The Future of Funding (While Surviving Now) (Nov 17)

Lance Kramer is a Washington, DC-based filmmaker and co-founder of Meridian Hill Pictures. Lance produced Holding Liat (Berlinale Documentary Award Winner 2025); The First Step (Tribeca, AFI DOCS); City of Trees (Full Frame, PBS, Netflix); and the Webby Award-winning documentary series The Messy Truth. Lance served as an Advisor to the 2025 Sundance Documentary Film Program Producers Lab; was a fellow in the 2018 Sundance Creative Producers Summit, the 2017 Impact Partners Documentary Producers Fellowship, and was named to the DOC NYC “40 Under 40” list in 2021. In 2014, Lance received the DC Mayor’s Arts Award, the highest honor given to working artists in the city. Lance served two terms as Board Member of Docs in Progress, is a board member of the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF), and has been a member of the Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA) since 2016.

Sabrina Schmidt Gordon is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and impact strategist from New York City. Since her Emmy-winning editing debut, Sabrina has emerged as a vital voice in nonfiction storytelling as a producer, editor, and director. She is a Women at Sundance Fellow, recipient of the Dear Producer Award for excellence in independent filmmaking, the Reel Sisters Trailblazer Award, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Through her production company Vespertine Films, her work continues to challenge conventions, amplify marginalized voices, and shed light on urgent social issues. Sabrina is the producer of many critically-acclaimed films, including Seeds, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and is in DOC NYC’s Winners Circle section. Other credits include the Emmy-winning Victim/Suspect, Quest, and BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez, which she won the Best Directing Award at the African Diaspora Film Festival. Sabrina is a sought after speaker, consultant, mentor, juror, and field builder.

Elijah Stevens is a documentary producer in NYC. He associate produced HOLLYWOODGATE (BBC 2024), Emmy-nominated KING COAL (POV 2024), and Oscar-nominated FIRE OF LOVE (National Geographic Documentary Films 2022), amongst others. His work has been supported by CPH:DOX, IDFA, Ford Foundation, and others. He is a 2025-26 Sundance Producers Lab Fellow.

Amelia Hanibelsz is an award-winning Executive Producer, Director, and Primetime Emmy–nominated Supervising Producer with over 20 years of international documentary experience. She is the CEO and Founder of Tell2C Productions, a collective of award-winning female filmmakers for change. Having lived and worked in over ten countries, she has collaborated with UNICEF, Sesame Workshop, ActionAid, and the Gates Foundation to produce films that empower women and marginalized communities. Amelia has held senior leadership roles, including Executive Director of Development at ABC News Studios/Disney, and has produced for VICE, the USC Shoah Foundation, and FilmAid Kenya, where she proudly serves on the board.

Vanessa Carr is an accomplished documentary cinematographer and founder of Doc House, a new learning community for mid-career documentary filmmakers. Her long list of credits includes On Pointe (Disney+), Heart of Invictus (Netflix), and multiple HBO films. Vanessa’s work has been on every major platform and screened in festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and TIFF. She has been a DOCNYC 40 Under 40 honoree, a Points North Institute and BAVC Mediamaker fellow, and an instructor at Maine Media. Vanessa holds a master’s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley. She is currently directing her first feature documentary alongside her husband, Josh Gleason. Together they own Lovely Louise Pictures and are slowly figuring out how to bring their toddler on shoots.

Lina Lyte Plioplyte, a Lithuanian-born documentarian and a camera person, honed her skills in New York City, starting in 2008 with NYLON magazine and fashion brands. Over 12 years, she has directed works appearing on MTV, PBS, Venice Biennale, and at film festivals like SxSW and IDFA. Her films include Advanced Style (on Amazon) and Periodical, a documentary on menstruation (XTR+MSNBC) that premiered at SxSW. An Emmy-recognized cinematographer, Lina excels in using natural light and creating intimate visuals. She is dedicated to equilibrium by supporting women and avoiding plastic on the sets. She also runs quarterly Documentary Accelerators, helping filmmakers hone their stories in the dynamic documentary landscape.

David Alvarado is a documentary filmmaker who is passionate about science, technology, and human rights. His latest film, co-directed with Jason Sussberg, We Are As Gods, follows Stewart Brand’s attempt to resurrect the woolly mammoth and was adapted into an eight-part podcast by Audible Originals. Alvarado’s other notable directorial works include Bill Nye: Science Guy, Blood Sugar Rising, and the BAFTA-nominated The Immortalists. His upcoming film, American Pachuco, profiles legendary Chicano filmmaker and theater director Luis Valdez, to be released in 2026. Alvarado, who holds an MFA from Stanford’s Documentary Film Program, co-founded Structure Films with filmmaking partner Jason Sussberg, focusing on science and tech stories. In 2022, he was named one of DOC NYC and HBO’s 40 under 40 documentary filmmakers to watch. David is particularly interested in finding ways to make creative careers sustainable.

Natalie Bullock Brown is director of the Documentary Accountability Working Group, a collective she co-founded in 2020, which produced a framework that provides guidance for documentary filmmakers in accountable storytelling, and a syllabus to teach that framework. Natalie is also a 2023 Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center Documentary Film in the Public Interest Fellow; a 2023 DOC NYC New Leader; and a 2021 Rockwood Institute JustFilms Fellow. Natalie is director/producer of a documentary work-in-progress that explores the impact of messaging about beauty and aging on Black women. She also served as a producer for award-winning filmmaker Byron Hurt’s PBS documentary, Hazing, his NOVA film, Lee and Liza’s Family Tree, and his soon-to-be-released short doc, Men of Courage. Natalie is executive producer for filmmaker Resita Cox’s upcoming film, Basketball Heaven, and was an associate producer on documentary filmmaker Ken Burns’ 10-part PBS series, Jazz.    

Byron Hurt is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and adjunct professor at Columbia University. Hurt is the former host of the Emmy-nominated series, Reel Works With Byron Hurt. Byron Hurt’s acclaimed documentary Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006, and broadcast on PBS’ Emmy-award winning series Independent Lens in 2007. Byron’s film Soul Food Junkies aired on Independent Lens in 2013, and in 2017 the cable news station TVOne. Byron’s film, Hazing, premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, and aired on Independent Lens in 2022. His upcoming documentary, Lee and Liza’s Family Tree, airs on PBS NOVA on November 22, 2023.

Zac Ryder is the Co-Founder and Co-CCO of Modern Arts, which call themselves “an agency for the post advertising age.” In 2025 he and his partner Adam Groves were named The Campaign US Creative Team of the Year for leading the agency’s groundbreaking work in the brand entertainment space including WhatsApp’s Grand Prix winning 30-minute documentary We Are Ayenda, which streams on Prime Video and WhatsApp’s most recent film The Seat, a feature length documentary now on Netflix. Prior to starting Modern Arts, Ryder co-founded The Lab at Anonymous Content, the brand studio inside the Oscar and Emmy winning production and management company.

Chris Wilcha is a documentary filmmaker and commercial director whose work fuses personal storytelling with cultural critique. His latest documentary, Flipside (2024), premiered to critical acclaim and is now streaming on Apple TV. Hailed as “a masterpiece” (IndieWire) and “a revelatory film” (AV Club), Flipside explores abandoned projects, forgotten ambitions, and the search for meaning in midlife. Wilcha won two Emmys for directing the television adaptation of Ira Glass’s This American Life. He also directed Another Day, Another Time, a concert film produced by the Coen Brothers, and his debut feature, The Target Shoots First, has achieved cult status for its unvarnished portrait of the 1990s music industry. Alongside his documentary work, Wilcha has directed award-winning campaigns and branded films for Apple, Meta, Volvo, Airbnb, and Chevy.

Shawn Waldron is an archivist, curator, and author with over twenty years of experience in photographic archives. For the last eight years, Shawn has been the Curator of Print Sales and Exhibitions at Getty Images and manages the Slim Aarons archive. Previously, he led the Condé Nast archive in New York.

Tristen is an experienced strategic creative lead at Getty Images, managing a team of visual researchers and curators focused on both identifying and influencing the creation of powerful, resonant, and innovative visual content for the wider advertising and marketing industry. With a career spanning well over a decade and varying roles in marketing, research, creative, and brand strategy, she takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding how visual language is evolving and works directly with brands and advertisers to find strategies that keep pace with rapid change. A passionate advocate for elevating underrepresented voices within creative spaces and the wider advertising industry, she also plays an essential role in the development and amplification of imagery collections such as the Nosotros Collection, Project #ShowUs, #AutisticOutLoud as well as partnerships and activations with advocacy organizations like SEEHER, Women’s Sports Foundation and GLAAD.

Joanna Griffiths is the Founder and President of intimate apparel and activewear brand Knix. Since launching the company in 2013, Joanna has been credited with helping invent the billion dollar leakproof underwear category, changing the lives of millions of people around the world. In 2022, Joanna set the record for the largest private exit by a solo female founder in Canadian history when she sold 80% of Knix to Essity. A champion for women’s health, Joanna has co-authored two books, including Life After Birth published by Rizolli and the children’s book Some Periods. She has a passion for investing in and supporting female founders and sits on the board of the Toronto International Film Festival. Joanna’s long list of accolades include Waterstone’s Most Admired CEO, Glossy’s 2024 Founder of the Year, an AdWeek Women Trailblazer and in 2023 was named Canada’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® and represented Canada for the Global title.

Amelia Hanibelsz is an award-winning Executive Producer, Director, and Primetime Emmy–nominated Supervising Producer with over 20 years of international documentary experience. She is the CEO and Founder of Tell2C Productions, a collective of award-winning female filmmakers for change. Having lived and worked in over ten countries, she has collaborated with UNICEF, Sesame Workshop, ActionAid, and the Gates Foundation to produce films that empower women and marginalized communities. Amelia has held senior leadership roles, including Executive Director of Development at ABC News Studios/Disney, and has produced for VICE, the USC Shoah Foundation, and FilmAid Kenya, where she proudly serves on the board.

Abby Greensfelder is the founder and CEO of Everywoman Studios, a purpose-built media company whose mission is to tell female-focused stories that might not otherwise be told, and that can have a positive cultural impact. Everywoman Studios is Greensfelder’s second entrepreneurial venture. She co-founded Half Yard Productions, an award-winning production company specializing in non-fiction series and documentaries, including the global franchise Say Yes to the Dress. Prior to starting Half Yard Productions, Greensfelder was senior vice president of programming and development for Discovery Channel. Greensfelder holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and is a limited partner at Rethink Impact, a venture firm investing in female-led businesses.

Visionary media leader. Founder, entrepreneur, and angel investor. Creator and champion of women-led organizations. Her latest venture, Catalyst, is dedicated to content creation for the global marketplace by powering women creators and investing in their ideas.

Julie Bristow has been influencing how people watch television for the past 25 years. She has created thousands of hours of original content, built entire entertainment divisions and content companies from the ground up, innovated new ways to reach audiences, and garnered multiple industry and business awards for her contributions and leadership.

Since launching in 2020, Catalyst has created and produced several series including Paid in Full: The Fight for Black Music and I Have Nothing with Carolyn Taylor. Two years ago, Catalyst launched the Catalyst+Knix Docs for Change Initiative and has commissioned and produced its first project: The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs and Who Has Control. The feature documentary will premiere at DOCNYC in November.

In 2013, Julie launched Bristow Global Media Inc. She and her team created and produced a roster of linear and non-linear content across the globe. In addition to the successful slate of factual properties, Bristow built a vibrant kids division.

Prior to starting, building, and successfully exiting her first company, Julie was the Executive Director of Studio & Unscripted Content at CBC. Her responsibilities included leading the Sports programming for CBC. Her portfolio of content included Hockey Night in Canada, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi/ 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and the launch many of CBC’s most successful factual programs including Dragons’ Den.

Julie has served on the boards of influential domestic and international associations, including the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television, William F. White International and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. She volunteers her time to charitable organizations focused on addiction and mental health. Most recently, she joined the advisory board for Pink Triangle Press and helped launch the Pink Paper and the inaugural PTP Pink Awards.

Margo Guernsey is a documentary filmmaker, impact strategist, and founder of Time Travel Productions LLC. Her films are deeply collaborative and include robust outreach and community screening tours. Directing and Producing credits include: Councilwoman (America ReFramed 2019), No Time To Fail (America Reframed 2023), The Philadelphia Eleven (DIY community-driven distro and American Public Television 2025), and The Officials (TIME Studios 2024). Margo’s work has received support from Chicken & Egg Pictures, ITVS, Catapult Film Fund, GoodPitch, Perspective Fund, Ford Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and LEF Moving Image Fund, among others, and she was a Film Independent Fast Track Fellow in 2021. Margo speaks Spanish and English, and holds an MFA in film from the University of Miami, and a BA in History from Brown University. She teaches producing at Emerson College in Boston, and is a proud member of the Documentary Producers Alliance and the Global Impact Producers Alliance.