"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
Doc Society,
50 Frith St,
London, W1D 4SQ
Doc Society,
20 Jay Street, Suite 1008,
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Ayan Yusuf
Production Manager
ayan@docsociety.org
As Production Manager, Ayan works on the planning and delivery of Doc Society projects including flagship Good Pitch events in Europe and the US, Impact Labs as well as the Impact Award.
Before joining the Doc Society team in London, Ayan worked with several independent documentary production companies in Norway including, Sant & Usant, Fuglene and Piraya Film.
Beadie Finzi
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.
Hazel Falck
Doc Academy Coordinator
hazel@docsociety.org
Isabel Shapiro
Good Pitch Producer
isabel@docsociety.org
As Good Pitch Producer Isabel plans and delivers Doc Society's flagship Good Pitch events in Europe and the US. She also works across the Good Pitch2 Global Program, supporting current and potential Good Pitch2 teams.
Before joining the foundation Isabel worked at the British Film Institute, the London Film Festival and as a researcher for documentary company GA&A Productions in Rome. Isabel completed her Masters at Cambridge University in 2012 with a thesis on performance and ethics in contemporary British documentary.
Jessica Edwards
Director of Impact & Partnerships
jessica@docsociety.org
After many years as a collaborator, we are thrilled that Jessica Edwards is finally joining us full time in the London office as Director of Impact & Partnerships. With expertise bringing the worlds of creative media and non-profits, she has deep experience of working with film impact as a strategist on films such as ‘Unrest’ (premiering at Sundance 2017) and 'He Named Me Malala’, an extensive background as a documentary and factual television producer as well as having lead a number of high-profile projects with prominent NGOs.
Jess Search
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.
Jo Harding
Doc Academy Manager
jo@docsociety.org
Jo has over 10 years experience delivering schools & youth campaigns and programmes.
Previously, Jo has worked in West Africa for Raleigh International, has worked with some of east and south London’s most deprived schools delivering The Prince’s Trust’s school based programme and most recently has spent over 6 years working for Comic Relief, project managing the delivery of their schools and youth campaigns and leading the partnership strategy for those audiences.
Jo was also an active member of a local free school application group, aiming to ensure if a free school was opened it would be accessible to all members of the community. The application was successful and the school opens in September 2015.
Karen Fairholm
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.
Lynn Nwokorie
Film Officer
lynn@docsociety.org
Nicole van Schaik
Deputy Director
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.
Oliver Rivers
Managing Director
oliver@docsociety.org
Oliver is Doc Society’s Managing Director. He 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.
Sandra Whipham
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.
Aida Mbowa
Outreach Director
aida@docsociety.org
Aida Mbowa is a Ugandan multidisciplinary performance artist, historian, and budding impact producer who was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. In June 2013, Aida attained a dual PhD in Drama and Humanities from Stanford University in California. She then became the Artistic Director of Maisha Garden in Uganda, the multidisciplinary arts space for Maisha Film Lab founded by filmmaker Mira Nair. A lover of the arts, Aida seeks to build partnerships and support meaningful, impact-driven creative work. Aida joins the Doc Society London office to be the Outreach Director for Good Pitch Europe 2017, having just wrapped up work as the Outreach Director for Good Pitch2 Kenya, working with Docubox: The East African Documentary Film Fund.
James Franklin
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 20 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 system Assemble.me and has produced the design behind many of Doc Society’s films.
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.
Stu Tily
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.
Jaad Asante
Project Coordinator
jaad@docsociety.org
Jaad Asante is joining the team as a Project Coordinator and will be focused on Doc Society’s new program Good Pitch Local, supporting the US team in the planning and delivery of local editions across the states as it roll out in 2018.
She is a lover of all things non-fiction and enjoys working alongside exceptional storytellers. She recently completed her MFA at Temple University’s Film and Media Arts program and her thesis film, How They Sway, premiered this summer at BlackStar Film Festival.
Marjon Javadi
Film & Partnerships Executive
marjon@docsociety.org
Marjon Javadi joined us right at the end of December and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to the New York office. She brings a wealth of experience from her background in production, development and acquisitions. Following her tenure with the documentary team at Netflix Originals, Marjon worked as an independent producer as well as a consultant for IFP and Animal Kingdom Films. She previously worked in development for producer Scott Rudin, in film finance and sales at Creative Artists Agency, and for directors Morgan Spurlock and Ross Kauffman.
Maxyne Franklin
Foundation 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, BRITDOC Inc. Since there she has been deepening relationships with partners and working with our talented collective of US based filmmakers.
Patricia Finneran
Good Pitch Local Producer
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 BRITDOC in support of Good Pitch to serve filmmakers and improve opportunities for the documentary community.
Shannon Thomas
Office Manager
shannon@docsociety.org
Shannon Thomas is the Jay Street office manager. Before Doc Society, Shannon worked with the Brooklyn Arts Council, KentPresents Ideas Festival, and the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. She is a graduate of Bard College and holds a Masters in Arts Administration & Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths.
Alba Jaramillo
Good Pitch Local Producer
alba@docsociety.org
Alba engages with local consultants and communities to deliver Good Pitch Local events across the US. Before joining Doc Society, she worked on films such as the Oscar-nominated Cartel Land (2015) and on the outreach campaigns for The Hunting Ground and Escape Fire. She is currently the associate producer for Emmy award-winning director Lee Hirsch's upcoming feature about education reform in the US. Alba holds an MFA from SUNY Buffalo where she taught courses on film and immigration studies.
For over 20 years, Bruni has worked at the intersection of arts and culture and human rights as a festival director and curator, a media educator, creative producer and social media strategist. She is currently a Senior Consultant for Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, expanding and deepening its international engagement. She is a mentor and partner with the Greenhouse Documentary Initiative for MENA filmmakers, a consultant with Chiledoc and a senior program advisor for the Middle East Festival Now. From 1991 to 2008 Bruni was the director of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. . Bruni is the co-writer and associate producer of Beyond My Grandfather Allende, which won best documentary at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Dasha Lisitsina
Podcast Producer
dasha@docsociety.org
Dasha Lisitsina is a radio producer and journalist currently working on a climate change podcast for Doc Society. Previously, she worked at On the Media, NPR, in New York. She has also freelanced for the The Guardian, Latino USA and the BBC World Service Arts Hour.
Sandi DuBowski
Outreach Director
Sandi has been the Outreach Director for Good Pitch North America since 2009. He is also a busy filmmaker; the Director/Producer of Trembling Before G-d, Producer of A Jihad for Love, and Co-producer of Budrus. His award-winning work has screened at Sundance, Berlin, Toronto and 200+ festivals, has aired on BBC, PBS, ZDF-Arte, and been funded by 60+ foundations. Sandi turns movies into movements and launched filmsthatchangetheworld.com to engage people through global events. He is directing a new Sundance-funded film about Amichai Lau-Lavie, a 21st century spiritual innovator for our skeptical, secular, digital generation.
John is a Fellow of London Business School where he has been teaching and developing courses since 1985, whilst starting up and running two technology businesses, a consultancy and a venture capital company.
Mark Cridge
Non-executive Board Member
Mark is a digital communications expert who founded the UK’s first digital advertising agency, Glue London. He originally studied architecture, where he learned to shape and communicate creative ideas. He is currently a member of the Green Party National Executive.
Rob Berkeley
Non-executive Board Member
Award-winning busybody, recovering academic and reformed social reformer, Rob currently plies his trade advising the BBC on accountability. Impatient with injustice and exasperated by wasted potential, he volunteers on the boards of Baring Foundation, and Britdoc Foundation, has previously served on the boards of Stonewall, Equality and Diversity Forum and the Oxford Access Scheme, and been Chair of Naz Project (NPL) and BGMAG. He was Director of the Runnymede Trust 2009-14, and now leads the editorial team of community journalism platform, BlackoutUK.com. Alongside his academic writing on education, social justice and community organizing, he has presented and co-produced short form documentaries, and written for The Guardian and The Independent on racial justice. His current obsession with innovations in media technology and their potential for progressive change means that he watches a lot of TV/film and calls it ‘research’. Dr Berkeley was awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to equality.
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.
Angela Seay
Chair of the Board
As chair of the BRITDOC Charitable Trust, Angela brings years of experience in nonprofits in Europe and North America, with a focus on grant-making institutions and policy NGOs. She also worked in policy development, strategic planning and legislation in the US Federal Government.
In May 2016 Stephan Chambers took up the post of inaugural director of the Marshall Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Stephan is the co-founder of the Skoll World Forum and prior to Marshall was chair of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Director of International Strategy at Oxford’s Saїd Business School, and Senior Research Fellow at Lincoln College Oxford. Currently He sits on the advisory board of Princeton University Press and is a director of the Dartington Trust, the University of the People, and the Dragon School. He wrote a regular Entrepreneurship column for the Financial Times. In 2014 he was special advisor to Larry Brilliant and Jeff Skoll at the Skoll Global Threats Fund in California. He teaches entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, venture capital, and entrepreneurial finance.
William is an entrepreneur and philanthropist with a distinguished record of support for the arts and literature. In 1992, he founded the Forward Prizes for Poetry and in 1994, National Poetry Day. Since September 2015, he has been chairman of the Board of Trustees at Somerset House.For many years he was a member of the Arts Council and Chairman of its Lottery Committee. He is currently Chairman of the Arts Foundation and StreetSmart, a charity supporting the homeless through donations from restaurant diners each Christmas. William is the founder and Chairman of Forward Thinking and a trustee of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. William is a published author and a regular broadcaster. His most recent book is Winning Words, an inspirational poetry anthology published by Faber and Faber.
William chaired and authored ‘An Independent Review of E-Lending in Public Libraries in England’ published by Department of Culture, Media and Sport, 2013 and was subsequently commissioned to report on Public Library services in England. The ‘Independent Library report for England’ was published by DCMS in Dec 2014.
Alex Grashow
Chair of Inc. Board
Alex is a business adaptation expert, speaker, author, moderator and confidential adviser. He is a Senior Adviser and a lead moderator for the Clinton Global Initiative and the co-author of The Practice of Adaptive Leadership (Harvard Business Press) and Leadership in a Permanent Crisis (HBR). He is the child of two public servants, a proud father and practicing artist.
Anurima Bhargava is a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University. From 2010-2016, she served as the Chief of the Educational Opportunities Section of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. She led the Division’s efforts to provide equal educational opportunities for all students by enforcing federal statutes that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, sex, language status, religion and disability in schools and institutions of higher education. Through litigation, guidance and policy, the Division addresses a broad range of issues, including school segregation; school discipline and the school to prison pipeline; harassment and bullying; sexual assault; and protecting educational access and services for English Learner, LGBTQ and undocumented students. She has served on numerous task forces and working groups, including the White House Task Force to Prevent Campus Sexual Assault and the Supportive School Discipline Initiative.
Prior to joining the DOJ in 2010, Ms. Bhargava served as the Director of the Education Practice at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where she was actively engaged in litigation and advocacy to expand educational access and opportunities for students of color. She previously worked at the New York City Department of Education and clerked in the Southern District of New York.
Ms. Bhargava earned her law degree from Columbia Law School and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; a Truman National Security Fellow; produced and regularly consults on films; and has both chaired and served on numerous boards. She was born and raised on the south side of Chicago.
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. In his current role as Associate Program Director at the True Colors Fund, Twiggy leads their Youth Collaboration programs, aimed at not only elevating youth voices but also creating space for partnerships with young adults to lead the movement to end youth homelessness. Twiggy co-wrote one of seven subjects in the Sundance-selected, award-winning documentary, KIKI, which paints an intimate portrait of the underground kiki ballroom community in NYC, and continues to elevate the authentic representation of the House|Ballroom Community worldwide.
Vincent Warren is the Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. He oversees CCR's groundbreaking 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 expansion of U.S. presidential power and policies such as 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.
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.
