Meet the Board Member: Ian Schafer

This month, we interviewed Rialto board member Ian Schafer. Ian is a media and entertainment executive whose career spans Miramax Films, founding the agency Deep Focus, and co-founding the entertainment studio Ensemble with Issa Rae. Read his interview to learn how a career spent telling stories shapes the way he sees the Rialto, and why he believes its future comes down to access.

What is your connection to Westfield?

I've lived in Westfield for 12 years and raised three children here.

Do you have any favorite memories of the Rialto?

The Rialto is where I took my kids to see their first movies in a theater. As someone who has spent a career around the film industry, I love that their first times were in an independent theater.

Can you share a little about your career?

I started my career in advertising, then became a marketing executive at Miramax Films, eventually leading its "new media" division. I left the studio to start Deep Focus, an advertising agency focused on marketing entertainment properties for clients like HBO, AMC, MGM, Universal Music Group, and New Line Cinema. After growing it nationally and selling it in 2010, I grew it into an international network working with some of the world's favorite brands.

After leaving in 2018, I built Kindred, a venture-backed startup focused on executive leadership and social change, which exited in 2021. I then built Improbable Media, NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo's media and production company. In 2023, I co-founded Ensemble, an entertainment studio powered by digital content creators, with actress, writer, producer, and entrepreneur Issa Rae, and I now also oversee revenue strategy for our parent company, HOORAE Media. I'm also a member of the Producers Guild of America, producing projects like the WNBA docuseries The Fastest Six Weeks in Sports (Roku) and Qualified (Peacock). I'm also currently the host of POST CREDITS, an interview show on Bloomberg TV.

Tell us about your volunteer work.

I've supported numerous nonprofit organizations outside of the Rialto, from Project Healthy Minds to the American Advertising Federation, where I received the Jack Avrett Volunteer Spirit Award as part of my induction into the AAF's Hall of Achievement.

How did you get involved in the Rialto?

When the Rialto closed, I paid close attention to what might happen next in the space. Once the Center for Creativity was born, I asked Westfield's then-Mayor, Shelley Brindle, whom I'd worked with during her time at HBO, how I could support it. She introduced me to Bill Crandall, then President of the Board and now the Rialto's Interim Executive Director, whom I'd crossed paths with in my career. I officially joined the Board of Trustees in 2025.

Why do you think having a space for creativity is important?

While I see creativity as the potential of self-expression unleashed, it's also important for grounding future generations in humanity. Physical spaces where people share ideas and bring them to life have catapulted civilizations into new eras, and they will be the bedrock of ours for years to come. Our community has been known for its creative output for decades, and this will help ensure that reputation lives on.

What are you most excited about when the Rialto opens?

As a parent, I can't wait to see people coming together to learn about and produce new works of art, communications, and storytelling. We spend way too much time by ourselves, on our phones. I can't wait to provide our community with the tools and resources it needs for the Rialto to become a thriving center for the arts.

Why does Westfield need a space like the Rialto Center for Creativity?

Access. Access to technology, to experts, to inspiration, to previously closed networks, and to each other.

How does your background and perspective as a creative leader shape your contributions to the board?

As someone who has had to tell, and sell, stories for a living while building communities and organizations, I see everything through a lens of giving people a reason to believe, and defining what's necessary to deliver on that promise. I'm a "no job is too small" person, so I relish the opportunity to dig in and roll up my sleeves. As a small but mighty organization, I'm proud to be surrounded by people with similar attitudes but different perspectives. It's a beautiful thing, and it makes all the hard work of bringing the Rialto Center for Creativity to life worth it every day we get to collaborate with each other and the community at large.

You work with people and brands to shape stories. How would you describe the Rialto's story?

The Rialto's story is one of perseverance. Looking back through its history, it has survived fires, closures, pandemics, and more. But the Rialto itself is just a building. What makes it special is all the people who have come together through the years to keep its spirit alive as a community center. As the needs of the community have evolved, so must the Rialto. Its future is so bright because of the strength, resilience, connectivity, and, of course, creativity of this very special community that I'm so proud to call home.

About the Rialto Center for Creativity

The Rialto Center for Creativity is transforming Westfield's historic Rialto Theater into a vibrant hub for cultural conversation, live performances, and hands-on learning.

The Rialto Center for Creativity is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3).