AMC NETWORKS SPONSOR
NAILA MCKENZIE ROSSVice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / AMC Networks
Naila McKenzie Ross graduated from Harvard College, cum laude, in 2002 with an A.B. in East Asian Studies and after receiving a Fulbright Award to study and research in Okinawa, Japan, she went on to earn her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2007. Theater has and always will be a source of joy and deep fulfillment for Naila and in 2004, she took a hiatus from law school to study classical acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Naila began her legal career as a litigation associate at the New York City office of Debevoise & Plimpton and in 2011, left Debevoise to join a boutique law firm representing talent in film, TV and theater, led by Jodi Peikoff, which solidified Naila’s desire to work in entertainment law.
In 2012, Naila joined the legal team of Disney Theatrical Group, the business unit of the Walt Disney Company responsible for the company’s Broadway, domestic and international live stage play business. As Director, Inclusion Strategies, Business Affairs & Legal Counsel, Naila’s work is extremely varied, serving as in-house counsel while also supporting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts throughout the business. Naila is also an active member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of The Broadway League and founded Disney Theatrical Group’s first employee resource group, Ensemble, in 2018. A health and fitness enthusiast, Naila is a certified Group Fitness Instructor and has taught Zumba at Equinox and New York Health and Racquet Club.
SPEAKER
ANDREA PASSAFIUME
Ask a Film Festival Programmer
Andrea Passafiume is a veteran film festival programmer based in the Washington, D.C. Metro area. She is currently an Associate Programmer for the Tribeca Film Festival, Lead Programmer for the Seattle Deaf Film Festival, Programming Associate for the Sundance Film Festival, and member of the Screening Committee for DC/DOX. Previous Programming positions include Head Programmer of AFI Docs, Programming Associate for the Athena Film Festival, and member of the Screening Committees for DOC NYC and Camden International Film Festival. Andrea has served as a judge for the Gracie Awards, a juror and moderator for a variety of film festivals, and a member of the nominating committees for the Cinema Eye Honors and IDA (International Documentary Association) Awards. A member of FWD-Doc (Documentary Filmmakers With Disabilities), WIFV (DC Women in Film & Video), NYWIFT (New York Women in Film & Television), and NAD (National Association of the Deaf), Andrea also served on the Disability Committee for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ In Frame project in 2022. Andrea earned her B.F.A. and M.A. in Cinema Studies from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, as well as a Certificate in ASL (American Sign Language) from Montgomery College. Born with unilateral deafness, Andrea is Hard of Hearing.
48-HOUR FILM CHALLENGE JURY
KRISTI MERRIWEATHER
48-Hour Film Challenge Judge
Kristi Merriweather is a BlackDeaf researcher, producer, director, writer, entrepreneur, and content creator. She very recently retired as an educator at a public high school by profession. Deaf since age 2, Mrs. Merriweather is a graduate of Spelman, Howard, and Georgia State University with degrees in psychology and Deaf Education.
This Georgian native is a content creator or “word artist”- having produced poetry and original scripts/skits for plays, school homecoming events, and localized events. A few of her poems have been published in Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology. She is currently working on a documentary on the experiences of BlackDeaf alumni of Georgia School of the Deaf during the eras of segregation and transition into desegregation, writing a children book on Andrew Foster, developing a product line, and developing an online mentoring program for Deaf youths. She also is a professional presenter, having presented at various events including World Federation of the Deaf and the National Technical Institute of the Deaf’s ARTiculating Deaf Experiences Conference.
A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, she recently completed her term as the secretary of the Georgia Association of the Deaf, was a former advisor for Deaf Talent Media & Entertainment Consulting, and a councilor of the Black Deaf Womxn Development Foundation Council. A few most notable achievements in her community service include being the first to lead a national youth program for BlackDeaf teenagers under the auspices of National Black Deaf Advocates and making the suggestion to the Black Deaf Student Union of Gallaudet to push for the establishment of a Black Deaf Studies program. Both are still in existence twenty-two and twenty-six years later respectively.
BEAUTIFUL THE ARTIST
48-Hour Film Challenge Judge
My name is Briana Johnson and I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. At the tender age of four, my mother was told by my pediatrician at Scottish Rite Hospital that I was deaf and that I was born that way. This was devastating news to most of my family but not to my mother. She was amazed that I could talk with her, my family, friends, and teachers for four years and she did not know that I was deaf. My mother was the only person who did not cry or exhibit any pity towards me. She instead told me that being deaf was a "Beautiful" thing and that I was created in the image of God and that all things are possible for me and she also told me that I was her "Beautiful" blessed baby girl who can be and do all things through Christ Who strengthens me. That's where my stage name "Beautiful" comes from. The name was inspired by my mother's encouraging words and support and since then, I have lived by those words every day.
My mother formed a children's gospel group called "Dear Children" where she taught children to sing, dance, and the Word of God. I assisted in the choreography of some of our performance routines. "Dear Children" was a local children's gospel singing group that performed throughout Georgia. This is where music, dancing, and performing became a strong passion of mine. I began writing my own music and even recorded my music in the studio. There was a time when I was the only deaf student in my class and I was severely picked on and bullied. This inspired me to prove that just because I am deaf did not mean I could not succeed or that being deaf was ugly. I studied, over articulated, and accepted being deaf so that I or other deaf children would not be overlooked and misunderstood. I was a straight "A" honor student, an Honor Society member, a cheerleader captain, and on the Dance/Step Team.
I earned a full academic scholarship and earned a BA degree in Government/Law from Gallaudet University. I was crowned Miss Black Deaf America 2009-2011 and I use my platform to advocate for my "Beautiful" deaf culture. I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to several states to perform for DeafNation Expo events, Apollo in NYC, National Black Advocates Banquet and much more. I want the world to know about the deaf community and to learn sign language so that we all can be included in every conversation and activities as well. This is how the birth of my company Signdance was formed. In 2018, I formed a dance company called Signdance with the motto that states "Let's Groove to the Beat and Learn Sign Language." It's through my music and my dance company that I continue to spread awareness about the deaf community as well as bridge any gaps between the hearing and deaf community as well.
Alessandra Bautze is Assistant Professor of Screenwriting at Georgia State University. She holds an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from The University of Texas at Austin, as well as a B.A. in The Writing Seminars and Film & Media Studies from The Johns Hopkins University. Her work seeks to reflect the diversity of the American experience while also embracing a socially-conscious, realist approach to narrative. Her screenplay RACING THE WOLF GOD won Best Screenplay at the 2021 Anchorage International Film Festival. She has received residencies from the Nanjing International Writers’ Residency Program (November 2021, via Zoom), the Storyknife Writers Residency Program (July 2022, Homer, Alaska), and the Mountain Words Writer-in-Residence Program (May 2023, Crested Butte, Colorado). She was named the Tangerine Entertainment Fellow for Stowe Story Labs’ 2023 Narrative Lab (Stowe, Vermont.) In addition to her work as a writer, she also works as a script consultant, most recently for SignWorld Studios, a Deaf-owned production company focusing on producing authentic media in American Sign Language and English. She believes in the power of language to connect communities.
ALESSANDRA BAUTZE
48-Hour Film Challenge Judge
DEMARCO PITTMAN
48-Hour Film Challenge Judge
DeMarco Pittman is a Deaf Atlantan who comes from a 9th generation Deaf family, with both parents, siblings, nieces, and cousins all being Deaf, which has provided a fantastic support system. He is a recent graduate of Georgia State University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, where he made history as the university’s first Deaf Homecoming King and completed his studies in just two years.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Dirty South Clayton County, DeMarco attended Suder Elementary, Mundy’s Mill Middle School, and Jonesboro High School (JHS). At JHS, he received scholarships and played on the football team with recognition. He recently worked as a Digital Coordinator for Stacey Abrams’ 2022 gubernatorial campaign. In 2021, he became the Regional III (South) Youth Representative for the National Association of the Deaf. His proposal on addressing Deaf youth mental health was accepted as one of NAD’s top priorities. He was selected to serve on the Youth General Assembly for the 2024 NAD conference.
DeMarco will graduate with an MBA from Jackson State University in the summer of 2024 and will begin his Doctor of Business Administration studies in the fall. He aims to become successful in his chosen endeavors, financially comfortable, and, during that process, become a strong mentor to show students how to become actively involved in their own education.
DeMarco’s current focus is to share his motivation and passion for educational success with the world – not in light of a disability, but as part of what any successful student does. “For me, deafness is not a disability.” DeMarco emphasizes the necessity of setting realistic short and long-term goals for success and working hard (sometimes extra hard) to reach those goals. He also volunteers as the treasurer for the Georgia Association of the Deaf.
Fun Fact: He has played tennis since high school.
Thomas Swope Jr is currently working as a therapist for National Deaf Therapy and he used to work in the school system for last 20 years in various roles. He has double Master in School Counseling and Clinical Mental. He's happily married father of 5 residing in GA.