THE TEAM
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JESSAMYN ANSARY
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
Jessamyn Ansary is a writer and producer for documentary film and unscripted TV. She got her start as an associate producer on acclaimed director Michael Apted’s multi-year documentary film, Married in America. Between 2008 and 2014 she worked on five different HBO documentaries, including The Alzheimer’s Project, Wartorn, and Americans in Bed. She was part of the producing team on the Emmy-nominated healthcare documentary Escape Fire, and she was a writer and story producer on the long running Travel Channel series Mysteries at the Museum. She has written and produced for networks such as National Geographic, HBO Max, Fusion, PBS, and CNBC, among others, and has cast talent for multiple Food Network shows, including Chopped. Most recently, she produced a series of short branded documentaries for eBay, co-produced an upcoming true crime feature documentary for Hulu, and wrote scripts for the long-running Oxygen true-crime series Snapped. Jessamyn is currently a scriptwriter on Sins of the City for Jupiter Entertainment. Her favorite Lee Fields song is Time, and she's thrilled to be able to share Lee's story with the world.
JOYCE MISHAAN
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
Joyce Mishaan is a producer and director for TV and film and proud to be one of those rare Brooklyn natives. Joyce got her start in TV and film as a Production Assistant on MTV’s Making the Band (a gig that Jessamyn landed her!) and has gained over a decade of experience creating unscripted content for major TV networks since then. Her credits include programs for National Geographic, Discovery, HBO, IFC, Food Network, Animal Planet, A&E, OWN, Fusion, HGTV, MTV, and TLC. Joyce recently produced a series of short films about climate change for former Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project and is the Producer / Co-EP of Brooklynification, a digital scripted comedy series about gentrification in Brooklyn created for BRIC TV. She spent many years as a Producer for Food Network's hit show Chopped and was part of the producing team for the 2014 Emmy-nominated feature doc Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare. Her favorite Lee Fields song is Don’t Leave Me This Way, and co-creating the Lee Fields Film is, by far, the coolest thing she’s ever had the opportunity to do.
CHRISTOPHER
POINDEXTER
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Christopher Poindexter is the co-creator, writer, and producer of BRIC TV’s Brooklynification; a Digital series The New York Times described as a “ sharper than most...well-acted and well-written...understated satire.” After graduating Columbia Law School, Chris has been practicing as a transactional media Attorney in New York City. Chris has assisted many NYU students and other young filmmakers by investing, producing and providing legal advice to their projects. In 2011, he wrote and produced his first short film, a scripted comedic look at black life at Princeton entitled, Their Eyes Were Watching Gummy Bears. Chris is also a Board Member of the non-profit Reel Works, a one of a kind program in Brooklyn which gives underserved young filmmakers one-on-one mentoring with filmmaking professionals. In 2016, Chris was the Executive Producer of Reel Works’ first feature film, 72 Hours: A Brooklyn Love Story. Chris was selected by Brooklyn Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture”.
COURTNEY
COLLINS
LEAD EDITOR
CourTney Collins is a two-time New York Emmy award-winning editor, DP, and story producer. After receiving her masters degree, Collins relocated from Ohio to New York and has since worked on commercials, documentaries, and broadcast television programs for NBC, PBS, Nat Geo, Fox, COZI TV, and related digital platforms. Most recently, Collins was credited as editor and producer of the feature length documentary for Lionsgate with nationwide theatrical release in over 900 theaters. Collins organizes creative meet-ups in her Jersey City studio, “NLK Studio,” and uses her talent to promote local artists and advocate for underserved communities. She teaches editing for the film program at the School of Visual Arts, NYC.
AMANDA
KATZ
EDITOR
Amanda Katz received her MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College– City University of New York, and holds a BFA in Film & Television Production from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Her films have received grants from institutions such as the New York State Council On The Arts and The Austrian Cultural Forum in New York. She works professionally as a film editor, and has taught film production courses at Fordham University, Hunter College and Rutgers University. Her work has screened at film festivals, museums, galleries and community spaces including The San Francisco International Film Festival, The Ann Arbor Film Festival, DOCNYC, Antimatter [Media Art], Encuentros del Otro Cine Festival Internacional, Athens International Film and Video Festival, Artists' Television Access, The Haverhill Experimental Film Festival, UnionDocs, The Carrack Modern Art, FRACTO, The Sunview Luncheonette, The Astoria Historical Society, and Microscope Gallery. As a film editor, Amanda works primarily on projects that are documentary in nature. Her latest editorial credits include Crooked Lines (directed by Monica Berra, Yoruba Richen & Jacqueline Olive for Field of Vision / 2018), The Washing Society (directed by Lynne Sachs & Lizzie Olesker / 2018 / Premiered at BAMcinemaFest) and An Empty Threat (directed by Josh Lewis / 2018 / Premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam).
LINDA SAFFIRE
CO-PRODUCER
Linda Saffire has worked on numerous award-winning film and television productions. Among her feature documentary and film credits are A Conversation with Gregory Peck, which was invited as a special selection to the Cannes 2000 Film Festival; Wild Man Blues a feature-length film on Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band; Married In America, a multi-year documentary by acclaimed director Michael Apted; and Smash His Camera, a collaboration with Adam Schlesinger and Academy Award-winning director, Leon Gast, (When We Were Kings). Smash His Camera, a feature-length documentary about famed paparazzo, Ron Galella, won Best Director at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary by the 2011 Producers Guild Awards and the 2011 News & Television Emmys. Ms. Saffire has also worked in dramatic series television: for HBO, the pilot and the first season of Sex and The City; Disney Channel’s, The Speed of Life, CBS Television’s, Central Park West; Nickelodeon’s, The Adventures of Pete and Pete; and Jim Henson Productions’ CityKids. Ms. Saffire also creates films for The Emmys, The Oscars’ Red Carpet Pre-show, The Comedy Awards, Eddie Murphy: One Night Only and most recently ITVS’s Independent Lens.
MARC
SMOLOWITZ
CONSULTING PRODUCER
Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer, executive producer, and consulting producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ successful independent films. The combined footprint of his works has touched 250+ film festivals & markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television, and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His credits include films that have screened at top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Venice, SXSW, Tribeca, Locarno, Chicago, Palm Springs, SFFILM, AFI DOCS, IDFA, DOC NYC, CPH: DOX, Thessaloniki, Tokyo, Melbourne, Viennale, Jerusalem, among others. In 2009, Marc founded 13th Gen, an S.F.-based company that works with a dynamic range of independent film partners globally to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. The company has successfully advanced Marc's career-long focus on powerful social issue filmmaking across all genres. In 2016, he received one of the prestigious Gotham Fellowships to attend the Cannes Film Festival's Producers Network marking him as one of the USA's most influential independent film producers. Learn more at http://13thgenfilm.com
TAYLOR
HALEY
CO-PRODUCER
Since discovering her passion for meeting creative visions with pragmatic goals, Taylor has worked alongside various talented directors to make their dreams a reality. Currently, Taylor is a partner and executive producer at Sacral Creative, a production company specializing in high quality, short-form content.
JUSTIN
GIDDINGS
CO-PRODUCER
Justin Giddings is an award-winning filmmaker who found creative freedom in crowdfunding over six figures for his own projects. After becoming the “go-to guy” for crowdfunding advice among his LA-based peers, Justin combined his background in marketing with his experience in crowdfunding and launched his international crowdfund coaching company TheKickstarterGuy.com. To date, he has coached dozens of campaigns, raised nearly 2 million dollars, and has a success rate of 98%.
REBEKAH
NELSON
CO-PRODUCER
Rebekah Nelson is a filmmaker hailing from Queens, NY. She produced the indie feature Living with the Dead (Lion Hearted Films), which is available on Amazon Prime worldwide. She frequently collaborates with The Sparrow Film Project, writing & directing several short films for their festival. Such shorts include Eurydice And..., The Drop, Cytokine Cascade, A Christmas Carol: Stave V and Mister Warren's Neighborhood. She is the Co-founder of FreeBox Films, short film credits include Dakota (producer) and The Shoulder (director/producer).
Nelson starred in the feature American Bomber, which was promoted by the NYC mayor's office as part of the MADE IN NY campaign. She received a B.A. in theatre arts from Marymount Manhattan College & majored in drama at the Professional Performing Arts School in NYC.
MICHAEL CANZONIERO
CO-PRODUCER
Michael is an award winning filmmaker who's work has screened at all of the major american film festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca as well as the Centerpiece of the New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center. He is the owner of MCM CREATIVE.
ELLYN VANDER WYDEN
CO-PRODUCER
Ellyn Vander Wyden is an Emmy-Nominated and award-winning producer in New York City. Her recent project, The Weight of Gold, was executive produced by Olympic champion Michael Phelps, and premiered on HBO in 2020. She is the EIC and Executive Producer at MCM CREATIVE.
BRITTANY DOUZIECH
MUSIC SUPERVISOR
The daughter of immigrants, Brittany Douziech is a first-gen music supervisor from Los Angeles. She began her career at Fuel TV, putting together creative music ideas for docu-style content and assisting on shows featuring weekly musical guests from Bad Religion to the likes of Chromeo and Public Enemy. She became the in-house music supervisor for one of the largest independent television production companies, working across major network shows for almost a decade before venturing out on her own. Brittany currently freelances on documentaries and both scripted film and television. Her projects have been released on major outlets such as PBS, Netflix, HBO Max, Starz, Paramount+ and Hulu and screened at variety of festivals including Tribeca, AFI, Blackstar, Doc NYC, Doc N Roll and SXSW. She often works alongside two separate veteran music supervisors, Joe Rudge and Frankie Pine, where she has most recently contributed to several projects, including: “A League of Their Own” (Amazon), “From Scratch” (Netflix), Emmy nominated series “Daisy Jones & the Six” (Amazon) and Life & Beth (Hulu).
JERMAINE FLETCHER
COMPOSER
Jermaine “Maineframe" Fletcher is a composer and producer based out of New York and New Jersey. The son of musician parents, Jermaine grew up surrounded by jazz and funk. These influences are the foundation of Jermaine’s sounds, which are a fusion of electronic, soul, hip-hop and classical. Since graduating from Florida A&M University with a degree in broadcast journalism, Jermaine has also become an acclaimed documentary filmmaker, whose productions include projects with ESPN, Bloomberg, CBS and several feature films. Jermaine recently finished scoring the short doc The Panola Project, set to screen at Sundance 2022. The film first premiered for The New Yorker in August 2021. Other recent projects include Brooklynification, a comedy series produced by BRIC TV; TUF Gaming (ASUS), world-wide product release; and Scabal (Design & Fashion), commercial global product release.
JILLIAN HEARON
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
KENNEDY CORRIN
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
MADDIE RO
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
SANDRA MANZANARES
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
ASHLEY MARZULLA
PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE
JENNY GNIRKE
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
MONTEZ PAYTON
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
GINA HOUSEHOLDER
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
JESSE ZIEBART
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
PAULA SHAFFER
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
KHADIJAH FORTE
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
LOGAN GAGLIARDI
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
