Speaking, Consulting, Programming

In addition to filmmaking, I’m an educator on Crowdfunding, Audience Building and Creative Distribution. I’ve run four crowdfunding campaigns for my own projects between 2011 and 2017 on Kickstarter and Seed&Spark, for over $60,000 combined, with a 100% success rate.

I’ve self-distributed two features and a variety of short-form content; and through my previous role as head of education at Seed&Spark, I built a robust workshop on distribution based on consultations with leaders in the space. I enjoy helping my peers reframe how they see the fundraising, marketing, and release sides of the filmmaking process. I believe it’s all just another form of storytelling, and I enjoy educating other artists on how to strategically build and engage an audience while working towards their longterm career goals.

In addition to being the founder & festival director of IndieWorks, a monthly screening series, since 2013, I’ve also been a guest lecturer, panelist and juror for various schools and festivals across the country. I am available for speaking engagements, panel & jury participation, and consulting sessions. Contact me.

Podcasting

I host your new favorite filmmaking podcast with fellow filmmaker Bri Castellini.

I host your new favorite filmmaking podcast with fellow filmmaker Bri Castellini.

Breaking Out of Breaking In is a practical filmmaking podcast about taking your creative career into your own hands, reframing what it takes and means to “break in” to a fundamentally broken industry, and making work that gets seen without playing the Hollywood game (or at least, while changing the rules). Each episode explores a particular subject interrogated and researched by the hosts to turn an obstacle or limitation into an opportunity for listeners, or a conversation with a guest who shares exactly how they broke out, broke in, or circumvented things entirely to define success for themselves. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Recorded Educational Sessions

Event Highlights

2023

Workshop instructor:

  • Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild

Panelist:

  • University of Albany: Upstate NY Filmmaking

  • Cinema Femme Film Festival: Breaking Out of Writer’s Block

  • Lake Placid Film Festival: “Women in Horror” and “Film Financing”

2022

Juror:

  • New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA): Fiction Web Series Panel

Panelist:

  • Cinema Femme Film Festival: Breaking Out of Imposter Syndrome

2021

Panelist:

  • SVA: Navigating Film Festivals

  • Long Island International Film Expo: Crowdfunding & Marketing for Film

    Juror:

  • New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA): Fiction Shorts Panel

2020

Panelist:

  • Denton Black Film Festival: “Social Responsibility of Media Makers”

  • Palm Springs ShortsFest: “Distribution 101”

  • IFP Week: “Documentary Funding”

Juror:

  • Queens Council on the Arts: Visual Arts Panel

    Workshop instructor:

  • California College of the Arts

  • Film Fatales

  • Arizona State U

  • College of Dupage

  • CU Denver Film

  • Film Impact Georgia

  • Oxford Film Festival

  • Ghetto Film School

  • Chicago Film Office

  • Storyhive

  • Arkansas Cinema Society

  • IFC Center

  • International Visitors Council of Los Angeles

  • Coalition of South Asian Film Festivals

  • Alliance of Women Directors

2019

Panelist:

  • Athena Film Festival: "Women & Horror"

  • Women’s International Film & Arts Festival: “Breaking Barriers”

  • Cambria Film Festival: “Funding & Filmmaking”

  • Big Apple Film Festival: “Financing, Festival Strategy and Distribution Models”

  • In Motion Filmmaking Conference: “Film Funding”

Workshop instructor:

  • New York University (NYU Tisch Alumni Office)

  • School of Visual Arts

  • Freep Film Festival

  • Wayne State University

  • Canadian Doc Society/Hot Docs

  • 12N.61W Grenadian Film Festival

  • Franklin Independent International Film Festival

  • Free the Work

  • Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival (and Pitch Rally Coach)

  • In Motion Filmmaking Conference

  • Nitehawk Shorts Fest

2018

Panelist:

  • Tribeca Market: Industry Roundtable Leader

  • IFP: “Too Many Choices”

  • Athena Film Festival: "Social Media and Branding for Filmmakers"

  • DC Independent Film Festival: "Bookends of Filmmaking: Funding & Distribution" and "Building Successful Web Series without Breaking the Bank"

  • Made in NY Media Center: "Women Owning It” (presented by the Small Business Bureau)

  • Keep It Colorful crowdfunding tour with Color Farm Media: Panelist with Erika Alexander in Cleveland and Detroit.

  • Bluestocking Film Series: "THE DIRECTOR'S CRAFT & FEMALE REPRESENTATION”

  • Stareable Fest: “Building a Sustainable Career Online"

  • Denton Black Film Festival: "Business of Film"

  • Girl Power Film & Media Summit: "Through Her Lens - Directors' Speak”

  • Bustle: "Women Entrepreneurs"

  • Women in Film at Caveat: "Expert at the table" Station Leader

  • Queens World Film Festival: Roundtable Leader at “How Does She Do It” event

Juror:

  • Milwaukee Film Festival: Brico Forward Fund Jury Member

  • Toronto Web Fest: Comedy Jury

  • IndieBOOM! Festival

  • Stareable Fest

  • Independent Film Festival Boston: Student Showcase Jury Member

  • AxWound Film Festival: Jury Member

Workshop instructor:

  • Made in NY Media Center

  • Independent Film Festival of Boston

  • Rutgers University (Rise for Businesses)

  • Adorama

  • CUNY City College

  • St Francis University

  • Chicago Film Society

  • University of North Georgia

  • University of North Carolina