Our Team

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Richie Siegel (he/him)

Co-Founder & President

Richie is the co-founder and President of Inevitable Foundation, charged with leading the Foundation’s overall strategy and day-to-day operations. He is a filmmaker and entrepreneur by trade who solves big equity problems in untraditional ways with an unwavering sense of pragmatism. Before founding Inevitable, he spent seven years running a consulting and research firm in the consumer goods industry called Loose Threads. Under Richie’s leadership, Loose Threads became a leading strategic partner to the C-Suite of many brands, private equity firms, media companies and real estate investment firms. Richie has a younger sister who lives with epilepsy and other developmental disabilities, which he rarely saw on-screen growing up.

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Marisa Torelli-Pedevska (she/her)

Co-Founder & Head of Writing Programs

Marisa is a co-founder of Inevitable Foundation, tasked with leading all writing programs. She is a screenwriter with an invisible physical disability who recently completed her MFA at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. She’s the recipient of the Jay Roach Endowed Award, the USC Sloan Screenwriting Award and the national ​​Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize. Before Inevitable, Marisa spent eight years working and living at a residential summer camp for teens and adults with developmental disabilities. Marisa’s experience with disability has informed the ways she views accessibility in the traditionally inaccessible entertainment industry and drives her passion for systematic change.

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Brian Anthone (he/him)

Creative Executive

Brian is a Creative Executive at Inevitable Foundation, charged with leading the organization's industry-focused programs including the Concierge. He joins the Inevitable Foundation team from Universal Content Productions, where he focused on identifying and developing projects by and about people from marginalized communities. Originally from Texas and now based in Los Angeles, Brian is constantly searching for the next hobby he’ll dive headfirst into. Painting, bouldering, music production, and axe throwing have all made it onto the list - but he’s always open to suggestions.

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Ewan Hill (they/them)

Chief of Staff

Ewan is Inevitable Foundation's Chief of Staff. They are also a writer, creative collaborator, and process professional. They have worked in public libraries and literary nonprofits for the past seven years creating programs and policies related to access to education, digital resources, STEAM experiences, and early literacy. They are particularly interested in the design and maintenance of adaptive frameworks and systems that prioritize people over procedure.

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Saga Darnell (they/them)

Head of Research and Public Affairs

Saga leads Inevitable’s Communications department as well as the organization’s advocacy initiatives and data and research work. Before they joined Inevitable as the organization's first full-time employee, Saga studied theatre for nearly a decade. In 2020, they combined their study of performance with their love of data and pattern analysis in their academic thesis, an intersectional analysis of queer physical intimacy on-screen in the age of streaming.

Their academic and advocacy work in media representations of marginalized communities led them to Inevitable Foundation, where they started as the Communications Manager in January 2022. Saga lives in a colorful, plant-filled apartment in Brooklyn, New York with their partner and an collection of handmade miniature models. They spend most of their free time tending their garden.

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Leora Bernard (she/her)

Individual and Corporate Giving Lead

Leora leads Inevitable’s Fundraising Programs and is devoted to employing equitable and socially responsible philanthropic practices. She has several years of experience as a non-profit professional and has committed her career to community engagement, convening stakeholders, system change, and exploring innovative approaches to improving access and quality care to at-risk populations.

Before her role at Inevitable, she honed her skills as a fundraiser with many organizations and has managed a large major giving program. Additionally, she has a passion for and background in disability justice having even worked as a consultant for several government agencies on their ADA compliance.

Leora has had a lifelong love affair with cinema and deeply believes in the transformative power of representation in film. She is thrilled to be able to blend her personal passions and professional expertise to support Inevitable Foundations’s mission.

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Ali Abbas (they/them)

Communications Associate

Ali is the Communications Associate at Inevitable Foundation and is responsible for tactical communications and outreach-related work. They have more than 5 years of experience in communications, marketing, and social media, specifically for non-profit and government organizations.

They are queer, South Asian, and are passionate about harnessing the power of movies, television, digital media, and storytelling to influence positive and long-lasting systemic changes for the underrepresented and marginalized communities they belong to, such as, LGBTQ+, South Asian, and disabled folx.

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Olivia Handrahan (she/her)

Development Coordinator

Olivia is the Development Coordinator at Inevitable Foundation and supports the organization’s industry-focused & creative programs. She has creative development and IP experience from her previous roles at Sugar23 and The Gersh Agency.

Her passion for storytelling started from a young age. Growing up in a small town in Massachusetts, she used her family’s Netflix account almost daily and was fascinated by the range of human experiences that she was able to see on the screen that she would have never encountered in her small community. Outside of work, she loves to ski, hike and paint.

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Holly Johnson (they/them)

Operations Associate

Holly is the Operations Associate at Inevitable Foundation. Their professional journey ranges from leading operations as a Media Director in the nonprofit sector to addressing the complexities of production in live sports entertainment at Warner Media. Their experiences, coupled with an extensive background in talent acquisition, give them a keen understanding of people-centric business operations.

Based in the DMV area and originally from San Diego, California, Holly's personal interests include performing arts, UX design, and skating. As someone with invisible disabilities, they deeply resonate with the transformative power of representation in media. Joining Inevitable Foundation has brought meaningful alignment for their passions and skills, offering a way to drive impactful change.