J.D. SHIELDS - WRITER/DIRECTOR

J.D. SHIELDS is an award-winning writer/director from Atlanta, Georgia working across the mediums of film & television, audio storytelling and interactive media.

Currently a Story Editor on EMPEROR OF OCEAN PARK (MGM+) and Staff Writer on THE COMPANY YOU KEEP (ABC), she’s developed projects with Emmy-nominated showrunner Leslye Headland and Marsai Martin's Genius Entertainment and has written for DreamWorks TV Animation, Wondery and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

J.D. was recipient of the HUMANITAS Prize College Drama Award and has participated in the Disney Writing Program, the HBOAccess Writing Program, the Women in Film INSIGHT Fellowship, and Film Independent’s Project Involve.

J.D. earned her MFA in Screenwriting & Directing from Columbia University, having previously studied at NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia in Singapore. She holds a BA in English & Theater from Vanderbilt University.

DIANA WARD - PRODUCER

Diana Ward is a producer from Australia, who draws on her Chinese Malaysian heritage, immigrant experience and themes of diaspora and belonging in the subjects of the stories she chooses to tell. Since moving to America, she produced fan favorite feature documentary Roller Dreams, which currently streams on Hulu and Kanopy.

Diana has produced numerous award-winning short films; including Liberty for writer/director Faren Humes (2019 SXSW Best Narrative Short); stop-motion animation The Coin for Oscar nominee Siqi Song (Best Animation Chilemonos Film Festival); Were You Gay In High School? for director Niki Ang (Frameline) and dramedy 
The Goldfish by Ashley Brim (Brooklyn Film Festival). Her films stream on Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime and Shorts TV.

Diana has been featured on the Dear Producer's Producers in Front of the Camera series and is a Film Independent Producing Lab Fellow and recipient of the 2018 Project Involve Amazon Studios Visionary Filmmaker Fellowship.

MAYA KORN - PRODUCER

A UK/German native Maya is an LA based film producer. Her US company MHK Productions, is dedicated to uncovering stories in the genre space that highlight political issues, giving a voice to minority cultures. To date, she has produced films in Beijing, New York, Mexico City, Los Angeles and London. Her most recent credits include Vivienne Vaughn’s Deathcember A Christmas Miracle (2019), Tribeca Untold Stories Grant winner Lucky Grandma (2019) & J.D Shields AFI DWW lab x WIF funded Blue Hour (2022).

Before turning her attention to producing, Maya worked in marketing and distribution at The Weinstein Company on The Master (2012); at BBC America on the release of Orphan Black Season 2 (2014); and at the Film Society of Lincoln Center on the 52nd New York Film Festival. More recently she has moonlighted in companies dedicated to female driven content/ film makers, Refinery 29 & Maven Pictures.

Recently, she’s been diversifying into the commercial space, working with non-binary director Rhi Bergado to create content for brands with MTV; these include a BMW spot with Shangela and Extra gum piece for the GLAD awards with Troye Sivan. She will shoot her first feature as lead producer next year, Vivienne Vaughn’s Lucky Strikes. It has competed the Fantasia Frontieres Co Production Lab, Berlinale Talent Project Market Lab for producers & received Special Mention at Sitges Pitchbox.

LAUREN AVINOAM - PRODUCER

Lauren Avinoam is a veteran producer & writer of mixed MENA descent. Her feature films and documentaries have been exhibited and won awards at top film festivals from SXSW to BFI London and Tribeca to Outfest and have gained critical acclaim, garnered positive reviews and were selected as critics picks in The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and the Los Angeles & New York Times. All the films she has produced were acquired for worldwide distribution with buyers like MGM, Netflix, Hulu and Showtime among others. She has several TV projects in development with Emmy, Peabody award winners and TONY nominated artists. She is currently in production of an upcoming feature documentary, RISE about the US's first climate refugees alongside producing partner, Darren Aronofsky.  

KATIE LEARY - EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Katie Leary is a producer of award-winning independent film, documentary and theater projects. Her recent producing credits include ALL THESE SMALL MOMENTS (2018) and WHAT BREAKS THE ICE (2020). Katie has both an MA & BA in Cinema Studies from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. As part of her graduate studies in the Program in Culture and Media, Katie directed her first documentary short. 
As a financier, her projects screened at the world's premiere film festivals including Berlinale, Sundance Film Festival, and Tribeca Film Festival.

BETHANY MICHALSKI - CINEMATOGRAPHER

Bethany Michalski is a Los Angeles based cinematographer. The instincts from her street photography past and the MFA training she received from the AFI Conservatory (Cinematography19') have distinguished her style; mixing bold compositions and color exploration and theory to progress stories into the future of filmmaking.

She splits her time between narrative and documentary features work- most notably shooting a multi-format documentary for U2 and working with clients including MTV, Diesel, Paper Magazine, and the Travel Channel.

Bethany’s film, Dancing Queen, which she directed and lensed, premiered at the 2019 Camaraimage Student Showcase. Her latest features, The Last Days of Capitalism (dir. Adam Mervis) and the commentary Four Corner (dir. by Alexandra Pelosi) premiered at Cinequest 2020 and  MTV. In 2016 she was an American Society of Cinematography Student Heritage Nominee.  Most recently Bethany directed the short film PINE which premiered at the 2021 Outfest.

KATELYN WRIGHT - EDITOR

Katelyn Wright is an award-winning editor who has been editing narrative films, music videos, and documentary projects for 10+ years. Katelyn believes that editing and story-telling skills are not only a fundamental part of filmmaking, but are also the tools to elevate any type of project to the next level. In addition to having films premiere at Sundance, TIFF, LA Film Festival and HBO APA Visionaries, she has been apart of programs such as America Cinema Editor’s prestigious internship, Film Independent’s Project Involve program and has worked with Disney, The Nature Conservancy, Pique Action and more brands. Her films include The Gift, Yūgen, Banning, and Eva. Her assistant editing credits include Endangered, California King, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. She received her Bachelor’s in Media Communications with an emphasis on Post-Production from Full Sail University in 2018.

DANIEL WALTER - COMPOSER

Daniel Walter is a Los Angeles-based composer and musician. Collaborating with prominent filmmakers such as Ari Aster and Scott Aukerman, his compositions have featured in projects premiering at festivals from Cannes to SXSW. Daniel has guest lectured on film scoring at UCLA and received recognition through the ASCAP Film & TV Scoring Workshop, a Jerry Goldsmith Award nomination, and a composer residency in Alaska. He has scored commercials that played at the Super Bowl and Olympics, as well as movie trailers for all the major studios. Finally, he has also produced a feature film, THE TENANT, which sold to Sky UK, and a short film, PICTURE DAY, which won a special jury award at Palm Springs Shortfest in 2022 and which will play at the American Pavilion at Cannes Film Festival in 2023.

EVE AXNESS - PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Eve Axness is an artist and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. With a background in painting and fine art, Eve discovered a love of filmmaking and production design after working on a few short student films at the AFI conservatory. She enjoys the technical, psychological, collaborative and creative aspects of filmmaking as a contrast to her more solitary studio practices. Her short film "Whistleblower," which she wrote and directed, was featured on NoBudge in 2020.  Eve recently designed a short film “Last Days of the Lab” as a part of the Rising Voices fellowship program through Hillman Grad, Indeed, and 271 Films, which will premiere at Tribeca this summer.

SUE-ELLEN CHITUNYA - CO-PRODUCER

Lydia “Sue-Ellen” Chitunya is a filmmaker who hails from Zimbabwe. She is a 2019 Georgia State University (BA’10) 40 under 40 honoree and a graduate of the UCLA professional producing program. She is a Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation Fellowship award recipient. 

Chitunya has participated in the following artist development programs: 2021 Women in Film Emerging Producers Program, 2020 Women In Film INSIGHT, 2019 Industry Academy, Rotterdam Lab, Durban FilmMart, Film Independent’s Project Involve, Berlinale Talents, Cannes Film Festival Marchè Du Film Workshop, Caribbean Tales Incubator, Kyoto Filmmakers Lab, and Durban Talent Campus. Her feature project JOY AND PAIN was selected for the San Francisco Rainin Grant and the 202 Film Independent Producing Lab.

Chitunya has produced several shorts that have screened at festivals around the world including BFI London Film Festival, Tribeca, Iris Prize, and Outfest. Her varied work experience includes marketing for Disney College Program, programming for Zimbabwe, Atlanta and Slamdance Film Festivals; She recently worked as a Post Production Coordinator on Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019) and BLACK PANTHER (2018)