Online Meetup with Trey Ellis

Trey Ellis is an Emmy and Peabody winning filmmaker, American Book Award Winning novelist, playwright, essayist and Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Most recently, he is an Executive Producer of the HBO documentary TRUE JUSTICE: BRYAN STEVENSON'S FIGHT FOR EQUALITY and last year’s KING IN THE WILDERNESS also for HBO.

He has written dozens of scripts and teleplays including the TUSKEGEE AIRMEN for HBO, and GOOD FENCES for Showtime, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was shortlisted for the PEN award for Best Teleplay of the year. His works have been screened at the Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He is the author of the novels, PLATITUDES, HOME REPAIRS and the American Book Award Winning, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, as well as the memoir BEDTIME STORIES: ADVENTURES IN THE LAND OF SINGLE-FATHERHOOD. His essays have appeared in The New York Times, Playboy, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, GQ, Vanity Fair and NewYorker.com and he has contributed audio commentary to NPR’s All Things Considered. His play, FLY, was commissioned by the Lincoln Center Institute and continues to be performed around the country including in Washington, D.C.’s Ford’s Theater, the Pasadena Playhouse and the New Victory Theater in New York.

Souvid Datta is a director, screenwriter, and photographer. Spanning both documentary and narrative worlds, his award-winning work explores humanism and systems of power.

Born in Mumbai and raised in London, his pursuit of impact storytelling has earned recognitions such as IMDb New Filmmaker of the Year, landed him on the Vogue India 20 Under 26 list and won Best Documentary at Cannes Short Film Festival.

Human stories are the heart of Souvid’s work, investigating issues like social justice, human rights, the environment and culture and taking him to over 60 countries. From the frontlines of the Syrian refugee crisis, to the bustling metropolises of East Africa, in the shadow of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, to environmental hotspots across China and South Asia, Souvid has produced multimedia reports, films and commercials for clients including Google, National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times, Universal Music Group, BBC Studios, TIME and The Guardian.

Souvid has directed for LOST MUSICIANS OF INDIA, a 6-part documentary series for Channel 4 (2017), and was the second-unit director for BBC4's RHYTHMS OF INDIA (2019). His aim is to continue creating cinematic stories that foster empathy and challenge minds.

Award Winning Director Joslyn Rose Lyons has produced and directed a diverse range of content in film and television for more than a decade, including work with Lionsgate, STARZ, Warner Bros. Pics., UNINTERRUPTED, BET Networks, and Showtime.

She is a member of the Alliance of Women Directors, and she was named an Academy Gold Fellowship for Women Finalist, from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Joslyn Rose was also invited by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to be a Guest Panelist on their Academy Gold Rising Program – committed to amplifying narratives by, about and for women and underrepresented audiences.

Her music videos and specials feature artists including artists E-40, The Neptunes, Wu-Tang, 2-Chainz, Vince Staples, Academy Award Winning actor Mahershala Ali, and she has directed and produced a documentary for Mic.com featuring Grammy, Emmy and Academy Award Winning artist Common and his Imagine Justice Organization dedicated to empowering communities and fighting injustice. Joslyn’s short film Looking Glass premiered at SUNDANCE London, and picked up numerous awards including Best Short at The American Film Awards, and TopShorts Best Female Director. Additionally, Joslyn Rose directed and produced the first music matters showcase for the Grammy's at CAA featuring PJ Morton, Mack Wilds, and Mali Music and produced the BET Awards Celebrity Basketball Game with Nick Cannon, Chris Brown, Lil Rel Howery, Angela Yee, and Jemelle Hill.

Joslyn served as a Producer on Speaking Truth to Power (Lionsgate/STARZ), which featured Barbara Lee, Ayanna Presley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Alice Walker, Van Jones, Cory Booker, and Danny Glover, winning Outstanding Documentary at the 2022 NAACP Image Awards. She teamed on the film with #TakeTheLead, STARZ's commitment to amplifying narratives by, about and for women. Joslyn's short film Looking Glass premiered at Sundance London, and picked up Best Short at The American Film Awards, and TopShorts Best Female Director. Lyons picked up a Best Director award at the 7th edition of LA Independent Women Film Awards for her short film Butterfly Boxing, starring Hill Harper and J. Alphonse Nicholson.

Joslyn Rose Lyons feature-length directorial debut, STAND, is an examination of the extraordinary journey of pioneer activist and basketball prodigy Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf premiering on Showtime 2023. The documentary features Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr, Shaquille O’Neal, Jalen Rose, Mahershala Ali, Ice Cube and more.

Joslyn is the Producer of Tale of the Tape with Malik Buie and Kim Osario, which takes an unabashed look at the role The Mixtape played during the growth of Hip Hop music from the 1970's to now with Kendrick Lamar Wiz Khalifa, and Big Sean, DJ Clue, Kid Capri, Mobb Deep, DJ Envy, DJ Drama, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar, slated for release in Summer 2023.

Joslyn Rose is an Academy Gold Fellowship for Women Finalist, from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences/Oscars. She s a member of the Alliance of Women Directors and is represented by represented by Doug Johnson, at Creative Artists Agency.