"We are proud to be partnering on such fantastic initiatives." Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Bertha Philanthropies
"Experts in collaboration, innovation and rapid prototyping." Cara Mertes, Ford Foundation
"BRITDOC are at the forefront of international documentary development. From Ping Pong to Virunga they have pioneered new ways of engaging with audiences" Patrick Holland, BBC
Beadie Finzi
(UK)
Foundation Director
beadie@docsociety.org
Having worked in documentary for the past 20 years, Beadie is in heaven in her role at Doc Society – befriending independent filmmakers globally, funding great films, brokering new partnerships and sharing knowledge.
In addition to executive producing a number of films, Beadie is responsible for the global Good Pitch programme and helping develop tools for the field such as the Impact Field Guide and the Doc Impact Award.
Beadie is also an experienced filmmaker. Titles include Only When I Dance, released theatrically in the UK and US. She produced Unknown White Male in 2005, which played at Sundance Film Festival and was Oscar shortlisted.
Emily Wanja
(KE)
Global Community Manager, Climate Story Unit
wanja@docsociety.org
Emily Wanja uses storytelling to drive social change. She is an award-winning Impact producer for the campaign ‘We Can Fight Climate Change’ for the international feature documentary, ‘Thank you for the Rain’. In conjunction with Docubox (East Africa Documentary Film Fund), she has worked with policymakers across National & County governments, Private stakeholders, Funders, Civil Society and Communities, using film as a tool for advocacy. She ran impact screenings for the film, ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ by Participant Media, in Kenya. Previously, she was the in-house producer at Docubox (East Africa Documentary film fund).
She has worked extensively with young farmers across Kenya through ‘Seeds of Gold’ TV show and the leading newspaper version for youth and agribusiness at Nation Media Group. She has produced TV shows for numerous networks and has worked on award winning narrative short films. She’s on the Climate Justice Resilience Fund Advisory Council and on the Global Impact Producers Assembly Steering Committee. She works with the Storyboard collective on Impact and regional partnerships and is on the Kenya oscars selection committee.
Wanja joins Doc Society as the Global Community Manager for the Climate Story Unit.
Farhana Yamin
(UK)
Climate Reframe Programme Manager
farhana@docsociety.org
Farhana is an internationally recognized environmental lawyer, climate change and development policy expert. She has advised leaders and ministers on UN climate negotiations for 30 years, representing small islands and developing countries and attending nearly every major climate summit since 1991. In addition to founding Track 0, she is an Associate Fellow at Chatham House, a Director of Impatience, Senior Advisor to SYSTEMIQ, a FRSA and Visiting Professor at University of the Arts, London, and deputy chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum expert advisory group. She is currently the Coordinator of the Climate Justice & Just Transition Donor Collaborative Project – a project bringing together some of the world’s largest private philanthropies on an educational journey about how to tackle systemic inequalities through intersectional solutions.
She was voted Number 2 on the 2020 BBC’s Power List with the judges describing her a “powerhouse of climate justice” and is active in numerous community-based initiatives and social justice movements. She is a columnist at Business Green and appears regularly in the media. She trained as an outdoor education leader and did a number of courses on nature connection, including how to support racialized minorities to access & enjoy green spaces. She works part time at the Doc Society coordinating the Climate Reframe Project which seeks to amplify the voice of racialized minorities in the UK environment movement.
Fiona Fletcher
(UK)
BFI Doc Society Support Programme Manager
fiona@docsociety.org
As Support Programme Manager for BFI Doc Society, Fiona devises a raft of year-round talent development, training, lab and event activity for UK documentary filmmakers and fund grantees, including the regional roadshows delivered as part of BFI NETWORK across the UK. Working to facilitate the pathway for filmmakers from early career steps all the way through to making funded features, she is also involved in the facilitation of the fund, application and enquires processes. She has also worked across the production of Doc Society events such as Good Pitch Europe, Climate Story Lab UK, impact screenings and social events.
Fiona’s portfolio past life includes heading up Guest Services and Hospitality at BFI Festivals, managing projects and non-theatrical sales for distributor Soda Pictures; delivering programmes and supporting creative talent for Shooting People, Birds Eye View and Brighton-based visual arts agency Lighthouse. She was a FLAMIN producer for artist Mark Leckey on his Tiger Award-winning moving image work Dream English Kid 1964-1999AD, and managed the infamous Branchage Film Festival from 2009-2011, commissioning and producing weird and wonderful creative happenings across the island of Jersey.
Fiona is based in the sunny North East of England.
Hannah Bush Bailey
(UK)
Film and Production Executive
hannah@docsociety.org
Hannah Bush Bailey works across the slate of films supported through the BFI Doc Society Fund. She supports filmmakers both in production and editorially. The national fund aims to develop storytellers from all parts of the UK, backing feature & short creative documentaries with bold cultural and social ambitions. Prior to this role she worked as a short form producer creating work for companies such as Universal, Disney and Channel 4's Random Acts. Her experience also spans a number of feature docs and high-end television series. Hannah has previously been involved in BFI Network X BAFTA Crew, BAFTA'S Guru Pro training scheme and Film London's Microwave Feature Film Development Scheme. Her films have screened internationally including at Raindance Festival, BFI Future Film Festival and London Short Film Festival.
Henry Wrigley
(UK)
Finance Director
henry@docsociety.org
Henry qualified as an accountant as a gateway to working across many industries and countries. He worked in corporate finance and then private equity investment with entrepreneurial businesses. After this, he has been Finance Director for a number of creative businesses, including a computer games business. Most recently he worked for an arts charity. This included improving the performance of an arts fair, magazine, property portfolio and a gallery refurbishment. He has lived and worked in Nepal, India, China and Malawi. However, a young family provides him with focus and grounding now.
Hollie Fifer
(AU)
Director of Australian Programs
hollie@docsociety.org
Hollie is currently the Director of Australian Programs at Doc Society and Director of the arts not-for-profit Schoolhouse Studios in Melbourne, Australia.
As a documentary filmmaker, Hollie’s films have screened at festivals and broadcasted within Australia and internationally. THE OPPOSITION is Hollie’s debut feature documentary produced by Media Stockade that world premiered at Hot Docs and IDFA in 2016 before winning the Grand Prize at FIFO, screening at the UN Human Rights Council, winning Best Documentary Feature at the Oz Flix Independent Film Awards and screening in over 35 countries. Hollie’s latest short film UNBALANCED recently premiered on Australian newspapers The Age/Sydney Morning Herald’s Vox Dox series.
Hollie serves on the Board of the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) and the Castlemaine Documentary Festival (CDoc). In her previous work she has been a freelance tutor in Documentary Directing at NIDA and AFTRS, Co-Director of The Artists Guild and selected for MECCA Shark Island M-Power Program.
Jess Search
(UK)
Chief Executive
jess@docsociety.org
Jess is the Chief Executive of Doc Society. Before that, she was a Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 and a founder of Shooting People, the online filmmakers network. She is also a board member of the UK think tank IPPR and has an MBA from Cass Business School. Jess likes to moderate for IDFA, the Skoll World Forum, the Trust Women conference and Doc Society’s Good Pitch.
Julian Etienne
(BE)
Climate Story Fund Officer
julian@docsociety.org
Julián is a cultural campaigner from northeastern Mexico committed to diversity in documentary cinema and to fostering transformative
encounters between media and the public. At Doc Society he works as Climate Story Fund Officer.
He has undertaken film programming projects since 2009. He joined Ambulante in 2018 where he was involved in programming, outreach, impact, and fund-raising activities.
Julian studied linguistics in Mexico City and attended graduate school in Information Studies at the University of Arizona and in Media Studies at UT Austin. He writes occasionally on media cultures. Apart from cinema, he enjoys radio documentaries, theatre, creative nonfiction and road biking. He recently became a dad and lives with his wife and son in Brussels.
Karen Fairholm
(NL)
Financial Controller
karen@docsociety.org
Karen oversees the day-to-day activities of Doc Society’s financial affairs, ensuring that Doc Society’s four companies are organised, efficient and produce accurate financials.
Having been part of the finance world for 10 years, Karen took a year to travel, returning determined to fulfill a dream of working with filmmakers. And then along came Doc Society.
Katie Mandy
(UK)
Finance Officer
katiem@docsociety.org
Katie is Doc Society's Finance Officer and joined the organisation in 2018. She is working alongside the Financial Controller, assisting with the day-to-day activities. Katie is AAT qualified and has worked in the field for the past 8 years.
Khadija J. Khan
(UK)
Engagement Manager
khadija@docsociety.org
Khadija J. Khan is the Engagement Manager at Doc Society, where she works across programs to host inspiring events, employ strategic communications, and build connections with filmmakers globally. She is deeply passionate about the intersection of arts and activism, and has worked as a social justice documentary film producer in Cape Town, SA, Washington, DC and London, UK.
Previously, Khadija managed international LGBTQ+ advocacy and ran a queer Muslim youth program at Advocates for Youth. She holds a Msc in Empires, Colonialism, & Globalisation from LSE and a BA in Justice & Peace Studies from Georgetown. Khadija is a published author, sound artist, and music lover currently enjoying all that London's art scene has to offer.
Kit Colbourne
(UK)
BFI Doc Society Production Coordinator
kit@docsociety.org
Kit (they/them/theirs) provides key administrative and production support across the BFI Doc Society film slate, application processes and support programme. Kit worked extensively in theatre and arts admin before retraining and completing a post graduation course in Film and Television production. Kit joins us from Met Film, where they worked on the outreach and audience engagement for The Reason I Jump, among other production roles, and more recently was Jerry’s Rothwell’s Director’s Assistant.
Laura Husti-Radulet
(UK)
Grants Manager
laura@docsociety.org
Laura Husti-Radulet joins us as our new Grants Manager. Before joining Doc Society, Laura worked with the Media Legal Defence Initiative (UK), the Open Society Foundation in Romania, and other non-profit organisations in the UK and Romania encompassing grant-making, project management and communications work. She has over 10 years experience in grants administration.
Louise Alves
(NL)
Grants Officer, The Climate Story Unit
louise@docsociety.org
Louise is a Brazilian national graduated in International Relations and holds a MA degree in Public Policy and International Development.
Her career mission has always been to find the most effective and creative ways to communicate social and environmental impact to different audiences. During her career she has worked for several international and local NGOs with themes ranging from Human Rights, youth participation, disaster mitigation, sustainability reporting and climate change. Her multidisciplinary background allowed her to work both in administrative and programme support roles, and roles that involved strategic communications and creative skills.
Previously, Louise worked for a philanthropic organisation called Porticus as a Global Grant Administrator supporting their programmes on a just transition to a carbon-free future - both in urban and rural areas. She is now bringing her grant making experience to Doc Society and supporting the Climate Story Unit with their donor relations.
After living in Brazil, UK, India and Uruguay, Louise is currently based in the Netherlands. Paralelly to her career, she dedicates her time to promote work opportunities to other women working with social impact on LinkedIn and has founded a network of Brazilian women working in International Development. In her spare time she is also a freelance photographer and an avid reader.
Maxyne Franklin
(USA)
Director
maxyne@docsociety.org
Maxyne is one of the founding Directors of Doc Society and shares responsibility for overseeing the film funding programmes. She also sits on the selection committee for the Good Pitch events and oversees the annual DOC Impact Awards; celebrating the films that have made the greatest impact on society.
For Doc Society, Maxyne has been lucky enough to executive produce a number of award-winning films including Virunga, All These Sleepless Nights, Hooligan Sparrow, The Possibilities are Endless, The Square, Pussy Riot, Hell & Back Again, Ping Pong and Afghan Star.
As of 2015 Maxyne relocated to New York to head up the US office, Doc Society Inc. Since there she has been deepening relationships with partners and working with our talented collective of US based filmmakers.
Megha Agrawal Sood
(USA)
Director, Head of Climate Story Unit
megha@docsociety.org
Megha believes in the power of sharing stories and building unexpected collaborations to inspire action. She is the Head of the Climate Story Unit, a new initiative to support productions and impact campaigns of climate-themed stories across the globe. Megha’s previous work experience includes leading impact programming at the film company, Exposure Labs, and helping purpose-driven organizations grow at the innovation firm, IDEO. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, and is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Michelle Plasencia
(MEX)
Network Co-Coordinator for GIPA
michelle@docsociety.org
Michelle is a cultural organizer with more than 6 years of experience in film festival production and impact producer based in Mexico City. She led the first edition of the Good Pitch program in México 2020, as the Outreach and Partnerships Coordinator at DocsMX, a documentary film platform in Mexico City. Regional field building has established positive and productive relationships amongst filmmakers and organizers, which she aims to continue to support through workshops, forums, and overall creating spaces to recognize the power of thoughtful, ethical and fundamental storytelling processes as the social change ecosystem continues to grow in Mexico. She is also part of Impacta Cine, the first film & social impact collective in Mexico directed to work alongside filmmakers to design and implement impact campaigns. She is currently leading the second edition of Good Pitch México in October 2022.
Miriam Ayoo
(KE)
Network Co-Coordinator for GIPA
miriam@docsociety.org
Miriam is an impact strategist and cultural producer based in Nairobi, Kenya. At the heart of her work is a commitment to centering and amplifying under-represented stories and voices. She has nearly a decade’s experience working at the intersection of art and activism, designing and implementing programs and outreach initiatives within a range of social impact areas and artistic mediums. She is currently serving as the co-coordinator of the Global Impact Producers Assembly (GIPA), and as the impact strategist/producer for award winning films including Softie, Los Hermanos/The Brothers, and No Simple Way Home. Miriam holds a dual master's degree in public policy (Mundus MAPP) from the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands and the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals in Barcelona, Spain. Moonlighting as a singer-songwriter, in her free time, you can find her writing her next hit song or singing Whitney Houston at the best karaoke spots in town.
Naomi Walker
(USA)
Network Coordinator for GIPA
naomi@docsociety.org
As the first Coordinator of the Global Impact Producers Alliance [GIPA], Naomi is working with the GIPA Steering Committee to formalise and build capacity for the network.
Previously, Naomi served as Executive Director of the Southern Documentary Fund.
She had the pleasure of working with Doc Society as Outreach Director for Good Pitch Chicago in 2013 & 2015, and again for GPNY in 2016.
Naomi spent 9 years in Chicago as Engagement Consultant for ITVS, hosting over 80 documentary film screenings, followed by discussions, workshops, expos and performances.
As Education Director for Cinema/Chicago, Naomi organised screenings for public school students, and managed the groundbreaking Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program.
Naomi is an experienced dj, cab driver, and dishwasher.
Currently, she looks after her mom in Richmond, VA.
Nicole van Schaik
(NL)
Director of Development
nicole@docsociety.org
Nicole strategises with filmmakers and impact producers on how they can use their films as a strategic tool for social or environmental change. She also brokers new and exciting partnerships with organisations from across civil society, including: foundations, philanthropists, NGOs, brands, policymakers, activists, technology innovators, and media for the global Good Pitch programme, and Doc Society as a whole. She is proud to be part of the 2017 Rockwood JustFilms Fellowship. Before joining the foundation, Nicole worked as a television journalist for broadcasters, including RTL News and Al Jazeera. She finished her MA in International Journalism in Cardiff in 2008, and has previously lived in The Netherlands, USA, South Africa, and Wales.
Nikki Heyman
(USA)
Film Officer
nikkih@docsociety.org
Nikki is a three-time Emmy Award-winning producer and programmer experienced in the non-profit and brand-driven spaces. She strives to be a champion of diverse cinema and constantly pushing for equity in the field. At Doc Society she works across US funds as Film Officer. Nikki's most recent experience at Tribeca Studios afforded her the opportunity to produce narrative and documentary alike, elevating voices and stories through corporate programs such as P&G's 8:46 and the Queen Collective. Prior to Tribeca, Nikki was the co-producer for the acclaimed documentary show POV on PBS. Nikki curated for the series across seven seasons, oversaw series production, and provided editorial support to independent documentary filmmakers. Nikki has served on panels and juries across the U.S. and abroad. She holds a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from Oberlin College and is a member of the Producers Guild of America. Nikki is an avid beach bum, an easy crier, and a popcorn aficionado.
Sandra Whipham
(UK)
Foundation Director
sandra@docsociety.org
Sandra, who joined Doc Society as its fourth Director in January 2012, exec produces films across the slate and leads on the Bertha Doc Society Connect Fund. She also oversees Doc Academy.
Previously, Sandra was a producer through her own company where she produced and executive produced a range of documentary film and television including multi award-winning Enemies of the People (dir. Thet Sambath/Rob Lemkin). From 2007-9 Sandra was Editor at More 4, and commissioned the True Stories international documentary strand.
Shahnowaz Khanom
(UK)
Finance Manager
shahnowaz@docsociety.org
Shahnowaz is ACCA qualified with over 10 years experience in Finance, she has worked in various industries from Logistics to Health & Social Care sector working alongside NHS and local councils serving the communities and now moved to the film industry Doc Society as her passion for supporting the wider charitable community and making an impact has always been her personal goal.
Shanida Scotland
(UK)
Director, Head of Film
shanida@docsociety.org
Shanida Scotland is an award-winning commissioning editor and executive producer, working within documentary film and audio. Shanida is the new Head of Film at Doc Society. Before Doc Society, Shanida was Commissioning Editor at The Guardian and worked long term at STORYVILLE, the BBC’s multi award-winning flagship international documentary strand. Shanida developed the ongoing series AFTERWORDS, an award-winning audio documentary series that puts the ideas of great writers into dialogue with contemporary writers, academics and activists, for Falling Tree Productions and BBC Radio 3 and 4.
Shanida is interested in the alternative, the intimate and the liminal: visual and sonic resonant qualities, that which remain meaningful and impactful through time.
Outside of Doc Society, Shanida regularly hosts documentary Q&As for the Barbican’s ScreenTalk strand and manages a delightful dance between sci-fi reading group, sonic explorations and terrible drumming.
Suzanne Alizart
(UK)
BFI Doc Society Film Fund Business Affairs Executive
suzanne@docsociety.org
Suzanne started working in film last century, after training at Intermedia Film and Video, in Nottingham. Having delivered some short films and a baby, she moved into film and creative industries policy development and funding. She contributed to the establishment of regional film Lottery distributor EM Media where she worked for a decade, eventually leading on business affairs across the slate.
She then spent some time at Ffilm Cymru and re-trained as a solicitor, before working at the University of Leicester for five years on academic research contracts, alongside supporting SMEs to understand and manage their intellectual property assets. She also enjoyed continuing to provide business affairs advice to independent documentary film producers during that time.
Vanessa Cuervo
(Colombia)
Director of Latin American Programmes
vanessa@docsociety.org
Cultural organizer, dancer & impact strategist working across the intersection of art, activism & social justice. Vanessa connects the world of human rights defenders with the spheres of art & film to promote social change. At Doc Society, she works with the Good Pitch global program across Latin America, building strong partnerships with local host organizations in Colombia, México and Brasil, supporting documentary filmmakers designing impact campaigns and creating a strong network of Good Pitch allies in the region.
Vanessa currently supports the work of the Colombian Truth Commission as an advisor and trainer of Historias en Kilómetros, an audiovisual lab that supports teams in three Afrocolombian communities creating shorts that contribute to the historical narrative of the country, in times of reconciliation. She is also the coordinator of the Skylight Solidarilabs network in Guatemala, Colombia and México, working with movement leaders and storytellers to shift cultural perceptions.
Get in touch with Vanessa if you’d like to learn more about the editions of Good Pitch taking place in Mexico and Brazil this year at vanessa@docsociety.org
Bedatri D. Choudhury
Digital Consultant
bedatri@docsociety.org
Bedatri studied literature and cinema in New Delhi and attended graduate school in Cinema Studies at Tisch School of the Arts. She has worked extensively with documentary films; particularly in the areas of project management, commissioning, and outreach. She is an editor and film critic, and loves to write on film and culture from a prism of feminism, labour, and post-colonialism. Her writings have been published in Huffington Post, Hyperallergic, Buzzfeed, Mubi Notebook and Bitch Magazine, among others. An alumna of the NYFF and TIFF Critics Academy, Sundance and SXSW Press Inclusion Initiatives, Berlinale Talents, and National Critics Institute, she lives in New York City where she eats a lot of cake, volunteers for progressive Democratic candidates, and strolls in Central Park, among other things. You can find her writing on www.bedatri.com
James Franklin
(PT)
Creative Director
james@docsociety.org
James looks after design at Doc Society as well as the websites for all the Doc Society brands and programmes, starting with the first website back in 2006. With 25 years experience in design and the web, James previously ran a design agency in London for 7 years. Currently he is also founder of the web-based film-marketing platform assemble.me and has produced the design behind many of Doc Society’s films.
Jessica Edwards
(UK)
Impact Consultant
jessica@docsociety.org
With a deep curiosity in the change-making properties of culture and storytelling, Jessica is currently undertaking a prestigious Clore Fellowship in cultural leadership. With senior expertise bridging the worlds of film, television and non-profits, until recently, she was the Director of Impact & Partnerships at Doc Society, most recently helping to establish the Climate Story Fund, supporting and enabling a slate of over 25 projects to maximise their creative and impact potential.
The first 15 years of her career focused on producing & directing documentaries and factual television. She then moved into strategic communications, leading numerous projects for prominent NGOs. Integrating this breadth of experience enabled her return to narrative storytelling with an invigorated perspective on its potential. Jessica was the impact strategist on award winning films such as Unrest, He Named Me Malala and Ida’s Diary before joining Doc Society in 2016 where she initiated, led and grew many of Doc Society's key partnerships and projects working closely with organisations such as the BBC, Skoll Foundation, Netflix, TED, international film festivals and others.
Julia Farrington
Impact Producer
julia@docsociety.org
Julia Farrington is co-curator and impact producer with Films4Transparency Festival (F4T) which takes place in the biennial International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC). F4T promotes collaboration between film teams and the anti-corruption advocates, policy makers andinvestigative journalists within the IACC and TI networks. Before moving into the world of documentary impact production in 2016, she spent 25 years working in the arts, setting up and running the arts programme at Index on Censorship, working as campaigns manager with Belarus Free Theatre, and she ran the arts programme at Union Chapel Project in London, between 1995-2005.
Katie Speight
Editorial Consultant
katie@docsociety.org
Katie has been working for Doc Society as an Editorial Consultant for the past 9 years across the various film funds. Previously, Katie had been working at Channel 4, where in 2004 she became Deputy Commissioning Editor Documentaries working on features such as Sisters In Law and Aileen Wuornos and Hamburg Cell, as well as high profile series such as The Last Peasants and Jamie's School Dinners. Katie was also responsible for acquiring the very best of international feature documentaries.
In 2005 Katie moved to More4 as part of the launch team for Channel 4's upmarket sister channel, becoming Commissioning Editor for More4. As well as helping to shape the schedule and the channel’s overall editorial development she re-launched the critically acclaimed True Stories strand - showcasing the best of domestic and international feature documentaries.
Mike Lindsay
Artistic Director for Live Events
mike@swooshed.co.uk
Mike and his team from Swooshed Event Production have been working with us since our first ever Britdoc event back in 2006. His event knowledge, experience and creative theatre background combines to help us produce our quality events all over the world looking after all the staging, technical and audio visual aspects of the show.
Patricia Finneran
Good Pitch Local Consultant
Patricia is founder of Story Matters; working at the intersection of storytelling and social change. It creates collaborative and viable projects with funders, corporations, nonprofits and filmmakers that advance positive social impact. Clients include Kering, Hot Docs, Harmony Institute and campaigns for Bully, How To Survive A Plague, The Revolutionary Optimists and strategy for the media platform Map Your World. She has previously held senior positions at Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, AFI as Director of SILVERDOCS, and IFP New York. She works with Doc Society in support of Good Pitch to serve filmmakers and improve opportunities for the documentary community.
Prash Naik
Doc Society Legal Counsel
Many of the Doc Society team were lucky enough to work with Prash Naik at Channel 4 and we are over the moon to be reunited in the defence of brave and bold independent storytellers. Prash is the outgoing General Counsel at Channel 4, where over 23 years he built an impressive reputation for defending free speech, making every storm seem like it was only in a tea cup and sporting an array of very well chosen cashmere sweaters. Congrats to him for winning In-House Lawyer of the Year at the prestigious Lawyer Awards earlier this year. Prash is relocating to Sydney, Australia in October but will continue to advise film-makers across both sides of the world. We beat a very fast path to his door, and are delighted to have secured a slice of his time to be our General Counsel and advise us on our film slate and also the Safe and Secure project, aimed at lowering the legal, physical, psychological and reputational risks taken by independent filmmakers.
Sarah Nicholson
Design Consultant
sarah@involveddesign.com
Sarah is director of Involved, a brand and design agency based in London. Sarah has worked with DocSociety since 2010 across all elements of their brand, including many sub-brands, editorial and web/digital communications. Sarah loves working across a variety of sectors and mediums, on creative projects big or small.
Stu Tily
(CZ)
Technical Director
stu@docsociety.org
Originally from London and now based in Olomouc in the Czech Republic.
Stu looks after the technology for all of Doc Society’s websites.
Mandy Chang
Non-executive Board Member
Mandy Chang is Fremantle’s Global Head of Documentaries, with over 20 years of experience working across multiple genres and platforms as a respected commissioner, Executive Producer, writer and filmmaker.
She joined Fremantle to create a slate of world class international documentaries and series globally. For 4 years she ran legendary BBC global feature doc strand Storyville, commissioning and overseeing acclaimed international feature docs and series, such as Writing with Fire, Collective, Welcome to Chechnya, The Mole: Infiltrating North Korea and Locked In: Breaking the Silence and The Fourth Estate.
Mandy brought her own vision to the much-loved strand, curating a slate of talked about documentaries, extending Storyville’s breadth and diversity and guiding exciting new talent into the industry.
Oliver Rivers
(UK)
Non-executive Board Member
Oliver is a trustee of three charities: Poetry London, the Legal Action Group, and the Britten Pears Foundation. He has an MBA from London Business School, but he did his first degree at the Royal College of Music, and music remains one of his great passions. In his not very extensive spare time he can usually be found at the Wigmore Hall.
Paul van Zyl
Non-executive Board Member
Paul is co-founder of The Conduit Club in London, and co-founder of the International Center for Transitional Justice. Paul grew up in South Africa in the apartheid era and acted as Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Paul’s work focuses on projects at the intersection between social, human rights and media.
Ruby Chen
Non-executive Board Member
Ruby Chen is co-founder and CEO of CNEX in China. Ruby is the executive producer for almost 90 documentaries, and Executive supervisor of Chinese Image Visual Industry and Creation Society. She is also a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
Sameer Padania
Non-executive Board Member
Sameer runs Macroscope London, an independent consultancy supporting new strategies in public-interest journalism, human rights & philanthropy. A former Open Society grantmaker and failed documentary maker, he has worked and consulted since 2001 for leading organisations in these fields on a wide range of journalism, digital media, activism, policy and funding initiatives around the world. His most recent publication, for the Ariadne Network, was An Introduction to Funding Journalism & Media. He is on the Advisory Board of First Draft and had been a trustee of 360Giving.
Tony Tabatznik
Non-executive Board Member
Tony is an entrepreneur and committed philanthropist. He is a member of BRITDOC and is the visionary behind Bertha Foundation whose mission is to create more progressive and just societies with work in three main areas: Media, Human Rights Law and Activist Training.
Anu is the founder and co-director of Skin Deep, a collective that makes space for Black creatives and creatives of colour to work towards justice through cultural production. She has worked across all areas of the organisation – print, online and live events. She is currently developing Skin Deep’s upcoming collaborative documentary on environmental justice. Alongside her work at Skin Deep, she joined Fable Pictures (Wild Rose, Stan & Ollie, Rocks) in January 2017 and works across their slate in development and production. As Associate Director of Rocks (2020), a collaborative film about the joy of sisterhood, Anu worked alongside director Sarah Gavron, co-writers Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson, the cast and creative team.
Dilhani is a recognised development and social change expert who has held a range of senior roles working with charities, government, UN agencies, foundations and corporates in the UK and around the world shaping strategy, investing, and institutional practice. She brings significant knowledge of programming with young people, adolescent girls, and women in the field of governance and livelihoods.
She spent a significant proportion of her career based in East Africa, and since returning to the UK has led a high-profile change agenda as an influencer with government, funders and civil society, to Shift Power to local institutions, reform representation through innovative programmes and investments to cultural and creative institutions in the UK and Africa, and tackle issues of equity and representation in the funding, philanthropic and creative sectors.
During her time in Tanzania, Dilhani led the country’s first at scale pilot scale out of school programme for Adolescent Girls Mabinti Tushike Hatamu with the Government of Tanzania, Restless Development and UNICEF winning global recognition from UNAIDS and the Resolve Award, and later acknowledged at the launch of the Global Goals in 2015 in Barack Obama’s opening speech to the UN ONE and President Obama, Eva's Wish.
Since returning to the UK, she has held a leadership roles at Restless Development and Comic Relief, and advised funders including DFID, USAID, Mastercard Foundation, Sainsbury’s and KPMG on their social impact strategies. She has led sector influencing and advisory into Justine Greening’s (SOS DFID) office resulting in its Youth Strategy and the high profile Global Youth Summit, and major campaigns including Youth Power (2015) culminating action at the launch of the SDGs in 2015.
Now at Comic Relief, Dilhani is overseeing its first steps in influencing including building strategic relationships with influencers of bi-lateral institutions, within government and parliament, and overseeing its first parliamentary reception hosted by Sir Lenny Henry and youth advocates from South Africa. Dilhani has led efforts to shift its storytelling through critical platforms including Africa No Filter a co-investment fund to generate positive narratives about the continent; and Sema Stori an innovative fund investing in emerging film makers in East Africa in factual documentary; and overseen progress on ethics and climate responsibility establishing the organisation’s first ESG strategy. Dilhani has gained recognition for the role she has played during the Covid-19 emergency in advocating for and investing in Black, Asian and Ethnic Minorities in the UK, and working across funders and government to publish recommendations on equality and equity in funding in the UK.
In her spare time, Dilhani is an active yoga, mindfulness and meditation teacher and leads collective care programmes for communities working with trauma.
Fatima is the Co-Executive Director of The Green New Deal UK. She is one of the commissioners on IPPR's Environmental Justice Commission. Fatima is a climate activist and social justice campaigner, and much of her work has been spent campaigning and building solidarity with international movements. She has worked for the global NGO Avaaz, EU citizens movement WeMove.eu and was one of the lead organisers of the People’s Climate March. She has also spent years organising with and supporting the UK Youth Climate Coalition. Fatima has already worked with Doc Society, featuring in the Climate Reframe.
Mathieu Ajan is Founder & Artistic Director, Bounce Cinema. Bounce is a community helping you discover and connect with the world of film. “Through our programme of screenings, talks and workshops, we bring thousands of people together to celebrate cinema. Bounce is an independent organisation and reinvests a percentage of their time and resources into supporting new and emerging talent."
BFI NETWORK Executive, Commissioning Short Films & Early Development Features
Mathieu curated & programmed for: The Tate Modern, Institute Of Contemporary Arts & Aesthetica Short Film Festival.
Mathieu is another young Black organiser who has much greater ambitions to grow Bounce into a national Black screening and mentoring programme.
Peter has spent his professional life defending journalists and the right to freedom of expression around the world. He co-founded and led MediaDefence.org, which provides legal defence to journalists, and he has been at the heart of international campaigns on issues such as the right to information and ending the imprisonment of journalists for defamation. Peter is passionate about leaving the planet in a better state than he found it and he volunteers his time fundraising and providing support for Extinction Rebellion, which he urges you to support - the disruption they cause is nothing compared to what we face when we don’t reverse our destructive habits. In addition to DocSociety, Peter is a trustee of Privacy International, which fights for a world where technology will empower and enable us, not exploit our data for profit and power; and he consults on issues of media law and policy, civil society empowerment and organisational development. When he’s not at his desk he’s probably out running.
Rob Berkeley
Chair of the Board
Award-winning busybody, recovering academic and reformed social reformer, Rob is Lead Organiser of BlkOutUK.com, a community-owned media platform, workspace and collaboration hub for and by Black bi/gay/trans men. He recently completed a stint advising the BBC on accountability and audience engagement. Impatient with injustice and exasperated by wasted potential, he volunteers on the boards of the Baring Foundation, and Doc Society, has previously served on the boards of LGBT rights charity Stonewall, the Equality and Diversity Forum, and been Chair of sexual health organisation, Naz Project (NPL). He was Exec Director of the racial justice think-tank Runnymede Trust (2009-14). Continuing his academic writing on education, social justice and community organising, he was recently appointed Simon Industrial Fellow at the University of Manchester. He has lectured across the UK and beyond, and written for national newspapers on social justice and movement-building. His current fixation on new forms of community ownership, co-production, AI and digital tech and their potential for social justice means that he spends a lot of time on his phone and calls it ‘research’. Dr Berkeley was awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to equality.
Stephen Dunbar-Johnson
Trustee
Stephen Dunbar-Johnson is the President, International of The New York Times Company. Stephen is responsible for the oversight and strategic development of the Times Company’s international businesses. Dunbar-Johnson was appointed President, International for the New York Times Company in October 2013 to lead the global expansion of The Company.
Prior to The Times, Dunbar-Johnson was Publisher of the International Herald Tribune (IHT), a position he assumed in January 2008. Before joining the IHT in 1998, he held various business development roles in the UK, France and the US over twelve years at the Financial Times. He was educated at Worth School and Kent University in the U.K. and has completed an executive management program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the Sulzberger program at the Columbia School of Journalism.
Anurima Bhargava
Chair of the Board
Anurima Bhargava is the Founder and President of Anthem of Us, a strategic advisory firm promoting dignity and justice in the building of our workplaces, schools, and communities. She led federal civil rights enforcement in schools and institutions of higher education at the U.S. Department of Justice during the Obama administration, and previously directed the education practice at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Heather is a Vice President in the San Francisco office of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and leads the organization’s strategy and program development in global philanthropy and systems change. Heather advises funders from the US and other countries on philanthropic strategy. Her approach has been shaped in by two decades of living in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, managing long-term development and humanitarian programs. As Vice President at the Rockefeller Foundation she oversaw portfolios including climate change, health, and employment. She serves on the boards of the Dropbox Foundation, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, Forum for the Future, the Wildlife Justice Commission, and Doc Society.
Katharine Wilkinson
Board Member
Dr. Katharine Wilkinson is an author, strategist, and teacher, working to heal the planet we call home. She is Vice President of Communication & Engagement at the nonprofit Project Drawdown and was the Senior Writer of Drawdown — the New York Times bestseller on climate solutions. Known for her work at the intersection of climate, gender equality, and women’s leadership, Katharine’s TED Talk on the topic has more than 1.5 million views. In 2019, TIME featured her as one of 15 “women who will save the world.” The Boston Globe dubbed her first book, Between God & Green, “a vitally important, even subversive, story” for its exploration of climate change and evangelical Christianity. Katharine speaks, moderates, and facilitates across diverse forums, including National Geographic, Skoll World Forum, and the United Nations. She holds a doctorate in Geography & Environment from Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Twiggy Pucci Garcon
Board Member
As an activist, advocate, and healer, Twiggy has collaborated with artists, filmmakers, academics and policymakers to increase visibility of both creative and sociopolitical agendas. Twiggy served at FACES NY, Inc. as a Recruitment Specialist, Senior Community Health Specialist, and more recently a Program Development Specialist and Community Organizer. With over 10 years of experience in the field of general and specialized health education and direct services, she has extensive knowledge of the needs of the LGBTQ youth population and how to foster relationships with organizations that offer effective quality services.
In their current role as Program Director at the True Colors Fund, Twiggy leads their Youth Collaboration programs and True Impact Summit, aimed at not only elevating youth voices but also creating space for partnerships with young adults to lead the movement to end youth homelessness.
In addition to her activism and advocacy work, Twiggy has worked as a model & runway trainer, performance artist, and special events & talent management coordinator. She and her work have been featured in major media publications and media outlets such as OUT Magazine, PAPER Magazine, NY Mag, The Huffington Post, The METRO Weekly, and The Advocate among others. Twiggy was also a featured subject in Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ and HBO’s documentary feature film, The OUT List and is the co-writer and one of seven subjects in the Sundance-selected, award-winning documentary, KIKI. Twiggy serves as a consultant and choreographer on Ryan Murphy’s hit FX series, POSE. She is also a consulting programmer for Outfest, Newfest, and Outfest Fusion, the Overall Overseer for the Legendary International House of Comme Des Garcon, and the Chief Ambassador for the Center for Black Equity. Twiggy’s continued mission is to elevate the authentic representation of the House|Ballroom Community worldwide.
Vincent is the Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. He oversees CCR's litigation and advocacy work, which includes using international and domestic law to hold corporations and government officials accountable for human rights abuses; challenging racial, gender and LGBT injustice; and combating the illegal detention at Guantanamo, rendition, and torture.
Prior to his tenure at CCR, Vince was a national senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, where he litigated civil rights cases, focusing on affirmative action, racial profiling, and criminal justice reform. Vince was also involved in monitoring South Africa's historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, and worked as a criminal defense attorney for the Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn. He is a graduate of Haverford College and Rutgers School of Law.
Kat is an award-winning human rights lawyer, published author and experienced social change consultant. She has challenged the abuse of power by State bodies and multinational corporations in the court of law and the court of public opinion in countries including the UK, Germany, Colombia, Yemen, Pakistan and the US and regularly appears as an expert commentator on national and international media. Kat also runs a not-for-profit consultancy helping professional and elite athletes use their platform to improve the lives of others. Her clients campaign on issues ranging from the prevention of child abuse in football, to the use of sport to improve social cohesion between refugees and host communities. Kat has a passion for supporting exceptional people who use new and creative ways to make the world a better place, which is why she has found great pleasure and satisfaction working with Doc Society on a range of projects over the last five years.
Yvette J. Alberdingk Thijm
Non-executive Board Member
Yvette is the Executive Director of WITNESS, a global human rights organisation that helps anyone, anywhere to use technology and video to protect and defend human rights. WITNESS collaborates closely with activists to strengthen their use of video and technology to defend the truth, use video stories for advocacy and evidence, and mobilize their communities for change; it advocates to technology companies to ensure that platforms are designed to support human rights users, and it innovates to capture the promise and anticipate the perils of new technologies for a just society. She serves as an advisor/board member for AccessNow, Majal, and Benetech.
We are free to choose who we work with and how we do it. This independence means we always uphold creative, journalistic and personal integrity.
We don’t interfere with the creative process, we support it. We are the friend of the filmmaker and the film always comes first.
We have seen the greatest impact through collaboration. As such, we share what we learn and create best practice with our partners.
We are consciously and constantly evolving – because tomorrow needs new ideas. For us, problems are an opportunity for change.
We take documentaries seriously, but not ourselves.
We love what we do and we want to work with people who feel the same way.
