10-time Regional Emmy award winner with more than 60 international awards, Tonya is a highly regarded San Diego film producer. Today, Tonya is Co-Founder and President of The Dakota Group—an esteemed film and post-production company in Southern California. Tonya has produced a plethora of National TV Campaigns and award-winning documentaries for Fortune 500 companies but in 2007, she launched Mantooth Studios and expanded her production scope to include CGI and Entertainment Projects. Under Mantooth Films, Tonya Executively Produced four feature films—including Grave Secrets which became the pilot to the Nickelodeon Series, Dead Time Stories. In 2012, Tonya and several colleagues took over the San Diego International Film Festival with a two-fold vision: To bring international cinema to America’s finest city and grow the International Film Festival as a significant contributor to the city’s economy. San Diego International Film Festival has grown by over 500% and the spectacular six-day Festival features 120+ film screenings, parties and a red-carpet Celebrity Tribute—honoring actors such as Adrian Brody, Sir Patrick Stewart and countless others. She believes that cinematic storytelling gives us the opportunity to find common ground through shared human experiences in our increasingly complex world.