EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Sarah Wolozin

Sarah Wolozin is a research scientist and the former director of the MIT Open Documentary Lab. She is the co-founder of the Independent XR Distribution Coalition and the Co-Creation Studio. Her publications include “Creating Community in Hybrid Festivals, AI, Embodiment and the Perception of the Real,” and “Prototyping the Future: How Artists Reveal the Future of Media.” She is a co-author on the book, Collective Wisdom: Co-creating Media for Equity and Justice. Before arriving at MIT, she worked on award-winning documentaries and educational media for a wide variety of media outlets and started experimenting with the web back in its early stages of its public use. She frequently guest lectures at MIT and is a sought after public speaker. She has spoken at venues such as International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA), Sundance, MOMA, SXSW, and others. In 2023, she was awarded an insignia of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the French Government.

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CREATIVE DIRECTOR & PRODUCER

Courtney B. Cook

Courtney B. Cook, PhD, is an Austin-based producer, cultural strategist, and Professor of Public History and Documentary Film at Texas State University. They joined Layers of Place, Austin as a Producer for SXSW and directed creative community engagement. Her work sits at the intersection of documentary storytelling, public history, and socially engaged art. For seven years, Cook shaped education and impact strategy at PBS’s POV, supporting hundreds of independent documentary filmmakers within the public media ecosystem. She has participated as jury member, panelist, and mentor with Documentary Producer’s Alliance, Global Impact Producer’s Alliance, Big Sky Documentary Film Fest, Camden International Film Fest, Berinale’s EFM Doc Toolbox Program; and locally at Austin Film Festival, Austin Film Society, and sits on the Community Advisory Board’s of Austin PBS and Austin’s Video Consortium. Her publications, producing experiences, and speaking engagements can be found at StepLadderStudios.org.

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PRODUCER

Akmyrat Tuyliev

Akmyrat Tuyliyev is a producer at MIT Open Documentary Lab and a Visiting Assistant Professor at ASU’s Master’s in Narrative and Emerging Media program in Los Angeles, CA. Akmyrat served as an interactive producer at PBS’s POV Spark, where he produced award-winning, innovative nonfiction projects (Sundance, Tribeca, Webby-nominee). He taught immersive and interactive storytelling at the Interactive Media Arts program at NYU Tisch and Columbia University’s Digital Storytelling Lab.

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PROJECT PRODUCER

Cassius Kelly

Cassius Kelly is an Austin-based archivist, archival producer, and production assistant. They earned their MSIS from the University of Texas at Austin, where they conducted original research on the history and preservation of state psychiatric institutions. His scholarship and exhibition work focuses on the production of space with/through/despite systems of oppression.

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MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST

Anna Graizbord

Originally from San Diego, California and an alum of Cal State Long Beach, Anna has been working in marketing and media since 2009 in New York City, and is now based in Chicago. Anna is the co-founder of independent film marketing and PR agency Sol y Luna. Previously, Anna, was the Director of Marketing & Communications at American Documentary, producer of the series POV, POV Shorts, and America ReFramed. At the non-profit political news publication The American Prospect, Anna served as their first PR Director, accelerating their brand marketing, streamlining their public relations and development strategies. Anna spent four years at VICE Media in various positions, navigating both branded and editorial projects.

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