Nik Fackler

Omaha filmmaker and musician Nik Fackler made his screen writing and directorial debut with the feature film Lovely, Still, starring Oscar winners Ellen Burstyn and Martin Landau. The 2008 release earned Fackler an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best First Screenplay.

Fackler's career began as a teenager making music videos for Saddle Creek Records bands such as Azure Ray, Bright Eyes and The Good Life. His latest music video is for his own band, Icky Blossoms, which released its debut album on Saddle Creek July 17. Icky Blossoms will tour nationally later this year.

Fackler recently completed his second feature film, Sick Birds Die Easy,shot in the jungles of Africa. The documentary currently is being submitted to national film festivals.

Mary Maxwell

Omaha's First Lady of Humor, Mary Maxwell is a highly sought after public speaker and social media phenomenon.

For more than 45 years, Maxwell has entertained audiences at corporate dinners, church groups, and chamber of commerce events. Her speaking engagements have taken her to California, Arizona, Illinois, Alabama, Texas, Washington, Michigan, Oregon, New York (Manhattan) and such exotic locales as Missouri Valley, Atlantic, Coralville and Okoboji, Iowa.

But Maxwell may be best known for her "Funny Prayer about Getting Old," a talk given at the 2010 Care Giver of the Year Dinner. Since the video of her talk was uploaded on YouTube, it has been viewed more than 9 million times.

Trev Alberts

University of Nebraska at Omaha Director of Athletics Trev Alberts may be best known for his football career with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In 1993, Alberts won the Butkus Award as the best linebacker in college football in his senior season. In the national championship game that season, Alberts was named the defensive Most Valuable Player despite playing with a dislocated elbow. A three-time academic all-American, Alberts was named one of the NCAA's "Top Six" student athletes in 1994.

After an NFL career, Alberts began a broadcasting career as a college football commentator with CNN, ESPN and CBS. In 2009, he was named Director of Athletics at UNO, where he led an effort to upgrade the Mavericks athletic program from Division II to Division I.