As a documentary filmmaker and nonprofit co-founder, Colette Ghunim’s passion lies at the cross section of social impact and visual storytelling. Her first documentary, The People’s Girls (2016), received over 2 million views and won Best Short Documentary at the Arab Film Festival for its bold spotlight on street harassment in Egypt. As part of the Hulu/Kartemquin Accelerator Program and the 2020 BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship, she is directing Traces of Home, her first feature-length film documenting her journey back to Mexico and Palestine to locate her parents' original homes, which they were forced to leave decades ago. Colette's work has been highlighted on international outlets such as Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, Univision, and TEDx. She was named 2020 Filmmaker of the Moment by Newcity’s Chicago Film 50 List and was listed on Arab America’s “30 Under 30” list. Colette is also the co-founder of Mezcla Media Collective, a nonprofit organization that elevates over 700 women and non-binary filmmakers of color in Chicago.

TV writer, documentary filmmaker, video producer, and journalist based in NYC. Worked for Brazil's largest TV channels (Netflix, Discovery, TNT, Animal Planet, TLC, Globo, etc.) and content production companies (Endemol, Fremantle, etc.) when he wrote TV shows like “Hell's Kitchen”, “Cake Boss”, and “The Wall”. He is now working as a Head Writer of a Netflix Brazilian show and also developing TV formats.

Richard Hall is an independent filmmaker working with his creative partner and wife, Simone Fary. They specialize in educational documentaries from a contrary point of view created especially for use in the classroom and for viewing by open-minded citizens. Richard is the director and co-producer of the four-part series Confounding Father: A Contrarian View of the U.S. Constitution, and the feature documentary American Feud: A History of Conservatives & Liberals. Richard and Simone have Co-facilitated the Docs In Progress Trailer Night roundtable for about 10 years. Richard hosts Vintage Movie Night screenings in partnership with the City of Takoma Park. Learn about these projects at https://www.nerdsmakemedia.com/confoundinghistory .

Richard retired from C-SPANs American History TV in July of 2021. At C-SPAN, Richard conceived the weekly archival film series Reel America® in 2014 and produced it for 7 years, and has produced, shot and edited over 200 episodes of the American Artifacts® documentary series visiting museums and historic places between 2010 and 2021. Prior to American History TV, Richard was a videographer and producer for Book TV for 12 years, where he visited the homes of many notable authors to create short vignettes on how they write books.

From 1991 to 1998, Richard was a field technician for C-SPAN, covering Capitol Hill and White House events, political events and campaigns throughout the United States, and working on special features. Richard and Simone used public access TV equipment to create several independent, award-winning documentaries between 1989 and 1992. A native of rural Pennsylvania, Richard graduated from Penn State University's film program in 1987. Richard and Simone are the proud parents of two twenty-something Eagle Scout sons, Nick and Jimmy.

Emma Dacol holds an MFA in Film and Electronic Media from American University and a BA in Biology from Goucher College. She is currently a Media Instructor and a Videographer and Editor for Media Rhythm Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. As a documentary filmmaker, she hopes to inspire environmental stewardship and social responsibility through the creation of engaging, educational, and ethical media. Emma cares passionately about creating a just and peaceful world for people and animals. Her work can be viewed at http://www.emmadacol.com.

Nazanin is an independent documentary filmmaker and educator born and raised in Iran. She moved to the US in 2015 to pursue her MA in Social Justice and Equity in Education and Documentary filmmaking at San Francisco State University. She found storytelling as a therapeutical way of healing traumas. Her burning desire for social change inspired her to develop projects disclosing underrepresented communities' issues, focused on women and children's rights. Nazanin promotes stories that inform, inspire, and provoke conversations. Her last short documentary as a producer was The Color of Memories, about disability, immigration, and music. She, as a producer, has been working on a feature documentary investigating the untold mysteries behind the excessive collection of finest modern and pop Western art masterpieces in the vault of Tehran Museum of Contompery Art. Her directorial debut projects the endeavor of two Middle-Eastern artists in the Bay Area, creating a cutting-edge nude photography project embracing different body images.

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Nancy Burneo Salazar is a documentary filmmaker born in Ecuador, a country where she constantly moves from the Sierra to the Amazon. She works on stories about the struggle for territory. She appreciates transiting within Ecuador as much as outside of it, and travels constantly between California and New York, where she has strong ties to stories related to migration and racial justice. Salazar has taught editing at Ecuador’s largest public university and designed the teaching methodology for community filmmaking and participatory documentary workshops. She graduated from the Social Documentary Program at the School of Visual Arts of New York in 2016.

Lucie McCormick is an Emmy nominated video journalist and filmmaker. While studying film at Emerson College, Lucie spent a summer living in Medellin, Colombia filming a documentary to help a community of displaced people apply for government aid ~ this experience informed her desire to work on projects that tie action to storytelling.
After graduating she began working in documentary and news with her first published work being a video of a solar eclipse for The Boston Globe. After covering dragon boating in China for ABC News (while also racing a dragon boat), Lucie moved to New York to work as a producer and helped launch a digital news show. While at ABC News she contributed reporting that assisted in the digital team being recognized with a 2018 Edward R. Murrow award for Overall Excellence.
Lucie now works as a freelance producer and cinematographer. Her work interests are in documenting the intersections between culture, science, social justice, and the environment.
Some of her work can be seen on Vice TV, BBC, AJ+, PBS NewsHour, ARTE TV, and Vox.

Deb Ellis is a filmmaker. Her films explore issues of social justice. Her work has won awards and been screened at film festivals nationally and internationally. Ellis is currently a Professor in the Film & Television Studies Program at the University of Vermont. An overview of her creative work is at debellisprojects.com

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David Sebastiao is an eLearning Producer and independent filmmaker from Baltimore, MD. He currently works for the Social Security Administration. He received two degrees from the University of Baltimore, a B.A. in Government and Public Policy (2016) and a M.A. in Integrated Design (2021).

As an independent filmmaker, David strives to give a voice to those who have been neglected and ignored in society. In 2019, he completed his first documentary project, Welcome to Mullens, West Virginia – a short subject about the efforts of a local community center in Southern West Virginia. More recently, he completed his first feature length documentary about lead poisoning in Baltimore, Hiding in the Walls. The latter was an official selection of the Maryland International Film Festival and Columbia Film Festival.

Carletta S. Hurt, founder and lead producer at IKAM Productions, is an award-winning producer, passionate educator, and fierce youth advocate. Her film credits include TRASH VS TREASURE (reality tv), NOISE (short), JACQUELINE AND JILLY (feature), THE CATCHER (short), WATER IN A BROKEN GLASS (feature), JACKIE (short), REMEMBER THE TITANS, and DRUMLINE. She also produces theatre and has worked with some of Hollywood’s leading ladies like Jane Fonda, Eve Ensler, Pearl Cleage, and Jasmine Guy.
 
Her directorial debut was the award-winning short documentary film, Clothed Minds: Black Girls in DC Schools. It has screened at over a dozen festivals with two wins for Best Documentary (Female Voices Rock Film Festival) and Best Social Justice Film (MOM Film Fest). Her forthcoming podcast, Blackout: The Miseducation of Black Girls was a part of the 202Creates Residency program sponsored by the DC Office of Cable, Television, Film, Music and Entertainment drops March 2023.

Her most recent narrative film projects are The Catcher (teen homelessness) and NOISE (mental health amongst black males).

Carletta is the Immediate Past President of Women in Film & Video DC (WIFV), a dual member of Women in Film & Television – Atlanta (WIFTA), and New York. She is dedicated to creating a space for new, unique voices to be heard and a platform to showcase rising talent that deserves a chance especially if they are women.

Get social with Carletta on Instagram or Twitter @carlettahurt!

No project intimidates me.

Hello! My name is Asia M. Taylor. I am a video producer, editor, and animator who loves a good story. My passion is creating digital experiences that encourage audiences to act.

With 10 years of industry-related experience, I understand the creative process, enjoy cross-functional collaboration and have the know-how to work with creative and non-creative teams.

I love telling stories.

I specialize in guiding progress, tracking milestones, and making sure everything stays on brief, on time and on budget. Time-management, planning, and organizational skills are also my specialty. I am committed to maintaining relationships and exceeding expectations.

I am comfortable with ambiguity. Whether you have a detailed vision or just starting to brainstorm, no project intimates me. I enjoy anticipating problems and can turn on a dime if needed.

Find out more about me by visiting my website at http://asiataylor.com/?page_id=122