Jaiden Turner is a filmmaker and storyteller currently working as an Assistant Editor at VMG Studios in Bellevue. She is a four-time Taco Bell Live Más Scholar, which allowed her to pursue her passion for filmmaking and storytelling. She graduated from the Tahoma High School Video Production program in 2018, and then went on to study Film and Photography at Montana State University. During her time at MSU she worked with peers and professors doing everything from costumes, to editing and assistant directing. While at MSU she wrote and directed her first short film Breathe, where she received several nominations from international festivals, including being a semi-finalist for “Best First-Time Director” at the Student Los Angeles Film Awards. LinkedIN
Baylee Sinner has been working professionally in the film industry for over 15 years. She started as a production assistant and worked several internships with different agencies before graduating from Washington State University. Since graduating, Baylee written, produced, and directed for clients like the Seattle Seahawks, T-Mobile, Amazon, and more as well as made her own short films, documentaries, and music videos. Some of her work can be seen on her website: https://bayleesinner.com
Anna Mori graduated from Newport High School in 2018, where she was heavily involved in the CTE program through their video production courses. After high school, she attended Arizona State University and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Film and Media Production degree, with an emphasis on editing, VFX, and sound design. Upon graduation, she also received the Award of Excellence for post-production from the Sidney Poitier New American Film School. The Puget Sound All Girls Film Challenge was the first film festival she attended, where she won an Award of Excellence for her film “Extraordinary Differences”.
After graduation, Anna worked as a Marketing and Videography Coordinator for a commercial real estate firm where she created property videos for various buildings in the greater Phoenix area. She is currently living in the Seattle area and doing freelance editing and VFX work. Some of her favorite movies are Shutter Island, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Boyhood, and she hopes to edit feature length films in the future. You can view her portfolio here: https://www.annamorifilm.com
After graduation, Anna worked as a Marketing and Videography Coordinator for a commercial real estate firm where she created property videos for various buildings in the greater Phoenix area. She is currently living in the Seattle area and doing freelance editing and VFX work. Some of her favorite movies are Shutter Island, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Boyhood, and she hopes to edit feature length films in the future. You can view her portfolio here: https://www.annamorifilm.com
An Emmy award winning director/producer, Maria Gargiulo's range of experience includes everything from indie films about punk rock, documentaries in Africa and Asia on global health, and reality TV such as America's Most Wanted. Her most recent gigs include directing corporate video for Google and teaching filim production at the University of Washington. Her primary goal in all of her professional roles, is to tell a story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccsvGzOcRMk&t=2s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccsvGzOcRMk&t=2s
Kendra Ann Sherrill is the Festival Director of the Children’s Film Festival Seattle put on by the Northwest Film Forum, which is the largest film festival on the West Coast dedicated to children’s films. She was also recently appointed as the Manager of Development for the Children's Media Association, a national non-profit association of professionals who work in children's media ranging from Nickelodeon to Sesame Street. As a filmmaker, she enjoys creating whimsical stories including her short film A Dreamer's Melody, which screened at over 20 children's film festivals around the world. She is also the Editor of the Regional Emmy-nominated children's television series Look, Listen, and Learn.
https://www.kendrannsherrill.com/
https://www.kendrannsherrill.com/
Peg Achterman is an Associate Professor of Communication, Journalism and Film at Seattle Pacific University. She spent most of her journalism career at KING Television in Seattle, where she was a TV news photographer. Some more memorable stories include coverage of the 2000 presidential campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire, the tear gas of WTO marches, and the whale hunt at Neah Bay. Professional highlights included regional National Press Photographer Association awards and service as a national judge for the NPPA Photographer of the Year and Station of the Year competitions. During summer breaks in graduate school she was a software instructor and developer, traveling the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East teaching newsroom employees the joys of nonlinear editing and digital workflow.
https://achterman.com/
https://achterman.com/
Wynter Rhysis a Mount Si alum and a director, writer, editor and creative consultant with over a decade of experience. After receiving a full ride scholarship to Savannah College of Art and Design and getting her bachelors in Dramatic Writing, Wynter now specializes in directing and creative management with a focus on journalism. She is currently directing a docuseries For a streaming platform following her role as creative director for the Smithsonian museums’ Clotilda project + Africatown.
WynterRhys.com
WynterRhys.com
Lindy Boustedt is an award-winning writer, director, and producer. As co-owner of First Sight Productions, she’s spent the past 18 years working on everything from shorts and features to serialized production and branded content to podcasts and VR/AR media. Her narrative work has over 18M views on YouTube and has screened at festivals all over the world. In addition to her current film work, she runs SHARE: Screenwriting for Healing, self-Actualization, Redemption and Empathy, a storytelling education program for incarcerated women and youth. http://firstsightproductions.com/ | Instagram: | Youtube:
Stefanie Malone is an award-winning producer, director, and currently the Executive Director of NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth), the world’s largest film festival for emerging directors. Stefanie boasts a long history with public broadcasting, having worked for KCTS (Seattle) and WETA (Washington DC) including developing and managing national and local multimedia and impact projects, including television productions, interactive content, educational materials, and community engagement strategies. Her work for WETA includes engagement and education producing for over a dozen Ken Burns’ and Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s documentaries. Stefanie is also the owner of Malone Media LLC where she has produced and directed content for Amazon, Microsoft, University of Washington, and more. When she has time, Stefanie directs and produces documentaries that have screened at numerous film festivals including SIFF and Big Sky. Stefanie has her Master of Arts in Communication from Ohio University, where she was awarded a Public Broadcasting Fellowship. http://www.maloneportfolio.com/
Olena is the Executive Artistic Director of Island Shakespeare Festival on Whidbey Island. Her passions for Shakespeare and social justice began early in childhood and have become the driving force of her artistic life. Olena grew up on Whidbey, and could not be prouder to contribute to the rich artistic realm of this community through ISF. She holds a BFA in Performance from Southern Oregon University and is a graduate of Circle in The Square Theater School.
https://islandshakespearefest.org/About/People.html
https://islandshakespearefest.org/About/People.html
Rose Kreider is an award-winning female Filmmaker director from Kirkland WA, residing in Seattle. Two films are currently live worldwide, one in post production and my first documentary and preproduction. I have one best director from the New York film festival and best drama feature for my first film, The Woman out of the London film festival.
https://rosekreider.wixsite.com/website
https://rosekreider.wixsite.com/website
Trina Griffin has a BA from the University of Washington and a 2-year degree from Shoreline Community College in Digital Film Making. She is a published photographer and has worked in the film industry since 1998 as a Director, Assistant Director, and a PA with a start in Theater. She is the Owner and Executive Director of a little non-profit organization for 3-years now called Rising Reels. That teaches children from age 8 to 18, about and connects them to the filmmaking industry. Rising Reels won Best Cinematography, in the 2022 Renton Film Frenzy Competition. Trina’s goal is to build and strengthen real-career-producing relationships for our future filmmakers.
https://www.rising-reels.org/
https://www.rising-reels.org/
Lindsey Watkins been a professional hair and makeup artist in the PNW for over 15 years. I primarily work in the commercial and corporate photo and video world. She attended her first art class at age five, started cutting and dying her friends’ hair in high school, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Graphic Design from The Rhode Island School of Design. She worked as a designer, retoucher and art director for a number of years in New York City, Phoenix and Seattle. In 2005 she found her true passion in hair and makeup, and has been working professionally in the industry ever since.
Www.lindseywatkins.com
Www.lindseywatkins.com
Lael is a writer & director based in Seattle, Washington. Her award-winning films have been featured in publications such as Film Shortage, The Seattle Times, and Rolling Stone and have played at film festivals such as Fantasia, Fantastic Fest, Palm Springs Shortfest, and more. Her commercial work has won several awards including an Emmy™. Lael is a Film Independent grant recipient and received a Vimeo Staff pick for her short film, The Claw. Her work in the SFX realm has played at Sundance Film Festival and she teaches narrative film at Cornish College of the Arts.
www.laelrogers.com/
www.laelrogers.com/
Sarah Crowe is an award winning Producer, Director and sometimes Assistant Director. She has been producing documentaries, narratives, and commercials for nearly 15 years. Sarah is an Executive Producer at Amazon she spends her day creating branded content and spends her free time creating documentaries and supporting independent film in Washington and beyond. Films such as Lane 1974 (directed by SJ Chiro) and Worst Laid Plans (directed by Mark Jones and Nesib Shamah). She produced Welcome To Doe Bay (directed by Nesib Shamah and Dan Thornton), an Emmy-nominated documentary that premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2102. Sarah's directorial debut is an international award winning feature documentary Dyna Does Dressage. Sarah was a Producer and Assistant Director of the original series Capitol Hill and is the Executive Producer on Potato Dreams of America (both directed by Wes Hurley). Facebook
Tenny Priebe is the Executive Producer and Creative Services Director at VMG Studios. With a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Journalism combined with over 15 years of experience in the Marketing, Social Media Management, and Film Production fields, Tenny is an integral part of VMG’s leadership and creative teams. She oversees the agency’s creative output and production processes and has directed and produced a wide range of projects for enterprise-level clients such as Amazon, XBOX, Microsoft, ESPN, Vice.com, and more. Through her extensive work producing and directing theatre, documentary film and social media Tenny has cultivated a keen sense story and an ability to connect with both subject matter and audience. She is a Telly award winner and her documentary films have received numerous international awards and nominations including an IDA, Peabody, Emmy, South X Southwest, Sundance and the Seattle International Film Festival among others.
https://vmgstudios.com/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/tenny-priebe/, https://www.instagram.com/tennypriebe/?
https://vmgstudios.com/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/tenny-priebe/, https://www.instagram.com/tennypriebe/?
Mandy Canales is an XR theatre practitioner with a focus on how comedy translates in the virtual space and uses stand alone VR headsets and full body tracking for exploration. She teaches dance and improv at the VR Dance Academy in the social VR platform VRChat and is also a Lecturer at Washington State University in the department of Digital Technology and Culture. https://mandycanales.wordpress.com/
Liv Faris utilizes her experience as a journalist, producer, and strategic communicator to bring visual stories to life. As head of content production for the Brooks Running Creative Lab, she leads a team of creatives responsible for producing photo and video content for the brand’s various marketing campaigns. Before joining Brooks, she led content strategy at Expedia’s in-house advertising organization; built an award-winning digital media and content team at C+C, a social impact communications agency; and worked as a television producer. She is also an affiliate instructor in the UW Communication Leadership Masters program. https://www.linkedin.com/in/livfaris
Rain-soaked and caffeinated, “S.Platter” (as her students call her) writes and teaches screenwriting. She directed her first short film last year and is building her filmmaking skills. She loves seeing students create and helped her students start a filmmaking program with a festival each year. https://sfi.edu/
Past Presenters
Julie Kwon is a graphic designer and animator at VMG Studios in Bellevue. She recently graduated from Pratt Institute in May 2022 with a BFA in 3D Animation and Motion Arts. Her senior film, "Too Fast," was featured in the Pratt Best of Department of Digital Arts show. She is passionate about storytelling through storyboards, comics, and 2D & 3D animation. During her time in college, she gained experience through internships and freelancing for various companies, including Encantos Media, creators of Canticos (an Emmy-nominated show previously available on Nick Jr.), and designing brands for Racer.app, a 15-minute food delivery app in New York. After graduation, Julie returned home and interned at VMG Studios, where she eventually landed her first full-time job. She now works on storyboards, graphic designs, and animations for companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more. https://www.juliekwonanim.com/
Megan is a writer director actor who tells funny stories with real heart. She got her start writing and directing shorts for Funny or Die. She directed a PSA for Access Books produced by Women in Film, which won a 2018 Bronze Telly award and a Platinum Best of Show Aurora Award. Megan was also selected to participate in the 2021 Commercial Directing Diversity Program and has directed for brands including Microsoft, Walmart, and L'Avant Collective.
Megan is a founding board member of the Hollywood Women’s Collective. When Megan is not making films, she is probably doing whatever her toddler tells her to because he is the boss. www.meganbrotherton.com/
Megan is a founding board member of the Hollywood Women’s Collective. When Megan is not making films, she is probably doing whatever her toddler tells her to because he is the boss. www.meganbrotherton.com/
My name is Kendra Fowler. I attended the New York Film Academy from 2008-2010. My degree is in Screenwriting. After college I have worked freelance using my screenwriting and find skills. I edited animal footage for a marine biologist, worked for blue Nile doing 360 video of jewelry and made a historical video for a local historical mansion. I am currently working on a steam punk, fantasy/horror screenplay that I hope to direct myself. https://pastpictures-kendrafowler.weebly.com/
Monique works as a freelance consultant in career training and postsecondary education across the United States. She began her career specializing in underwater cinematography in the late 1990’s. She has taught filmmaking classes in New Mexico, California and Washington and is an International Women’s Study Center fellow and the recipient of the New Mexico Women in Film’s Sage Award. She loves helping students discover the stories they want to tell. https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniqueanair/ | www.moniqueanair.com
Art Director leading and mentoring teams of artists, designers, and developers to create story driven content and deliver creative products which elevate customer experiences in multi-sensory environments and new technologies. Provides synergistic creative direction at the forefront of innovation in the immersive interactive space. Consistently recognized by partners as being a story-builder. https://www.marisaerven.com
Sarah Salcedo is an award-winning filmmaker, illustrator, and author. She makes films alongside her partner, Vasant Salcedo, at Tall Firs Cinema. Their feature documentary, Promised Land, debuted in select theaters fall 2016 and won multiple film festival awards. Her stories, essays, poetry, and artwork have been published in numerous literary magazines. In 2022, she was chosen as the Writer-in-Residence for Town Hall Seattle and attended both the 2022 Tin House Winter and Summer Workshop. In addition to festival awards for filmmaking, Sarah has received several grants from 4Culture and Artists Trust. She holds two bachelor’s degrees in English Literature and Comparative Literature: Cinema Studies from the University of Washington. You can view her work at https://www.sarah-salcedo.com/
Vicky has been a filmmaker for over 25 years and worked on award winning shows like “Northern Exposure” as a supervising location manager. Vicky is a proud member of the Location Managers Guild International. She also served for over 5 years at Seattle Center as an arts program manager. Vicky’s screen credits include feature films, TV series and commercials. A few of those credit include “Singles,” “My Own Private Idaho,” “War of the Roses,” “Say Anything,” “Past Midnight,” “Ten Things I Hate About You,” “The Vanishing,” “Language Arts,” “East of the Mountains,” “Outside In,” and “Three Busy Debras.” Vicky is also a producer of everything from short films and VR to corporate and commercials. washingtonfilmworks.org
Victoria Nece is the Product Manager for Motion Graphics and Visual Effects at Adobe, which includes After Effects and Character Animator. Before joining Adobe, she was a motion designer for over a decade, as well as a developer of scripts and extensions for After Effects. As Director of Animation at the Documentary Group (successor to Peter Jennings Productions) she oversaw graphics, animation, and design for dozens of productions across broadcast, theatrical and educational markets. As a developer, Victoria has consulted on broadcast automation, developed workflows for motion capture animation, and created tools used in Hollywood films. www.victorianece.com
Miri Rodriguez is a globally recognized Storyteller, Head of Global Internship Program at Microsoft and author of the soon to be published book: Brand Storytelling. She is a creative journalist and content strategist, evangelizing brand narrative and showcasing how thought leaders can leverage storytelling techniques for culture activation and influence in the digital age. Miri has earned several awards in digital marketing and customer experience and is ranked as top in-demand speaker at leading industry conferences around the world. Miri brings 15+ years of expertise, valuable industry and consulting insights matched with a lighthearted and connected delivery approach. Her social advocacy and philanthropic work include volunteering to train social enterprise leaders in Southeast Africa, coaching students at Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship in Miami area, and mentoring men and women of all ages from around the world to build their personal brand with empathy, passion and purpose. Her biggest accomplishment to date is being a mother of 2 boys and an American Bulldog. She can also run in heels. Ice cream is her superfood
Katie Northlich is an actor, writer, solo performer, improviser, and performing arts coach. She is a Four Time National Monologue Champion, having written, performed and produced original work since 2001. Her solo shows have played to critical acclaim and sold out Off-Broadway houses in New York City, including the Cherry Lane Theatre. Katie's play "Two Of Them, Looking," was produced in New York in 2015, and Katie is in the middle of writing her first novel.
In 2019, Katie booked nine television commercials as an actor in Los Angeles. Working in the commercial industry, Katie applies her sketch and improvisational training to the booking process, having been hired for her own pitches and playfulness in the creative process. She utilizes this approach as a performing arts coach, having taught upward of 1200 students over 9 nine years in both NYC and LA, including international TV stars as well as NBA and NFL players. Currently she works in Development, Marketing and is on the Acting Faculty at the Studio School in Los Angeles, CA. Katie just signed on to direct her first film in Spring, 2020.
In 2019, Katie booked nine television commercials as an actor in Los Angeles. Working in the commercial industry, Katie applies her sketch and improvisational training to the booking process, having been hired for her own pitches and playfulness in the creative process. She utilizes this approach as a performing arts coach, having taught upward of 1200 students over 9 nine years in both NYC and LA, including international TV stars as well as NBA and NFL players. Currently she works in Development, Marketing and is on the Acting Faculty at the Studio School in Los Angeles, CA. Katie just signed on to direct her first film in Spring, 2020.
Originally from San Diego, and now living in San Francisco, Ateken Abla is Adobe for Education’s Social Media & Community Manager. In her role, she helps amplify and engage with the #AdobeEduCreative community. Passionate about storytelling and creativity, she’s worked at several technology brands supporting social media. https://twitter.com/AdobeForEdu
Tanya Avrith M.A. EdTech is a passionate educator and author of “The Google Infused Classroom”; from Montreal Canada, now living in South Florida. She is a Google Certified Innovator and Apple Distinguished Educator. With deep roots as a teacher and pedagogue, Tanya works with schools to help plan and execute large scale deployments and professional development plans for digital citizenship, technology integration initiatives and organizational development in schools. Tanya is currently works at Adobe as the North American Education Evangelist. http://www.tanyaavrith.com/
Kristin Tetuán, principal and founder of Art Club., began her career as a freelance photographer and production artist in the late 2000’s. As her photography studio grew, she began seeing a need for an organization that supports the new definition of visual arts within the rapidly-changing digital landscape. Her goal, through Art Club.’s programming, is to pave the way for young, alternative path artists by providing them with training and real-world, portfolio-building experiences. Kristin is the Community Engagement Producer for North Bend Film Festival and teaches elementary art for SVSD. In her not-so-spare time, she is a music educator, arranger, violinist/violist/vocalist and performs when she can!
Neeraja Raj is a director, animator and writer. She graduated NFTS doing her MA in Directing Animation. Her B.Des. in Animation was received from the National Institute of Design in India. She completed a 6-month animation apprenticeship with The Walt Disney Company India in 2016. She worked as a stop-motion animator for Guardians Evolution Season 3, a Canadian sci-fi show airing on ATPN network in 2017. In 2017 and 2011, she was the first-place winner in Emirates Airlines International Festival of Literature and her co-authored book was published by a leading publisher in the United Arab Emirates. Her 2016 graduation film called Stars went on to be screened at many festivals over the world.
Neeraja was recently featured in Forbes 30 under 30 list and is currently working on the Animated International Women's Day Film Project.
Neeraja was recently featured in Forbes 30 under 30 list and is currently working on the Animated International Women's Day Film Project.
Candice Baker is a Whidbey Island native and a photographer residing in the Middle East (Manama, Bahrain). Her pieces focus on assessing the human condition and how it weaves into society. Candice’s work has been featured on National Geographic platforms and has lent her work to Starbucks Corporation. While a student of sociology at Arizona State University, Candice has also worked as a political campaign photographer and theatre director. www.candicebaker.com
Tess Wagner is a six-time Emmy-nominated Senior Producer for KING 5 News in Seattle with a passion for telling stories creatively. She was born and raised in Milton, WA and graduated from Boise State University in 2015. She worked as a producer at KTVB in Boise, ID and at KVUE in Austin, TX before making her way back home to the Pacific Northwest. Most recently, Tess produced a true crime documentary about Ted Bundy and his suspected first victim. https://www.king5.com/
Cat Dale is a screenwriter working in both feature and TV projects, focusing on female-driven storytelling. Her script, MOUNT PLEASANT, is the winner of ScreenCraft’s Pilot Launch Competition, was a Featured Script on The Black List, and advanced to the Second Round of the Sundance Episodic Lab. She is currently producing her first feature film, BEASTS UNDISCOVERED, which she co-wrote, is a quarter-finalist for The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, was a top ten finisher in the Seattle International Film Festival, and has partnered with the Jim Henson Creature Shop to create the mythical beings in the film. www.bycatdale.com
Rose Andrews, I've been working in the professional live sound industry for 16+ years. I have a Bachelor degree in Digital Media Arts. I produced a Rock and Roll TV show on Public Access TV for 4 years 2007 - 2011. I love telling stories with images and words. I'm also a big fan of music and creating new imagery through audio.
Isabella Richter de Medeiros is a 19 year old Brazilian-American film student at Willamette University. Writing and directing her internationally recognized 2017 short film “Cheers and Queers” launched her into pursuing film as a career. She wants to continue to create queer content and make the world a better place, and inspire others to do so as well.
http://brdemedeiros.wixsite.com/photoandfilm
http://brdemedeiros.wixsite.com/photoandfilm
Jasmina Mathieu a Kirkland-based visual designer. A Parsons School of Design graduate, with a MFA in Design and Technology, she spent most of her career in New York city navigating between print design, motion graphics, UI design, compositing, special effects, character animation and logo design. Her interests resides in creating fresh designs and memorable experiences whether it may be animated, static, or interactive. Throughout her 20 year career she worked in advertising, broadcast and video games, on projects ranging from award winning games like Grand Theft Auto V, Max Payne 3, Red Dead Redemption, Just Cause 3, and TV shows like Bad Girls All Star Battle, and on leading brands like T-Mobile, Pokemon, Hyundai, Ford, and PBS Kids. www.jasminamathieu.com
An Emmy award winning director-producer, Gargiulo’s work has appeared on PBS, Discovery, Fox, CBS and in numerous film festivals. A graduate of Stanford University and the American Film Institute, she was the first recipient of the Nichol Screenwriting Fellowship. Working as a commercial producer, she was able to subsidize her first documentary work. She has shot in Africa and Asia, and explored diverse domestic communities: Native American, Muslim, Evangelical Christian et al. Her narrative films include: The Collectors, winner of the LATVFest Best drama, and Got 2 Come Up, named USA Film Festival Best Short. As an Artist in Residence, she’s taught in maximum security youth prisons and is currently on staff teaching film production at the UW. https://vimeo.com/luluwild
Laurel Minter is an award winning filmmaker and WGA screenwriter living and working Los Angeles. Her films have been on KCTS and won awards in several film festivals. She also teaches filmmaking for Studio School, a unique college on a studio lot in Los Angeles. She judges screenplays for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and she earned her MFA in Film from UCLA. https://studioschool.edu/
Monika Liljegren Achury: Almost 10 years at Microsoft in the Software Development role, have worked with back end services and more recently moved to the Office Media Group to work on UI and be closer to customers. A new and exciting move in my career! Prior to joining Microsoft, I attended Florida State University where I graduated with a Masters in Computer Science. I live in Woodinville with my husband Craig and our dog Montana. https://www.linkedin.com/in/monika-achury-4bb539a0
Brittany Hammer, is a freelance writer and film editor in Seattle and a Senior Media Technician at Seattle University’s Media Production Center, educating students, staff and faculty in media production. When she is not working, she is busy creating her own works of art for local film festivals and competitions.
Hilary Sparrow leads executive communications for the Executive Vice President of Xbox, Phil Spencer. Prior to joining Microsoft, Sparrow worked as a Senior Supervising Producer at Vulcan Productions. Vulcan Productions develops and produces feature films, television series, specials, and digital content designed to inspire people to take action on critical issues. Hilary helmed key initiatives at Vulcan, managing the production, marketing, strategy, outreach, and impact of film and television projects. Projects that Sparrow spearheaded for the company include the feature documentaries Racing Extinction, Girl Rising, and Naledi; and television programs such as National Geographic Wild's Minds of Giants and the three-part PBS series This Emotional Life; and Success at the Core, a web-based toolkit for middle-school educators. Sparrow's projects have won numerous awards and nominations including an Oscar nomination, two News and Documentary Emmys, Tellys, and Webbys, among others. https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilarysparrow/
Malory Graham, founder of Reel Grrls, is proud to serve as the current Vice President of Board, after holding the Executive Director position of the organization for its first decade. Malory is dedicated to helping develop a program to support the growing Reel Grrls alumni network by supporting graduates to get into the media industry and produce their first films as professional filmmakers. Malory is a filmmaker, mentor, and Aikido instructor. http://reelgrrls.org/people/malory-graham/
Maya Halfon Cordova is a senior music supervisor at Microsoft and has been working on in game soundtracks and advertising for the last seven years. Recent work includes in game soundtracks and trailers for Forza Horizon 4 and 3, as well as trailers for Gears of War 5, Forza Motorsport 7, and State of Decay 2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayahalfon/
Meera Parat is a Data Scientist at Microsoft and living in Seattle. She's an outdoors enthusiast - loves everything from hiking to camping or even just sitting in nature. She's constantly in awe of the beautiful nature around her, and luckily surrounding the Pacific Northwest area, and this has created her love for photography. She initially began just filling her phone's camera roll with pictures from wherever she went, but soon realized she was actively looking for the aestheticness and beauty in the scenes around her. She claimed her family's DSLR as her own and has been more actively seeking beautiful views, emotional images, and beauty in everything around her. She's expanding her skills by doing photoshoots for her friends and colleagues and finding her groove. She shares her pictures in the portfolio linked here - feel free to share your thoughts or questions with her!
As a professional director and editor, Amy has pursued compelling storytelling through the power of documentary film for more than a decade. From racially-charged educational experiments in the ‘60s to social stigmas around our homeless populations, Amy has a gift for finding the heart of a story and revealing inspiring human moments. She currently writes, directs and edits for outdoor retail company REI. https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyenser/
Nancy runs Reel Grrls, a community / film school that wants to help next generation media makers tell stories through a feminist lens. https://www.reelgrrls.org/
Clara is the Global Education Community Lead at Adobe Education. Prior to Adobe, she started out her career as a middle school educator, and has since worked in EdTech for the past seven years for companies including Amazon (Kindle Education), Remind.com, and Edutopia, The George Lucas Educational Foundation. edex.adobe.com
Taylor Quinn is a software engineer on the photos and videos team at Microsoft and loves being surrounded by creatives. She found her passion for photography at the same time that she discovered her love for travel. Photography empowered her to encapsulate the moments and experiences she has had while travelling, as well as share the stories of the amazing people she meets.
As a longtime professional photographer with roots in photojournalism and a passion for the industry.
https://www.facebook.com/MaryMillerPhotography/
https://www.facebook.com/MaryMillerPhotography/
Claire Sisson drives Strategic Planning and Initiatives for XBOX Gaming Cloud. She has experience blending strategic vision with rigorous execution. Deep expertise in Product Management, Program Management, Finance, IT and Operations. Claire is passionate about enabling creators to tell their stories and create their worlds. https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-sisson-bb889619/
Originally from North Carolina, Nancy Wilson has worked in the entertainment industry for over 10 years. Her experience has taken her from the network side of television as a Digital Producer for several channels on the Discovery Network, to the production side in Los Angeles: as a Production Coordinator on a multitude of commercials and game show episodes, and as a segment producer for an episode of Travel Channel’s 50/50show. After moving to Seattle in 2015 with her family, Nancy’s work experience expanded into the film world as the Production Supervisor for the Tacoma, WA feature, Heartthrob, currently streaming on Netflix. She also most recently worked on Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19. A longtime fan of KEXP, Nancy quickly found her music community by volunteering at the station, and enjoys going to local shows to support the arts and culture scene. https://www.washingtonfilmworks.org/
Finch Izatt is a director, cinematographer, production designer, and explorer.
She is a skilled art director and scenic carpenter, and has worked many years on commercial projects and music videos in that capacity. Her work is evolving to include a lifelong passion for storytelling in the form of filming and directing narrative shorts.
Her work is intuitively driven by the poetry of the moment, skillfully guiding the viewer with a sense of immediacy and intimacy. She vows to stay inspired and to never ever slow down.
She is a skilled art director and scenic carpenter, and has worked many years on commercial projects and music videos in that capacity. Her work is evolving to include a lifelong passion for storytelling in the form of filming and directing narrative shorts.
Her work is intuitively driven by the poetry of the moment, skillfully guiding the viewer with a sense of immediacy and intimacy. She vows to stay inspired and to never ever slow down.
Delaney's passion for digital storytelling started at Newport High School in the media production program, NTV. She continued to study at the University of Washington achieving an individualized, interdisciplinary degree known as CineMedia with a focus in film directing. Delaney is a freelancer in media production in a variety of capacities. From associate producing lifestyle pieces to copywriting for small businesses, current commercial work leads everywhere from the neighborhood pool to Los Angeles. Delaney also works to pull together local creatives for fashion and art focused work. delaneycerna.com
For the past 20 years, Aimie Vallat has been a social change agent in both the non-profit and documentary film sectors and owns Reel Witness Productions. Her passion for capturing the essence of a story has led to creating a diverse body of work for various non profits working in the area of: thriving communities, grassroots leaders, sustainability and refugee stories. In 2015 Reel Witness debuted their short documentary, Present Moment, which went on to play 26 festivals, earning 5 awards and was nominated for a NW Emmy. Little Rebel is their second short, celebrating the courageous story of local asylee, Isatou Jallow.
http://www.reelwitness.com
http://www.reelwitness.com
SJ Chiro is a Seattle filmmaker. After a decade making short film, her first feature, LANE 1974 was released in 2017. The film premiered as SXSW and went on to screen at festivals around the world. This award winning film was picked up for distribution by The Orchard, and is currently available on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Hulu and On Demand. www.lane1974film.com/
Mary Olson joined the game industry over 20 years ago as a sound designer after completing her studies in sound engineering and experimental music. Mary went on to enjoy years as a sound designer, sound engineer and field recordist for Microsoft, started her own audio production company in 2000, and joined Sony’s Zipper Interactive as Audio Director in 2006. Audio was Mary’s gateway into a passion for all aspects of game development, and in 2012 she joined 343industries where she now works as Executive Producer of the FPS Team. https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryshokesolson/ www.linkedin.com/in/maryshokesolson/
Annie Patterson has worked in advertising, film and video production for more than 15 years. Most recently she has focused on networking and new business development. http://vossler.co/
Laila Kazmi is a NW Emmy Award-winning independent producer and filmmaker. As a senior producer at Seattle's PBS television station KCTS, she pitched and launched the immigration stories series Borders & Heritage, as well as produced the independent film series REEL NW. Laila's work has aired on KCTS, KPBS (San Diego), and streamed on PBS NewsHour. Laila currently works as an independent producer and serves on the Board of Directors for Seattle Documentary Association. http://kazbarmedia.com/laila/
Alexandra graduated from Washington State in 2013 and then promptly found herself being a Multi Media Journalist in Helena, Montana. She dabbled in sports anchoring, sideline reporting and announcing basketball games before she found her way back to Seattle to be a writer/associate producer at KIRO 7. She currently works at Mighty Media Studios in Bellevue where she is a line producer. She also helps produce the Q13 Seahawk shows during football season.
An Emmy award winning director-producer, Gargiulo’s work has appeared on PBS, Discovery, Fox, CBS and in numerous film festivals. A graduate of Stanford University and the American Film Institute, she was the first recipient of the Nichol Screenwriting Fellowship. Working as a commercial producer, she was able to subsidize her first documentary work. She has shot in Africa and Asia, and explored diverse domestic communities: Native American, Muslim, Evangelical Christian et al. Her narrative films include: The Collectors, winner of the LATVFest Best drama, and Got 2 Come Up, named USA Film Festival Best Short. As an Artist in Residence, she’s taught in maximum security youth prisons and is currently on staff teaching film production at the UW.
Jennifer King is an international media educator with a passion for digital skills equity, women in STEM and women in media and film. Currently serving on the executive board at Reel Grrls. Recently returned to the US from London.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferblum/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferblum/
Vivian Hua (華婷婷) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer. As the Executive Director at Northwest Film Forum in Seattle, a Co-Founder of the civil rights film series, The Seventh Art Stand, and the Editor-in-Chief of the interdisciplinary arts publication, REDEFINE, much of her work unifies her interest in the metaphysical with her belief that art can positively transform the self and society. Her narrative short film, Searching Skies–which touches on the controversial topic of Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States–was publicly released in 2018, after making festival rounds. She is currently writing her next film projects, as well as researching national efforts to preserve cultural space. http://nwfilmforum.org and http://vivianhua.com
Amy Walker is an actress, singer, and founder/CEO of 21Accents.com, who has been featured on TEDx, the TODAY Show, NPR, Inside Edition, and more.
Her passion is empowerment ~ whether performing (in film, theatre, voice over, new media), coaching, or creating content that entertains and inspires positive change. Her online videos have garnered over 40 million views on YouTube Channel and beyond, from the viral "21 Accents", to memorable characters, songs, and inspirational insights. She toured internationally with her one-woman show, Amy Walker: Inside Out, playing to standing ovations in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sydney, Melbourne, and more. Amy is currently in production for sitcom pilot, "Group-Ease", in partnership with YouTube and Elizabeth Banks' comedy company WhoHaha, as part of YouTube's international Women In Comedy program.
Her passion is empowerment ~ whether performing (in film, theatre, voice over, new media), coaching, or creating content that entertains and inspires positive change. Her online videos have garnered over 40 million views on YouTube Channel and beyond, from the viral "21 Accents", to memorable characters, songs, and inspirational insights. She toured internationally with her one-woman show, Amy Walker: Inside Out, playing to standing ovations in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sydney, Melbourne, and more. Amy is currently in production for sitcom pilot, "Group-Ease", in partnership with YouTube and Elizabeth Banks' comedy company WhoHaha, as part of YouTube's international Women In Comedy program.
Award-winning filmmakers, Tay and Val left successful media careers, closed their production company, wrapped work on their nationally televised television series P.S. I’m Sorry, and set off to travel the world by bicycle for a documentary project to inspire dreams. Six years, three continents, more than 400 public talks and national radio and TV appearances (in twelve countries), and 2 TEDx talks later, Tay and Val settled in the Pacific Northwest as City Artists of Seattle. Committed to helping visionary leaders meet their call to greatness with clear-eyed vision, groundedness, and deep trust - they work with leaders and businesses around the globe who hear the call to rise and say yes. More recently, their work has also appeared on Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, and Thrive Global. They are also co-founders of M Meditation, Seattle’s premier modern meditation movement. https://www.taynval.com/
City of Mukilteo City Council Vice President Kneller was elected to council in 2017. Ms. Kneller graduated from Washington State University with a degree in Broadcasting and Production Management and currently works at Valve Corporation as an Executive Producer and co-owns a production company managing live broadcast needs for professional sports broadcasts around the country.
Meg has been a camera technician for 14 yrs, 11 of those years at Koerner Camera Systems in Seattle. She is also an award winning documentary filmmaker and Photographer. When not in the camera world you can find This mother of two on a bicycle where she is an active participant, Coach for Sweetlines and Brand Ambassador for Liv Cycling. http://www.koernercamera.com/