Engages, Educates, and Empowers
New Filmmakers
Film industry professionals teach and mentor students, young and old, to step out of their comfort zone and tell their stories. We unleash untapped creativity and encourage a new generation of working filmmakers to transform the culture of the industry.
DESIREE HADLEY
As the Director of Film & TV for the City of Newark, Desireé serves as the city’s primary liaison to the film and television industry. In her role, she ensures that production companies are presented with a seamless experience in accessing municipal locations and city services as well as build workforce development initiatives that provide residents with access to career opportunities in the film industry. Some of the films she has helped the city host are star studded productions like Fox Searchlight’s “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet and Warner Brothers’ “The Bride!” featuring Hollywood stars Penelope Cruz and Christian Bale. A proud Newark native, Director Hadley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University-Newark. Hadley joined the Baraka administration as a Press Information Officer, helping to grow the Mayor’s social media reach through innovative programs, including the Mayor’s popular “Ras in 60” podcast which she also co-hosts. Under her leadership, the city has hosted production for a diverse mix of top entertainment projects and franchises: Hulu’s “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” Peacock’s “The Best Man: The Final Chapters,” “Ezra,” “Law and Order: Organized Crime,” AMC’s “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” BET+’s “Diarra From Detroit” and more.
BEN NILES
Ben Niles is is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and editor. His film, “Note By Note (The Making of Steinway L1037),” won top honors at the Sarasota Film Festival, was nominated for an IDA award, selected to the prestigious American Film Showcase and has screened in over 30 countries. It has now been translated into 5 languages and has aired nationally on PBS since 2009. His sophomore effort, Some Kind of Spark was also selected to the American Film Showcase and is also airing on PBS. In addition, his film, “The 5 Browns: Digging Through the Darkness,” has won multiple awards (Impact Doc Award; Audience Award Best Documentary: Naples Film Festival, 2019 FIPADOC Grand Prix) and will premiered at the IFC Theatre in New York City. He also co-directed “Still We Rise” with producer Molly Raskin, a film about mental health in Liberia.
DUSTIN DUMAS
Based in LA, Dustin is an author, host and producer. She hosts and produces the television shows, Dustin’s Kaleidoscope and What’s Up Around Town. She was the station manager of the award-winning South Orange Maplewood Television station (SOMAtv), has been part of community television stations in Illinois, California and New Jersey and enjoys helping people tell their stories. She is also an avid family historian and has written extensively and given presentations on her Civil War veteran ancestors, Henry Beard and Alexander Branscomb. She has been invited to present on her Civil War ancestors at the African American Civil War Museum in Washington D.C several times. Through proof of her direct lineage, she has been admitted membership into the lineage groups, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War and Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic. She has been working on a documentary about her Civil War ancestors. Ms. Dumas has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas, Austin and a Certificate of Western and Eastern Europe: Institutions and Corporate Governance from the WHU Koblenz School of Corporate Management, Koblenz Germany.