Programme for observers

Natalie Bullock Brown is an award-winning producer, Teaching Assistant Professor in Interdisciplinary Studies at North Carolina State University and StoryShift Strategist for Working Films. She regularly contributes to the #BackChannel segment on the North Carolina public radio program, The State of Things, and has served as co-host of Black Issues Forum, a public affairs program of UNC-TV, North Carolina’s statewide public television network.

Nicole van Schaik strategizes with filmmakers and impact producers on how to use their films as strategic tools for social or environmental change. For the Good Pitch program and Doc Society as a whole, she brokers partnerships with organizations from across civil society, including foundations, philanthropists, NGOs, brands, policymakers, activists, technology innovators and media.

Paco de Onís is the Executive Director and Executive Producer of Skylight, a nonprofit human rights media organization dedicated to advancing social justice through films and media tools applied in long-term strategies. One such strategy is SolidariLabs, Skylight's model for creating human rights media ecosystems composed of filmmakers, artists, technologists and human rights defenders, aimed at building networks to promote social justice.

Pamela Yates is the co-founder and Creative Director of Skylight, a nonprofit human rights media organization dedicated to advancing social justice through films and media tools using collaborative networks of artists and activists. An award-winning director and producer, she is currently working on Borderland, a documentary highlighting instances of American resistance to the inhumane immigration policies enacted along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Cara Mertes is Project Director of the Ford Foundation’s Moving Image Strategies. She works with 10 regional offices to design and implement visual storytelling approaches linked to the foundation’s international strategies. Previously, she was director of JustFilms, the foundation’s creative documentary portfolio supporting artist-led films, strengthening organizations and networks and developing inclusive leadership and resources in this field.

Willem Lenders is Programme Officer at the Democracy and Media Foundation. Willem assesses applications from the regular open call as well as actively seeking out initiatives that contribute to the aims of the Democracy and Media Foundation. In addition, he coordinates the foundation’s website and proposal registration system.

Josefine Lindström is a Project Manager at the Swedish Postcode Foundation, which focuses on projects in the fields of culture, cultural heritage, democracy and human rights. Josefine’s previous experience includes similar work at the Swedish Postcode Culture Foundation, and missions in the field of culture as a means for peaceful and sustainable societies at Sida (Sweden’s government agency for development cooperation).