IBDFF 2022 Featured Guest Bios

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Tiffany Brown has five years of experience in digital storytelling centered on black community exploration, the stories and lives of all people, sharing what feels right. She is currently working on several projects, and always looking for new and rewarding opportunities through which to grow and develop her filmmaking career.

Tina Canady is a queer theater artist, filmmaker and Baltimore native. They are a student at Film Connection and serve as an ensemble member, artistic associate, and community liaison at Single Carrot Theatre as well as a core creator for Submersive Productions. They are currently writing their first feature film.

Indiana University Archives of African American Music and Culture director Dr. Tyron Cooper partnered with Office of the Provost communications staff Ehtan Gill and Haley Semian to bring the AAAMC Speaks docuseries concept to life. With the help of their student multimedia team, they create documentary shorts that celebrate campus diversity and IU excellence. 

Corbin Coleman and Charles Crouch started

4C Visuals Group to enlighten, inform, and encourage people through media such as web series, forums, and round-table discussions that address pertinent issues in society as well as the black community in general. Their motto is simple: What you've been looking for is also looking for you.

Tayo Giwa is a filmmaker and co-creator of Black-Owned Brooklyn, a publication and Instagram account documenting local Black business, history and culture. His first film, the 2020 documentary short Soul Summit: Doin’ It in the Park, examined Soul Summit, a beloved open-air house music party based in Fort Greene Park. He lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Pamela Hart Vines is a communications strategist, filmmaker, and author. As CEO of Vines Film and Media, she creates cinematic video projects, business documentaries, and short films for business owners and influencers. She has written, produced, directed, and edited two short films. Her novel, Born of Sin, is an Amazon #1 bestseller. Pamela is also a proud and decorated US Army veteran.

Keisha Jordan is the founder of the Ultraviolet Warriors Organization, curator of the Ultraviolet Art Show, a Lupus Team Captain and lupus survivor since 2002. An artist at her core, she created Ultraviolet Warriors as an artistic outlet with a powerful purpose: to uplift and support warriors like herself fighting this invisible illness. Keisha also partners with non-profit groups like the Lupus Foundation of America to inspire others to fight as well. Afterall, in order to call yourself a warrior, you have to be willing to fight.

Paul B. Kim has two decades of experience in the film, television, and media industries as a documentary filmmaker and new media producer on projects spanning six continents, exploring topics in human rights, global health, education, and the intersection of religion and politics. His work has screened at domestic and international festivals, universities, and industry events, as well as on public television. Paul is a professor of screen arts at Pepperdine University where he teaches courses in production, storytelling, and documentary filmmaking.

Bayer Mack is a nationally published entertainment journalist, record executive, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. He is the founder of the independent record label Block Starz Music and its subsidiary Block Starz Music Television, which produced The Czar of Black Hollywood, a critically acclaimed documentary about African American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, and No Lye: An American Beauty Story, an award-winning documentary about ethnic hair.

Tiffani Marie is a first-time filmmaker from San Francisco, California. She is also the front woman of the band Artelia Green & the Bandanas and a college professor at San Jose State University. Whether through film, music, or education, Tiffani Marie's art functions to enliven the spirit of solidarity as a way to challenge the reproduction of anti-Black momentum.

Evangeline M. Mitchell, Esq., Ed.M.  is a social entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker, author/publisher, oral historian, and lawyer. She is a graduate of HBCU Prairie View A&M University, the University of Iowa College of Law, and the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She recently earned her Certificate in Documentary Arts from The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. She believes that film is one of the most powerful tools to inspire social change.

Ohlone College Broadcasting: Film & Television offers hands-on training in film production. The Documentary Production class covers film and video production from the documentary perspective. Students develop information gathering and storytelling skills, write scripts, and use Digital Cine camera equipment. Irony of Diversity - Courageous Conversations was a collaborative effort.

Jon Osaki has directed and produced promotional, educational, narrative, and documentary films. His initial interest in film grew from his desire to share the stories of the Japanese Community Youth Council, where he has served as Executive Director since 1996. Over the past few years, he has had films screened at film festivals and community events across the country. As a filmmaker, Jon views this genre as the next step in his lifelong pursuit of social justice and equity.

Vincent Singleton, MFA, is a director and educator with more than 18 years of experience creating award-winning shorts, documentaries, and microseries. His films have screened at notable film festivals and aired on both public and broadcast television as well as Amazon Prime. As a filmmaker with a poignant sense of dramatics, Vincent continues to explore meaningful topics under the philosophy that perception shapes reality.

Dave Steck is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated director, vetted member of the Producers Guild of America, and founder of Numeric Pictures, a creative studio and production company that specializes in telling compelling and cinematic stories across multiple platforms. He has proven success in overseeing productions from development through delivery, ranging from high budget projects for companies like Viacom, Disney, and NBC, to no-budget passion projects as an artist and "one man band."

Erica Stevenson is the founder and CEO of Phylonalds Agency, LLC in Dallas, Texas. Erica was drawn to filmmaking because she recognized her natural ability in finding exceptional people who have a story to tell. She wants to make her mark on the entertainment industry by bringing their untold stories to a larger audience.

Beret E. Strong, Ph.D., M.F.A., Director, Producer, and Videographer has been making documentary films since 1995.  She is also a researcher, writer, educator, and co-owner of Landlocked Films. Her award-winning films have aired on PBS stations across the U.S. and Canada. Beret cares about social justice and equity, the global community, the health of our planet, and amplifying people’s voices.

 Katrina Miller, Director, Producer, Narrator, and Videographer is the founder and owner of Blackat Productions. Her commercial and artistic work has been featured worldwide. As a filmmaker, Katrina explores social issues that affect the black community in the US. She hopes This Is [Not] Who We Are will help lay the groundwork for a more inclusive future. 

Damon Jamal Taylor aka "Dame Drummer" is making his way in the music industry. His musical contributions have reached people all over the world. As a filmmaker, he makes his directorial debut with his first documentary entitled Black Daddy: The Movie. Dame Drummer’s music and storytelling journeys into the world of the people he identifies with the most: The American Descendants of Slaves.

Darien Taylor is an Indiana native who pursued his passion for writing and being behind a camera by majoring in Film & Media Production at Taylor University. Darien loves telling stories that will inspire, educate, and uplift others.

Alyse Tucker Bounds was born and raised in Columbus, Indiana where she cultivated a deep appreciation for the arts. In 2020 she graduated with a BA from Herron School of Art + Design in Indianapolis and began writing and producing her first film, Crossroads Stories.

Aaron Turner strives to capture the atmosphere of the world around me through the use of videography and photography. He draws audiences in by connecting them to people and places in their own backyard.  Aaron graduated from Indiana University with a BA in Media Arts & Science.

David Weathersby is a filmmaker/videographer and the founder of City Vanguard, an arts organization that helps independent filmmakers create community-based documentaries for educational and cultural institutions. As a director, he has produced films, documentaries, music videos, and video art projects.  His work has been featured on The Africa Channel and WTTW, and in various film festivals

Christopher Wilkinson is a screenwriter, producer, and director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Nixon (1995). He also wrote the screenplays for Ali (2001) and Copying Beethoven (2006), the latter of which he also produced. Chrostopher shares a credit with Don Cheadle for writing Miles Ahead (2015).