Team

Emily Wanja (KE)

Director of African Programmes

Emily Wanja uses storytelling to drive social change. She is an award-winning Impact producer for the campaign ‘We Can Fight Climate Change’ for the international feature documentary,  ‘Thank you for the Rain’.  In conjunction with Docubox (East Africa Documentary Film Fund), she has worked with policymakers across National & County governments, Private stakeholders, Funders, Civil Society and Communities, using film as a tool for advocacy. She ran impact screenings for the film, ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ by Participant Media, in Kenya. Previously, she was the in-house producer at Docubox (East Africa Documentary film fund). 

She has worked extensively with young farmers across Kenya through ‘Seeds of Gold’  TV show and the leading newspaper version for youth and agribusiness at Nation Media Group. She has produced TV shows for numerous networks and has worked on award winning narrative short films. She’s on the Climate Justice Resilience Fund Advisory Council and on the Global Impact Producers Assembly Steering Committee. She works with the Storyboard collective on Impact and regional partnerships and is on the Kenya oscars selection committee.

Wanja joins Doc Society as the Director of African Programmes.

Hollie Fifer (AU)

Director of Special Projects

Hollie is the Director of Special Projects at Doc Society based on Dja Dja Wurrung Country in ‘Australia’ - land that has never been ceded.

Hollie is a cultural strategist and nothing brings her more joy than working alongside and for documentary filmmakers to unlock the potential of their stories for change. At Doc Society, Hollie develops funds, convenings, networks and initiatives to strengthen our field and is one of the cheekiest members of our team.

She has worked as a documentary director and impact producer and her films have screened in over 35 countries including at IDFA, CPH:Dox, Hot Docs, the UN Human Rights Council and the National Portrait Gallery of Australia.

Hollie currently serves on the Board of the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) and the Castlemaine Documentary Festival (CDoc).

Julian Etienne (BE)

Climate Story Fund Officer

Julián is a cultural campaigner from northeastern Mexico committed to diversity in documentary cinema and to fostering transformative
encounters between media and the public. At Doc Society he works as Climate Story Fund Officer.

He has undertaken film programming projects since 2009. He joined Ambulante in 2018 where he was involved in programming, outreach, impact, and fund-raising activities. 

Julian studied linguistics in Mexico City and attended graduate school in Information Studies at the University of Arizona and in Media Studies at UT Austin. He writes occasionally on media cultures. Apart from cinema, he enjoys radio documentaries, theatre, creative nonfiction and road biking. He recently became a dad and lives with his wife and son in Brussels.

Megha Agrawal Sood (USA)

Director, Head of Climate Story Unit

Megha believes in the power of sharing stories and building unexpected collaborations to inspire action. She is the Head of the Climate Story Unit, a new initiative to support productions and impact campaigns of climate-themed stories across the globe. Megha’s previous work experience includes leading impact programming at the film company, Exposure Labs, and helping purpose-driven organizations grow at the innovation firm, IDEO. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, and is based in Boulder, Colorado.

Nikki Heyman (USA)

Film Officer

Nikki is a three-time Emmy Award-winning producer and programmer experienced in the non-profit and brand-driven spaces. She strives to be a champion of diverse cinema and constantly pushing for equity in the field. At Doc Society she works across US funds as Film Officer. Nikki's most recent experience at Tribeca Studios afforded her the opportunity to produce narrative and documentary alike, elevating voices and stories through corporate programs such as P&G's 8:46 and the Queen Collective. Prior to Tribeca, Nikki was the co-producer for the acclaimed documentary show POV on PBS. Nikki curated for the series across seven seasons, oversaw series production, and provided editorial support to independent documentary filmmakers. Nikki has served on panels and juries across the U.S. and abroad. She holds a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from Oberlin College and is a member of the Producers Guild of America. Nikki is an avid beach bum, an easy crier, and a popcorn aficionado.

Shanida Scotland (UK)

Director, Head of Film

Shanida Scotland is an award-winning commissioning editor and executive producer, working within documentary film and audio. Shanida is the new Head of Film at Doc Society. Before Doc Society, Shanida was Commissioning Editor at The Guardian and worked long term at STORYVILLE, the BBC’s multi award-winning flagship international documentary strand. Shanida developed the ongoing series AFTERWORDS, an award-winning audio documentary series that puts the ideas of great writers into dialogue with contemporary writers, academics and activists, for Falling Tree Productions and BBC Radio 3 and 4.

Shanida is interested in the alternative, the intimate and the liminal: visual and sonic resonant qualities, that which remain meaningful and impactful through time.

Outside of Doc Society, Shanida regularly hosts documentary Q&As for the Barbican’s ScreenTalk strand and manages a delightful dance between sci-fi reading group, sonic explorations and terrible drumming.

Vanessa Cuervo (Colombia)

Director of Latin American Programmes

Cultural organizer, dancer & impact strategist working across the intersection of art, activism & social justice. Vanessa connects the world of human rights defenders with the spheres of art & film to promote social change. At Doc Society, she works with the Good Pitch global program across Latin America, building strong partnerships with local host organizations in Colombia, México and Brasil, supporting documentary filmmakers designing impact campaigns and creating a strong network of Good Pitch allies in the region.

Vanessa currently supports the work of the Colombian Truth Commission as an advisor and trainer of Historias en Kilómetros, an audiovisual lab that supports teams in three Afrocolombian communities creating shorts that contribute to the historical narrative of the country, in times of reconciliation. She is also the coordinator of the Skylight Solidarilabs network in Guatemala, Colombia and México, working with movement leaders and storytellers to shift cultural perceptions.

Get in touch with Vanessa if you’d like to learn more about the editions of Good Pitch taking place in Mexico and Brazil this year at vanessa@docsociety.org