SYRA MCCARTHY
(she/they)
mccarthy.syra@gmail.com
EXTROVERT. CHASER OF BUTTERFLIES.
Syra (sigh-ruh) is a Filipino/ Kiwi and the co-founder of Soft Hold Collective. A director as well as an actor, she has been working on both sides of the camera since she was 10. Gravitating towards surrealism, smart comedy and paying subtle homages to different film styles through her work. She simply wants to make good things with good people. Syra believes she may have invented the sport of dance running.
Commercials | Music Videos | Narrative
alba roland mejia
(she/her)
albarolandmejia@gmail.com
MOTIVATED. ASSERTIVE. DILIGENT.
Alba Roland Mejia is a recent MFA graduate of SFSU with a focus in Directing Narrative. Alba's work focuses on the African diaspora and strives to capture the true essence of storytelling by pulling from real life experiences.She specializes in drama and gravitates towards a blend of neorealism & arthouse. Alba is also a 1st generation American.
Narrative | Music Videos
olivia merrion
(she/her)
olivia.merrion@gmail.com
Olivia is a nonfiction filmmaker who works on both commercial and independent projects. Her most recent film, Quilt Fever, was a 2020 SXSW Official Selection and called "a joy-bomb" by The New York Times. She specializes in conducting interviews and working in small teams. Olivia is a Gold Award Girl Scout.
Commercial | Documentary | Short Films
KaTH TOLENTINO
(she/her)
go4kath@gmail.com
BOLD. BRAINY. BOBA.
Kath's specialty is spinning super complex topics, like quantum computing, robotics, and green energy, into tasty, bingeable content for non-nerdy audiences. Since 2020, she's been creating branded docs for Google, Meta, Expedia, and other big tech brands as an in-house Creative at Across the Pond. She runs on pho.
Documentary | Commercial | Narrative
STaci degagne
stacidegagne@gmail.com
HYPER-FOCUSED. DAYDREAMER.
Staci creates colorful worlds, and is drawn to offbeat characters and moods. She has direct experience in many production roles and appreciates how each department contributes to the final piece. She gravitates towards magical surrealism and loves to tap dance.
Commercial | Narrative | Documentary | Music Videos | Editorial
TASHA van zandt
contact@natashavanzandt.com
ADVENTURER. EXPLORER.
Tasha specializes in documentary and adventure-driven films. She loves the opportunity to expand her perspective and amplify voices in front of the lens, working towards creating impact and change. She has directed projects traveling across all seven continents.
Commercial | Documentary
Editorial | Travel
Chelsea Christer
(she/her)
chelsea.christer@gmail.com
DRIVEN. PASSIONATE. FUN.
As both a documentary filmmaker and narrative director, Chelsea’s work in each discipline focuses on deeply human stories; character studies that show moments of growth, reflections on identity, and the sacrifice that can come with following a dream. Her longtime collaboration with musicians influences many of the stories she is inspired to tell. She’s had blue hair since 2008. What can she say? It's her natural hair color.
Documentary | Narrative | Music Video
Linda Mai Green
(she/her)
lindamaigreen@gmail.com
WORDY. WORLDLY SWIRLY WORLDBUILDER
Linda creates dark dream worlds that tell the stories of previously overlooked people. As a biracial Vietnamese and 5th-generation Californian, she is currently developing films that focus on the diverse immigrant cultures and turbulent history of her home state.She dreams in English, French, and German.
Narrative | Commercial| Branded Doc| Music Video
LaTajh Weaver
(they/ them)
LaTajhasw@gmail.com
PLAYFUL. DIRECT. ODD.
LaTajh Weaver is a screenwriter and director born and raised in Oakland, CA. Focused on telling stories of Nostalgia, feeling othered and all the quirks within. They also owned an ice cream company for a year.
Narrative | Music Vid | Commercial
molly ratterman
(she/her)
mkratermann@gmail.com
ADVENTUROUS. CURIOUS. ACTIVATED.
Molly Ratermann grew up a tomboy, traditionally shirtless, in the countryside of the San Francisco Bay Area. Known for heartfelt, quirky takes on dark topics, she has focused on telling stories involving mental health, historically inspired stories, and examining what it means to be female. She strives to create fun and adventurous films - both in the journey of creating the project, and in the viewing experience. She's got one tiny hand like Nemo the fish, and despite dedication to the craft of fishing - has only caught one fish in the span of two years.
Narrative | (Open to) Commercial | Documentary | Music Videos
Cheryl Isaacson
(she/her)
director.c.isaacson@gmail.com
KIND. CURIOUS. LIGHTNING CHASER.
Cheryl crafts brand stories and fictional worlds that feel true, joyful and often darkly funny. She loves the shared art of filmmaking and is on a quest for essence in character and moment. She’s the aunt you come out to.
Commercial | Narrative | Documentary
Chelsi de Cuba
(she/her)
chelsidecuba@gmail.com
RESOURCEFUL. EARTH CHILD.
Chelsi is interested in creating films that inspire change in how we interact with the world around us. She especially loves projects where she can delve into the multi-faceted human experience and our relationship to earth. Her most recent documentary Plant Heist was an official selection at SXSW 2021. She is currently in research and development for her next documentary while working on commercial projects in the Bay Area and beyond. She has a new found addiction to surfing and dreams of being barreled one day.
Documentary | Commercial
osinache ibe
(she/her)
osinachiibe@outlook.com
INSPIRED. RESOURCEFUL. INTUITIVE.
Osinachi Ibe is a Nigerian-American filmmaker and artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She creates intimate, feminine portraits that meditate on the complexities of the spirit, heart, and the divine. Her work is expressive and incorporates elements of narrative and experimental cinema.
Narrative | Experimental| Fashion | Editorial
GABY SCOTT
(she/her)
gabycscott@gmail.com
WATERWOMAN. DRIVEN. HUNGRY.
As a documentary filmmaker, Gaby finds the stories in the everyday. She focuses on people who are all, 100%, completely in –from athletes and foodies, to butchers, surfers, and anglers. Her narratives are sound-driven, sensory and poetically considered. She dug a hole in her backyard to smoke the best homemade pastrami this side of the Rockies. If you see her surfing Ocean Beach, say hi.
Doc | Commercial | Shorts | Brand
AMANDA BEANE
(she/her)
towncompass@gmail.com
VISUAL. GENUINE. INQUISITIVE.
Amanda gets to the core of stories where the personal intersects with the universal. There she weaves imagery into action to invoke emotions. Amanda recognizes that film is a team sport. She leads in a way that supports the cast and crew in performing at their full potential. Her decade-plus as a production designer informs and strengthens her role now as a director. She is detail oriented, with a honed eye and grande scope. Amanda once directed an award-winning film with a 100% female crew.
Commercial | Music Video | Editorial
ashley batz
(she/her)
hello@ashleybatz.com
EMPOWERING. EMPATHIC. EAGER.
Born just outside of San Francisco, Ashley grew up with a strong connection to her Italian heritage and a deep drive for self-expression. Her approach to image making is rooted in the belief that everyone should feel celebrated in this world. She also has an extensive background in athleticism, from over 15 years playing softball and dance, she inevitably incorporates movement into her process. She performed at the Super Bowl with Beyonce, Bruno Mars, and Coldplay.
Commercial | Editorial | Celebrity | Branded
Kimber-Lee Alston
(she/her)
kimberleelalston@gmail.com
DREAMY AND STRATEGIC.
In her creative work, Kimber-Lee's goal is to partner with brands and artists to open doors between this aforementioned world of beautiful imagination and life. Blurring the lines between dreams and reality, so that people can feel more comfortable with the unexplored magical parts of themselves and the world.
Music Video | Commercial
Aurora Brachman
(she/her)
ahbdocs@gmail.com
PATIENT. OBSERVANT. LYRICAL.
Aurora Brachman is a Queer mixed-race Black and South Asian woman and an award-winning documentary director and producer. Through patient and poetic storytelling her films explore narratives of intimate relationships within families and communities. Her work has been acquired by The New Yorker, The New York Times and POV. Aurora primarily makes work about the experiences of Black, brown, and Queer people and is committed to collaborative and ethical storytelling. she used to live in the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati.
Documentary | Commercial |Branded
Megan Brooks
(she/her)
meganmeld@gmail.com
GENTLE. CURIOUS. OUTLAW.
Megan loves classic literature, star trek and motorcycles. Her filmmaking style is bold and unique using music, imagery and story to evoke emotions and connect with her audience. Megan is working towards directing feature films. She is a card carrying member of the SF moped gang Creatures of the Loin.
Narrative | Music Video | Commercial
Lindsay Gauthier
(she/they)
Dancerleonie@gmail.comW
CURIOUS. DEDICATED. DREAMER.
Lindsay is a professional dancer turned filmmaker. She won her first Emmy for directing in 2023. A lover of experimental film and science fiction, she believes in the power of cinema to change hearts and minds and subsequently transform the world. She is also addicted to the collaborative experience of working on set with creative people no matter what the role. In her spare time, Lindsay loves to manipulate analogue video signals and is a sporadic generator of absurd dance moves.
Experimental | Branded | Narrative | Documentary | Dance
Morgan Gruer
(she/her)
morgan@morgangruer.com
PLAYFUL.PASSIONATE.DETERMINED
Morgan is a multidisciplinary Director and Creative Director whose bold, expressive storytelling celebrates the beauty of human imperfection. Drawing on her background in design, animation, and painting, Morgan fuses digital and analog formats to express tender, human stories through dynamic and innovative techniques. Morgan is also a triplet.
Commercial | Music Video | Film
Deidre Locklear
(she/they)
deilocklear@gmail.com
PLAYFUL. HONEST. DREAMY.
Deidre is driven to creating moving content, with a focus in uplifting artists & makers with commercial content, honest and moving documentary, and experimental media. Her style is whimsical, soft, filled with full bodied contrast and sometimes a slight 2 dimensionality. She see's light as a painting tool, and the world as a canvas. She is currently working towards leaving a positive impact on the world. They pride themselves in being able to clap perfectly on beat.
Doc | Commercial | Experimental
