Anthony J. Houston, Sr. is the Director of Live Production at The Potter’s House of Dallas and the founder of A.J. Audio, a production company specializing in live sound, stage management, and event production. With over a decade of experience, Anthony has led production for large-scale concerts, conferences exceeding 40,000 attendees, and broadcasts, including global events such as MegaFest, Woman Evolve, and the International Leadership Summit.

Throughout his career, he has worked with world-renowned artists including Tye Tribbett, Planetshakers, Chandler Moore, and Kirk Franklin, bringing a high level of excellence to both live and broadcast environments. Known for his leadership, technical expertise, and creative vision, Anthony oversees complex productions while developing high-performing teams and delivering unforgettable audience experiences.

A Chicago native raised in Texas, Anthony’s passion for music and production began early and has evolved into a career defined by innovation, precision, and purpose. He continues to balance his professional success with a deep commitment to faith, family, and community.

Jessica Bealer has been leading in ministry for 25 years. Six of which were spent overseeing standards, systems, staffing and atmosphere for the family ministry of Elevation Church. She has overseen the launch of twenty-five locations, and is considered a specialist in multisite. Jessica currently oversees Ministry Engagement at Generis, an organization dedicated to helping churches see their mission accomplished. Jessica is a mother of six, published author and host of the Women’s Leadership Workshop podcast. She is married to Frank, the Director of Strategy at Generis and Executive Pastor at Home Church Roswell.

A pastor, educator, and creative, Marcus Myers is dedicated to empowering others to maximize their life. His passion for music ignited in a small church in Philadelphia, where he discovered not only his love for music but also his love for God—a revelation that would guide his life. Marcus embraced every musical opportunity, ultimately earning his degree from the University of the Arts.

After college, he toured with national and international artists, showcasing his versatility across genres and collaborating with Grammy-winning talents. However, he soon realized that his journey extended beyond music. Having witnessed the struggles faced by creatives, both personally and through others, Marcus identified a significant lack of resources available to them—especially within the church.

This insight inspired him to create tools and support systems for artists. Alongside his wife and co-founder, Tyanna, Marcus is committed to enhancing the lives of creatives by helping them make their lives greater than their art through Creative Church.

Alexis Leon is a Gathering Producer at Passion City Church and has served in church production since 2018. She loves building Sundays from the ground up—aligning teams, anticipating and solving problems as they arise, and creating environments where people can encounter Jesus. Alexis is passionate about healthy teams, strong cross-collaboration, clear communication, and making the details count.

Phil Bowdle is a coach, consultant, and author of the best-selling Rethink Communication, which has shaped communication and leadership strategy for churches around the world. With nearly 20 years in creative ministry, including serving as Creative Arts Pastor at West Ridge Church in Atlanta, he's been in the trenches and knows what it takes to cut through the noise. Today, Phil coaches and consults with church teams across the country, from church plants to megachurches, helping them build thriving teams that put Jesus on display. He also leads marketing at Slingshot Group, one of the leading staffing and coaching firms serving churches and nonprofits nationwide. Phil lives in Kentucky with his wife Sarah and kids. He runs on coffee and blind loyalty to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Mark MacDonald is a national church branding strategist, bestselling author of Be Known For Something, and founder of BeKnownforSomething.com. With 40 years in ministry, marketing, and communication, he’s helped thousands of churches across North America discover their unique thread and communicate it clearly to their communities.

Claudia Oliver serves as the Creative Arts Pastor at Northplace Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where she oversees the worship, production, and visual arts departments. Each of these teams focus on creating environments that help people encounter God through different forms of art as a reflection of His Majesty and Beauty. With years of experience developing volunteers, building healthy team cultures, and leading multi-campus worship ministries, Claudia is passionate about equipping leaders to steward both the spiritual and practical aspects of worship ministry.

In addition to her ministry leadership, Claudia is pursuing doctoral studies focused on leadership development and organizational effectiveness within church contexts. Her heart is to help churches cultivate thriving ministries by developing people, strengthening leadership pipelines, and creating systems that support long-term spiritual and ministry growth.

Bryan Bailey is the Director of Media at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. He has served in technical director roles for the last 25 years at Ouachita Baptist University, Prestonwood, Cross Church in NW Arkansas, and First Baptist Dallas.

Throughout the years, Bryan has developed a passion for training volunteers to operate technology at the highest levels of excellence. He applies theories of education and biblical principles to design training programs that empower teams to achieve exceptionally high production values. Bryan loves training volunteer teams to pursue excellence and pushing technology limits in worship (as well as fishing).

Bryan lives in Frisco, TX, with his wife, Jenni, son, Caden (currently at Oklahoma Baptist University), two dogs, and a bunch of saltwater corals.

Brad is the former Creative Director of Watermark Church in West Michigan where he designed and created gatherings & spaces for people to encounter Jesus. He is passionate about resourcing churches to share the gospel, so he created ChurchMediaDrop.com, a free media-sharing site. He also hosts the official ProPresenter training videos. Brad loves playing music, building Legos, and trying new and creative things.

Adam has spent over 20 years working with churches and non-profits, helping them tell stories of life change. He now teaches through Smartphone Storytellers, a free platform designed to train missionaries and non-profits on how to tell those same stories using the smartphone they have in their pocket. Alongside that, he teaches courses at Moody Bible Institute and Charleston Southern University and works as a filmmaker at Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC. When he's not serving the church, Adam enjoys spending time sailing with his family.

Sarah Benibo has over 20 years of ministry experience. Her passion is teaching and singing about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she has been afforded the opportunity to do both - locally, nationally, and internationally. Sarah specializes in leading diverse audiences into an intimate experience with God, using music as her primary tool. In the Spring of 2020, Sarah graduated from Perkins School of Theology (SMU) where she received a master's degree in sacred music. She currently leads worship at Embassy City Church in Dallas, Texas where she lives with her husband, Bio, and their two children.

Willow Hodge is the Technical and Video Director at Hope Fellowship Church in Frisco, Texas. She started her journey in live production at the age of 16 and has been growing in the field for 12 years. She specializes in live multi-cam directing, camera operation, and building up volunteer teams. In 2023, her directing of the Brave Women’s Conference was featured on the Behind the Broadcast’s Instagram account. In her free time, Willow likes to play video games, roller skate, and spend time with all of her animals. 

Brian Taylor is an executive coach, speaker, and pastor whose roots in local church ministry taught him the importance of caring for people and building a healthy team culture. Over the past 20 years, he's served in senior leadership roles and as a coach and advisor, partnering with pastors, executive leaders, and teams across church, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations.

As a worship and creative pastor, Brian served across various denominations, cultures, and settings, leading ministries in churches ranging from a few hundred to over 30,000 across multiple locations.

He now serves as Vice President of Growth at Slingshot Group, an executive search firm helping churches and nonprofits with remarkable missions build remarkable teams across North America. He's also the founder of Forerunners Group, where he coaches and advises mission-driven businesses and executives.

Brian and his wife, Lauren, live just north of Dallas with their two beautiful kids (five, if you count their two dogs and one cat, as Brian does). They volunteer at their home church and still have the privilege of leading worship and investing in teams across the country.

Sam Naifeh is the Central Team Leader of Audio Engineering at Life.Church. Over the past 19 years serving at Life.Church, he has held a variety of contract and staff audio production roles. Sam currently oversees audio operations across 46 campuses, as well as audio for broadcast, Life.Church Worship artists, and all other digital content for Life.Church and the YouVersion Bible App. He is passionate about developing people and creating systems that enable others to do their best work.

Outside of Life.Church, Sam is an active touring musician and audio professional, drawing on experience from both church production and the touring world. He enjoys helping others grow in their craft and sharing practical lessons learned from years behind the console, on stage, and leading teams. Sam and his wife, Ashley, live in Oklahoma City with their three sons.

Ashton Tucker is the Social Media Content Creator at Watermark Community Church, where she creates engaging digital content that communicates the church’s mission and connects with people online. With a background in social media marketing and film, she transitioned from the corporate world to serve the local church through creative media. Ashton studied Motion Pictures at Belmont University and has experience in video production, editing, photography, and short-form content creation. She is passionate about using visual storytelling to create meaningful content that captures attention, communicates truth, and inspires people to take the next step.

Will Chapman is the Online Minister at Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, TX, where he has held multiple roles over the past 22 years, including media, audio/video/lighting, and connections ministry. He is also a contributing writer for Outreach Magazine and ChurchProduction.com, where he writes articles about AVL and issues affecting the church and media ministry. Will is also a proud alum of Oklahoma State University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Building teams, especially for behind-the-scenes ministries, is what Dennis Choy has done for over 30 years. For 25 years Dennis was at North Coast Church in San Diego as Executive Pastor and Production Pastor. After that, he was the Global Production Pastor at Saddleback Church in California for years and moved on to be Executive of Creative Arts at Skyline Church in San Diego. He is currently the General Manager of Design and Projects for Houseright.com. Creating and developing production, creative and communications teams are his favorite ways to lead and serve, and he lends real-life perspective on how things really work in the church world. Having taught classes at NAB, INFOCOMM, SALT, NAMM, and other conferences around the country, he is excited to share his experiences—good and bad—with anyone who wants to hear. He loves Jesus, Technology, and People. Dennis resides in Oceanside, California, with his wife, Michelle, three amazing kids, and daughter-in-law.

After 20 years of full-time creative ministry, Dustin Pead now seeks to help other creatives through coaching, consulting, and fractional services. He resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife Sarah, and their two children, Ethan and Aubrey. Dustin’s mission is to help creatives know themselves, their process, and their teams so they can create greater things together.

Patrick Clark is an entrepreneur, non-profit storyteller, and creative leader with 20 years of experience helping churches and organizations communicate with clarity, purpose, and impact. Throughout his career, he has helped build creative departments within growing churches, leading initiatives in brand development, church-wide communications, filmmaking, renovation and visual space design, and strategic storytelling that inspires action. Much of his work centers on using the power of documentary-style storytelling to create emotional connection and communicate vision in authentic and meaningful ways that move people to action. He currently serves as Creative Strategy Pastor at Bell Shoals Church in Tampa, Florida, and is the founder of Good Getters, a creative agency focused on missional storytelling through film, design, and marketing.

Mallory Nall currently serves as the Senior Graphic Designer for Brentwood Baptist Church, supporting its nine campuses through creative design that uplifts and empowers ministry work. She thrives in collaborative environments and loves working alongside a talented communications team to bring creative ideas to life. Mallory also freelances for various ministries, including the North American Mission Board (NAMB), helping expand their reach through impactful design. A Georgia native, she’s called Nashville home for nearly six years—and loves it!

Worship leader, songwriter, and creative leader Johnny Burkhalter has spent nearly 20 years in full-time ministry, serving alongside some of the nation’s top ministry leaders and helping lead worship gatherings, conferences, and creative initiatives across the country. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Fresh Wine Records, helping oversee creative vision, artist development, and ministry initiatives. Based in the Atlanta area with his wife Natalie and their two children, Johnny is passionate about leading people into authentic encounters with God through worship, storytelling, and creative ministry.

Makenzie Merrifield is the Connections Minister at Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas, where she oversees an incredible team of over 500 volunteers. Passionate about ministering to every individual who walks through the doors, Makenzie is dedicated to making everyone feel welcomed and valued, regardless of their circumstances.

Since joining Cottonwood Creek in 2019, Makenzie has served in a variety of roles, each one helping her discover her true strengths in ministry. She has found her calling in serving alongside God’s people, supporting and empowering them to thrive in their roles each week. Reflecting on her role, Makenzie says, "I get a front-row seat to watch God work day-in-and-day-out with my volunteer team and in the lives of the new people we get to meet."

Her leadership is characterized by a deep commitment to nurturing and growing a strong community of faith, ensuring that every volunteer feels supported and inspired.

Darrel Girardier currently oversees digital and creative for Brentwood Baptist Church and its seven campuses. Previously he was a Creative Director at LifeWay Christian Resources. He’s married to Amy-Jo and has two amazing boys.

Isaac serves as the Communications Pastor at Irving Bible Church, where he helps lead the vision and execution of the church’s creative and communications efforts. A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, he brings over 15 years of ministry experience across both church and nonprofit contexts. In addition to his pastoral role, Isaac has spent the past decade covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member, contributing writing and podcast content focused on the NBA. He is a co-founder of the Locked On Mavericks Podcast, where he provides daily insight on the team and interviews voices from around the league. You’ll most often find him at the church during the week, courtside before Mavs games, or at home with his wife and three kids building LEGO creations together.

Dillon Sherlock is the Associate Director of Communications at Brentwood Baptist Church in the Nashville area, where he has served for over five years. With eleven years of experience in church communications, Dillon specializes in all things digital — from photo and video production to social media and marketing strategy, with a growing focus on AI strategy for ministry communications. He is passionate about helping churches tell their stories with clarity and creativity across every platform.