Team
Director, Producer, Cinematographer
ISARA KRIEGER
Isara is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer and editor based in Oakland, California. Her work centers the social and emotional effects of inequitable structures in the US. Her verité cinematography is noted for demonstrating the trust she earns with her subjects. As an on-call Video Producer for KQED Arts (SF Bay Area PBS/NPR affiliate) she has produced, edited and shot a dozen mini-docs about local artists for the web that reached a nationwide audience. Her most recent piece that she Co-Directed, Kinetic Light Dancers Take Disability Arts to New Heights, was nominated for a 2022 Northern California Regional Emmy® award, and received a 2022 Excellence in Journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists. She has worked on a handful of critically acclaimed feature documentaries on CNN, and MSNBC, and Netflix.
She grew up in a neighborhood of Boston, MA.
Editor
JUSTIN LEWIS
Justin is a narrative film and documentary editor, based in Denver Colorado. Growing up in a military family, Justin was exposed to many diverse cultures and perspectives that ignited his passion for storytelling. He fell in love with cinema at an early age and discovered that filmmaking was the perfect avenue to explore his passion. Justin has been editing for over a decade. He was the editor for the Emmy Award-Winning documentary series, Standing in the Gap. Most recently, Justin received Best Editing awards at the Richmond International Film Festival and the Northern Virginia International Film Festival for editing the feature film Publish or Perish.
With each project, Justin prides himself on being a creative problem solver, a willing collaborator, and a dedicated storyteller. He has a deep love for this craft and enjoys collaborating with filmmakers who share the same enthusiasm.
Producer
JESSICA ESTELLE HUGGINS
Boston native Jessica Estelle Huggins is an acclaimed Creative Film Producer. Various films that she has produced have been accepted into dozens of film festivals around the country and have received awards. Titles include The Mural Master, The Dancing Diplomat, Memoirs of A Black Girl, Chi~Voices: A Poetic Film Series, Ride Shade and Perfect Day. Huggins has served as a production, distribution and impact strategist for many documentary organizations including Brave New Films, ITVS, Documentary Educational Resources, The Redford Center and Picture Motion. Currently, Huggins serves as the in-house Producer at Another Age Productions focusing on original content. Huggins continues to develop multifaceted characters honing in stories about Black Americans in her personal film work.
Co-Editor
MELINA TUPA
Melina Tupa is an award-winning Argentinean and Brazilian journalist, and documentary director, editor, and producer. As an editor, Melina recently edited Miss Panama, a short documentary about the first Black woman to be named Miss Panama, who, prior to her victory, was requested to answer an additional obscure legal question. The short documentary premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and will air on Topic.com. Notable previous editing credits include additional editing the feature documentary A La Calle, a firsthand account of the extraordinary efforts of everyday Venezuelans as they struggle to reclaim their democracy from the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro. The documentary premiered at the 2020 DOC NYC.
Co-Producer
KATE HARLOE
Kate is a producer, writer and researcher from northern New York. Her work has appeared in Mother Jones magazine, The Drift, San Francisco Magazine, The Rumpus, and many other publications, and has been cited or followed by The New York Times, MSNBC, Vox, VICE, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Planned Parenthood, among others.
Associate Producer
MYAH OVERSTREET
Myah Overstreet is a New York City-based journalist and filmmaker. Her area of focus is on culture and social inequalities among marginalized communities. She is dedicated to amplifying untold stories.
Since graduating from the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley, Myah has taken on freelance roles as a researcher, editor, and production manager for independent filmmakers. Her previous documentary film roles include work as an associate producer on BLACK MOTHERS LOVE & RESIST (2022), which premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and most notably, her work as a production assistant on the film HOMEROOM (2021), which is currently streaming on Hulu. Myah’s written work has appeared in The Washington Post, YES! Magazine, The California Health Report, Oaklandside, and The Richmond Pulse. In 2024, her debut documentary short, TO BE INVISIBLE, will be published on The New Yorker Documentary site.
Consulting Editor
MIKE SHEN
As an editor for 20 years, Mike’s work has been recognized with two national News and Documentary Emmy nominations and a duPont-Columbia Award. His recent feature credits include American Son (about Michael Chang, 1989 French Open and Tiananmen Square), Prognosis: Notes On Living (Audience Award for Best Feature at the 2023 Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival), and American Creed (PBS national broadcast). Since 2012, Mike has taught documentary editing at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, where he holds a continuing appointment. From 2012-2022, he served as senior editor at Citizen Film, an SF-based non-profit that collaborates with cultural institutions and community organizations to create films and online media.
Second Camera, Sound Recordist
NAILAH MORGAN
Nailah joined the New York Times video department as a Weekend Live News Producer in early 2021. Before that she was a Video Producer at the Wall Street Journal for two years. Nailah has spent the last five years shooting, directing, and editing video productions that explore the complexities of culture, community, and politics. She's produced for NowThis News, Today show, KQED, PBS NewsHour, Oakland North, Al Jazeera, NBC BLK, and the San Francisco Chronicle, and produced international documentaries in Egypt, Sweden, and Mexico. Nailah earned her master’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in documentary production at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She shot the opening scene for the 2017 Student Academy Award winning film, Hale.
Composer
ERIQ ROBINSON
Eriq Robinson is a composer and bassist based in New York City. A Wesleyan University graduate, Eriq scored a short film that was in the American Film Institute of Dallas International Film Festival and has performed with a collection of New York Free Jazz luminaries such as William Hooker and Ras Moshe Burnett. He is a working bassist for numerous up and coming Pop, R&B, and Hip Hop projects.
Hello
DR. AKILAH CADET & CHANGE CADET
Produced in Association with
Dr. Akilah Cadet is the Founder and CEO of Change Cadet, an organizational development consulting firm that offers services that support embedding anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into overall organizational identity and strategy. As a Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneur her work is behind some of the biggest brands you use everyday. Dismantling white supremacy through storytelling is at the core of her work as a leader, speaker, creative director, producer, writer, editor and author.
RUSS SIMMONS & LIGAYA TICHY
Presented By
Advisors
DAWN PORTER | Director, Trilogy Films
BROOK HOLSTON | Post Production Supervisor
ROBERT CALO | TV Producer
Additional Associate Producers