The Collective Offers:
Presentations by expert
content creators
Panels covering cutting edge
trends and techniques in
production and post-production
Hands-on training sessions and
workshops
A film festival celebrating
new short works
Networking with peers
Accelerator programs for
filmmakers and more
Our Team
Jenn Page
BMC Position: Executive Director
Jenn Page is an accomplished feature and series director who was selected by Take The Lead as one of the “50 Women Who Can Change The World in Media & Entertainment.” She has filmed projects for/with internationally known brands and artists including Marvel’s Agents of Shield, The Voice, The Mindy Project, Blackmagic Design, Panic at the Disco, Weezer, Billy Ray Cyrus, Wolfmother, Estee Lauder, and Hans Zimmer. Her work includes the award-winning comedy musical feature film Waiting in the Wings starring Lee Meriwether and Shirley Jones, the award-winning musical comedy series My Two Black Girlfriends, the award-winning dramatic rock opera The Breakout, and the International Academy of Web Television’s live awards show hosted by Tony award-winner Roger Bart. Her latest flim Playing with Beethoven, a feature film starring Kadeem Hardison and Shannon Elizabeth, releases in theatres in 2021.
Jenn took on the role of Executive Director of the Blackmagic Collective in 2020 to help the Collective grow initiatives that would help spotlight and serve underrepresented behind the camera talent.
Connect with Jenn:
Jenn Page
Director/Producer
John FK Parenteau
BMC Position: Chairman of the Board
John FK Parenteau has been an active entertainment industry professional for over 30 years, working in a wide range of areas, including Cinematographer, VFX Supervisor and Producer. His early career began as a cinematographer, after graduating from USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1987. He transitioned into computer animation in 1992, working for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment as both a visual effects animator and a manager for the company’s fledgling FX division, Amblin Imaging. John’s credits include visual effects supervision, producing and executive producing on such projects as Hunger Games, Oceans 8, Iron Man and Star Trek: Voyager, for which he won an Emmy Award©.
John has continued to shoot throughout his career, staying active with web series and music videos. He has also produced a variety of projects, including web series Ark (available on Hulu), comedy On Hold, and feature film Danika, starring Marisa Tomei, as well as a wide range of online episodic and short films. He recently Executive Produced sci fi short Alone, which premiered on WatchDust.com.
Through his personal production banner, Bigfoot Robot, John develops and produces his own content, from feature film to series work, as well as producing projects for a variety of clients. John’s latest music video, Don’t Leave Me Alone, featuring artist Vinn Lombardo, premiered at the New Filmmaker LA festival in August 2020.
Connect with John:
John FK Parenteau
Filmmaker
Chris Edgar
BMC Position: Secretary, Board of Directors
Chris Edgar is an attorney, film producer and composer based in Los Angeles. Previously at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, and now in his solo law practice, Chris has represented numerous entertainment clients in intellectual property, financing and commercial litigation matters. Chris is a graduate of Stanford University School of Law and served as a law clerk to now-Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. of the United States Supreme Court. On the music and production side of his odd double life, Chris has scored numerous films for which he won best film score awards, including “The Breakout: A Rock Opera,” “Ghost in the Gun,” and “Steve’s Quest: The Musical,” and toured as a drummer with signed recording artists.
Connect with Chris:
Chris Edgar
Composer
Kayla Marie Coates
BMC Position(s): Production Coordinator, Producer, Emerging Actors Initiative Director
Kayla Marie Coates is a Hispanic-Croatian-American actor, filmmaker and activist. As a polyamorous, pansexual individual, they are passionate about creating work that depicts stories centering around underrepresented communities so that topics, often not told at all, will be discussed and destigmatized. They secured Production Coordinating / Producing jobs with Blackmagic Collective, Heart On Fire Productions and became the Creative Producer for The Nerd Couple Show at the beginning of 2021. Kayla went on to help create and became the Initiative Director for BMC’s Emerging Actors Career Advancement Diversity Initiative and was most recently chosen as a fellow for the BMC Filmmaker Advancement Initiative. In March 2022, they were hired for their first year as a Producer for South By Southwest working with high profile celebrities like Greg Daniels, Jason Sudeikis, Chelsea Clinton and many more.
They have starred in numerous indie projects and soon-to-be-released films and webseries. Working their first year at the 2021 Universal Halloween Horror Nights, they won the award for Scare Actor of the Year. Kayla was selected to receive NALIP’s Emerging Content Creators Inclusion Initiative Scholarship for the 2021 Diverse Women in Media Forum & to participate in Mentorship Rountables. They are ramping into pre-production for their first short film that they wrote, are directing, producing and starring in.
Kayla launched a Youtube channel called Positively Kayla Marie in February of 2021 where they discuss and normalize taboo topics whilst embracing individuality and being positive and uplifting others. They also use that platform to organize monthly beach and environment clean-ups in and around the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. They also started a podcast at the beginning of 2022 called According to Captain Ron’s Record with their grandfather who was recently diagnosed with a terminal lung disease.
They firmly believe that Blackmagic Collective is a monumental resource in inspiring and assisting fellow independent filmmakers, which is one of the many reasons why they decided to take on this role.
Connect with Kayla:
Kayla Marie Coates
Actor/Producer/Writer
Harleen Quinzel
BMC Position: Film Festival Coordinator
Harleen Quinzel is an award-winning singer/songwriter and actor. She recently won the “Best Single” at Rockfest for her haunting song Possessed. She was nominated in multiple festivals for her lead role in the film Soledad which premiered at Walt Disney Studios. She began her career at age two in the film DeadGirl. At seven she had a recurring role in the multi-award-winning series Pretty. By age 16 she had worked in almost every crew position from production assistant to camera operator and often still works as an assistant director for Heart on Fire Productions’ films.
In 2020 she took on the role of Blackmagic Collective Film Festival Coordinator, helping select and program from nearly 1,000 film entries. She is currently in the development stage of her first full album as a solo artist as well as working on her other art installations and projects.
Connect with Harleen:
Harleen Quinzel
Singer/Actor
Brittney Bertier
BMC Position: Social Media Manager
Brittney Bertier is an actress and comedy writer, best known for originating the role of Norma Jeane in Marilyn! The New Musical at The Paris in Las Vegas. TV credits include Netflix’s Atypical and Jane The Virgin. She co-created and stars in the web series transpLAnts, which won best comedy at Indieboom Fest 2019, and her solo writing debut Doublemint Bitch was awarded internationally.
She most recently produced A Very Covid Christmas: The Radio Play (on Spotify and Apple Podcasts) and is hard at work on her first feature. She owns and operates a social media management and photography business, Rebel Fern, and is committed to always finding the funny!
Connect with Brittney:
Brittney Bertier
Actor/Writer
Shimon Galiley
BMC Position: Technical Director – Live Events
Shimon Galiley is a cinematographer, gaffer and prior to his work in film, he lived in New York working as a musician. While in the city, Shimon fell in love with filmmaking when he started creating and directing music videos. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles and has worked on a variety of broadcast, streaming and traditional film projects, including ABC’s The Happy Days of Garry Marshall and Disney+’s Big Shot.
He also works as a technical director, using his film background to bring high production values to livestreams.
Connect with Shimon:
Shimon Galiley
Filmmaker
Chapter Leaders
Kate E. Hinshaw
BMC Position: Wilmington, NC Chapter Lead
Kate E. Hinshaw is a cinematographer specializing in analog processes. Coming from an experimental background, she is particularly interested in using the cinematic gaze to render visible the interiority of the feminine. Her screenings include SXSW, Rooftop Films, New Orleans Film Festival, Nitehawk, and Cucalorus Film Festival. She was the recipient of the 2020 Vanishing Angle Post-Production Grant, and the 2021 Southern Documentary Fund Filmmaker award for excellence in southern storytelling. She currently resides in Wilmington, NC where she is Assistant Professor of Cinematography at UNCW and runs the film publication Analog Cookbook.
Wilmington Film Community:
I love that there are so many radical film organizations and production companies here that seek to empower the indie filmmaker. My hope is that big productions passing through Wilmywood will hire locals and North Carolina natives in above the line roles. There’s no shortage of brilliant directors, DPs, producers, and department heads here. We’re excited to spotlight our film community through Blackmagic Collective programs and events.
Connect with Kate:
Kate E. Hinshaw
Cinematographer/Tactile Filmmaker
Tim Lorge
BMC Position: New York Chapter Lead
Tim Lorge is a New York City/Hudson Valley playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, and film historian.
His plays include “Modern Love”, “The Betrayal”, and “Ben Loves Michele but She’s Positive”. Work-in-progress scenes of “The Betrayal” have appeared at The PlayGround Experiment in New York City and the full play appeared as part of The PlayGround Experiment’s First Reads Festival. “Ben Loves Michele but She’s Positive” was developed with the New Ambassadors Theater Lab and appeared in their inaugural First Acts Festival.
As a filmmaker, Tim has created numerous documentary short films for myFace, the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction; the American Parkinson Disease Association; and numerous training and public service films for the public sector. He is currently in preproduction on his directorial debut feature “The Naked Winemaker” scheduled to shoot in Summer, 2022 in the Hudson Valley.
Tim is the Raindance New York Hub General Manager where he organizes the internationally known Raindance Filmmaking Curriculum within the New York City and Hudson Valley Areas. He is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America, The PlayGround Experiment Theater Company and The New Ambassadors Theater Lab.
Tim also a prolific technology writer and trainer, having served as Editor-in-Chief for Groupware News; contributing author to Microsoft Official Academic Course Exam 70-412 published by John Wiley and Sons; and holds numerous technical trainer certifications including the Blackmagic Design Davinci Resolve 17 Certified Trainer designation.
Connect with Tim:
Tim Lorge
Writer/Director
Lisa Maydwell
BMC Position: Atlanta Chapter Lead
Lisa Maydwell is a writer and director from Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is a published author and award-winning filmmaker. Lisa graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in education. Lisa began writing at an early age, she says she comes from a family of writers. Ms. Maydwell has written over fifteen scripts for her company and her clients. Lisa was an elementary teacher in Decatur Township in Indianapolis, winning Teacher of the Year in 2015.
In 2019, she decided to pursue her filmmaking dreams and moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work in the industry. Lisa’s goal is to make movies that uplifting, powerful, and leaves her audience wanting more. She went to Lithuania in 2019 to attend a filmmaking camp with Summer Media Studio. Her script was selected to be produced, and her team won numerous awards including Best Film at the film festival.
As a screenwriter, Lisa has won awards for her work, and as a filmmaker she has won awards for her short film Broken Branches and Cooper’s Plantation. Both episodes are from her Trees Series. Lisa has also won awards for her screenplays Serenity Acres and 14 Storys.
Lisa is currently completing a documentary based on her book The Final Round-Round 16. The documentary includes several prominent boxers and judges. Lisa owns Maydwell Productions production company, and she works with Joyce Licorish at Dream Empire Films as a writer and editor.
Connect with Lisa:
Lisa Maydwell
Writer/Director
Steven DeBose
BMC Position: Austin Chapter Lead
Steven DeBose is a writer, producer, and consultant with a focus on scripted content, screenwriting competitions and story development. He is known for writing on Sex With Paula (2018), producing and hosting the Token: Blacks In Cinema podcast (2020) and Directing the Script Competition at the Austin Film Festival. He is currently in pre-production on Wake Up and Create, a documentary series on creatives in Austin, NYC, and LA.
Connect with Steven:
Steven DeBose
Writer/Producer/Script Consultant
BMC Initiative Leaders
Soma Helmi
BMC Position: Breakthrough Initiative Director
Born to an Indonesian father and a Polish mother, Soma Helmi hails from Bali and directed all 20 episodes of Season 3 and 4 of Snapchat’s Original Series The Dead Girls Detective Agency. The series is produced by Keshet Media and Insurrection Media.
She works frequently with Catherine Hardwicke as a creative consultant. Soma worked with Catherine on her feature Miss Bala (2019) for Columbia Pictures and Misher Films, as a script coordinator on Hardwicke’s short film Life Sentence for Quibi, and as a creative assistant on her upcoming Quibi Series Don’t Look Deeper. Soma’s short film In Case of Emergency was also recently selected as one of the top 10 entries in Amazon’s 2019 New Voices Film Festival.
Soma began her career working as an Art Director for J. Walter Thompson in Jakarta, where her clients were Unilever and Pfizer. After leaving J. Walter Thompson, she would go on to direct commercial spots for Google, Klondike, Nike, Chevrolet and Campbell’s.
Despite the numerous development programs that have cropped up in the entertainment industry, Soma felt there was still a lack of real diversity in most positions. She wanted to open the doors for some of the more underrepresented individuals who are out there working hard to be heard – like Indigenous and South East Asian filmmakers – and need to be exposed to decision makers to make that leap into episodic TV. Thus, the Breakthrough Initiative was born.
Connect with Soma:
Soma Helmi
Breakthrough Initiative Director
Director/Writer
Cate Carson
BMC Position: FDSF Initiative Director
Cate Carson is an LA-based writer/director with award-winning feature screenplays and short films, including the national wildcard-winning Lionsgate short Masque, which also earned her a directing award at the Crystal & Lucy’s. As a director selectee for the Alliance of Women Directors Short Film Program grant, Of Mine premiered at Disney Studios. And her latest adventure suspense short, The Plumber, won the grand jury award at the Blackmagic Collective Film Festival in Nov to kick off a 2021 festival run.
Prior to a return to film in 2012, she served ten years as a decorated military police officer and instructor and transitioned to Intelligence during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom while adventuring through Europe. Later, as a victims’ advocate and civilian detective, this “spectrum of humanity” experience lent to a unique perspective on human connection. It also shaped her focus in narrative adventure and suspense stories about unconventional characters in extraordinary circumstances, with bold accompanying visuals. She is in development of her debut feature.
The inclusive ethos and leadership in action at the Blackmagic Collective led her to becoming an ambassador for the community, and team lead on the inaugural Future Directors of Studio Features initiative.
Connect with Cate:
Cate Carson
FDSF Initiative Director
Director/Producer
Shannon DeVido
BMC Position: All Access Initiative Director
The BAFTA Breakthrough and Casting Society of America Top 20 of 2020 actress and comedian Shannon DeVido is best known for her roles in Hulu’s Difficult People, Netflix’s Insatiable, Comedy Central’s Delco Proper, and Law and Order: SVU, as well as appearances on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore and Sesame Street. Shannon starred in the world premieres of Michael Lew’s dark comedy Teenage Dick at the Public Theater and Samuel D. Hunter’s The Healing.
Shannon has also acquired a dedicated following on her disability-focused comedy YouTube channel Stare at Shannon. In her latest project, she leads the cast of the full-length independent feature film Best Summer Ever, an award-winning musical comedy which had been set to premiere at SXSW in 2020.
Connect with Shannon:
Shannon DeVido
All Access Initiative Director
Actor/Writer
Benjamin-Shalom Rodriguez
BMC Position: Film Your Feature Initiative Director
Benjamin-Shalom Rodriguez is a Queer Mexican-Israeli-American Jew (Free Palestine!) writer/director/comedian, Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation Development Grant recipient, alumnus of Sundance Screenwriters Intensive, Ryan Murphy’s HALF, NHMC TV Workshop, and CBS Showcase; Ben’s had 20+ comedic shorts/webisodes produced, and 2 dramatic, award nominated/winning shorts produced. In a past life, he was a talent manager for telenovela stars (…¼ life crisis) and development exec for the Lionsgate-backed, 3Pas Studios.
Connect with Benjamin:
Benjamin-Shalom Rodriguez
Film Your Feature Initiative Director
Writer/Director
Kayla Marie Coates
BMC Position: Emerging Actors Initiative Director
Kayla Marie Coates is a Hispanic-Croatian-American actor, filmmaker, content creator and activist who primarily seeks out roles of rebellious teenagers who appear confident and charismatic, yet under the surface are dealing with deep internal strife, trauma and/or mental illness. As a polyamorous, pansexual individual, they are passionate about creating work that depicts stories centering around underrepresented communities so that topics, often not told at all, will be discussed and destigmatized.
They secured Production Coordinating jobs with Blackmagic Collective, Heart On Fire Productions and became a Creative Producer for The Nerd Couple Show at the beginning of 2021. They went on to help create and became the Initiative Director for Blackmagic Collective‘s newest Career Advancement Diversity Initiative, Emerging Actors. They recently worked their first year as a Producer for one of the higher profile Conference Ballrooms at the SXSW 2022 Festival in likes of Greg Daniels, Steve Blackman, Roman Coppola, Kip Kroeger, Sara Bareilles, Jason Sudeikis, Bella Thorne, Chelsea Clinton, Ashanti & many more.
They have starred in numerous indie projects and soon-to-be-released films. They recently worked their first year as a Scare Actor at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights 2021 and won the award for Scare Actor of the Year.
Kayla launched a Youtube channel called Positively Kayla Marie in February where they discuss and normalize taboo topics whilst embracing individuality, being positive and uplifting others. They also use that platform to organize monthly beach and environment clean-ups in and around SoCal.
She firmly believes that Blackmagic Collective is a monumental resource in inspiring and assisting fellow independent filmmakers, which is one of the reasons why she decided to take on this role.
Connect with Kayla:
Kayla Marie Coates
Emerging Actors Initiative Director
Actor/Producer
Cate Fogarty
BMC Position: First Frame Initiative Director
From an adventurous youth spent sailing the Caribbean with her family to living out her “Dirty 30s” gallivanting around Norway, Cate Fogarty has spent her life traveling the world, collecting stories and experiences. A storyteller from the time she could speak, she has recently given up her highly successful 16+ year massage career to pursue her dream of filmmaking. Cate is passionate about creating quirky narratives that capture both the humor and drama of life while exploring a variety of genres.
Connect with Cate:
Cate Fogarty
First Frame Initiative Director
Director/Producer
ADVISORY BOARD
Wendy Calhoun
Peabody-award winning writer/producer Wendy Calhoun’s unique career spans one-hour dramas, unscripted series, VR, and gaming. Currently, she serves as Consulting Producer on FBC’s Prodigal Son. Her scripted drama credits include Co-Executive Producing and writing the historic first season of Fox’s Empire, as well as debut seasons of ABC’s Station 19, Nashville, Revenge, and FX’s Justified.
Calhoun has developed and sold eight series pitches since 2015 with buyers including HBO Max, Touchstone TV, WBTV, NBC, The CW, Netflix, FX, Twentieth, and ABC Signature Studios. She has produced and directed over forty hours of unscripted prime-time content. Calhoun wrote and directed the virtual reality short, Left Behind, which screened at the 2016 Austin Film Festival and won “Best in VR” at Digital Hollywood. She was also the Narrative Consultant for Electronic Arts’ Battlefield Hardline video game.
Born and raised in Dallas, Calhoun is an honored film and television alumni of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She enjoys gardening, playing Texas Hold ‘Em with her family, and writing with her sweet dog, Olaf, by her side.
Wendy Calhoun
Executive Producer/Writer
(Prodigal Son, Station 19, Empire, Nashville, Justified)
Jesse Carmichael
Jesse Carmichael is best known as a multi-instrumentalist, background vocalist, and co-founding member of the GRAMMY Award-winning band, Maroon 5.
Born in Boulder, Colorado, Carmichael moved to Los Angeles at age 2 and began playing music at age 7. In 9th grade he started a band with Adam Levine, Mickey Madden, and Ryan Dusick called Kara’s Flowers. While attending college, the original members of Kara’s Flowers teamed up with guitarist, James Valentine, and formed the group Maroon 5.
Since then, Maroon 5 has gone on to have massive critical and commercial success. They were awarded their first of three Grammy Awards (as “Best New Artist”) in 2005 and they continue to be a top global touring act and have sold more than 26 million albums worldwide.
Jesse lives with his family in Los Angeles. Outside of his roles in Maroon 5, he assists as a board member for ACE: The Alliance for Climate Education, helping to bring Climate Change awareness to high school students throughout the United States and he continues to study in the fields of Music and Film Making.
Jesse Carmichael
Musician/Filmmaker
Co-Founding member of the band Maroon 5
Founding member of the short film collective 2mm
Ben Cory Jones
Ben Cory Jones
Writer/Producer/Showrunner
(Boomerang, Insecure, Hand of God)
Anna Levine
A digital media expert, Anna Levine spent the last 4 years serving as the creative architect of DUST, a brand that is the definitive taste-making source for emerging voices in the science fiction space with over 10 million subscribers across platforms. In partnership with Gunpowder & Sky, Levine is continuing to develop multiple feature and TV adaptations of DUST properties.
Prior to her time at DUST, Anna started Geek World Radio, a news and media company where she served as a producer and correspondent, often lending her services to Cinefix, Anime Vice, ComicsOnline, Cox Media’s The Point, and others.
Anna is currently the Head of Creative for The Open Door Film Project, in addition to working as an independent producer, speaker, and digital consultant, and teaming up with new partners to give opportunities to up and coming filmmakers. She also continues her work with Geek World Radio creating content in the digital space.
Anna Levine
Producer/Digital Consultant
Head of Creative, Open Door Film Project
Laura Schwartz
Laura Schwartz is an independent producer focused on comedic and diverse voices. She produces television and digital content as well as live events. She has been the producer of the stand-up comedy show, The Frogtown Show, for over four years where she has booked talent including Natasha Leggero, Patton Oswalt and Nicole Byer.
She spent the last four years as Senior Director of Development at New Form where she went from developing short form scripted series to half-hour and hour-long content with studio partners STX and UCP. Most recently, she served as Executive Producer on Don’t Look Deeper for Quibi (with Catherine Hardwicke and Don Cheadle) and sold a half-hour series to Mila Kunis’ Orchard Farm Productions. Her previous experience includes development and production roles at MTV and Abominable Pictures. She began her career in the music industry which peaked when Beck complimented her jacket during an interview.
Laura Schwartz
Producer
Advisory Board Chair, Career Advancement Initiatives
Carl Seaton
Carl Seaton’s first feature film, One Week, was a drama about a heterosexual man that has to wait a week for the results of an HIV test as he prepares for his wedding. The ultra-low budget film screened all over the world in prestigious festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival, and Fespaco. One Week also garnered awards at several film festivals including the American Black Film Festival, Urbanworld, and the Chicago International Film Festival.
Following the success of One Week, Carl co-wrote the screenplay for Step In The Name Of Love, which was acquired by MGM, followed by a Movie of the Week project for the TvOne Network, Bad Dad Rehab, starring Malik Yoba. The film garnered Carl a NAACP Image Award nomination.
Carl’s career in episodic directing began when he was hired by John Singleton to direct two episodes of the TV show Rebel. Since then, Carl has gone on to direct over 20 episodes of television on a wide range of shows like The Originals, Batwoman, Dynasty, and Supergirl for The CW, Dick Wolf’s Chicago PD, Fire, Med, and FBI, the CBS drama Bull, and Showtime’s The Chi.
In February, Carl was nominated for a NAACP Image award for his work on directing the show, Snowfall, created by his mentor, the late John Singleton.
Carl Seaton
Director
(Chicago PD, Batwoman, Snowfall)
