Founded the independent documentary film production company Hazel Pictures with the mission to produce timely, character-driven, and award-winning documentary films that feature compelling subjects, unique stories, and strong creative teams; in recent years, Hazel Pictures has also supported fiction projects and stage plays. Produced and directed Emmy, Peabody, and Academy Award nominated and winning documentary films. For these films, has run all stages of production through development, production, and distribution, scaffolded creative, raised budgets (approximately $8m raised collectively, to date), directed fundraising, made project hires, managed crews and teams, coordinated festival premieres and distribution, and implemented impact campaigns. These films have been screened at distinguished festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, Hot Docs and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and distributed by Netflix, HBO, PBS, and internationally (Japan, Russia, France, Canada, Norway and other territories).

Executive Produced this documentary about two out-of-work actors attempting the impossible task of mounting a full production of Hamlet inside the ultra-violent world of Grand Theft Auto. The film won The 2023 Stage Award for Innovation and is having its world premiere at SXSW.

Teaches development for film and television for undergraduates through Sarah Lawrence College’s Film and Moving Image Arts (FMIA) program. Addressed and explored ethical, care-based documentary filmmaking practices through seminar-style learning and team-based projects. Areas of instruction emphasized short nonfiction film development and the creation of a deck, schedule and sample reel for a possible documentary short.

Guided this Academy Award-nominated archival, 40-minute documentary portrait about the unlikeliest of whistleblowers—Martha Mitchell, a Republican cabinet wife who was gaslighted by the Nixon administration to keep her quiet— to completion, a 2022 Sundance Film Festival premiere, a Netflix launch, and a 2023 Academy Award Nomination. Anne Alvergue, Director; Debra McClutchy, Co-Director; Judith Mizrachy, Producing partner.

Directed alongside DP Jerry Risius, and produced, this independent, feature-length vérité film about Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Art Cullen and his family’s fight to unite and inform their rural Iowan farming community—come hell or pandemic. Ran every aspect of development, production and post; made all project hires; raised the full budget; served as the primary liaise with all project partners; and implemented a nearly three-year impact campaign that continues to raise awareness about the role of local news in a functioning democracy. The film premiered at the 2021 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival; anchored a robust 15-city theatrical run; snagged multiple awards including a spot on the IDA’s 2021 shortlist and an Emmy and Peabody nomination; and broadcast on PBS’ Independent Lens. Katy Drake Bettner, Sam Bisbee, Pamela Tanner Boll, Sally Jo Fifer, Megan Gelstein, Lois Vossen and Jamie Wolf, Executive Producers.

Navigated the complexities of this independent, feature-length film that looks at policing from a virtually unseen angle—that of female officers fighting to reform the Minneapolis Police Department—through development, production, post and the explosive events surrounding George Floyd’s murder. Landed the support of ITVS, the IDA Enterprise Production Fund, the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund, NYFA and select individuals. Secured its premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and U.S. broadcast on PBS’ Independent Lens as part of its 2020/2021 season. Sally Jo Fifer, Chandra Jessee, Gini Reticker and Lois Vossen, Executive Producers; Deirdre Fishel, Director.

Shepherded production and post for this independent, feature-length documentary about four women who carry babies for strangers in Boise, Idaho, the unofficial surrogacy capital of the U.S. Scaffolded creative, directed fundraising, and helped coordinate and secure the film’s festival premiere, national and international distribution, and PR/impact partners. The film ultimately secured: support from ITVS, the IDA Enterprise Production Fund, Chicken & Egg Pictures, NYSCA, and individuals; an AFI DOCS 2019 festival premiere; the coveted position as the series-opening film of Independent Lens’ 2019/2020 season; and, an Emmy Award nomination. Beth Aala, Director.

Raised funds and guided through distribution this independent, feature-length documentary film about three public school seniors who work as the de facto college counselors in their Brooklyn schools, even as they themselves struggle to get into college. Nominated for a 2018 Emmy, the film had its world premiere as the opening night film of the 2018 AFI DOCS film festival. Its U.S. PBS broadcast was the result of an unprecedented co-production between WGBH/World Channel and American Documentary, Inc./America ReFramed in association with the Latino Public Broadcasting Corporation. Juliane Dressner, Director and Eddie Martinez, Co-Director.

Taught Producing I for 1st year MFA candidates enrolled in SVA's Social Documentary program. Addressed and explored best documentary filmmaking practices through lectures, guest presentations, and individual and team-based projects. Areas of instruction included story selection and development, pitching, treatment writing, budgeting, scheduling, fundraising, licensing, field producing, post prep and and all the hard and soft skills that producing from soup to nuts entails.

Scaffolded creative, conducted interviews and shoots, ran production company, managed project budget, oversaw tax and legal compliance, and raised the full budget for this personal film by first-time filmmaker Hope Litoff, about her efforts to come to terms with the life, mental illness, and tragic suicide of her sister, NY artist and photographer Ruth Litoff. Pitched at the Hot Docs Forum and secured international sales. Film had its world premiere at the 2017 Hot Docs Film Festival, had a limited theatrical run, and premiered on HBO in December 2017. Sheila Nevins, Executive Producer; Sara Bernstein, Senior Producer for HBO Documentary Films.

Ran fundraising, development, production, post, rights and clearances, and distribution efforts for this film about a 24-year old Egyptian human/women’s rights defender arrested and tortured for peacefully protesting during the 2011 revolution—and then sentenced to life in prison. Also oversaw all aspects of production and a digital distribution strategy—in partnership with the New York Times online—for six shorts about women’s political participation in Tunisia, Syria, Libya, Bahrain, Libya and Egypt. Managed a $3 million budget. Demonstrated expertise in conflict zone production protocols, international workflows and multi-platform project management. Abigail Disney, Gini Reticker and Regina K. Scully, Executive Producers; Gini Reticker, Director.

Directed/produced this independent feature documentary about three-time felon turned poet/performer Lemon Andersen, who fights his way out of poverty through his autobiographical, one-man show, County of Kings. The film screened at over 50 festivals, earned multiple “Best Documentary Feature” awards, aired on national PBS stations as part of the Latino-themed VOCES series, and was selected by the U.S. State Department to tour globally with its American Film Showcase. The film was made possible with Ford Foundation, NYSCA, and the Fledgling Fund grants. Impact Partners, Russell Simmons, & Stan Lathan, Executive Producers; Laura Brownson, directing/producing partner.

Oversaw creative and identified and implemented video strategy for Etsy.com. Selected stories, managed in-house team, hired freelance producer/shooters worldwide, ran production and post, tracked budgets, and collaborated with the social media, blog, marketing, product, and design teams in the creation, production, web publishing, and distribution of both documentary shorts and commercials ranging from 15-seconds to 4-minutes in length. Cultivated and managed media partnerships with the HuffingtonPost, AtlanticMonthly.com, and NYC’s Channel 25 (TV); oversaw Etsy.com’s iTunes, Vimeo and YouTube channel presences; and tracked and reported metrics and results. For the strength of the work, was invited to speak at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival Documentary Conference, guest lecture at SVA's Social Documentary program, and moderate a panel at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival. The work was also nominated for the 2012 Vimeo Awards Best Documentary Series, recognized by IndieWire as the "Best in Indie Film" in 2012, and shortlisted for a Webby Award.

Concurrently produced two, ½-hour specials for children, overseeing all aspects of production, animation, budgeting, and post - A Child's Garden of Poetry and Don't Divorce Me. A Child’s Garden of Poetry is animation and celebrity-driven and designed to introduce children to great works of poetry; Don’t Divorce Me! draws on verite storytelling to help kids cope with separation. A Child’s Garden of Poetry received the 2011 National Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program. Sheila Nevins, Executive Producer; Amy Schatz, Producer/Director.

For Aftereffect: Ran all aspects of development, production and post for weekly, 5-minute segments that followed Sundance Channel, documentary premieres. Hired freelance producers and editors and international crews, managed in-house project staff, administered production schedule and budget, and supervised edits. Adam Pincus, Senior VP, On-Air, New Media, and Original Programming; Peter Bowen, Editorial Director, On-Air and New Media. 2002 – 2003.For 24 Frame News: Supervised R&D, production, and post of verite segments for Sundance Channel’s first-ever, monthly, magazine-format show on newsmakers in independent film.

One of four primary creators of a EGG the arts show, a weekly, national PBS series on the contemporary visual and performing arts. Programmed series, originated story ideas and themes, directed research and development of content, and managed story department staff. Created and implemented systems for national arts outreach, established advisory relationships with critics, curators, and arts journalists, and coordinated and wrote web deliverables. Among numerous awards: recipient of the 2002 Peabody Award, four, 2002 National Emmy Awards, and five, 2001 New York Emmy Awards. Jeff Folmsbee, Executive Producer; Mark Mannucci, Series Producer.