The Picture Motion team has grown, adding fantastic new folks to expand our connection to the impact community and evolve our work across our new campaigns. We are thrilled to introduce you to our new impact producers! Read on to find out a little more about them and the campaigns they are currently working on.
We are still hiring for a few open positions — check them out at the end of this newsletter. Are you or someone you know the perfect fit for one of our open roles?
Best,
Team PicMo
Sheryl Gauntlett Jadrosich is our Senior Project Manager based in NJ who keeps our campaigns on track to create impact, she’s the steam that keeps us moving forward!
What brought you to Picture Motion: The opportunity to share impactful stories from creators and activists, continuously educate myself and others about social issues, challenge myself in my work, and grow in my professional career.
Tell us about a campaign you are working on right now: I am project managing the impact campaign for LFG, a documentary following the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. The film highlights how the fight for equal pay is an integral part of women’s fight for gender equity and that valuing women’s time, talent, and contributions must start at an early age. Through strategic partnerships, amplifying existing movements, and audience engagement, the LFG campaign aims to drive awareness, understanding, and collective action around the gender pay gap and increased compliance with Title IX.
Right now, the focus of our work is producing the grassroots screening tour and connecting educational institutions, women and girls sports groups, as well as law and policy facilitators to use the film as a teaching tool to continue to push for equal rights.
What’s your favorite recent film or TV show: I watch a lot of TV, too much to name here, but would love to highlight Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology film/TV series on Amazon Prime as a thoughtful and honest depiction of West Indian immigrants in London between the 1960s-1980s. It’s rare to see my heritage displayed on a mainstream platform, and in such an honorable way.
Can you share a fun fact about you: I trained in ballet for 9 years at The Princeton Ballet School and performed in the American Repertory Ballet Company’s The Nutcracker for 5 years as a soldier.
Say hello to Sheryl: sheryl@picturemotion.com
Jessica Estelle Huggins has come onboard as our Campaign & Grassroots Partnerships Manager to facilitate grassroots screenings, act as a community connector, activate audiences, and push for progressive change. She is based in Boston, MA!
What brought you to Picture Motion: I was looking for a full-time role that would allow me to use both my creative and ‘art-ivist’ abilities to connect under-resourced communities to powerful media that can help push for progressive change. At the end of the summer, I was finishing my work as the Program & Impact Consultant at The Redford Center and came across this role!
Tell us about a campaign that you are organizing around right now: I am working on National Geographic’s latest documentary film, FAUCI which is centered around Dr. Fauci and his impactful career in the medical field. We are developing robust partnerships with organizations that can use the film in their ongoing work. We are also activating students, communities, and organizations working in public health, health equity, and STEM around the film by setting up screening opportunities, curating a discussion guide, and organizing a day of service inspired by the film — allowing audiences to explore what it means to commit to a life of public service. The film premiered yesterday on Disney+!
Do you have a hobby you’ve been especially into right now: Since summer 2020, I became a #veggieplantmama. I have been growing tomatoes and bell peppers. My Grandma taught me and it’s been a sweet hobby that has brought us closer together. She has already given me a list of veggies that I can grow in the winter!
You have a podcast! Tell us more: On Juneteenth 2021, I launched my podcast, Black Women Shine. This 10-part series highlights the contributions of 10 Black women in Boston that have been doing incredible work within the arts, civic engagement, and mental health fields. As the winner of the inaugural New England Film Star, the project is sponsored by NewEnglandFilm.com and Women In Film & Video: New England. Originally, the series was supposed to be a docuseries. However, I pivoted the medium due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Say hello to Jess: jessica@picturemotion.com
Morgan Alston is our new Impact Experiences Manager, serving as our expert on all things events-based. She’s based in Los Angeles and produces fantastic, meaningful experiences whether they be virtual or in-person.
What brought you to Picture Motion: After spending all of my professional career in tech, I was adamant about pursuing a career path that was more aligned with my personal passions and interests. I’m thrilled to be able to take everything I’ve learned over the years around events management strategy and execution and apply them to this new role at PicMo. This company is the perfect intersection of entertainment and social justice/impact and it’s simply a dream come true!
Tell us about an event that you are currently producing: I am leading the production of a specialized screening event this coming Monday, Oct 11th, around the HBO series Exterminate All The Brutes, a four-part hybrid docuseries that digs deep into the exploitative and genocidal aspects of European colonialism — from America to Africa and its impact on society today. This impact experience will include a virtual screening and curated panel discussion that includes Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of An Indigenous People’s History of the United States, Mobolaji Olambiwonnu, director of Ferguson Rises and The Visit, and will be moderated by experts and educators Dina Gilio-Whitaker and Joely Proudfit. Through this event, we are aiming to connect this dynamic series with schools, native and Jewish groups as well as engage students, educators, and communities to inspire thought on the history of colonialism and racism and its effects today. If you’d like to attend the event you may RSVP here!
Is there an upcoming film you’re looking forward to seeing: Really looking forward to seeing Dune! Timothee and Zendaya are my favorites. I also loved Arrival, also directed by Denis Villeneuve – so this Trifecta should definitely deliver!
Do you have a favorite recipe or snack? Anything and everything peanut butter. I’m reluctant to admit how innovative I’ve been with incorporating PB into as many recipes as I can….. will share them when perfected 🙂
Say hello to Morgan: morgan@picturemotion.com
- October 11th is International Day of the Girl. Watch LFG on HBO Max or host a private screening and join the movement for gender equity.
- Donate to CORE x Protect the Sacred’s campaign to provide hygiene kits to support and protect Navajo Nation communities throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
- The Price of Freedom has traveled nationwide to organizations, campuses, and communities. Encourage dialogue around common-sense gun reform in your local community or join with one of the film’s national advocacy partners to demand life-saving legislative change.
- It was recently National Voter Registration Day – but it’s never too late to become civically engaged! Take action today by registering to vote, finding info about elections, and more.
- Join the Born Perfect Movement to ban conversion therapy.
- American Veteran will premiere on October 26th on PBS – add your voice to the conversation by posting a photo of an “Object of your Veteran Experience” on social media, using #AmericanVeteranPBS.
- Sign up to host a free screening of American Veteran for your community.
- Are you a creator who has not had the opportunity to create an original work for a network or streamer? Apply to the HBO Max X WarnerMedia Access Animated Shorts Program which provides artists with WarnerMedia’s tools, instruction, mentorship, and resources to create original animated short films for adult audiences. The deadline is Oct 24th!
- 2 past PicMo films won Emmy awards in the category of News & Documentary! The Story of Plastic was honored with an Emmy for Outstanding Writing and Athlete A was awarded the Emmy for Investigative Journalism.
- 26 marquee and grassroots screenings and discussions of The Price of Freedom.
- 13 million social media followers reached after George Takei hosted a screening of The Price of Freedom for his foundation, onePULSE, and spread the word on social about watching the film on CNN.
- Over 1,000 individuals attended the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ virtual screening of The Way Home, as part of their annual conference.
- 17 educators, Jewish organizations, and churches across the country have signed up to take part in our educational impact campaign to host a learning experience for nearly 1,000 students and community members utilizing the USC Shoah Foundation’s IWitness educational platform and accompanying educational materials to use in tandem with the unprecedented documentary, Final Account.
- 500 people attended the American Veteran virtual screening + storytelling activation hosted by Minority Veterans of America on the 10th anniversary of the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. You can watch the event recording here!
- 100 classrooms and organizations RSVP’d for the Exterminate All The Brutes event on Oct 11th, estimating a total reach of over 1K students, educators, and activists across schools, indigenous communities, and nonprofit networks.
