CV

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

September 2018 –
Independent Nonfiction Producer/Director & Media Educator

August 2023 –
Adjunct Instructor, Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, KY)

September 2023 –
Adjunct Instructor, Nossi College of Art & Design (Madison, TN)

June 2020 – June 2021
Research Assistant Specialist, University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)

July 2021 – August 2021
Health and Safety Compliance Monitor, Apple, Emancipation (New Orleans, LA)

May 2021 – June 2021
Health and Safety Testing Coordinator, A24, Causeway (New Orleans, LA)

March 2020 – June 2020 
Graduate Student Researcher, University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)

September 2018 – January 2020
Teaching Assistant, University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)

January 2013 – September 2018
Productions Manager, Media Arts Center San Diego (San Diego, CA)

January 2013 – September 2018
Program Manager, Media Arts Center San Diego (San Diego, CA)

April 2011 – September 2018
Multimedia Journalist, Speak City Heights (San Diego, CA)

August 2017 – September 2018
Marketing & Branding Chair, City Heights Economic Development Collaborative (San Diego, CA)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

August 2023 –
Adjunct Instructor, Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, KY)
School of Media & Communication, Film Department
Courses: Introduction to Film Genres

September 2023 –
Adjunct Instructor, Nossi College of Art & Design (Madison, TN)
Video and Film Program
Courses: Audio Techniques

September 2018 – January 2020
Teaching Assistant, University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
Department of Film and Digital Media & Art Department
Courses: American Film, 1930-1960; Introduction to Television Studies;
A History of Animation; 2D Foundation

February 2023 – May 2023
Teaching Artist, HOLA Lakeway (Morristown, TN)
Program: Morristown Voices

April 2011 – September 2018
Teaching Artist, Digital Gym, Media Arts Center San Diego (San Diego, CA)
Programs: Teen Producers Project; Youth Media & Technology Camp; One on One
Media & Technology Support; Video Editing Workshops; Internships

EDUCATION

June 2020 Master of Fine Arts, Social Documentation
University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)

  • Thesis: Far From Kawthoolei (documentary short film), refugees from Burma sustain Karen culture and unity in the US
  • Certificate: Teaching for Equity
  • Course: Pedagogy in Film and Digital Media

June 2011 Bachelor of Science Media Arts, Digital Video Production
Platt College of San Diego (San Diego, CA)

  • Thesis: These Days (narrative short film), an ambitious creative comes into conflict with an apathetic writing partner

FILM/VIDEO EXHIBITIONS & DISTRIBUTION

Morristown Voices (documentary short film: producer, editor)

2024 NECAT Network/Music City Arts (Nashville, TN)

2023 Rose Center (Morristown, TN)

2023 Walters State Community College (Morristown, TN)

Far From Kawthoolei (documentary short film: producer, director, photographer, editor)

2022 KPBS/KPBS2 (San Diego, CA)

2022 PBS Video App/Film Consortium TV (Remote)

2021 San Diego International Film Festival/Film Consortium (San Diego, CA / Remote)

2020 San Diego Asian Film Festival (San Diego, CA / Remote)

2020 UCSC 2020 Social Documentation Online Screening (Santa Cruz, CA / Remote)

2020 UCSC Digital Arts and New Media Open Studios (Santa Cruz, CA / Remote)

Speak City Heights (news/documentary shorts series: producer, director, photographer, editor)

2011-2018 KPBS (San Diego, CA)

2011-2015 Voice of San Diego (San Diego, CA)

2012-2016 iTV/Community Access TV (San Diego, CA)

2015 Copley-Price Family YMCA (San Diego, CA)

2015 Scripps City Heights Wellness Center (San Diego, CA)

2012 Hoover High School (San Diego, CA)

Land & Freedom: Talking Food Systems (interactive documentary: producer, director, co-photographer, editor)

2017 Food Futures, On the Road with California Humanities (Remote)

2015 Frontera Filmmakers at San Diego Latino Film Festival (San Diego, CA)

2015 America’s Finest Film Fest (San Diego, CA)

2015 San Diego Film Awards (San Diego, CA)

2015 Real Food Film Library (Remote)

2015 Wittenberg University (Springfield, OH)

2014 AS220 (Providence, RI)

2014 Encuentro 5 (Boston, MA)

2014 Renew Richmond/William Byrd Community House (Richmond, VA)

2014 Indy Food Council/Indianapolis Worker Justice Center (Indianapolis, IN)

2014 Dayton International Peace Museum (Dayton, OH)

2014 Chase Public (Cincinnati, OH)

2014 Growing Communities Conference, Peace Resource Center (San Diego, CA)

2014 WorldBeat Cultural Center (San Diego, CA)

2014 Mt. Hope Community Garden (San Diego, CA)

2014 Food Day/Linda Vista Library (San Diego, CA)

2014 Digital Gym Cinema (San Diego, CA)

2014 San Diego Fall Film Festival (San Diego, CA)

These Days (narrative short film: co-director, co-photographer, editor)

2011 Platt College (San Diego, CA)

Visions to Victory: A People’s History of the SR-15 Freeway
(commissioned documentary short film: director, co-photographer, editor)

2019 San Diego American Planning Association, Caltrans (San Diego, CA)

2018 Reelhouse (Remote)

2018 CenterLine Grand Opening Block Party (San Diego, CA)

2018 City Heights Community Development Corporation (San Diego, CA)

Recipes for Respect (commissioned documentary video shorts series: director, co-photographer, co-editor)

2024 Centro Cultural de la Raza (San Diego, CA)

Creative City Heights (commissioned documentary short film: producer, director)

2018 Mingei International Museum (San Diego, CA)

Pulse of Life: Activating Healthy Communities (documentary video shorts series: producer, director)

2017 Fresh Cinema at Digital Gym Cinema (San Diego, CA)

VISITING ARTIST, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, & PRESENTATIONS

2020 Interview with B. Ruby Rich, Far From Kawthoolei, University of California, Santa Cruz (Remote)

2020 Interview with Lee Ann Kim, Far From Kawthoolei, San Diego Asian Film Festival (San Diego, CA / Remote)

2020 Interview with Maureen Harrison, Far From Kawthoolei, University of California, Santa Cruz Arts Division (Remote)

2017 Panel, Placemaking in San Diego, Digital Gym (San Diego, CA)

2015 Talk & Exhibit, Land & Freedom: Talking Food Systems, Southwestern College (Chula Vista, CA)

2014 Talk & Exhibit, Land & Freedom: Talking Food Systems, Arroyo Paseo Charter High School (San Diego, CA)

2014 Talk & Exhibit, Land & Freedom: Talking Food SystemsKing Chavez Community High School (San Diego, CA)

2014 Panel & Exhibit, Land & Freedom: Talking Food Systems, DC Fair Food (Washington, DC)

2014 Talk & Exhibit, Land & Freedom: Talking Food SystemsAFL-CIO/Global Labor Film Festival Organizers Conference (Washington, DC)

DISTINCTIONS

2022-2023 Humanities Documentary Development Fellowship, ITVS & National Endowment for the Humanities

2021 Reel South | Reel Digital 3.0 Cohort, SCETV Reel South & LPB (Baton Rouge, LA)

2019 Blum Scholar, Center on Poverty, Social Enterprise and Participatory Governance, University of California, Santa Cruz

2019 Social Documentation Fellowship, University of California, Santa Cruz

2019 Graduate Student Association Research Fellowship, University of California, Santa Cruz

2019 Excellence Award, California American Planning Association, Visions to Victory: A People’s History of the SR-15 Freeway

2014 Community Services Award, San Diego Society of Professional Journalists, Second Opinion

CURATION, EVENT MANAGEMENT, & COLLABORATION

2019 Tech Support, Poetics and Politics Symposium, Center for Documentary Arts and Research, University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)

2018 Co-Manager, Little Saigon Stories (San Diego, CA)

2012-2018 Tech Support, San Diego Latino Film Festival (San Diego, CA)

2011-2018 Tech Support, Digital Gym Cinema (San Diego, CA)

2017 Manager/Co-Programmer, Fresh Cinema, Science on Screen (San Diego, CA)

2017 Manager/Co-Programmer, Digital Gym on the Boulevard (San Diego, CA)

2016 Manager/Programmer, Bike In Cinema (San Diego, CA)

2013-2015 Manager/Programmer, Workers Film Festival (San Diego, CA)

SELECTED PUBLIC MEDIA PUBLICATIONS

2022 Battle Over Buses (video), LPB, Louisiana: The State We’re In (Baton Rouge, LA)

2018 Jewelry, Coffee and Women Empowerment At City Heights Boutique (video), KPBS (San Diego, CA)

2017 Residents Organize to Stay in their Neighborhood (video), Speak City Heights (San Diego, CA)

2016 Interpreter Training Aims to Lift Burden Off Children, Friends at the Doctor’s Office (video), KPBS (San Diego, CA)

2015 Food Waste Activists Serve Vegetarian Meals at City Heights Park (video), KPBS (San Diego, CA)

2014 San Diego has Fallen Behind on Combating Police Racial Profiling (video), KPBS (San Diego, CA)

2013 Second Opinion (episodic video series), KPBS (San Diego, CA)

2012 Sex Ed After Hours: CORE Brings Condoms and Hip Hop to Hoover (video), KPBS (San Diego, CA)

2011 Low-Income Shoppers Thrive at City Heights Farmers Market (video), KPBS (San Diego, CA)

GRANTS & FUNDRAISING

2022 Author, Neighborhood Story Project, Humanities Tennessee, Morristown Voices, HOLA Lakeway

2022 Author, Arts Build Communities, Tennessee Arts Commission, Morristown Voices, HOLA Lakeway

2016-2018 Co-Author, The California Endowment, Speak City Heights, Media Arts Center San Diego

2017 Commissioned, Creative City Heights, Mingei International Museum, Media Arts Center San Diego

2017 Co-Author, JUMP StArts, California Arts Council, Second Chance, Media Arts Center San Diego

2016 Co-Author, Kaiser Permanente, Pulse of Live, Media Arts Center San Diego

2014 Co-Author, Kaiser Permanente, Land & Freedom: Talking Food Systems, Media Arts Center San Diego

2013 Author, Humanities for All, California Humanities, Land & Freedom: Talking Food Systems, Media Arts Center San Diego

2012 Commissioned, Environmental Health Coalition, Creating Healthy Neighborhoods, Media Arts Center San Diego

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

2022 Neighborhood Story Project Facilitation Training, Humanities Tennessee, Nashville, TN

2021 Safe Sets™️ COVID-19 (Level A) Certificate, Safe Sets International

2021 Learning to Teach Online, University of New South Wales, Sydney

2018 The Nonprofit Academy, University of San Diego (CA)

2018 Oral History Workshop, San Diego History Center (CA)

2016 Media Relations Training, RALLY, Los Angeles, CA

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

International Documentary Association, Southern Labor Studies Association

TEACHING & RESEARCH INTERESTS

Nonfiction filmmaking and digital media arts practice; Labor movement and workers rights; Participatory public art, placemaking, and craft production; Social and democratic inclusion