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WIFV Celebrates Women's History Month - 31 for 31 Campaign
31 WIFV Members will receive special shout outs during March to celebrate their accomplishments. We are encouraging members to honor their colleagues with a $31 donation. The profiles are listed below. Donations received here!
1) ANDREA KALIN, founder and president of Spark Media, is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has earned more than 70 industry awards. Employing superior storytelling gifts to promote social change, her stories depict lives of courage, perseverance and dignity set against brutal injustices and seemingly insurmountable hardships. Some of her films dramatize lives that have until now been lost to history, while others address contemporary social issues. www.sparkmedia.org
2) ERICA GINSBERG, a founding director of Docs in Progress, based in Silver Spring. Docs in Progress takes fledgling documentarians and equips them with tools, a support network, new ideas and online resources so they can bring their films to audiences. www.docsinprogress.org Erica is at work on her own documenary about Meridian Hill Park in DC
3) Author, Activist and currently Casting Producer for DIY's I Want That, YASMIN SHIRAZ is always on the cutting edge of social trends. As a writer/producer/director for Still Eye Rise Media, her focus has been on culturally relevant and social issues of youth, including her award-winning programs on teen suicide and bullying. www.stilleyerise.net
4) Sound design is the placement and creation of sounds to create an environment. CHERYL OTTENRITTER and Ott House Audio have been creating the environment for plethora of clients including National Geographic, Seavey Films, National Institute of Health, and New Balance. You might even say sound designer and senior mixer, Cheryl Ottenritter has an ear for it! www.otthouseaudio.com
5) KAREN WHITEHEAD, an independent filmmaker originally from London, where she was an accomplished journalist and director/producer at the BBC and ITN. In the US, Karen creates videos for non-profits and the autism community. Her film on the history of the Berlin Wall for the Newseum screens daily. Karen's current documentary, Her Aim is True about the rock and roll photographer Jini Dellaccio, is being released for its festival run. She is a recipient of a CINE Golden Eagle Award for the short film, Woodlawn Redux (2008). www.heraimistruemovie.com
6) LYNNE CHERRY, the author/​illustrator of more than 30 award-winning books including "The Great Kapok Tree" and "A River Ran Wild". www.lynnecherry.com Lynne is the founder and director of the non-profit Young Voices for the Planet that produces short films featuring youth: CA kids helping to get a ban on plastic bags; FL students saving their school $53,000 in energy costs; an 11-year old German boy planting a million trees, among others. Lynne’s film, Olivia’s Birds and the Oil Spill is included in the 2013 WIFTI Shorts Showcase March 20 at Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville.
7) Today we are shining the spotlight on author and radio producer, HEATHER TAYLOR who delivers feature stories for WAMU's "Metro Connection" and is a consultant with the Smithsonian Institution. Taylor's special interest is woman's issues. It makes sense Heather is in radio since she also has a talent for voiceovers!
8) ERIN CURTIS is the Assistant Internet Broadcast Manager for CO.NX-a digital diplomacy team with the Bureau of International Information Programs at the U.S. Department of State. As part of a broadcast training team sent out from D.C. to their training location in Bratislava, Slovakia, Curtis and her teammates hosted classes designed to increase the overall production capacity of their embassy affiliates, including multi-camera broadcasts, graphic overlays, lighting, sound mixing and visual aesthetics.
9) JUDITH PAINE McBRIEN is a filmmaker focusing on architecture, history and urban design. She produced the award-winning 5-part series Skyline: Chicago and produced the 2-part documentary Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City for the centennial of the 1909 Plan of Chicago. Both had national broadcasts. www.thearchimediaworkshop.org She has recently moved to DC - welcome Judith.
10) CID COLLINS WALKER is the founder of Black Opal Productions and producer/director of the documentary ARC OF LIGHT: A Portrait of Anna Campbell Bliss. www.arcoflight.org. Collins Walker has extensive experience in television and film production and has produced award-winning short films, documentaries, set design, creative direction, 2/3D animation, special effects, print design and brand management. Her clients have included CBS, NBC, BET, Discovery Networks, National Geographic, and the Voice of America.
11) With more than 25 years of experience in film and communications, BETSY COX specializes in short and long-form media presentations on social, educational and historical issues. She produces films for fundraising, advocacy, training, public awareness, broadcast, and web-streaming. Betsy has recently launched MINI-DOX: short, affordable web-friendly films. www.betsycoxproductions.com
12) CATHERINE WYLER is part of the dynamic duo at Wyler/Rymland Productions, Inc. An eclectic filmmaker Catherine's producing credits include: Memphis Belle, Witness to Hope: the Life of Karol Wojtyla (directed by Judith Dwan Hallet), and Directed by William Wyler (for American Masters). Catherine has worked for Columbia Pictures, the NEA and PBS as well as acting! She is on the boards of WIFV and the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital.
13) KAREN THOMAS is an award-winning producer, writer and director whose PBS documentaries include 13 prime-time productions, with more in pre-production and development. Thomas most recently produced "Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood", which aired on PBS with additional international broadcasts. Thomas founded Film Odyssey and is a member of the Directors Guild and the Writers Guild. www.odysseymedia.org
14) In honor of Women's History Month and National Pi Day, WIFV brings you 3 amazing women to celebrate our 31 Days / 31 Women. Today we are shining the spotlight on BONNIE NELSON SCHWARTZ, FRANCES HARDIN and JUDITH DWAN HALLET - all members of the WIFV Advisory Committee!
BONNIE NELSON SCHWARTZ, a producer of theatre, film and television. She has more than 100 plays, films, television programs and concerts in DC, New York and London to her credit and is a founder of EFC. Ms. Schwartz is the founder and original producer of DC's Helen Hayes Awards. She was a producer for NBC-TV’s closing ceremonies of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, and co-created and produced The Olympic Woman, a multi-media exhibition for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Bonnie has several projects in the works - stay tuned!
As a former White House correspondent for CNN, FRANCES HARDIN has seen history in the making. She now devotes her extensive talents to developing and producing media initiatives and communication strategies for nations impacted by political and financial upheavals. Recently Hardin produced a video explaining mobile money for USAID. The video has received more than 26,000 hits on USAID/You Tube website.
JUDITH DWAN HALLET is a documentary filmmaker whose talents have taken her from KUTV in Salt Lake City to producing for National Geographic, Library of Congress, PBS, Discovery, A&E, TBS, the National Wildlife Federation and others, often through her own company, Judith Dwan Hallet Productions. From buffalos to the papacy, Judith tells compelling stories. She is currently working on her memoirs!
15) Today we are shining the spotlight on JANE BARBARA. Her short film and screenplay, Suspicious Densities (produced by Wonder Pictures) was a semi-finalist in the 2012 Moondance International Film Festival. Jane is the visionary behind the annual Script DC that brings together screenwriters and producers for workshops and networking. Jane is serving her third term as a WIFV Board Member and is this year's Executive Vice President.
16) Today we are shining the spotlight on MELISSA LEEBAERT, a well respected and sought after Voiceover Actor, Performer, and Coach. Her work has won her numerous awards including an Emmy Award for Narration of Discovery's Series "An Inside Look" and numerous Peer Awards for Best Female Narration. www.melissavoice.com
17) TINA CHANCEY is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in early bowed strings. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at The College of William & Mary. She is a founder Hesperus, an ensemble known for their early music and folk music concerts. She has performed with the Folger Consort and the Ensemble for Early Music and is now doing a series of performances that pair music with silent films. www.tinachancey.net
18) DIANE WILLIAMS' writing skills have taken her from the cerebral - software and advisory documents for the government - to the imaginative world of scripts and screenplays. In 2012, she developed the web program When was the War of 1812? filmed at historic locations around DC. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZHi7K-wj-s Diane shares her photographic expertise with WIFV as our unofficial photographer.
19) KATIE GATES who meowed into Yellow Cat Productions in 2004, and has done it all: documentaries, PSA's, corporate, news and broadcast. You might say Gates has almost 9 lives - as animator, producer, editor, artist. Katie is a big cat at the Animator's Round Table, and organizes the yearly animator's participation in the National Archives Oscar Animated Shorts viewing. www.yellowcat.com
20) Award-winning documentarian and founder of DoubleBack Productions, ADRENA IFILL'S talent is home grown. A Holton-Arms alumae, Adrena dedicated her storytelling talents to preserving the history of the African Diaspora. Production credits include Congressman Robert Smalls: A Patriot’s Journey from Slavery to Capitol Hill and Frontline: The Wall Street Fix. She works often with the Congressional Black Caucus to preserve and share critical history. www.doublebackproductions.com
21) RICKI GREEN is a multi-award winning media executive, television producer, and broadcast journalist with more than 25 years of experience in non-fiction television. Her production company, EverGreen Communications, has collaborated with MacNeil/Lehrer Productions and produced Lady Bird, The First Lady: Public Expectations Private Lives and a live special for By the People. She's just back from a stint as Senior Editor for Radio Free Europe in Prague!
22) A freelance documentary filmmaker and location scout in DC, NY and Philadelphia, LAURA SELTZER is passionate about the integrity of the story. Her company, Seltzer Film and Video has produced award-winning programs such as Last Boat Out, We're Not Broke, and Made in Spain. Her company also produces Conversations, an ongoing series about coping with mental illness. Laura has had Conversations with the likes of Lorraine Bracco, Mariel Hemingway and Patty Duke. www.seltzerfilmvideo.com
23) Weather anchor/reporter at WTTG FOX 5, GWEN TOLBART has many awards to her credit. Gwen traces her family to Canada, but her strong community commitment has taken root whereever she resides. Tolbart was honored with the prestigious National Association of Black Journalists'(NABJ) "National Community Service Award" for her many community contributions and mentorship of youth. Gwen was emcee at the 2012 WIFV Women of Vision Awards.
24) FELICIA BARLOW CLAR, an award-winning writer and producer, creating projects ranging from documentaries and independent feature films to promo videos and live events. She has worked on major endeavors, including the 2005 U.S. Presidential Inauguration; "Ace of Cakes" (Food Network); "The Contender" (NBC/ESPN); and "Arc of Light: a Portrait of Anna Campbell Bliss" (Black Opal Productions). She is a past president of WIFV and currently serves as on the Board of the Annapolis Film Festival.
25) As an entertainment attorney and producer, JAIA THOMAS has introduced a host of programs to the DC area since relocating from Los Angeles. Jaia's company recently organized a conference teaching local aspiring writers about the intricacies about writing for television. Thomas also frequently hosts legal workshops on such topics as option agreements and music licensing for film. www.jathomaslaw.com/
26) SANDRA BRENNAN is a Producer/Director with the Fairfax County Schools and is nothing short of awesome. She produces the invaluable "Best Practices for Teaching and Learning" which integrates institutional knowledge with current educational research. Sandra is also creating a site on ITunes U, where teachers everywhere will have access to high-quality learning resources. Now there’s an apple for a teacher!
27) VIRGINIA QUESADA, founder of Q Media, Inc., has had successful parallel careers as a director/ producer, editor, educator and a media artist. Her company, Q Media, Inc. has been nationally and internationally recognized for excellence in media production and non-linear editing. Credits include national broadcasts on: PBS; National Geographic; Discovery Channel; and VH-1. Additionally, she is an AVID Certified Instructor and she has worked as a professor of Communications at The American University, Virginia Commonwealth University, GW University, and as a part time instructor at Future Media Concepts.
28) PAULETTE MOORE, a professor of documentary film production and social media at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA. She consults with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Geneva, Switzerland, creating films and a blog to promote gender justice. Paulette is recognized for her generosity and support of developing and established filmmakers and her devotion to exploration, challenging the norms, and positive social change.
29) What do BET, Fox, Discovery Studios, National Geographic, MacNeil/Lehrer Productions and CACI have in common? SYDNYE WHITE! Sydnye's passion for storytelling and her attention to detail have made her a sought-after producer and writer. White also serves as Producer/Director on the award-winning website, www.MilitaryKidsConnect.org
30) MARIANNE MEYER is a writer for all media (from a biography of "The Boss" to kids' adventure books). Meyer's talents have earned an Emmy Award for Children's Television Writing and a shared Peabody Award for a weekly radio show. Jim Henson Productions, Warner Brothers Television and Rolling Stone Magazine have all benefitted from Marianne's creativity and quick wit. www.closepersonalfriend.com
31) An editor of fiction and non-fiction film and video projects, CLAUDE LaVALLEE’s editing of Blood Brother, directed by Steve Hooper, was instrumental in its acceptance into the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Claude is a passionate proponent of DAM systems. When not busy editing, she continues to serve as a story consultant on several projects. As a past board member of WIFV, Claude was responsible for a camera petting zoo, an editing system forum and the job fair boot camp. http://www.claudelavallee.com/
Contributors to the 2013 31 Days / 31 Women Campaign include:
Elizabeth Andrade, Renee Arrington, Jax Baires Diener, Jane Barbara, Susan Barocas, Susan Bodiker, Arla Bowers, Sandy Cannon-Brown, Randi Cohen, Jennifer Cortner, Kathy Dismukes, Erin Essenmacher, Erica Ginsberg, Ricki Green, Frances Hardin, Melissa Houghton, Anna Jhirad, Amy Johanson, Cathy Kades, Lois Lipman, Mary May, Jill Merrick, Faith Nelson, Flora Nicholas, Catie O'Keefe, Roberta Pieczenik, Rosemary Reed, Dicey Scroggins, Nneka Scroggins, Robin Smith, Daphne Strahan, Sheri Ratick Stroud, Vicki Warren, Sydnye White, Karen Whitehead
