for ChurchGrowth magazine and offers expert opinions on talk radio and television.
Previously, Jackelyn established and managed Southstar Communications, a consulting company engaged in public relations, product/service branding, promotional marketing, crisis communications, new business development, public affairs, and international trade, contributing to the initiatives of the SouthCoast Alliance.
Jackelyn has served at the highest levels of government, working on economic development, transportation safety, women and minority outreach, and international policy initiatives. She was a Presidential Administration appointee under Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole in the Office of Special Projects and worked under Virginia Governor Allen developing economic initiatives and trade missions. Furthermore, she was the Mid-Atlantic Public Relations Director for KPMG, one of the world’s largest professional services firms, and served as a key liaison to The Accountants Coalition, enacting landmark tort reform legislation.
Smiling woman with shoulder-length hair wearing a striped shirt.
Simon Swart, Co-Founder
As the CEO of Nthibah Pictures and formerly EVP and General Manager at Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Simon has an impressive executive profile. He managed the development and release of hundreds of programs, generating over $3bn in annual sales with more than 200 new releases each year. His responsibilities included overseeing the distribution and marketing for Twentieth Century Fox Film & Television, as well as MGM, Relativity, and DreamWorks Animation. Simon has been instrumental in managing major franchises such as Avatar, Titanic, Star Wars, Ice Age, Alvin and the Chipmunks, James Bond, Die Hard, Aliens, and the X-Men.
Recognizing an opportunity to support smaller studios, he launched a service organization offering distribution services, which began with Lionsgate and expanded to include MGM, Relativity, DreamWorks, and Miramax, generating nearly $4bn in fees over 15 years. He also identified an underserved market by launching FoxFaith in 2002, the first big studio division dedicated to the faith-based audience, which generated more than $700m in revenue. Simon secured rights to successful properties including Passion of the Christ, Strawberry Shortcake, Love Comes Softly, Ultimate Gift, and The Bible.
Throughout his career, which spans more than two decades, he has championed and created new markets within entertainment and digital media delivery channels at Fox, Disney, and Warner Brothers. Currently, he is producing and executive producing several films, including 6 Below, I Can Only Imagine, iamAllGirls, Alone, The Amy Purdy Story, The Kings Daughter, and Tour Dates. Notably, I Can Only Imagine made a significant impact at the box office on March 16, 2018, becoming the most profitable movie of the year in the US, with over $83MM in domestic box office revenue on a $7.7m budget. Simon’s extensive experience and contributions make him a notable figure among the team members at SouthCoast Alliance.
Smiling middle-aged man in a black leather jacket against a gray background.
Joe Battaglia, Secretary
JOE BATTAGLIA is the founder and president of Renaissance Communications, a media company whose mission is to provide media platforms for gifted communicators of Biblical truth. Current clients include Prison Fellowship, Dr. Steve Brown and the Key Life Radio Network, Sight & Sound Productions, The Business Bible, Garden Productions, and nationally recognized author/teacher Kim Crabill.
Renaissance’ forte is consulting with clients on the most strategic ways to penetrate the faith-based market, especially through Christian radio—whether by buying time, program production, or by creating promotions and unique, high-profile events for national syndication. Joe is an executive producer of the nationally syndicated radio program “Keep the Faith,” the #1 faith-based music radio show in the country, heard nationally in over 200 markets and numerous countries overseas with a weekly audience of 1.5 million.
As part of his executive profile, Renaissance has been heavily involved for the past 20 years in promoting successful hit movies to the faith-based marketplace, such as The Passion, The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, The Polar Express, Facing the Giants, Fireproof, Courageous, Soul Surfer, Son of God, God’s Not Dead, Heaven Is for Real, When the Game Stands Tall, Left Behind, Do You Believe, War Room, Miracles from Heaven, The Star, I Can Only Imagine, Overcomer, I Still Believe, American Underdog, and Jesus Revolution.
Prior to forming Renaissance in 1992, Joe was vice-president of Communicom Corp. of America, the parent company of WWDJ/New York, WZZD Philadelphia, and KSLT/San Antonio. Joe served on the board of the Gospel Music Association (GMA) for 20 years, and 14 years as Chairman of the Steering Committee for the National Christian Radio Seminar (now renamed CMB), a division of the Gospel Music Association. He currently is on the board of National Religious Broadcasters and HOPE MEDIA.
Joe graduated magna cum laude from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 1972. He is the author of six books, including Make America Good Again; Unfriended: Finding True Community in a Disconnected Culture; and The Politically Incorrect Jesus.
In the past, Joe has written a weekly blog for Beliefnet entitled “The Politically Incorrect Jesus” and was a guest columnist for U.S. News & World Report for two years, writing a series of op-ed pieces from a faith perspective. Joe has had op-ed pieces published, as well, in Foxnews.com, Christian Post, and Town Hall. As a key member of the SouthCoast Alliance, Joe continues to engage with various projects that align with his mission.
Elderly man with glasses smiling warmly in a restaurant setting.