Team
Meet the screentime consultant team
Founder
Emily Cherkin
Hal Carlton-Ford is Emily’s second brain (executive assistant), a filmmaker, and a classicist. With a 4-year-old son, the crisis leading to screen and AI led classes are of particular urgency to him.
In Hal’s work with Emily and his creative writings, he fights for the protecting and preserving of humanity and artistry in our rapidly automating world.
When he is not working with Emily, making films, or with his son and wife, Hal studies the Greek concepts of techne and the human being (ζώον λόγον έχον), searching for how they have led to modern technology and the automation of our most human tasks – making art and thinking.
Chief Financial Officer
Ben Gitenstein
Hal Carlton-Ford is Emily’s second brain (executive assistant), a filmmaker, and a classicist. With a 4-year-old son, the crisis leading to screen and AI led classes are of particular urgency to him.
In Hal’s work with Emily and his creative writings, he fights for the protecting and preserving of humanity and artistry in our rapidly automating world.
When he is not working with Emily, making films, or with his son and wife, Hal studies the Greek concepts of techne and the human being (ζώον λόγον έχον), searching for how they have led to modern technology and the automation of our most human tasks – making art and thinking.
Executive Assistant
Hal Carlton-Ford
Hal Carlton-Ford is Emily’s second brain (executive assistant), a filmmaker, and a classicist. With a 4-year-old son, the crisis leading to screen and AI led classes are of particular urgency to him.
In Hal’s work with Emily and his creative writings, he fights for the protecting and preserving of humanity and artistry in our rapidly automating world.
When he is not working with Emily, making films, or with his son and wife, Hal studies the Greek concepts of techne and the human being (ζώον λόγον έχον), searching for how they have led to modern technology and the automation of our most human tasks – making art and thinking.
Public Relations
Eva Valdebenito
Gadi McBain is a Brooklyn-born Video Editor and Emily's Social Media Manager. He values the Internet’s potential to foster genuine connection while remaining clear-eyed about the direction much of today’s media landscape is heading.
Passionate about creating a safer, more ethical digital space, Gadi resonated with Emily’s tech-intentional messaging and works to promote and amplify her most thoughtful examples of mindful engagement. He approaches each project with thoughtfulness and creativity.
Outside of work, he finds inspiration through the arts, with a focus on digital art and creative writing (particularly science fiction).
Business Operations
Matthew Fraser
Gadi McBain is a Brooklyn-born Video Editor and Emily's Social Media Manager. He values the Internet’s potential to foster genuine connection while remaining clear-eyed about the direction much of today’s media landscape is heading.
Passionate about creating a safer, more ethical digital space, Gadi resonated with Emily’s tech-intentional messaging and works to promote and amplify her most thoughtful examples of mindful engagement. He approaches each project with thoughtfulness and creativity.
Outside of work, he finds inspiration through the arts, with a focus on digital art and creative writing (particularly science fiction).
Business Strategist
Emily Bissen
Emily Bissen is the founder of Blue Heron Business Partners, guiding entrepreneurial parents and creative founders to build thriving, values-aligned businesses - without sacrificing freedom. A Midwest native turned PNW explorer, Emily merges strategy with soul, specializing in sales, pricing, and scaling for experts transitioning from solo work to team-led growth.
When not coaching, she’s running at the beach, cooking, or adventuring with her two kids -living her core belief that business should fuel freedom, not restrict it.
Social Media Manager
Gadi McBain
Gadi McBain is a Brooklyn-born Video Editor and Emily's Social Media Manager. He values the Internet’s potential to foster genuine connection while remaining clear-eyed about the direction much of today’s media landscape is heading.
Passionate about creating a safer, more ethical digital space, Gadi resonated with Emily’s tech-intentional messaging and works to promote and amplify her most thoughtful examples of mindful engagement. He approaches each project with thoughtfulness and creativity.
Outside of work, he finds inspiration through the arts, with a focus on digital art and creative writing (particularly science fiction).
Website Designer
Filip Sacer
As a Website Designer for The Screentime Consultant, Filip plays a crucial role in developing and maintaining the organization's entire online presence, including the main website and the T.I.M.E. Collective platform.
He ensures that these digital spaces are not only user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing but also effectively convey the vital mission of the Tech-Intentional Movement.
Outside of his work, Filip enjoys exercising, reading and exploring, activities that help him stay focused and continuously inspired in his design endeavors.