The Origin of Astoryah
Alexia and Christopher have been friends and colleagues in the entertainment business for years. One of the many things they have in common is a real satisfaction in supporting rising creatives in developing their projects, skills, and careers.
After presenting a well-received seminar together, Alexia turned to Christopher and said, “We should do this more often!” That started the wheels turning and they became inspired to build something together that would help mentor creatives from all around the world.
That inspiration became Astoryah.
Why did they call it “Astoryah”?
We believe that stories are at the center of entertainment, our careers, and our lives. So we sought out a name that had “story” at its center as well. Also, since it sounds identical to “Astoria”, which means “hawk”, Astoryah also symbolizes soaring higher which is our ambitious goal for all of our members and partners.
With our valuable Pro Council members anchoring and representing the genuine professionalism and global experience that sets Astoryah apart, we’re thrilled by the prospect of this platform and community becoming a rising tide that raises all boats.
We warmly welcome you to Astoryah!
Who We Are
Two partners. One shared mission: to empower the next generation of entertainment talent.
CEO · Producer · Entrpreneur
Alexia Melocchi is an award-winning producer, international distribution expert, author of three books, and member of the Producers Guild of America, with more than three decades of experience in the entertainment industry.
Fluent in six languages, she brings a distinctly global perspective to producing, distribution, and project development.
Through her company, Little Studio Films, she has acquired more than 150 films for international distributors, successfully sold over 50 titles, and earned more than 35 producing credits.
Known for her ability to recognize promising material and uncover the strongest commercial and emotional hook within a story, Alexia helps creators position their projects for the global marketplace.
She is also a sought-after educator and pitching expert who teaches filmmakers how to communicate their vision with clarity, authenticity, and impact.
President · Producer / Writer / Director
Christopher Fink is a writer, director, and producer. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, having written films and series projects for companies including Disney Studios and Paramount Pictures.
He has written, produced, and directed two feature films as well as commercials and an award-winning political ad.
As an entrepreneur, Christopher co-founded Louisiana’s first Hollywood-class motion picture studio and consulted with political leaders on revising the state’s film and TV tax credit program.
His knowledge of tax credits, along with his decades of working with producers, sales companies, and financiers around the world, has given Christopher valuable insights and expertise in film financing.
Additionally, Christopher led an international mission to Beijing, China to explore co-production and annually mentors emerging filmmakers at an international film festival.
// Industry Professionals — Real Experience
Pro Council
Working industry professionals who bring their experience to Astoryah members.
Producer · Writer
Mitchell Galin is a multiple award-winning producer in film, television, and theater, whose more-than-forty-year career includes ten feature films, more than twenty-five television movies and mini-series, six series, seven documentaries, and two theatrical productions. He is currently developing a feature film with Stephen King based on the best-selling novel The Regulators, with Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) attached to direct, and most recently co-created Red Hotel, a six-part limited series. He is also currently at work as a writer: he has completed the first novel in a planned three-book YA series, The Becoming, has written the pilot script for Ava and Juniper: Through the Glowing Gate based on his children's book series of the same name, and is producing an animated trailer for that series.
Galin's prior credits include the mini-series Dune, A Season in Purgatory, Stephen King's The Langoliers, and Stephen King's The Stand, which collectively earned him an Emmy nomination and nine Emmy Awards. He also produced the telefilm The Road to Freedom: The Vernon Johns Story, starring James Earl Jones, which won the Christopher Award and two awards at the Monte Carlo International Awards, including Best TV Movie and an award for James Earl Jones, as well as the second and third seasons of the Shudder/AMC series Creepshow along with its animated Halloween and live-action Christmas specials.
He has directed and produced six multiple award-winning documentaries, which have also won numerous faith-based awards, and was executive in charge of production on Tales from the Darkside and Monsters, which he co-created. He produced the feature films Pet Sematary and Thinner (Paramount) and The Night Flier (New Line) with Stephen King, and is among the first U.S. producers to pursue international co-productions, including the first U.S.-China, U.S.-Hungarian, and (with Dune) U.S.-Czech co-productions.
Galin serves on the board of Kid Pan Alley, a nonprofit music-enrichment program for grade-school children, is a past President of FilmNashville, and is a member of the Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Producer · Consultant
Amy Lanier is a multi-hyphenate with deep and vast connections in entertainment: from publishing, music and Broadway to films and television.
Starting at the prestigious Sterling Lord Literary Agency and Dino De Laurentiis Productions, she then worked with Academy Award-winning composer Michael Gore (Fame) on Terms of Endearment and Pretty in Pink before segueing to personal manager, continuing to work with Gore, his sister, the iconic 60’s singer Lesley Gore, writer Lawrence D. Cohen (Carrie, Ghost Story) as well as actors Peter Boyle, Betty Buckley, and Patti LuPone.
She was a producer of the musical productions of Cats and Starlight Express in Germany and Carrie, a co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company in England (starring Barbara Cook) and on Broadway (starring Betty Buckley) directed by RSC’s Terry Hands and choreography by Debbie Allen. She consulted on numerous Broadway productions including Damn Yankees, directed by Jack O’Brien, starring Jerry Lewis and Bebe Neuwirth, groundbreaking indie film Jeffrey and served as Special Consultant to The Independent Feature Project (now Film Independent) in Berlin and NYC; producing their first benefit fundraiser.
Moving to Los Angeles, she worked on the original Beethoven with Charles Grodin, Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King and Nora Ephron’s directorial debut This Is My Life. As an Indie Producer, Lanier set up State of the Union based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play adapted by Rod Lurie (The Contender,) Lovers Leap with Pierce Brosnan and Ron Bass (Rain Man) at New Regency, Spyglass also with Brosnan at Universal, One Hundred Days of Darkness at FoxTVS/Showtime written by Stuart Beattie (“Collateral”) and served as Executive Consultant to the Dances With Films Festival for several years: helping create and form their Board of Directors as well as securing major industry sponsorship and launching their Industry Panel Series, Cocktails & Conversations, and the Industry Choice Award.
She created and built the Literary Department for KMR Talent Agency, signing a roster of nearly 40 writers and selling original screenplays & series to Freeform, MGM, Netflix, Vortex, Hallmark, Lifetime and books to Disney Channel, HarperCollins, and Abrams Books.
Following Covid Ms. Lanier returned to the Indie world, currently developing Belle’s Not Well by Dominic Burgess & director Michael Rymer (Hannibal, Queen of the Damned, Battlestar Galactica reboot) Kafka & The Doll with Ron Bass, Bodies of Water with director Reed Morano, Altered with Mary Jane Skalsky (Spotlight) Echo Lake Productions, Deaf President Now with Marlee Matlin to direct, Lucid City with Denise DiNovi Productions written by Paul Sado (The Cobbler, Leo), Angelina with Gabriel Beristain (Fidel Up Close, Iron Man3) written by and to co-star Tony Award-winner Olga Merediz, The Marble Maker written and to be directed by David Labrava (Sons of Anarchy, Mayans, Legends) and the limited series Molls by Anzu Lawson.
Distribution · Sales
Expertise defines Chris Bialek in the world of entertainment. His razor-sharp focus on licensing, marketing, financing and co-production brings to his partners solid fulfillment of their goals by maximizing revenues across all media. Audiences world-wide enjoy a catalogue of hit films from Bialek's capable hands.
With a slate of motion pictures straight off the headlines, Basic Instinct, The Big Easy, Total Recall, Terminator 2, Universal Soldier, continuing with award winners, Platoon, Chaplin, L.A. Story, Cutthroat Island, The Doors, and on to movie-goer favorites, Rambo, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III, Kickboxer, Bialek's contributions are realized at all budget levels. Professionals from every industry discipline including Mario Kassar, Arnold Kopelson, Mark Damon and Edward Pressman engage Bialek with banking strategies for their production financing while utilizing his hands-on navigation of co-productions, pre-sales and global distribution. With Chris Bialek, experience is the key to success.
Bialek is President of EAC Distribution Inc. in Las Vegas, a consultant to worldwide motion picture and TV buyers, adviser to producers and directors, and sales agent. From 2017 to 2020 he was an aggregator of content for Netflix in Paris. Earlier he was President of Parallel Media, Seven Arts Entertainment and Quadra Entertainment, partner at Gemka/First Company and Das Werk/310 Entertainment, Vice President of foreign distribution at Carolco Pictures, and a director at Vision International and Inter Ocean Film Sales. He speaks English, French and German.
Marketing & Advertising Executive
Vice President, Entertainment & Special Projects at The Hollywood Reporter, with a proven record of driving revenue growth, developing strategic partnerships and creating new business opportunities across print, digital, social and live events.
Experienced in working with leading studios, networks and streaming platforms, building trusted relationships with senior decision-makers, launching successful new revenue streams and representing major media brands at prominent film festivals and markets worldwide.
Senior Media Executive · Producer · International Media Strategist
Michel Vandewalle is an award-winning media executive, entrepreneur, and creative strategist with over 40 years of international experience across film, television, music, digital media, marketing, and emerging technologies.
A pioneer in media innovation, Michel has developed, produced, financed, and advised projects across multiple platforms, combining creative vision with global business strategy. He is a co-founder of Eyes & Ears of Europe, a member of the European Film Academy, and has served on prestigious international juries, including the International Emmy Awards and the Golden Nymph Awards in Monte Carlo.
Born in Belgium and based in Germany, Michel has worked across Europe and the United States and speaks four languages. Passionate about mentorship, collaboration, and emerging talent, he brings to Astoryah a wealth of global industry knowledge and a forward-thinking approach to storytelling, technology, and creative entrepreneurship.
Entertainment Executive · Film Finance & Distribution
Alexandra Yacovlef is a pioneering international entrepreneur, entertainment executive, and financial strategist with over three decades of experience in film finance, global distribution, production, and business development. One of the first European women to establish and own a film distribution company in the United States, she built her career on an exceptional understanding of international markets, financial opportunities, and the business of storytelling.
Throughout her distinguished career, Alexandra has worked with and advised some of the world's leading film distributors, helping navigate acquisitions, financing strategies, international sales, and complex commercial negotiations. Her business acumen, financial expertise, and instinct for identifying commercially viable content have earned her a reputation as a trusted advisor and formidable negotiator in the global entertainment industry.
As co-founder of Little Studio Films, she continues to bridge Hollywood and international markets through film production, distribution, strategic consulting, and publishing. Her creative ventures include The Monkey Club, inspired by her experiences at a prestigious London finishing school, and the historical novel Machiavelli Princess.
A woman of remarkable resilience, vision, and entrepreneurial spirit, Alexandra has built a legacy defined by integrity, determination, and an unwavering belief in the power of relationships. Her journey from European immigrant to influential Hollywood businesswoman is a testament to what courage, financial intelligence, and the willingness to challenge convention can achieve.
Senior Entertainment Executive · Post-Production & Film Finance
Stephen Buchsbaum is a senior executive with extensive experience in the entertainment field, specializing in production, post-production, film finance, and distribution across the film, television, and media industries. His 30+ years of cross-functional experience span C-level operations, film finance, digital transformation, and worldwide team unification.
His corporate leadership includes senior positions at market leaders such as FotoKem, Goldmark Advisers, 2G Digital, and Traveling Light Partners, along with a groundbreaking tenure at The Post Group, where he oversaw the first independent facility to implement complete file-based pipelines for major franchises like CSI and The Amazing Race.
A technology-forward pioneer, Stephen founded Creative Edge, which engineered prominent early web applications for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Staples Center. His project portfolio spans high-visibility production and post-production work on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, Law & Order, and The Ren & Stimpy Show.
