From Deck To Domain

Olivia Klaus is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who passionately believes in the power of visual stories to create positive social change. Her work has been seen on various networks like CNN, Discovery, MTV and The History Channel. Sin by Silence, her directorial debut in 2009, went on to win numerous film festival and advocacy awards, and highlighted by People Magazine, NPR, HLN, and The Insider before being broadcasted on Investigation Discovery to over 3 million viewers. The film went on to inspire unprecedented legislation in California based on the documentary to improve the paths to freedom for nearly 7,000 currently incarcerated domestic violence victims who have spent decades behind bars. In 2014, she premiered her second film Life After Manson at the Tribeca Film Festival and an excerpt was featured on the prestigious New York Times Op-Docs series. Her producer/consultant credits include the Netflix Original Lessons from a School Shooting, the 2016 Sundance film Newtown, 2020 Sundance film Us Kids, and the Emmy-nominated Brave Miss World. She is currently the Creative Director at Orange Static – a multimedia agency specializing in design and websites for documentaries.

As a filmmaker and media producer with experience in academia and nonprofits, Cassandra Nicholson is dedicated to creating meaningful, high-quality content that serves as both an educational tool and a community service. Cassandra is a writer, producer, and director. She wrote the short film Dark Dignity and also wrote and directed I Could Today, and The Will of Zenia. Cassandra is also Director of Partnerships and Outreach at ShotDeck. ShotDeck is the largest library of fully searchable high-definition movie images in the world, a great resource for those who study, analyze, and create visual storytelling, from filmmakers and film students to designers and cinematographers seeking inspiration and reference material.

Cinder Chou is a Taiwanese American writer, director, and producer based in NYC. She creates original queer genre stories told through a comedic lens. Her work often blends genres to reflect intersectional identity. Chou’s debut feature film, Artist Unknown, is available to stream on Tubi and to rent on Amazon.

Born and raised in South Africa, writer and director Jean Barker creates genre stories rooted in identity, history, and dark humor. Her debut feature, Nobody Leaves ’til Jesus Comes, premiered at Dances With Films LA in 2024. She is also the creator of the Afro-futurist graphic novel Zana: Book One and is currently developing multiple film and literary projects.

Jeffrey Elizabeth Copeland is a writer and comedian based in New York City. Her work has been featured at the American Black Film Festival, UCB, The Big Apple Film Festival, and The Brooklyn Comedy Collective. An inaugural SNL/PIT Scholarship recipient, she regularly performs stand-up at the Harlem Comedy Club.

Jenny Mackenzie is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work explores social issues and inspires change. Her films have premiered at Sundance, aired on HBO, Hulu, PBS, and Amazon, and earned Emmy recognition while receiving coverage in The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. She is an assistant professor of film production at Utah Valley University.