OVERVIEW Born and raised in Kenya, East Africa, I am a writer, filmmaker, educator, and arts administrator whose work explores connections across and between cultures and people. I have extensive on-set experience and am most interested in creative development in educational, nonprofit, and corporate environments, and in models of intentional independent filmmaking that are sustainable outside the mainstream industry.
BOOK +Chasing the Panther: Adventures & Misadventures of a Cinematic Life (HarperCollins 2023)In 1959, Carolyn Pfeiffer, a twenty year-old woman from the American South, books a one-way passage to Europe. In Rome, she’s hired as the assistant to Claudia Cardinale, with whom she works on Fellini’s 8 ½, Visconti’s The Leopard, and Blake Edwards' The Pink Panther. In 1964, Carolyn moves to Paris, where she befriends the filmmakers of the French New Wave, works as a development executive for megastar Alain Delon and as assistant to Omar Sharif—a position that includes ten months in Spain for the production of Doctor Zhivago. Finally, in 1967, Carolyn moves to London where, against significant odds, she launches her own PR firm and works with Tennessee Williams, the Beatles, and a host of other movers and shakers from the era.
FILM +Before Anyone Else (narrative short to be released in 2023; writer & producer; directed by Japanese auteur Tetsuya Mariko (Destruction Babies, From Miyamoto to You) and photographed by Yasuyuki Sasaki (Rysuke Hamaguchi’s Asako I & II), funded by Roji Inc. and Coyote Sun Productions): two twenty-something orphans living on the fringes of society find a child abandoned in a car and disagree on what to do.
+Confessions (documentary feature to be released in 2023; director): in the vein of Machines (2016) and Leviathan (2012), Confessions is a contemplative, immersive meditation on Milan, Italy, and on the individual as a part of, and apart from, the city.
+Mayday (documentary/narrative hybrid feature; 2021; co-creator & co-producer; funded by Amazon Japan): May 2020 as experienced in 22 locations, 14 countries, and 5 continents. As the pandemic envelops the globe and imprisons people within their homes, Mayday is a reminder of the one thing that continues to connect us all: food.
+Coyote (narrative short; 2020; writer, funded by Cinema Fighters): starring Japanese “idol” Ryota Katayose, Coyote explores the devastating collapse of a cross-cultural, long-distance relationship.
+The Ningyo (pilot; 2017; writer): directed by fx master Miguel Ortega (whose work appears in, among others, Thor and The Twilight Saga), The Ningyo is an Indiana Jones-style adventure set in the world of cryptozoology.
+A Song Still Inside (narrative feature; 2013; writer, director; world premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival; Best Cinematography Award at 2013 GenART; distributed by Candy Factory Films): selected as one of six films into the 2013 US In Progress post-production program in Wroclaw, Poland, ASSI explores evolving gender dynamics in the nuclear family.
+Thokozani (narrative feature; 2010; co-writer, director; opening night film at the Malawi International Film Festival): shot in Malawi, Thokozani tells the story of a young couple caught between tradition and so-called modernity.
+Melvin (narrative feature; 2010; co-producer; invited to the Gotham (then IFP) Filmmaker Labs in New York City): Melvin is a fever dream road trip that explores the madness and motivations of a young man intent on destruction.
+The World in a Box (narrative short; 2006; writer and director): a man is perplexed by the depth and range of human emotions contained within his television.
+My Electric Bill (narrative short; 2006; producer): an unpaid electric bill leads to chaos.
+My Job, Mine (narrative short; 2004; producer; premiered at 2004 South By Southwest Film Festival): competition for a promotion escalates into all out war.
Below the Line Credits+Lighting Over The Beyond (2023; English subtitles; premiered at the 2022 Tokyo International Film Festival)+Identified (comedy short; 2020; creative development): featuring comedy duo Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo, Identified is a heartbreaking, knee-slapping glimpse into the lives of two Latina comedians navigating Chicago’s entertainment industry.+The Overbrook Brothers (narrative feature; still photographer; 2009; premiered at the 2009 South By Southwest Film Festival)+Elvis & Anabelle (2007, Weinstein Co, 2nd unit producer; premiered at South By Southwest)+National Lampoon’s Stoned Age (2007, assistant to the producer; premiered at Slamdance)+The Cassidy Kids (2006, assistant to the executive producer)+The Quiet (2005, Sony Pictures Classics, assistant to the producer; premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival)+The Return (2006, casting assistant) +Infamous (2006, casting assistant) +Sin City (2005, casting assistant) +Bad News Bears (2005, casting assistant)+Spy Kids 3D: Game Over (2003, casting assistant)
COMMISSIONED SCREENPLAYS +Runup (2023; for Roji Inc; estimated budget: $1.5MM): an intercultural marriage is on the brink of divorce when the couple’s child goes missing. +White (2023, for MBC Studios; estimated budget: $5MM): a sheltered teenager from a rural Saudi village is swept into the international drug trade. +Untitled Vincent Chin Project (2020; for Full Spectrum Features): inspired by Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, which revisits the Columbine shootings, this script uses fiction to explore the xenophobic, racial, and gendered forces at play in the horrific 1982 murder of Vincent Chin. +The Testament of Miryam (2018; for Plot Point One Productions; estimated budget $2MM): a young immigrant is lured into a shady medical experiment overseen by a depraved politician.
TEACHING & MENTORSHIP +Pennsylvania State University (2012 - 2014): lecturer in the film and African Studies departments to classes ranging from 20 to 70 students. Courses included: +Advanced Screenwriting: in this course, students conceived, outlined, and completed the first draft of an original feature-length script. +Producing: in this course, students were asked to reverse engineer an existing short film, to recreate the script, budget, and necessary production documents. They were then tasked with preparing the necessary elements for their own short films. +Africa in Cinema: this course explored a variety of representations of Africa and Africans in cinema while touching on important issues pertaining to historical as well as modern day Africa. Further, it explored the enormous power of cinema in shaping ideology, culture, and history. +Facets Cinematheque (2017): I taught 3-week summer film camps to youth aged 7-14, in which campers wrote, produced, and presented their own short films. +Arizona State University Center for Film, Media, and Popular Culture (2009): I worked with ASU faculty and graduate students to explore the viability of translating academic research into documentary film.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE +Across & Between Co. (owner, 2021 - present) Through Across & Between, I develop film and writing projects that explore connections across and between cultures and people. One aspect of this is a feature film initiative endeavoring to establish a producer-centered model of intentionally independent filmmaking through the production and distribution of high-concept, micro-budget films. +Full Spectrum Features (director of artist programs, 2019 - 2022) In overseeing the organization’s artist programs as well as its creative development, I designed, implemented and ran an innovative, filmmaker-centered fiscal sponsorship program, which grew to include over thirty projects. I also co-founded and ran the Chicago Independent Producers Lab. With funding from the N.I.A. and the City of Chicago, and with workshop leaders including Mollye Asher (Nomadland) and Josh Penn (Beasts of the Southern Wild), CIPL served as a vital professional accelerator and project incubator for the city’s promising filmmakers. I also oversaw the creative development internship, which, apart from developing projects for production, encouraged interns to develop their own work. This was my favorite part of the position as it allowed me to mentor many ambitious screenwriters and filmmakers. +Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) Chicago (executive director, 2018 - 2019) I managed every aspect of the organization including budgeting, board communications & management, membership, the internship program, grant writing, communications, marketing, and donor cultivation. I also produced dozens of panels, screenings, networking events, and craft-focused programs. In addition, I produced the 25th annual Chicago Underground Film Festival, a project of IFP Chicago, and the 4th Annual Pitch at Industry Days, a partnership with the Chicago International Film Festival. +University of Chicago Center for International Studies, Administrator (2015 - 2017) In addition to managing the center’s administrative logistics, I oversaw, reconciled, and maintained budgets for multiple endowments and accounts. I also provided administrative support to faculty, graduate students, visiting scholars, & academic units. Finally, I managed budgeting and event logistics for numerous panels and speaker events. +GGC Media (owner, 2009 - 2017) Through GGC media, I provided media consulting and production services to clients including academic departments, locally-owned businesses, and assorted media companies, including Serial Podcast. +Pennsylvania State University World In Conversation Project (director of communications; 2010 - 2012) In overseeing the organization’s communications, I wrote, produced and edited video content for the website and social media. I also curated and shot facilitated conversations between students from differing backgrounds. I also spearheaded the organization name change and developed and implemented an identity revamp, including a new website, logo, and mission statement. +Burnt Orange Productions (director of development, 2005 - 2007) As director of development, I oversaw all script and story development, shouldered extensive pre-production, production and postproduction responsibilities on The Quiet, The Cassidy Kids, National Lampoon’s Stoned Age, and Elvis & Anabelle. Finally, I recruited, hired, trained and oversaw office, marketing, and creative development interns+Beth Sepko Casting (2005)Assisted Emmy-nominated casting director Beth Sepko in all aspects of casting. +Austin Film Society (executive administrator, 2002 - 2005) In addition to managing the administrative logistics of AFS’ bustling office and serving as assistant to the executive director, I played central roles in the organization’s marquee artist programs. For the 2003 and 2004 Texas Film Awards as well as for the Dazed and Confused 10 Year Anniversary, I managed talent travel, lodging, and transportation. For the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund, I served as program coordinator, which included tracking all applications, hosting a visiting professional jury, and managing communications with grantees. As editor of Persistence of Vision, the Journal of the Austin Film Community, I wrote articles and assigned stories to a team of freelance writers and photographers, and I oversaw printing, production, and physical distribution.
SERVICE +I regularly serve on film festival juries, including multiple editions of the Academy-qualifying Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. +I am also a regular reviewer for the flagship artist grant program administered by the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
ODDS & ENDS +Among other publications, my writing has been featured in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Filmmaker Magazine, and kontakt Magazine. +My ongoing art project, streettreasure, begun in 2017, is an extensive catalog of found objects. Taken together, the collection presents an intimate portrait of the East Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago’s south side.
EDUCATION Marquette University, Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1997 - 2001 +Through a grant from the National Security Education Program, I was awarded a David L. Boren Fellowship and spent one semester (spring 2001) at the Universidade de Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, Brazil and another (fall 2001) at the Universidade Federal da Bahia in Salvador, Brazil. +Through Marquette’s Les Aspin Center for Government in Washington, DC, I did a semester-long internship (fall 1999) in the office of US Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI)
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ggc@acrossandbetween.com