Leon Worden
President / CEO
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Leon is president and CEO of SCVTV, the 501c3 nonprofit corporation that operates the Santa Clarita Valley's public television channels and provides multimedia services to all education and government agencies and to the 120-plus nonprofit organizations that serve the Santa Clarita Valley, Calif. An SCV resident since 1970, UCLA graduate and award-winning journalist (Associated Press, California Newspaper Publishers Association, National Newspaper Association, Numismatic Literary Guild awards for investigative reporting, business writing, opinion pages, websites), Leon has produced local television programming since 2002 and has served as president of the SCV Historical Society, chairman of the City of Santa Clarita's Newhall Redevelopment Committee, founding member of the Los Angeles County Small Business Commission and the county's Ad-Hoc Committee on Homeless Services (SCV), founding member of SCV Habitat for Heroes, founding director of the Friends of Mentryville, and co-creator (1989) of the SCV Sheriff Station's Haunted Jailhouse. Leon established the Old Town Newhall Gazette in 1994, created the SCVHistory.com archive in 1996, put The Signal newspaper online in 1998 (together with the IT manager), and served as editor of The Signal until 2007 when he left to prepare the reorganization of SCVTV. Today he is chief administrative officer of the Santa Clarita Public Television Authority and manager of SCVTV.com, SCVNews.com, SCVHistory.com and other local websites. He is a member of the Hart School District's Measure SA Bond Oversight Committee and Career Technical Education (CTE) Advisory Group, the Friends of Hart Park board, the Pukúu Cultural Community Services board (Fernandeño-Tataviam Band of Mission Indians), vice president of the SCV Historical Society board, chair of the Rancho Camulos Museum board, and he continues to serve as president of the Santa Clarita Valley Fourth of July Parade committee. Leon was named the Santa Clarita Valley Man of the Year in 2015.
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Michael Mazzetti
Chief Financial Officer
Studio Engineer
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Michael has lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for over 30 years. Following a decade in the Flight Test Engineering Department at the famous Lockheed Skunk Works in Burbank, he has spent the last 28 years as an Audio Engineer mixing shows for every major network and cable channel and has three Emmy nominations for his work. He spent 10 years on the road with ABC Sports, televising just about every sport there is. For four years, he toured with Frank Sinatra as his staff engineer and on both the "Duets" and "Duets 2" CDs. He now stays closer to home as one of the top television audio mixers in Hollywood. He is currently the audio mixer on "Let's Make A Deal" for CBS. He is a member of both the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the Audio Engineering Society (AES). He designs, and rents audio systems used to produce television shows. An active volunteer in the community, Michael helps teach television production to local junior and senior high school students, he is an advisor to the Hart School District CCR program and is a speaker at the STN (Student Television Network) national conventions. Michael is responsible for all engineering systems decisions, maintenance and installations at SCVTV.
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Susan Shapiro
Board of Directors
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A City of Santa Clarita Arts Commissioner (chairman 2018), Susan came to Santa Clarita in 1993 to manage the local public television channel, SCVTV. Susan designed and equipped the SCVTV Media Center in Newhall, developing it into a communications venue showcasing the talents and activities of the City, local schools, and a variety of nonprofit arts, music, and community service organizations.
After graduating from Stanford University in the 1980s with a degree in English literature with an interdisciplinary emphasis on art, Susan earned a teaching credential from Arizona State University. She taught video production, broadcast television, mass media, and film aesthetics to high school students in Phoenix, developed educational programs for television networks (Bravo, NBC Universal) and worked in production and post-production for Tri-Star Pictures, ABC International, and others.
As the cable company's Community Television Manager in Santa Clarita from 1993 to 2007, Susan developed and provided support for hundreds of individual programs and series related to the visual and performing arts. Early on, she fostered relationships with video production instructors in the William S. Hart Union High School District and COC, turning SCVTV into a classroom laboratory for students.
Local public service positions include the Santa Clarita Repertory Theatre board (2003-04), Newhall Redevelopment Committee (2002-09), City of Santa Clarita Citizens Public Library Advisory Committee (2010-11) and William S. Hart Union High School District ROP Advisory Committee (2000-present).
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Jessica Boyer
Executive Director
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Jessica is a multimedia journalist. She has been published by news organizations including NBC Los Angeles; KHTS AM 1220; Pierce College Roundup News; California State University, Northridge Sundial; and SCVTV. She is a long-time Santa Clarita Valley resident and began her career by participating in the Arroyo Seco Junior High Conquistador News Network and subsequently the Saugus High School News Network. She is studying to receive a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a minor in Communications at California State University, Northridge as well as an Associate's degree in Fine Art Photography and an Certificate in Commercial Photography from College of the Canyons. She has studied and worked in fields including filmmaking, journalism, studio photography, and graphic design. Prior to becoming Executive Director, Jessica was SCVTV's production manager.
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Patricia Silva
Producer
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Patricia is a Producer and Multimedia Journalist for SCVTV. Prior to coming to this job, she gained extensive experience writing, reporting, video editing, and storytelling while at the University of Southern California, where she studied Communication, with an emphasis in Entertainment, News, and Media, and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2015. She also obtained experience working in various news outlets in Los Angeles, as well as while interning for the local newspaper The Signal as a Breaking News Intern. At SCVTV, she produces shows and stories for various productions, produces special projects for local nonprofits and other community groups, helps manage and expand SCVTV's social media presence, edits multiple short form and long form video projects, and more. A native of Santa Clarita, Patricia brings with her knowledge of the news industry, the entertainment industry, social media, production, video editing, and a love for all things writing and grammar (to her employer's consternation, she's a big advocate for the use of the Oxford comma). In her spare time, you'll most likely find her catching a movie at all sorts of theaters across Los Angeles, trying out new restaurants, catching a USC football or Laker game, searching for new books and vinyls, and spending time with friends and family.
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Brandon Iriarte
Production Specialist
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Brandon has lived in Santa Clarita for 18 years, graduating from Golden Valley High School in 2013. He moved on to College of the Canyons where he became involved in the "Cougar News" program, producing videos and articles for the news show. He earned his associate degree in new media journalism and graduated in the spring of 2016. Brandon is currently studying broadcast journalism at California State University, Northridge where he expects to graduate in 2019. He enjoys reading comic books and watching anime in his spare time.
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Antonio Curiel
Production Assistant
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Antonio Curiel is a reporter and videographer for SCVTV. After graduating Bowman High School in 2008, he joined he California Conservation Corps, where he worked in environmental conservation, land maintenance, and fire protection. In 2012, he enrolled at College of the Canyons and participated in the student-produce news program, Cougar News. After receiving degrees in New Media Journalism and Guitar performance, he transferred to Cal State Los Angeles where he is working toward his bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism. Antonio is involved with Finding Art, a program that highlights local art, and culture throughout the Santa Clarita Valley. In his spare time, he enjoys watching and playing baseball, getting lost in nature, and practicing and performing music.
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Sierra May
Video Editor
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Sierra is an editor and digital/analog filmmaker. She received her BFA in Film/Video at California Institute of the Arts. Her films often explore the human relationship with the natural world. Her most recent work, "Still Standing," is a documentary which examines the history and current redwood logging practices in Mendocino, Calif., exploring its impact on the local community and ecosystem. She is a firm believer in arts education and teaches both digital and analog filmmaking to Los Angeles County youth. She works with Santa Monica Mountains NPS Artist in Residency teaching eco-friendly 16mm techniques with environmental themes. She also worked with CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps as a producer and editing instructor to over 150 students. Her current goals include furthering her education, teaching filmmaking abroad and hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.
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Pearl Obispo
Content Generator
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Pearl Obispo joined SCVTV in 2017 as a journalist for SCVNews.com. A longtime SCV resident, Pearl graduated from College of the Canyons where she once served as Sports Editor for the Canyon Call. She has also served as a reporter for The Signal, covering city, county and water issues. After four years of living in South Carolina, she and her family returned to Santa Clarita in 2008. Pearl has a B.A. degree in Journalism from California State University, Northridge.
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Stephen K. Peeples
Content Generator
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Veteran Santa Clarita journalist Stephen K. Peeples joined SCVTV/SCVNews as a News Editor on Memorial Day 2017. He was an award-winning Online Editor for The Signal newspaper and its website from 2007-2011, and wrote-hosted-co-produced SCVTV's WAVE-nominated "House Blend" local music show from 2010-2015 (still airing in reruns and archived online). He also delivered the weekly "SCV Rock Beat" report on SCVTV, SCVNews.com and KHTS-AM 1220's HometownStation.com. (2010-2016). Raised and trained by daily newspaper journalists in Miami and Los Angeles, Peeples began his media career as an associate editor at Cash Box magazine Hollywood in 1975. He was a record company Media Relations-PR executive for Capitol Records (1977-1980) and Elektra/Asylum Records (1980-1983). Segueing to radio, Peeples was a writer/producer of programming heard worldwide on the Westwood One Radio Network (1983-1990). At WW1, he was the original, award-winning producer of "The Lost Lennon Tapes" radio series (1988-1990). A Grammy-nominated record producer ("Monterey International Pop Festival" box, Rhino/MIPF, 1992), Peeples was a national PR exec then Co-Director of Media Relations for Rhino Entertainment (1992-1996). He was Rhino's first web editor (1996-1998), then elevated to content editor of Warner Music Group websites (1998-2001). An SCV resident since 1988, he began his local media career at The Signal in 2004. Along the way Peeples also served as VP/New Media for Rare Cool Stuff Unltd. (2010-2016), co-founded Pet Me Happy Treats (2016) and posted numerous exclusive interviews on his website and YouTube channel.
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Eva Gritz
Archivist
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Eva was born and raised in the SCV. She attended Rosedell Elementary, Arroyo Seco Junior High where she was involved in dance, and graduated from Saugus High in 1985. She took ROP floral design and became certificated in floral design and management through FTD. She worked as a professional florist for 25 years. The youngest of 13 children, she has seven brothers in the military. Her eldest brother, Toby R. Gritz, was killed in a helicopter crash in Vietnam in 1970. Four sisters attended Hart High in the early 1970s. Eva has a keen interest in local history and has completed course work in physical and digital archiving.
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