STAFF

ELLE SHAW

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

Elle is originally from Topeka, Kansas. Elle started acting in pursuit of a deeper understanding of the human condition. Four years ago she made her stage directing debut at the Aquila/Morong studio with Neil Labute’s ‘Some Velvet Morning’ in Los Angeles starring Geoff Stults & Eva Swan. On the heals of ‘Some Velvet Morning’ she partnered with Catherine Waller to produce Catherine’s one woman show ‘The Creeps’, taking it on a festival tour starting in Los Angeles followed by the Edinburgh Fringe, Camden Fringe, Best of Amsterdam Fringe and finished in NYC at the United Solo Festival. The show has had continued success and accolades in NYC and will debut Off-West End in London at the inaugural United Solo Festival September 2020. Her credits include the CBS pilot, The Odds, as well as AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire series and many independent films. She graduated with a B.S in Life Science from Kansas State University. She completed the 2 year Meisner program at the Baron/Brown Studio in Santa Monica. Recent credits include: Wolves, Mars Colony:2060, Touch (directed by Lulu Wang)

ERIN BROWN THOMAS

CO-FOUNDER / ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Erin Brown Thomas is a neurodivergent, theology school dropout turned filmmaker. Over the past decade and a half, she’s directed in almost every genre, carving out a passion for helming sad/haunting comedies and dystopian thrillers.

Erin’s films and pilots have won awards at Oscar-qualifying festivals such as Hollyshorts and Cinequest, as well as top prize at Catalyst Story Institute. Dozens of other festivals have celebrated her work, including Austin Film Festival, Cleveland International, The Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the American Pavilion at Cannes, and Palm Springs ShortFest where she was selected as an Artist in Residence. Erin was also a 2020 finalist for Shondaland’s Women in Film Mentorship program through SeriesFest. Erin’s haunting aerial dance YouTube channel Versatile Assassins has ninety-five-thousand subscribers.

As a writer, Erin has developed a slate of features and pilots which have advanced in dozens of contests and programs, including Ron Howard’s Imagine Impact, Sundance New Voices, Sundance Development Track, Scriptapolooza, ScreenCraft Comedy, Atlanta Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, BlueCat, and ISA Fast Track. Her feature “The Body of Chris” is trending on Coverfly’s Red List and is a semifinalist for The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Nicholl Fellowship.

In Erin’s (not-so-distant) former life, she cut films for other talented filmmakers, including Emmy-winners Richard Shepard, Lena Dunham, Jenni Konner, and Elisabeth Moss.

LAUREN REID

 DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING

Lauren Reid Brown is a 35 year veteran teacher from Ohio. Shortly after retirement she got involved with film festivals by attending many that her daughter’s films played in around the country. Her enjoyment of that led to volunteering at several including the Oscar qualifying Cleveland International. Lauren became a screener for Salute Your Shorts inaugural festival in 2017 and is now Programming Director.  She enjoys the creativity and heart of independent filmmaking. Lauren also has worked on numerous movie sets in a variety of capacities eventually becoming a Producer. Her latest work, HUMAN, which was shot in her mountain town of Salida, Colorado premiered in 2020 and continues to soar on the festival circuit.

BECKY MURDOCH

CO-FOUNDER

Becky Murdoch hails from Detroit, Michigan. During college she dove head-first into a decade-long career in music which brought her to Nashville, and ultimately Los Angeles. It was there that she attended her first film festival which prompted her transition into film producing and volunteering/working at festivals in the Los Angeles area. 

Meanwhile, while working at Epiphany Space in Hollywood, Becky single-handedly pioneered their live-events productions branch, creating hundreds of opportunities for artists of all kinds to showcase their work and bringing a personal touch to what can be a very impersonal city.

Her backgrounds in music, film, and live events coalesced when she co-founded the Salute Your Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood, CA and is an emeritus festival director. 

VINCENT DELUCA

PROGRAMMER /  DIRECTOR OF INDUSTRY OUTREACH

Vincent DeLuca is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has made films on a variety of pressing global topics. His work has screened at festivals worldwide, including Austin Film Festival, Big Sky, MountainFilm, Rhode Island, and Slamdance, and has been employed by non-profit and global organizations to cultivate deeper understanding around critical humanitarian issues. Brand clients include ABC, JetBlue and Verizon. Vincent has a law degree and a Masters in Latin American politics from Duke University as well as a PhD from the University of Amsterdam’s School for Cultural Analysis on the history and philosophy of political cinema. Vincent is a lecturer in Film Production at Loyola Marymount University.

JILLIAN CORSIE

PROGRAMMER

Jillian Corsie is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and branded content director whose work has been featured on Huffington Post, Refinery29, ABC News, and ABC's 2020. Working across documentary, commercial, and branded content, Jillian’s has worked with brands like Apple, Gatorade, Airbnb, Uniqlo, and Lexus, among others. Alongside commercial content, she continues to hone her storytelling skills by directing and editing documentary work with a big impact. Her debut feature documentary, Trichster, sold out screenings at film festivals across the US, and has been viewed by over 160 countries on VOD. Her latest documentary, Second Assault, awarded her “Best Director,” two “Audience Choice Awards”, and “Best Crowdfunded Film” from the Sidewalk Film Festival and has played at more than 20 film festivals globally. Until 2018, Jillian worked as the lead editor at TBWA/Chiat/Day cutting commercial and branded content, and recently finished editing a 6 part docuseries directed by Peter Stormare. Jillian is dedicated to telling stories that shine a light on difficult subjects as well as showcase strong female role models on screen.

KATHERINE TOLENTINO

PROGRAMMER

Katherine Tolentino is a Chinese-Salvadoran filmmaker from the San Francisco Bay Area. Her short films have played at Cinequest Film Festival, Sarasota Film Festival, and IFF Boston, among others. Her short "Ahora que te has ido" won Best Latino Short Film at the Central American International Film Festival in LA. She has worked for major studios including HBO, NBCUniversal, ABC, TNT and FOX. She's drawn to stories that reclaim the narratives & experiences of women of color and other marginalized groups.

NAKORN CHAISRI

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Nakorn is a Thai filmmaker based in Bangkok. He holds a Master's in Film and Television from Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles. He has contributed as a screening committee to festivals including AFI Docs, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and a Shorts Programmer Associate for AFI Fest.