Allie Morgan (she/her) is a writer, director, and producer in Chicago, IL. She studied entertainment business at Los Angeles Film School and screenwriting at New York Film Academy.  She has written and directed numerous award winning short films and a proof of concept, and recently started her own production, Muffy Film Productions, which focuses on platforming marginalized filmmakers. When she is not writing and directing her own projects, she also loves assistant directing and producing others projects. She is passionate about telling stories for women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community and her ultimate goal is to put these underrepresented communities in front of and behind the camera in all of her films.

Bella Raquel Miller is a filmmaker, video artist, screenwriter, and animator based in Chicago, IL. Bella is a queer, artist of color, who grew up living all over the U.S, which provides her a unique perspective for the work she creates.

The focus on the importance of community and highlighting sociopolitical issues is evident throughout their work. Bella strives to connect more to the world through collaboration and storytelling. Doing this work deepens her sense of self and belonging, and brings attention to stories that need to be heard.

Bella graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in May 2024 with her BFA.

Born in Queens, raised in Orlando, and based in Chicago, Brandon Jones is an artist, filmmaker, and photographer. Multi-talented in a wide variety of creative fields, Brandon specializes particularly in the visual and performing arts. He attended and graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts degree in film.

From short films, to portraits, to voice-acting, Brandon is on a never-ending mission to both redefine what it means to be an artist, while telling memorable stories and creating captivating visuals along the way.

Co-founder of Brain Studios, Brenden Smith is a filmmaker hailing from Chicago’s South Side. With nearly a decade of experience across the film industry, Brenden’s work previously has pushed the boundaries of traditional music videos by incorporating cinematic storytelling and narrative-driven elements. He is nearing completion of Briana Clearly’s Filmmaker’s Mixtape challenge, where he must create one short film a month.

George is a Chicago director, screenwriter, and producer most known for his award-winning experimental film, SWITCHIN' which was featured on NBC5 Chicago and is now streaming on OTV Open Television. His work has screened nationally and internationally at such film festivals as Athens International Film Festival, Chicago Black Harvest Film Festival, London International Web & Shorts Film Festival (UK), and many more. Currently pursuing his MFA from DePaul University with expected graduation in June 2023, his thesis film, “Cottage Grove”, was a finalist for the Camera Ambassador Community Grant (2022) and the BlueCat Screenplay Competition (2022). George is driven to explore the oft-ignored narratives of minorities and romanticize the Black experience to spark healing.

Lotanna is a filmmaker, animator, and journalist with a keen interest in history and diverse cultures. She leverages the medium of animation to craft engaging nonfiction stories, offering invaluable cultural, historical, and political insights relevant to our contemporary world.

Moya Bailey is a professor at Northwestern University, the founder of the Digital Apothecary, and co-founder of the Black Feminist Health Science Studies Collective. Her work focuses on marginalized groups’ use of digital media to promote social justice, and she is interested in how race, gender, and sexuality are represented in media and medicine. She is the digital alchemist for the Octavia E. Butler Legacy Network and the Board President of Allied Media Projects, a Detroit-based movement media organization that supports an ever-growing network of activists and organizers. She is a co-author of #HashtagActivism: Networks of Race and Gender Justice (MIT Press, 2020) and is the author of Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women’s Digital Resistance (New York University Press, 2021). She is the director and producer for the forthcoming documentary, Misogynoir in Medicine.

Olivia Grace Pearson (she/her) is a writer, director, and producer from the South Side of Chicago. Pearson examines the complexities of love, family, relationships, and identity within Black communities. Pearson has interned at esteemed institutions such as NBC, ABC, the Chicago History Museum, and the Smithsonian Libraries. She has worked on productions such as Drive Slow (2017), Brujos (2017), NBC’s World of Dance (2017), and Funeral for a Bird (2017). Pearson co-produced the short film Brown Paper Bags & the Eternal and directed Pros & Cons, which was a Finalist in the 2022 Nashville Film Festival Screenplay Competition. She is a proud graduate of Howard University.

Reginald J. Rice is a PhD candidate at Northern Illinois University and independent filmmaker who teaches world history, media arts, and English at National Louis University. Also, Reginald is the president and creative director of FeelSoReel Productions L.L.C. (Functional Engaging Enchanting Legitimate Spontaneous Original Reel). Reginald’s short films and documentaries are heavily influenced by life in the city, moral dilemmas, and dismantling invisible walls that divide class and cultures.
While growing up in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, Reginald began to see what was aesthetically pleasing about what most people consider undesirable and gritty. This change in perspective laid the foundation for his journey into learning about the storytelling art form. Today, Reginald is currently working on his third feature documentary:” Tracing Our Path Through Pilsen.”