FOUNDER

Cheryl is a world renowned Director, Writer, Producer, and Founder of Jingletown Films. Cheryl Dunye first emerged as part of the “Queer New Wave” of young filmmakers in the early 1990s with her first feature film, THE WATERMELON WOMAN, winning the Teddy Award for Best Feature at the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival. Cheryl is currently best known for her directing work on shows including OWN’s QUEEN SUGAR, TNT’s CLAWS, Freeform’s THE FOSTERS, OWN’s LOVE IS, Showtime’s THE CHI, Netflix’s DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, CBS’s ALL RISE, HBO’s LOVECRAFT COUNTRY and Netflix’ BRIDGERTON.

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND HEAD OF LATINX DIVISION

Karina received a Ph.D. from Stanford University, focusing on Mexican and Latinx Cultural Production. Her writing explores how immigration, race, gender, and sexuality in the US-Mexico Borderlands are represented in the visual and literary arts. She is a graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television's Professional Program in Producing.

CULTURAL EXECUTIVE

Darius has conducted historical and cultural research for a range of commissioned and original film projects. A scholar of African American culture, gender and sexuality studies, and medical humanities, Bost's research has been published in various academic journals and edited volumes. His first book, Evidence of Being: The Black Gay Cultural Renaissance and the Politics of Violence (University of Chicago Press, 2018), won the Modern Language Association’s William Sanders Scarborough Prize for outstanding scholarly study of black American literature and culture. He is currently Associate Professor of Black Studies and Gender & Women’s Studies, and the co-principal investigator of the Provost’s Initiative on the Racialized Body at University Illinois Chicago.

DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE

Tristen Sutherland is a writer/director/producer whose stories highlight BIPOC members of the LGBTQ+ community. Their debut short film “Owen” follows the relationship change between a mother and her trans-son during his coming out and has gone to screen internationally. “Halfway Boy,” their latest television project "Halfway Boy" was selected for the EAVE on Demand Access Program, presented by the National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI). They're an alumni of Oya Media’s Emerging Filmmakers Program, and are currently in post-production for their upcoming web series “Bloom Room” made in tandem with Oya Media. Their latest documentary “Reel Black: Our Stories” won the Best Short Documentary at the Caribbean Tales International Film Festival and is available to stream on CBC GEM.

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Tajianna Okechukwu is an actor and filmmaker based in the Bay Area. She obtained a double degree in Acting and Film & TV Studies from Azusa Pacific University. After graduating, she returned home to appear in commercials & short films as well as direct her own films and music videos. Tajianna has worked largely as a Production Assistant for different well-renowned studios such as Amazon, Marvel, and A24. Her 2019 mini-documentary Flexin’ in My Complexion which explores the effects of colorism on Black women was selected to premiere at the Mbongui Square Festival film screening at Eastside Arts Alliance in Oakland. After that, it was installed at the Unbound Roots exhibition at SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco.

DESIGN ASSOCIATE

Mecca McDonald is a director, visual artist and creative based in New York. She has over five years of experience in photography and creative direction. She co-founded two companies. Pedestal, a production company and MoNa gems, a fashion biomaterials company. MoNa received $25k in funding from her alma matter Johns Hopkins University. As the creative director of Mo.Na. she uses photography, design, and storytelling to capture our brand’s essence. Mecca has done production design and creative direction on multiple short films and over 200 photoshoots. Her production company Pedestal is dedicated to telling joyful stories of radicalized peoples. Her use vibrant colors and unique storytelling to showcase a world beyond our current imaginations. She has been commissioned by some major brands such as Apple, Adobe, and Nature Valley.

DIRECTOR’S ASSISTANT

Danielle is deeply influenced by her passion for travel and has a strong interest in international stories and diverse perspectives. She is a past recipient of the Center for Asian American Media's Student Film Award & was the Production Associate for Netflix's 13 Reasons Why. She's also supported producers on various projects over the years, from Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs to George Clooney's Catch-22. Her directorial debut, Lan Yan, was an international hit at festivals like Napa Valley Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, & Cannes' Short Film Corner, & won/was nominated for awards at CAAMFest & Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival respectively. Additionally, she’s spent years coordinating for TV/Film and has judged for Telluride Film Festival's Student Print section as well as KQED’s Truly CA. During her time in public television, she helped producers of Independent Lens launch PBS’ Film School Shorts & got her chops in unscripted media producing segments for PBS Newshour’s Listen to Me & assisting Belva Davis' This Week in Northern California. She received her film degree from San Francisco State University.