Matthew Einstein is an award-winning producer and literary manager, and the founder of Tradition Pictures. Previously Head of Development at Atmosphere Entertainment, he helped guide projects including 300: Rise of an Empire, Mr. Church, Cake, The Last Witch Hunter, and the first two seasons of Power.

At Tradition, Einstein focuses on building culturally and emotionally impactful stories across film, television, and documentary. The company’s releases include The Mental State, Heval, and A Class of Her Own, with recent and upcoming projects such as Jerusalem ’67, First Person, To Kill a Nazi, and Elvis, Rocky & Me.

His upcoming slate includes No Laughing Matter starring Kenan Thompson and Danny Trejo, Valhalla directed by M.J. Bassett, and Wizards of the Coast in collaboration with Mark Wahlberg’s Unrealistic Ideas, along with several new films set for 2026.

Entertainment Attorney, Notable Early Stage Investor and Entrepreneur 

Brian Hightman is a consultant and strategic partner with two decades of experience supporting organizations across entertainment and business. His work spans technology, innovation, and operational strategy, with a focus on turning complex challenges into practical, executable plans.

He has advised studios, production companies, agencies, animation houses, advertising firms, sports organizations, and companies across industries including hospitality, finance, and healthcare.

Alex Rotaru is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and professor whose work spans documentary, narrative, and international cultural exchange. Educated at MIT, the Sorbonne, and USC—where he now teaches directing—his character-driven documentaries have earned multiple New York Times Critic’s Picks, theatrical releases, and global distribution, including through the U.S. Department of State’s American Film Showcase.

His upcoming 2026 releases include Elvis, Rocky and Me: The Carol Connors Story, a Palm Springs International Film Festival award winner, and Hold On to Your Music: A Mother’s Legacy. Additional projects include A.I. Spy, exploring Valerie Plame and the intersection of AI and espionage, and Missing Time, a sci-fi thriller centered on memory and subjective reality.

Rotaru also works as a screenwriter, story consultant, and development executive at Tradition Pictures. A Christopher Award recipient for The Hobart Shakespeareans (PBS POV), he is known for drawing deeply personal performances from his subjects. A SAG-affiliated actor, he performs regularly in Los Angeles and Miami.

Frederic Richter is a producer, writer, and consultant working across scripted and documentary film and television. His collaborations include HBO, Netflix, Amazon, Showtime, MGM, Universal, FX/Disney, and CNN. His credits include films such as Creed III, Cocaine Bear, and Atlas, and series including Winning Time, Barry, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Clipped, and Escape at Dannemora.

Richter works at the intersection of creative development, storytelling, and production strategy, partnering with filmmakers to shape projects from concept through post and distribution. In documentary, his work includes Jerusalem: City of Faith and Fury, The Cars That Built the World, and the feature Behind the Lines, with upcoming projects including To Kill a Nazi.

An award-winning screenwriter, his script Appearances was recognized by the Slamdance Film Festival. He has also worked as a story analyst and consultant for companies including Black Label Media and QED International. Richter has taught at NYU and Sarah Lawrence College, serves on the board of the HRTS Foundation, and holds an MFA from the American Film Institute Conservatory.

An actor and director from Long Island, New York. Brandon attended school at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts where he studied acting. Since then, Brandon has worked on numerous films as an actor, director and writer. Previously an intern at Tradition Pictures and Atmosphere Entertainment, Brandon is now a Creative Assistant & Coordinator under Matthew Einstein at Tradition.

Rachel Kaminsky is a native New Yorker and USC graduate. After working for ESPN as the creator and on-air personality of the long running hit radio segment, "The Buzz with the Queen Bee", Rachel turned her attention back to the world of film and TV, working as an independent producer on numerous micro-budget projects in the sports industry, as well as producing VR content for a tech non-profit.

Upon joining Tradition Pictures at the top of 2018, Rachel quickly expanded the slate of the company, adding projects in formerly untapped genres such as YA, horror, comedy, and children's programming. In 2019, Rachel co-founded the women’s entertainment executive group, The Lost Girls, which now has members worldwide, as well as boards in both Los Angeles and New York. She is currently based in New Orleans.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kristiana attended Emerson College in Boston. She graduated with a B.A. in Visual & Media Arts Production. While at Emerson, she produced four short films, including her thesis film MIA for which she also served as writer & director.

She previously worked as Production Coordinator for a virtual reality nonprofit focused on digital cultural preservation.

As Tradition's Creative Executive she heads project development, puts together all pitch decks & digital assets, and runs general day-to-day operations. She also does freelance design work & video editing.

A native of New York, Jeff moved abroad at 18, graduating from Glasgow University in 2010, where he was part of the prestigious creative writing workshop under the tutelage of writers Michael Schmidt and Kei Miller. He subsequently moved to Hong Kong, where he went on to write and direct his debut feature, THE LAST ACT (Dragon Horse Films, 2014).

Returning to Glasgow in 2013, Jeff has written & directed everything from artistic shorts (ALL OF US CAN, LINKArtFair 2014) to music videos (Heavy Flow, The Crossmakers, 2018), while also a contributing member of the Glasgow Film Crew. He is currently working on two short-films in post-production, whilst also shopping feature-length screenplays, THE DERBY, OF FLESH & BONE, and SYMPHONY IN MINOR.

Frederic Richter is a writer, producer and consultant. A native Manhattanite, he received a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MFA in Screenwriting from The American Film Institute in LA. His first job in television was as a Writer’s Assistant & Researcher on the scripted History Channel Mini-Series, THE SONS OF LIBERTY. In scripted TV he has worked as a Research Consultant on the Emmy winning Amazon series, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL. He was a Research Consultant on the Showtime, mini-series, THE COMEY RULE, and Emmy Nominated ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA. He has worked as both a writer and development producer on other documentary series projects for CNN, The History Channel, VH1 and The Discovery Channel.

He’s worked in film development as a story analyst and consultant at Black Label Media, Film Rites, QED International, Covert Media and The Black List. He has taught classes and workshops at Sarah Lawrence College, NYU, The NYU Production Lab, The Writing Institute, Mercy College, International Film Institute and The Ghetto Film School. He is a faculty member at NYU-SPS. He is on the Alumni Board at Sarah Lawrence College, and Co-President of the Board of HRTS Associates, N.Y.

In 2015, Frederic was thrilled to join his friend and collaborator, Matthew in his new venture at Tradition Pictures. During the years he has helped with development of feature, TV and documentary projects at Tradition as an Executive and later Director of Development. Frederic was able to use both his acumen for story development as well as keen historical knowledge to help chisel and shape projects on the Tradition roster, as well as his vast network of contacts to help grow Tradition’s outreach. As Tradition’s team and slate has grown and changed, so too has Frederic’s role, currently assisting the company with the development of specific projects on a consultancy basis.