Be The Ball, Inc.
Executive Bios

John Williams - Chairman
John has been an executive officer (often CEO) and/or director of several early stage technology companies over his 35 year management career, leading 3 of them into public ownership and tradability on national stock exchanges.

Throughout his career John has been responsible for corporate planning, capital acquisition strategies, oversight and management of product development and marketing, and development of personnel and market strategies, as well as developing and implementing strategies to provide for significant returns on invested capital.   

John Graduated from the University of Utah in 1973 with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting and resides in the Park City, Utah area.

M. Stephen Brown – President, Director
Steve has been the driving force in the development of the Be The Ball Brand and Trademarked properties. Since 2001 he has groomed the intellectual properties and developed the strategies and industry contacts that have resulted in the opportunities currently presented by the Company. 

For the past fourteen years, Steve has directed sales and operations in the telecommunications and construction industries, written two, industry specific, sales training manuals and recently co-authored Be the Ball, “The Magic Dozen at Emerald Pond. He has steadily risen up the ladder from his first posting as a sales representative to his most recent position as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Beehive Brick and Stone. He has successfully managed companies ranging in size from small to Fortune 200 Companies.

Throughout his career, Steve has focused on developing and managing highly productive sales teams and has launched and directed entrepreneurial start-ups within the telecommunications sector.  Prior to entering the telecommunications industry, Steve was an entrepreneur in the resort and tourism industry where he owned and managed several small businesses including restaurants and ski shops.

Steve and his wife Jo live in Salt Lake City.  He holds a Liberal Arts degree from Eastern Illinois University and also attended the University of Northern Colorado.

Liza Cozad – Executive Vice President Legal Affairs, Director
Liza is a practicing entertainment lawyer as well as an entrepreneur who owns two small businesses. She brings significant consulting and networking opportunities as a successful attorney for almost 15 years.  Her law firm legal experience has brought her exposure to clients of local as well as international acclaim in the entertainment field.  Her legal experience both with law firms and as in-house counsel has focused in the area of contracting and licensing, as well as intellectual property in the fields of entertainment, high tech, biotech and insurance.

Ms. Cozad is a graduate of the University of Redlands in Southern California with a B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology, and received her law degree in her home state of Illinois from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago.

She and her husband reside in Marin County, in Northern California, and enjoy time with their two German Shepherds, as well as hiking and camping. 

Tim Nelson – Executive Vice President, Creative Properties and Production, Director
Tim Nelson was producing and directing television commercials, as well as trailers for the Sundance Film Festival (1983-1993), and commercials for Lois/GGK/Chicago, Grey Advertising/ New York. He produced and directed “Sundance 101" and "Redford/Klimov” for Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute. In 1989 Tim launched [Holy Cow!] Productions in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Nelson wrote and directed his first feature film in 1997 called "Jake's Lot" (aka: “No More Baths”) receiving the Children's Jury Award in the 1998 Chicago International Children's Film Festival, Best Drama in the Valencia International Film Festival. He quickly followed up with his second independent feature, "Who Gets the House?" which was released on 450 screens and continues to sell 300,000 DVD units a year.

“The Penny Promise,” his third feature film (Best Comedy, Valencia International Film Festival) released directly to DVD.  "Jumping For Joy", a basketball drama, set in 1964, winning “Audience Choice Awards” at the 2003 Newport Beach Film Festival, the Valencia International Family Film Festival and the “Citation of Excellence” award at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival and will be released fall 2009.

Nelson completed his 5th Feature Film titled “Slow Moe,” a 1958 baseball story starring Scotty Leavenworth (7th Heaven, The Green Mile), Marc John Jeffries (The Haunted Mansion) and Sam Hennings (The Aviator), A.J. Michalka (Hollywood Records).  He is currently in post-production on his 6th Feature Films titled “The Assignment” starring M. Emmett Walsh, Robert Culp, Adam Baldwin, French Stuart and a young cast of up and comers.

Fall 2008 he Executive Produced “Waiting For Forever” with Trevor Albert (Groundhog Day) and Director, James Keach starring, Blythe Danner, Richard Jenkins, Tom Sturridge and Jessica Bilson.

He holds theatrical options on two dramedies by Lisa Fiedler called “Punctuation” and “What Are You Doing New Years” as well as an option on a dark comedy television pilot called “Dead Dogs Talking.”  He noteworthy of working 33 years without representation, he is not proud of that face and while his last picture was DGA, he is ready and looking for representation both in LA and New York. Other projects he has produced both in New York and Utah are listed on IMDB Pro.

Nelson is the Chairman of the Board of the Motion Picture Association of Utah (MPAU) and is a representative on the Governor’s Motion Picture Advisory Committee. He began his film career in 1977 in network television.