Hailing from Laurinburg, she has a deep-rooted passion for the art of storytelling and the North Carolina film industry. A former educator, she spent 2.5 years teaching English and North American Culture in public schools in Spain. While there, she produced two short films in Madrid, one of which, “Chueca”, a story documenting the life of trans sex workers, went on to have a successful international film festival run.  Anna holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Hispanic Studies from East Carolina University, and her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Producing from the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Kirsten Holmes is a native of Fayetteville, NC. With her coming from a military background, she was influenced by different cultures. This decision prompted her to study at East Carolina University, where she developed an appreciation of storytelling and majored in Journalism. Her love for reading, documentaries, and traveling inspired her decision to attain her Masters of Fine Arts at American University studying Film and Media Arts. Kirsten hopes to highlight the stories of everyday people, societies, and how those two intersect.

Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Kestlyn Blassengale graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with an MFA in Screenwriting. Kestlyn is a jack of all trades and an accomplished business woman. On top of running her family’s Montessori Pre-School, she is also a photographer and a festival award-winning writer. Along with her passion for children, education and creative writing, Kestlyn also runs a successful cleaning business. With all of her creative and entrepreneurial endeavors, her main passion is film, especially screenwriting. Kestlyn plans to use her unique life experience and creative skills to create comedies and horror films for everyone to enjoy.