Meet the Team
Getting to know Pixel Entertainment
Jan Helson, Chief Executive Officer
Jan Helson is the Chief Executive Officer of Pixel Entertainment and serves on its Board of Directors. She is responsible for developing and implementing the company’s vision and long-term strategic growth plans. In addition to her leadership role of the Pixel team, she manages the day-to-day operations.
Jan is a successful and innovative businesswoman. She has spent 25 years with her husband and business partner, Tim, launching and managing new business ventures. Most recently they devoted 16 years toward developing a niche food manufacturing business, Golden Foods/Golden Brands, into a global leader within its field.
Jan is also a dedicated life-long philanthropist. She founded and managed the community space which eventually became the Americana Community Center in Louisville, KY. A vibrant gathering space, the ACC provides education and events to refugees, immigrants, and other families in the area. She has served on the boards of community organizations, including Stage One Family Theatre, Ursuline Campus Schools Development Committee and Fundraising Committee at St. Andrews School for Autism.
Jan and her daughter Rachel also wrote a children’s book called Philanthropy: A Big Word for Big-Hearted People, designed to inspire kids to give back. In 2011, the Community Foundation of Louisville provided funding to Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana to introduce “PHILANTHROPY” into classrooms throughout the Kentuckiana region. Their support also brought the book and its mission to life by creating the first JA Philanthropy House at the Kentuckiana JA BizTown, utilizing the artwork, text, and lessons from the Helsons’ book. The Community Foundation of Louisville is working with other Foundations and Junior Achievement chapters to make the same initiative available throughout the country.
At age 51, Jan proclaimed that her “Second Act” will be committed to helping kids realize that not only can they Ignite Good! to make a difference,but that they also have a responsibility to Ignite Good! to make a difference in the world. The launch of Pixel Entertainment and the The Global Game Changers brand in 2012 was the next step in fulfilling that commitment.
Jan’s motto is “Strive for Excellence.” She prides herself on her adaptability to new business and technological innovations and environments. An entrepreneur at her core and compulsively organized, she credits her success to the amazing people she has worked with, hard-work, integrity, and good luck!She believes in the business principles of TQM – customers always come first. She has also worked with a wide range of charitable and community organizations.
She co-authored two children’s books with her daughter, including The Global Game Changers. Serious by nature, and often accused by those who love her of not having a sense of humor or being able to sing, she loves her family, her work, pilates and sweets! Jan is the proud mother of two amazing children, Rachel and Jackson. She resides in Louisville, Kentucky with Tim, the love of her life. You can find her virtual home on our blog, where she is better known as Mama Ben, on Twitter (@janhelson), on Facebook, or LinkedIn.
Kristy Schmitt, Chief Commercial Officer
In her role as Chief Commercial Officer, Kristy Schmitt is responsible for driving sales, nurturing customer relations, and building, developing, and maintaining strategic partnerships with advertisers and sponsors. She is accountable for driving business growth and market share.
Kristy Schmitt is a proven national sales leader and business strategist. For the past 10 years, she has worked as a development officer successfully raising millions of dollars for charities, both at the local and national level. Focused on building win-win partnerships that benefit both the charity and the donor, Kristy established long-term relationships with Fortune 500 companies and national foundations, planned large-scale events with celebrities and dignitaries, spoke on television and radio networks and was even instrumental in building a premier, year-long partnership with a Time Inc. publication. Today, Kristy is thrilled to be taking her talents and passion for entrepreneurship into the for-profit world and she’s ready to accomplish those things that others say can’t be done.
Devoted to two things: her family and her job, she works relentlessly to find a balance between the two with lots of help from her loving husband, Doug. She’s a mother of two “brilliant” children and an avid runner, because it keeps her sane. She loves to travel, is always up for a good card game and believes it’s important to give back to others and to always be thankful for the blessings in your life. You can figure out whether she succeeds in having it all by watching for Mama Iz on the blog, following Kristy on Twitter (@SchmittKristy), visiting her on Facebook, or connecting with her via LinkedIn.
Rachel Annette Helson, Chief Creative Officer
Rachel Helson, working as Chief Creative Officer, creates original artistic content for Pixel Entertainment Brands including, but not limited to: illustrations, written content, videos, and graphic content. She produces and manages all aspects of creative brand campaigns from concept to implementation.
Rachel is an actor, writer, producer, illustrator and philanthropist. She is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has worked as an actress and producer both on and off Broadway. In 2009, she became the youngest Broadway producer in history to be nominated for a TONY award for her work on Neil LaBute’s “reasons to be pretty.” She is a founding member of At Play Productions. At Play is a company of 40 emerging theatre artists brought together by Kevin Spacey of The Old Vic and Tina Fallon of the 24 Hour Company. She has raised over $100,000 for philanthropic causes including breast cancer awareness and eradicating childhood hunger. In 2011, she created, co-wrote, executive produced and starred in “stalkTALK,” a webseries that won the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival and was nominated for a Best Writing Webby Award. She has also completed two new scripts that are currently under review by major studios. When Rachel is not acting, writing, producing, painting or channeling her inner Angelina Jolie, you can find her swinging kettlebells at the Mark Fisher Fitness Ninja Clubhouse in NYC, watching “Mad Men” re-runs or tweeting about swinging kettlebells and watching “Mad Men.” It is a personal ambition of hers to be as effortlessly witty as Roger Sterling without the alcohol problem. If you agree, disagree or know who Roger Sterling is, you should probably follow Rachel on twitter (@RachelAHelson). You can also check her out at http://www.rachelannettehelson.com/.
Shannon Runke, Digital PR Director
With a diverse career history ranging from graphic design to operations management, Shannon has the unique ability to approach business endeavours from both creative and practical points of view. With Pixel Entertainment, she utilizes the vast resource of the internet to research and contact word-of-mouth outlets compatible with the brand’s mission.
Jamie Frerman Gatti, Educational Consultant
Jamie Frerman Gatti joins the Pixel Team as an Educational Consultant. She devises age-appropriate educational and fun activities for The Global Game Changers.
Briegel Moss, Educational Ambassador
Briegel Moss joins the Pixel Entertainment team as an Educational Ambassador for The Global Game Changers brand. Currently working as a kindergarten teacher at Holy Trinity School in Louisville, Kentucky, she is responsible for expanding the use of The Global Game Changers educational curriculum in her own classroom, as well as spreading its message to other teachers and educators via professional networks and conferences.
Briegel focuses on using The Global Game Changers as a tool to engage children not only in philanthropy, but also in learning the curriculum. She will explain the tools developed by The Global Game Changers educational initiative, including a Teacher Resource guide and lesson plans that meet core standards, to provide concrete examples of how to bring this program into the classroom. She believes that this program can serve as a springboard for creative and innovative lessons in English/Language Arts.
Briegel Moss is an innovative and enthusiastic addition to the teaching profession. A strong believer in elementary school as the foundation of academic achievement, she works in her classroom to encourage a life-long love of learning. A graduate of Washington & Lee University, she has worked in a variety of school environments, including charter, public, and parochial schools. She has also worked with educational initiatives in community organizations, such as the YMCA. Briegel has experience in educating young children, children with special needs, and children in ESL. She has worked with the core curriculum and is introducing The Global Game Changers educational initiative in her own classroom for the 2012-2013 school year.
Prior to teaching, Briegel was a standout member of her university community, was chosen to be an intern in the highly selective Washington Term Program, and worked with former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings at her new venture, Spellings and Company.
