Meet Us

  • Candi Carter has more than two decades of broadcast television experience. She is currently the CEO of New Chapter Entertainment, a Chicago-based production company focused on originating, developing and producing unscripted series for broadcast, cable, syndication and new media. New Chapter Entertainment also develops and produces branded entertainment vehicles and short-form video content for corporate clients.  Carter spent 15 years at The Oprah Winfrey Show, leaving when the show came to an end in 2011 as a Senior Producer/Co-Supervising Producer. During her tenure there, Carter produced the highest-rated Oprah Show in more than 6 years, and the critically acclaimed, award-winning episode, “An Oprah Show Two-Day Event: 200 Molested Men Come Forward.” Carter is skilled in the art of creating transformative television through compelling storytelling and working with publicists and A-list celebrities. She’s written, produced and supervised a wide range of programming: interactive sets, contests, reality shows, big location shoots/events, musical performances, fashion shows, talent shows, big stunts, surprises, reunions and others. An inspiring leader known for “thinking big,” Carter has assembled an entertainment industry “dream team” to build a world-class production company that serves both the broadcast and business communities.

  • Rick Segall brings 20 years of broadcast television experience to New Chapter Entertainment. His most recent work was at The Oprah Winfrey Show for four years. One of the senior production staff, Segall produced some of the highest rated, most celebrated episodes in Oprah Show history: Oprah’s Secret Family Reunion, 200 Molested Men Come Forward and Inside the Minds of Sexual Predators. He also helped produce famous franchises like Ask Dr. Oz and Behind the Scenes of Oprah’s Favorite Things. Segall produced a wide variety of genres and styles, including celebrity, musical performance, investigative, newsmaker, reality, home makeovers, fashion shows, big stunts, on-location remotes, cooking and medical. Prior to his work at The Oprah Show, Segall ran his own full-service production company “RSTV, Inc.” Segall’s team created entertainment, news, educational and corporate productions for clients such as The Coca-Cola Company, FOX, Turner Private Networks and other news organizations and large companies. Segall, an Emmy award-winning producer, also spent eight years as a correspondent/producer for the hit show America’s Most Wanted. He produced more than 100 stories for the legendary crime-fighting program, resulting in the direct capture of more than 20 fugitives and the safe return of two missing children, including Elizabeth Smart in 2003.

  • Jim Olen is a 20-year veteran of Chicago’s advertising and post-production communities. His career began at Editel/Chicago, where he spent eight years working in commercial production, audio, graphics, editing and sales. In 1996, Jim opened the music production company Rhythm Café, and it quickly became one of the most respected creative shops in the Midwest. As President/Executive Producer, Jim supervised the music campaigns for clients such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Minute Maid, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, State Farm, Gatorade and many more. When advertisers began seeking branding opportunities with recording artists, and those in the music industry sought similar relationships with brands, Jim was uniquely positioned to serve as a professional conduit to both industries. One successful result of Jim’s efforts came when he connected HBO, The Global Business Coalition (GBC) and The Kaiser Family Foundation with hip-hop legend Doug E. Fresh. The “Get Tested” HIV campaign won the Emmy award for best PSA from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Jim closed the Rhythm Café in 2010 in order to take his passion for connecting the dots to a professional level. In 2011, he opened Creative Arts Consulting and began advising creative companies on branding, management, business development and a variety of other small-business issues. As Director of Branded Entertainment for New Chapter, Jim will connect the dots once again by matching forward-thinking brands with high-quality, entertaining content.

  • Allyson Kearns brings over a decade of television and film experience to New Chapter Entertainment. Prior to receiving her master’s degree from The University of Southern California, she worked at Mirimax Film Company, Fox Sports Network and the Yari Film Group. Leaving Los Angeles in 2004, Kearns moved to Chicago where she joined the production staff of The Oprah Winfrey Show, excelling at researching concepts, pitching ideas, booking guests, writing scripts, producing shoots and conducting interviews.  Kearns worked on a wide variety of shows, including “Oprah’s After Party LIVE from the Kodak Theater,” “Wildest Dreams,” “Favorite Things” and “A Farewell Spectacular.” Following the 25th Season, she joined the production team of Oprah’s Next Chapter, writing and shooting stories from around the globe. A dynamic producer both in the studio and in the field, Kearns is skilled at working with everyone from foreign fixers to A-list publicists, international icons to next-door neighbors.

  • Jill Hirschman is a Primetime Emmy®-nominated producer with experience spanning reality, documentary, lifestyle and news programming. Her list of network credits includes CBS News, NBC News, WGN, HGTV, Bravo, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, TV One and History Channel. Jill Hirschman began her career in news in Georgia. After launching several newscasts from the ground up, she moved to Chicago where she served as supervising producer at WBBM (CBS). In 2005, she moved into lifestyle programming, producing four seasons of the HGTV hit series Design on a Dime. She went on to then serve as the Chicago producer for the fourth season of Top Chef and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for her work. In 2007, Hirschman returned to the world of hard-hitting news specials and began producing documentaries. She was the chief booker and story producer on History Channel’s highly-rated series Gangland, which now airs on Spike TV, as well as a producer on several series for Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery and TV One. In addition, Hirschman served as a freelance producer for NBC’s Today show and CBS’ The Early Show. After several years as an independent development consultant, she most recently was Director of Development/Supervising Producer at Towers Productions, where she was on the team that developed and sold multiple shows for broadcast and cable networks.

  • Tim Naylor has spent his career contributing to successful programming.  He comes to New Chapter Entertainment from Harpo Productions, where he spent six years working on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Rosie Show and other special projects. A masterful editor, Tim’s well-rounded skill set also allowed him to participate in multiple video shoots.  Before Harpo Productions, Tim worked at highly regarded Chicago post-production house Optimus.  As an assistant editor, Tim’s daily tasks including edits, job / media preparation and digitizing footage. He also designed digital imagery for final composites, coordinated media with external clients and supervised finish sessions.  Tim combines his love for storytelling with his passion for digital filmaking and design.

  • Daryl D. Jones, Esq. has represented and counseled clients on a diverse range of agreements and transactions surrounding sports, music, film, television, new media, Internet, literary and intellectual property. He is well versed in marketing/brand development and has negotiated agreements for major advertising agencies and consumer brands. He has also negotiated mega endorsement deals on behalf of professional athletes and recording artists. Jones has been recognized for successfully leading and advising teams in both global media corporations and start-up companies. He has structured and negotiated multi-million-dollar content and brand partnerships. Jones has helped launch and run progressive entrepreneurial ventures and served as a strategic advisor to key senior management. Jones has been a guest speaker at numerous seminars and conferences. He also sits on the Board of Governors for the Grammy Awards National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). His other professional affiliations include the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA), Lawyers for The Creative Arts (LCA), and the American Bar Association (ABA).   Jones oversees legal and business affairs for New Chapter Entertainment.

  • Since his foray into commercial music production began years ago, Ira Antelis has created some of the most memorable brand anthems in the world, including “Be Like Mike” for Gatorade, “Remember The Magic” for Disney, “What You Want Is What You Get” for McDonald’s, and “I Got The Blues” for Kraft. His experience includes a decade as Music Director at Leo Burnett, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, producing music for such iconic brands as McDonald’s, Hallmark, Allstate, Disney and Kraft. While there, he headed the agency’s Artist in Residence Program, an industry first, which brought up-and-coming and established artists directly into the agency to perform for and collaborate with the creative staff. Antelis is also co-owner and musical director of JIRA Productions, a full-service production and music house specializing in original music, music supervision, audio post and digital cinema production. JIRA recently scored the film Dysfunctional Friends with Stacy Dash and Meagan Good. Recent clients also include McDonald’s, Hasbro and Big Lots. Antelis oversees music and music licensing for New Chapter Entertainment.

  • Scott is currently Managing Director of City Capital Advisors, a Chicago-based investment banking boutique that provides corporate finance and M&A services to middle market companies across the country. Scott is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and practiced law for the first 13 years of his career in Washington, D.C., where he was a partner in the law firm of Arnold & Porter. In 1986 he took a leave of absence from the law firm and moved to Chicago to start an investment banking practice within the regional securities firm of Rodman & Renshaw Capital Group, which he grew into a substantial practice operating from Chicago and New York City. Ten years later he left to form Brown Gibbons Lang & Company, a Midwest-based global middle market investment bank that Scott grew, as its CEO, into one of the leading middle market investment banks in the U.S. He received numerous awards and recognitions within the investment banking industry for his deal-making work and was named an “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young in 2003. After briefly retiring in 2006, Scott returned to the investment banking business in 2007 to join his current firm. Scott has been actively involved in investing in various early-stage media and Internet-related companies, including Music Dealers LLC, a leading online music licensing company, where he is a member of the board of directors; Big Live LLC, an innovative social networking software company and content delivery company; and SMS Assist LLC, a leading online outsourcer of facilities management services. Scott is also an investor in and co-executive producer of the 2012 film Dysfunctional Friends.