Meet our smashing lineup of experienced female powerhouses.
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Alicia Eastes, Co-President
Alicia Eastes is an editor, screenwriter, producer, and documentary filmmaker who’s lived and worked in the Austin Indie Film scene since completing her B.S. in RTF at the University of Texas in 2006. She’s edited commercial work, TV shows, music videos, informational videos, documentary films, short films, and more. Alicia shifted over to her true artistic passion in storytelling when she completed her MFA in Screenwriting at her Alma Mater, UT RTF. After an internship at Detour in 2015 during post production of Everybody Wants Some, she apprenticed under Karen Bernstein, Louis Black, and Susanne Mason on the American Masters documentary feature, Linklater: Dream is Destiny. She’s worked in radio production for NPR with Two Guys on Your Head, alongside her producing mentor, Rebecca McInroy. Her first feature documentary project, Liminal Space, is in early production with her mentor for founding Women in Film, Betty Buckley, as Creative Producer. Three of her feature screenplay drafts have placed in contests in Austin and New Orleans, and her short environmental documentary, Groundwater, won third place in the 2017 Water Texas Film Festival. |
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Elizabeth V. Newman, Co-President
Elizabeth V. Newman is a native New Yorker who has directed and produced critically-acclaimed theatre and film projects in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Austin. She graduated with honors from Yale University with dual B.A. degrees in History of Art and Theater Studies. She earned her M.F.A. in Film Production at Boston University. Her film directing credits include the feature film, Child of Light, as well as numerous short films. Her feature script, Shattering, was included in IFP's Emerging Narrative (IFP Independent Film Week); her short script, In Cold Pursuit, was a Second Rounder at The Austin Film Festival. Her stage directing credits include the Austin, Los Angeles/West Coast and/or World Premieres of: 100 PLANES by Lila Rose Kaplan (World Premiere, Austin/West Coast Premiere, LA); A DELICATE SHIP by Anna Ziegler (Austin Premiere); TRIO by Sheila Cowley (World Premiere, Austin); ANY NIGHT by Daniel Arnold & Medina Hahn (West Coast Premiere & Austin Premiere - nominated for four B. Iden Payne Awards, including Outstanding Direction of a Drama); BODY OF WORK by Christine Hoang (World Premiere, Austin); MOCHA by Eleanor Burgess (World Premiere, Austin). She is a member of Directors Lab: North, a directing lab based in Toronto, and has twice served as a panelist at The Austin Film Festival. She is founding co-president of Women In Film and Television Austin. She is the producing Artistic Director of The Filigree Theatre, the critically-acclaimed, Austin-based theatre company. She is also the founder of EVN Productions, an independent production company with the goal of creating innovative projects through championing new voices and emerging talent in film and theatre. |
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Kristin Benitez, Vice President
Kristin Benitez is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and television production manager. She's been "sweating the details" since she was 8 years old, when she took over all research, planning, and logistics for her family’s summer vacations! Since then, Kristin has produced several noted documentaries with premieres at festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, and Galway Film Fleadh. Kristin has also served as a project manager in a variety of settings, producing for film, television, and the Web, coordinating social media outreach, national events, websites, and nonprofit programs. Her work mentoring young people in the media arts in Austin, New York, and Chicago reflects her dedication to empowerment through technology and community storytelling. She holds a BFA in Film and Television Production from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and an MA in Mass Communication from The Documentary Institute at the University of Florida. |
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Sonia Anguiano, Treasurer
Sonia Anguiano is a line producer and production manager dedicated to bringing innovative ideas to life from concept to delivery. Her 20+ years of experience includes a track record of successful projects such as commercials and corporate videos for Fortune 500 companies, TV content for Animal Planet, PBS and Longhorn Network, and award-winning documentaries and PSAs. Sonia is currently Head of Production and Operations at Castleview, a video agency. |
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Teresa Y. Roberson, Secretary
Author, spoken word poet, and producer of The Austin Writers Roulette (2012-2019), Teresa Y. Roberson writes based on her survival skills honed through teaching and traveling globally, cooking and eating ethnic food, doing yoga and dancing, and challenging society’s preconceived ideas about minority women. Her latest adventure is bringing her podcast, CBD & Poetry, to life. |
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Samantha Rae Lopez, Community Partnerships Co-Chair
Former producer Samantha Rae Lopez is a stand-up comedian, storyteller, and podcaster. She is part of the Tejanas in Film collective, volunteers annually as a reviewer for the AFS Grant, and is a screener for various film festivals. The films she has produced and production managed have been selected for various film festivals across the U.S including Seattle International Film Festival, Hollyshorts, Lone Star Film Festival, Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, among others. Samantha previously worked on the staff of various arts nonprofits including Austin Film Festival, Latinitas, and San Anto Cultural Arts. Recently moving into the tech sector, she is now a digital media marketer specializing in social media strategy and content production supporting brands such as Target, Best Buy, Timex and Brooks Brothers. Samantha is on the cast of Critics on Tap, a podcast from creatives/comedians discussing new films, drinks in hand, and is the host of the upcoming show, The Creative’s Potluck Podcast launching in October 2020. While she can't perform in public venues at this time because *gestures broadly*, she can be seen at various virtual shows across the internet. Samantha is currently exploring satire and personal essay writing while she is sequestered in her apartment with her dog, Buster Baxter. She holds a BS in Film Production from Full Sail University with a focus on assistant directing and production management. |
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Chloé Carcamo, Development Co-Chair
Chloé Carcamo is a creative committed to harnessing the powerful tools of film, arts, and entertainment to curate spaces and create community dialogue. With a background in film & media communications and a Masters in Cinema Studies from NYU, Chloé concentrates her efforts in non-profit work. She currently works at the Austin Film Society in Events, Studio Rentals, and Marketing, and is an Associate Producer for the yearly Fusebox Festival. Prior to her work at AFS, Chloé served as the Director of Operations at Esquina Tango where she shared her love of dance connection and cultural education. She brings her planning and fundraising skills to WIFT Austin in her role of Development Co-Chair. |
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Dana Collins, Development Co-Chair
Dana Collins is a Kansas City native with over 15 years of experience in the entertainment industry. She started out her venture into film in 2005 by interning with Wright/Laird Casting on the feature film Lenexa, 1 Mile. She worked on two other features as a Production Assistant, Sugar Creek and Meet Bill, and as a Production Assistant at KSHB-TV (NBC), before landing a full-time gig with Allied Integrated Marketing. During her 8.5 years at Allied, Dana honed her advertising and marketing skills as she developed publicity, promotional, and grassroots campaigns for both large and indie studio clients, including Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Fox Searchlight, and A24 Films. In 2015, she joined the Marketing department of Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas headquarters here in Austin, TX, where she helped run national social media accounts, collaborated with cross-functional teams to execute national marketing and promotional campaigns across all 41 theaters, and project managed a high volume of campaigns with competing deadlines and goals. Dana was laid off this year due to the impact of COVID-19, and is currently volunteering with the League of Women Voters Texas Communications team. |
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Kelly Coffee, Events Co-Chair
A native Texan, Kelly Coffee is an independent writer and producer who started her film career as a writer for a comedy sketch pilot. Since then, she has produced short films and a few music videos for independent music artists which led to her screenwriting an independently released feature comedy film. Currently, she is in development for a feature comedy drama she screen wrote and plans to produce. In conjunction with a short documentary, she has recently moved into producing and hosting a series of podcasts. |
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Marisa Mirabal, Events Co-Chair
Marisa Mirabal is a native Texan with a passion for film and business. Her specialties as an account executive at The Austin Chronicle include consultative B2B sales, marketing, client management, and business development. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic who provides film festival coverage during Fantastic Fest, SXSW, Austin Film Festival, MondoCon, and Texas Frightmare Weekend. In 2020, Marisa was inducted into the Austin Film Critics Association. Marisa's editorial, interviews, and film reviews have been published by Birth.Movies.Death., /Film, Collider, The Austin Chronicle, Eater Austin, and Fangoria. In 2019, she served on the Documentary Jury for the Austin Asian American Film Festival. Marisa is also a co-host on Black Magic Coven, an all-female podcast that covers horror films, folklore, and true crime. |
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Ali Bills, Marketing Co-Chair
Ali Bills is an eight generation Texan with a love for fashion and film. She attended Savannah College of Art and Design for Fashion and Business, and moved back to Austin to follow her dream of starting her own fashion business. While working toward starting her own business, she discovered a passion for volunteering and raising awareness for good causes. Over the years Ali has dabbled in multiple industries applying a passion for social media, marketing, and charitable actions. She has been on the board of The ARC of the Arts, Junior League of Austin, Young Women’s Alliance, and worked with the Women’s Symphony League in helping them increase community awareness and raising money through social media and events. |
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Chiara McCarty, Marketing Co-Chair
Chiara (Russi) McCarty is an actress with a strong desire to tell stories that inspire, that open people's minds to different perspectives, that give hope, that shine a light in dark places, and that give a voice to the voiceless. Chiara received extensive training in Los Angeles, attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in Hollywood, and the Theatre Academy at Los Angeles City College (LACC), a three year acting conservatory focused in theatre, where she earned a Certificate of Acting in Theatre. She studied at Crash Acting Studio for five years under the guidance of Benjamin Mathes, who has transformed her work by helping her create from a more truthful and vulnerable place. She has booked dozens of film and theatre roles, and is currently represented by Erin Franklin at Agence Talent. Chiara is also Director of Free Listening for Urban Confessional: A Free Listening Project, a grassroots movement determined to challenge the status quo and whose mission is to spread the message of non-judgmental, compassionate listening to the world. As Director of Free Listening, she is in charge of organizing all volunteers, as well as creating email and social media marketing materials for the movement. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from UCLA. She moved to Austin in 2018 with her loving and incredibly supportive husband. She believes there is great power in storytelling. |
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Heather Mansfield Jernigan, Membership Co-Chair
Heather Mansfield Jernigan is a television developer and corporate video producer. She cut her teeth in LA working on high profile series like Dr. Phil, The Doctors, and Storage Wars. She also has extensive experience in TV development and has sold series to Animal Planet, TLC, A&E, and others. She is currently a Senior Producer and Head of Unscripted at Castleview, a video agency. |
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Lynsey Tamsen Jones, Membership Co-Chair
Lynsey Tamsen Jones is an Emmy Award winning documentary producer. Originally from northern California, she now calls Austin home. She came here to be a part of the vibrant local film community and currently works for Bat Bridge Entertainment. Her producing credits include CNN’s High Profits, Showtime’s Disgraced, CNN’s The Radical Story of Patty Hearst, and HBO’s The Scheme. For labor-of-love projects she is particularly interested in how the power of documentary can help shape our relationship with the natural environment. |
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Laura Annalora, Programs Co-Chair
Wearing hats as diverse as Freelance Producer, Development Consultant and Talent Manager, Laura Annalora has almost two decades of film and television experience, and her work has aired on multiple platforms in over 170 countries. Annalora has a sixth sense for developing original content that sells. She currently runs her own production company, Queens’ Suite, working with clients like Harper Collins and WebMD to create commercial and branded content. She also freelances as Head of Production for Cannon Lady Pictures, a new independent production company producing scripted and unscripted content. Prior to that, Annalora was at Bat Bridge Entertainment. There she managed a team of development producers and oversaw exclusive network development deals that produced original content seen in 100 million U.S. homes, with two billion viewers digitally. Her strong guidance as Head of Development at Bat Bridge Entertainment led to the successful creation of the Emmy-nominated series, High Profits for CNN, and then went on to develop the Emmy-winning documentary, Disgraced, for SHOWTIME. Prior to Bat Bridge, she was Director of Global Development & Production for National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild, working with over 150 production companies and agencies worldwide to develop original content. Annalora fielded, reviewed, and green-lit innovative TV pilots, one-offs, and series. During her stint as Development Producer and Consultant in Washington, D.C. Annalora made global impact by advancing unique content for independent production companies worldwide, and pitched and sold original ideas to networks, digital platforms, and corporate clients with budgets ranging from $50k-$750k per hour. Annalora takes a hands-on approach working with field crews, editors and pitch executives to transition ideas into compelling pitch packages. She is accomplished at sourcing strong on-camera talent and crafting pitches for concepts that have included Emmy and Gemini award-winning documentaries, as well as BANFF World Television Award winners. Her unscripted programs have been picked up by major cable networks including National Geographic Channel, CNN, and Showtime. Annalora brings a fresh perspective and creative ingenuity to quality entertainment. |
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Teresa Seale, Programs Co-Chair
Teresa Seale is a freelance filmmaker as well as a classically trained actor with a BA and an MA in the field. Her credits behind-the-scenes span the indie film scene with Texas features such a Doonby to documentary work like Terrence Malick's Voyage of Time to national docu-reality shows like My 600-lb Life and Skin Tight. Because of her attention to detail and unwavering dedication to each project, Teresa is regularly called upon to work in the indie scene most often as an AD, script supervisor, or producer, and is doing increasing amounts of work as a writer and director. In addition to her behind-the-scenes work, Teresa has studied acting both on stage and on camera, and has starred in features such as Child of Light, directed by Elizabeth Newman, as well as played a principal role on Travel Channel’s UFO: The Lost Evidence, among other credits. Teresa's craft focuses on relaxation and being truly present in the moment of the scene. |
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Erica Deiparine-Sugars, AFS Liaison
Erica Deiparine-Sugars works with independent media makers and media arts communities expressly to support diverse voices and stories. She has held senior roles in national media arts organizations including ITVS, an award-winning funder and co-producer of independent documentaries based in San Francisco. She is currently the Director of Programs for the Austin Film Society where she oversees filmmaker grants and artist development programs, as well as Austin Public, the city’s community media center. Erica has served on grant panels and film juries for organizations such as the NEA, IDA, SXSW, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), New Orleans FF, Big Sky FF, and Milwaukee FF. |