Short Doc Workshop

Vince Chandler is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer in Denver. A documentary cinematographer, he made his feature length debut with the 2021 film "Running With My Girls," which premiered as the People's Choice at the 2021 Denver Film Festival. He creates digital collateral for political candidates and ballot campaigns across the country and works daily as an artist with an activist mindset. His ongoing projects push for the realization of more progressive possibilities. His current film project Truth Rising, and still photo portrait project, Greetings From Fracked Colorado, highlight the seen and felt impacts of climate change accelerated by oil and gas operations in the Front Range.

Andy Grant is always exploring new ways to create and tell interesting stories. He has worked in television and video production for over a decade, including long form and short form documentary work for broadcast as well as new media. He has worked for several production companies, including Driftwood Productions in State College, Pa., and WNED-TV Buffalo/Toronto. He is currently a Producer/Director at WPSU in State College, Pa. Andy graduated from Penn State in 2005 with a degree in telecommunications.

Shadé Olasimbo graduated from Penn State in 2012 with a degree in broadcast journalism, as a member of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism, with minors in sociology and theatre; and also has a master’s degree from the University of Miami in community and social change. After graduation, Shadé worked at WPSU as a producer/editor in the sports department, earning two Emmy nominations for her work on the Penn State football and men’s basketball coaches TV shows. She’s also spent time at the University of Miami athletics department, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the NeuroLeadership Institute in producer, editor, and videographer roles. Currently, she’s a senior producer at HubSpot and owns and operates her own freelance production company Atlanta. In her spare time you’ll find her enjoying music, sports, theatre, food and Marvel/MCU content.

Mark Stitzer is an award-winning director of photography and Steadicam operator. A 2002 graduate of Penn State’s film program, Mark has been working in television and film production in just about every major crew role from grip, to audio, to Steadicam and directing. Because of this diverse experience range and skill set, he has been called the “Swiss Army Knife of filmmaking. His work ranges from commercials and shorts to feature length independent films and documentaries. In 2014 he earned an Emmy award for his work as the director of photography on the nationally aired PBS documentary “Water Blues Green Solutions.”

Nick Weiss is a documentarian who moved to Los Angeles after Penn State to start his career as a freelance filmmaker. After shooting and editing on a wide variety of projects from music videos and narrative short films to sketch comedy, influencer videos and a feature doc, he decided to focus more on his passion of social justice filmmaking following the BLM protests in 2020. Together with his partner, Jillian, they founded PhareLight Docs: a nonfiction filmmaking company dedicated to making a difference through storytelling. Currently, Nick is in the process of moving PhareLight to Philadelphia, where they hope to grow the PhareLight brand and build a community of like-minded filmmakers.

Dejanae Gibson is a forward-thinking producer currently spearheading the development of premium documentary films and various series at TIME Studios, the renowned film and television studio associated with TIME Magazine. Prior to her role at TIME, she served as an associate producer at HGTV, where she contributed to hit shows and franchises like We Bought a Funeral Home, Lil Jon Wants To Do What?, Fixer to Fabulous, Help! I Wrecked My House, My Lottery Dream Home, Ugliest House in America, and more. In 2021, she was also honored as a Thriver Under 30 by CableFax's Diversity List.