Our Team
Grant Gelt
Co-Founder / Co-Chairman
Playing the role of "Bertram Grover Weeks" in the film The Sandlot, Grant Gelt is a seasoned music and entertainment industry veteran with a 20+ year career spanning artist management, creative services, brand, and technology sectors.
Gelt is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer for Masscult, a creative agency based in Nashville, TN, amongst other consumer products, technology, and hospitality ventures.
Victor DiMattia
Co-Founder / Co-Chairman
Victor DiMattia played the role of "Timmy Timmons" in the iconic 1990s film The Sandlot. His experience acting in films as a youth led him on a journey in the entertainment industry, as a musician, actor, and trained film director. Today, Victor works in the tech industry with Masscult, as Director of Web3 Initiatives.
Victor is a lifelong sports fan, having played ice hockey growing up, and is an avid fan of football, baseball, and basketball.
Shane Obedzinski
Since his first acting role at age 3, Shane Obedzinski began his adventure in the entertainment industry. He played "Tommy repeat Timmons" in the iconic 90s film The Sandlot and was a touring rock drummer for bands in the early 2000s.
He now resides in Tampa Florida and is VP of the restaurant group "Fire it Up" and continues working in the entertainment industry.
Co-Chairman
Jacque Williamson
Chief Executive Officer
Jacque has over 15 years of experience working in environmental and education nonprofits. With experience running education programs for youth of all ages as well as coaching youth sports, Jacque additionally brings provides a wealth of knowledge in managing nonprofits, working directly with the public, and engaging communities.
She is also a life-long athlete, having played many field team sports (lacrosse, field hockey, rugby) as a youth as well as ice hockey and running both growing up and as an adult. Her love of sports and desire to help young athletes succeed brought her to Play Forever.
Ivan Carter
Chief Operating Officer
Ivan has been in a non-profit space for as long as he can remember. From delivering meals with his parents to now leading initiatives that create opportunities for children regardless of their socioeconomic means.
After starting his career in publishing Ivan left to pursue his calling of working with nonprofits full-time. He led a brand marketing firm that worked with clients in the nonprofit arts sector on brand and website initiatives.
Within the last few years after volunteering as a grant review panelist for the Cultural Alliance’s Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts program, Ivan joined their Emerging Leaders Board with a focus on DEI.
Outside of the non-profit space Ivan is life long crazy Philadelphia sports fan and is excited to help other children with access to sports.
Melissa Perez Gelt
Board / Chief Marketing Officer
Melissa Perez Gelt is a founder, partner, and Chief Marketing Officer of Masscult, a creative agency with offices located in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Connecticut.
She is a marketer, brand builder, event producer, designer, and creative with 20 years of experience in a variety of industries. This includes her background at iconic global lifestyle brand Playboy, and film, television, and artist management companies.
She was General Manager of Diskin Cider, Nashville’s first craft cidery, where she was responsible for launching the brand into the market and generating $1M in the tasting room’s first year of business.
Ben Sosenko
Board / Chief Communications Officer
Ben Sosenko is the CEO and Founder of SRK Strategies, a Brooklyn-based strategic communications firm that operates at the intersection of sports, media, and technology. SRK advises high-growth companies, emerging leagues, and influential leaders on narrative strategy, reputation, and visibility at key inflection points and is known for helping brands and properties break into the national conversation and build long-term cultural relevance.
He began his career as a TV news and sports journalist, spending nine years in markets including Sacramento, Hartford, and Westchester, NY.
He later moved into public service as Press Secretary for Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, where he played a key role in communications efforts to keep the NBA franchise in Sacramento and in the development of the Golden 1 Center.
Sosenko supported leadership during the search for the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, which resulted in the appointment of the first woman to ever lead a major U.S. sports union.
Nick Barnes
Board / Entertainment + Media
Nick Barnes serves as head of the Heartland initiative at leading global talent and entertainment company, United Talent Agency (UTA). Heartland is dedicated to representing creators like TV hosts, filmmakers, producers, comedians, podcasts, production companies, authors, musicians, and other talent that demonstrate the distinct voices of – and for – this region.
He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife and two dogs on their hobby farm just north of the city.