Guest List: Today’s Newsmakers

• Rick Allen. The CEO of Ted Leonsis’s documentary-streaming Web site, SnagFilms, gets described as a “filmanthropist.” SnagFilms is providing an alternative distribution mechanism for movies that might never find national audiences otherwise. Right now, the site has 2,000 movies, but it’s hoping to double that number this summer. Leonsis and Allen are proving that Washington may not be the center of the movie business, but you don’t need to be in Hollywood to come up with good entertainment ideas.

• Judy Ford Wasson. As a member of Virginia governor Bob McDonnell’s Independent Bipartisan Advisory Commission on Redistricting, Wasson is one of the commissioners charged with shedding light on the back-room process of drawing political districts. Their decisions will play an important role in the upcoming state Senate and House of Delegates elections this year.

• Ben and Daniel Miller. Washington’s booming restaurant scene has no shortage of chefs with good ideas. The Miller brothers are helping their dreams come true with a $10-million fund dedicated to providing start-up support for Washington restaurateurs and retailers. We can think of a few vacant storefronts that could be great homes for new food and shopping outlets.

• Bruce Allen. The general manager of the Redskins has been tasked with making sure the team has a better relationship with its retirees—especially given the medical challenges many former NFL players face. Allen is walking a tough line as the NFL remains mired in a labor dispute that could curtail or even cancel the next season. We’d be curious to know what kind of feedback he’s getting from alumni on revenue sharing between owners and players and on a proposal to lengthen the NFL season from 16 to 18 games.

• Stevens Miller. The Loudoun County supervisor is one of a number of county lawmakers who are getting cold feet over the proposed cost of the Silver Line extension to the Washington Metro. If designers don’t choose a less expensive version of the station at Dulles, the county could pull out its planned $300-million contribution, imperiling the entire project.

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