Lance Kramer, partner, executive producer
Lance is a co-founder of MHP and multi-disciplinary storyteller with a background in documentary filmmaking, education, journalism, and community organizing. A respected arts leader in the DC documentary community, Lance received the
2014 DC Mayor’s Arts Award, has served two terms as Board Member of Docs in Progress, and is a current DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities Individual Arts Fellow. Lance holds a Bachelor's Degree in History from Dartmouth College.
Brandon Kramer, partner, artistic director
Brandon is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, media arts educator, and co-founder of DC-based production company Meridian Hill Pictures. A current DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities Fellow, Brandon is the director of the award-winning feature-length documentary CITY OF TREES
(Full Frame Documentary Festival, America Reframed/PBS), and co-founder of the award-winning Youth Documentary Program. Since 2010, Brandon has produced over 20 short documentaries commissioned by nonprofits. Brandon holds a bachelor’s degree in film production and cultural anthropology from Boston University.
Michelle Aguilar, director of production
Originally from South Lake Tahoe, Michelle has produced numerous non-fiction multimedia projects in cultures and communities across the world. Michelle served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural indigenous community in Panama where she later returned to produce her most recent short film,
El Cacao. Michelle's work has screened at numerous nationally-acclaimed film festivals, won awards at the Social Justice Film Festival and the DC Environmental Film Festival and was nominated for an IDA award in 2015. Michelle holds a Bachelor's in Business from Cal Poly, SLO and a Masters Degree in Social Documentation from UC Santa Cruz.
Lisa Allen, outreach manager
Lisa is a photographer and writer based in Washington, DC. She recently spent three years in Kyoto, Japan where she became an editorial assistant on Kyoto Journal, taught English to elementary and high school students and ate lots of ramen. Lisa interned at MHP in 2012 when CITY OF TREES was in the first stages of production and is excited to be back and working on outreach for the finished film. She holds a Bachelor's degree in communication and art history from Wake Forest University.
Kenya Raymond, studio assistant, CECAP trainee
Kenya grew up in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, DC. She began her creative exploration after being introduced to the art of cecchetti ballet at 18-months old. As a performer, she gained knowledge of theatrical staging, lighting, sound, stage management, costume design and alteration, props and make-up artistry. Kenya is eager to expand her experience into documentary film and joined the new Creative Economy Career Access Program (CECAP) through the DC Office of Cable Television Film Music & Entertainment (OCTFME) in July 2016.
Rory McFadden, spring '17 production intern 
Originally from Chicago, Rory is currently in DC pursuing a graduate certificate in documentary filmmaking at George Washington University. She previously worked as a nurse in critical care and community health, and later in research where she interviewed patients’ family members about their experiences of stress and trauma in Intensive Care Units. Inspired by their powerful stories, she decided to pursue documentary filmmaking to impact change through storytelling. She is excited to learn from the team at Meridian Hill Pictures. Rory holds a bachelor’s degree in film from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in nursing from Rush University.
Marjan Koffa, spring '17 outreach intern
Marjan Koffa is currently a senior at The Catholic University of America, where she is majoring in Media Studies and Communications. She recently finished her senior thesis, a documentary short film called Token, in which she explored the experiences of black students at her predominantly white university. She first became interested in documentary filmmaking from taking production classes that allowed her to study and create short films. What she loves most about documentary filmmaking is its ability to capture narratives that may not otherwise be told. Marjan is excited to be working at Meridian Hill Pictures and hopes this opportunity will allow her to learn more about filmmaking in a professional atmosphere.
Lisa Fierstein, fall '16 intern
Lisa Fierstein is a multimedia producer from Pittsburgh, PA. She graduated from Skidmore College in May 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies and a double minor in Media & Film and Arts Administration, for which she was granted the faculty award. She has interned at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and at NPR member stations in her hometown and Michigan as a music programmer and arts and culture reporter. Recently, her first short film screened at the Legacy Film Festival in San Francisco. Lisa is captivated by people’s stories and hopes to share them with others through radio and film. Her kinetic creative energy motivates her to become a leader in the arts.
Aisha Jama, fall '16 intern
Aisha Jama hails from Ann Arbor, MI, and is a graduate of the University of Michigan where she majored in International Studies and Arabic. Jama’s time at U of M encouraged her to pursue a career in documentary filmmaking. She credits her coursework for allowing her to view global events with a contextualized lens and as a result, increasing her zeal to share nuanced stories. Jama interned with Frontline and most recently completed a news assistant program with the PBS NewsHour. During her time with Meridian Hill Pictures, Jama hopes to advance her understanding of day-day production needs while applying documentary ethics to all assignments. She is keen to gain valuable insight into the various stages of film production.
Ellie Walton, director, facilitator
Ellie is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, director, and MHP facilitator. A DC native, Ellie has directed and produced films in and about the DC community, using storytelling to foster community connection and understanding. She is the director and producer of the films Igual Que Tu (2009), Walk with Me (2012), and Fly by Light (2014). Highly respected in the DC arts community, Ellie was the 2011 recipient of the DC Mayor’s Arts Award. Ellie holds a Masters degree in Social Anthropology from the the University of Edinburgh and a Masters in Screen Documentary from the University of London.
Nathaniel Pearlman, advisory board
Nathaniel is an experienced entrepreneur and the founder of
NGP VAN,
Graphicacy, and served as Chief Technology Officer for the Hillary Clinton for President campaign in 2007-8.
Angelica Das, advisory board
Angelica specializes in strategy for social impact documentary with over a decade of experience in non-profit communication and management. She was previously associate director at the Center for Media & Social Impact, running content production and events on empowering media that matters. Angelica is an impact producer, presenter, writer and public media advocate. She regularly serves on film juries and committees including the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities, AFI DOCS and the Indie Caucus.
Joshua Glick, PhD, advisory board
Joshua Glick is Assistant Professor of English and Film Studies at Hendrix College. He holds a PhD from Yale University in Film and Media Studies and American Studies. His research, teaching, and programming focus on documentary film, television and web-based media. Joshua has designed such courses as “Film and American History,” “Digital Documentary in the Age of the Internet,” and “Modern Media Transitions.” His articles have appeared in the scholarly publications
The Moving Image and
Film History. In addition to collaborating with museums and arts organizations on public humanities projects, Joshua is currently completing a manuscript on documentary film and television in Los Angeles, 1958-1977. The book is under contract with the University of California Press. Contact Joshua:
glick@hendrix.edu.
Professional affiliations
