Wendy Lobel
Director
Ethical Storytelling & Mental Health (Nov. 19)
Vital discussions are happening in our industry about duty of care: addressing ethical dilemmas, maintaining accountability to participants, and centering mental health and well-being in the storytelling process. Gain concrete takeaways and examples of best practices.
In the Festival Lounge, the day starts with Breakfast (9-10AM) hosted by community partners The D-Word and The Ethics Squad and ends with a Happy Hour (4:30-5:30PM).
10-11:15AM
Navigating the Gray Areas: Ethical Dilemmas
In documentary filmmaking, ethical considerations are vital, especially when working with vulnerable participants. Filmmakers must carefully balance compelling storytelling with a respectful and sensitive portrayal of those at the center of the story. This panel will explore how to engage with participants in a way that honors their experiences and agency, whether they’re private citizens or public figures. The teams from Anxiety Club, director Wendy Lobel, participants Tiffany Jenkins and Natalie Noel, and I Am: Celine Dion cinematographer Nick Midwig will examine how to navigate these critical aspects of the documentary narrative process. Natalie Bullock Brown from the Documentary Accountability Working Group (DAWG) will moderate this panel.
Wendy Lobel
Director
Emmy Award-winning producer Wendy Lobel has been giving voice to the unheard for three decades as producer, director, and writer for networks such as PBS, A&E, VH1, MSNBC, TV Land, Lifetime and Nickelodeon. Wendy produced 25 documentary episodes for the critically-acclaimed kids’ series, NICK NEWS WITH LINDA ELLERBEE, including WORRIED SICK: LIVING WITH ANXIETY. Among her other credits are THE POWER OF POSITIVITY (doc short), INSIDE TV LAND: PRIMETIME POLITICS (doc special), MSNBC INVESTIGATES: THE MATING GAME (doc special), WOMEN IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY and MOTHERS AND SONS (PBS doc shorts) and UNCOMMON AMERICANS (A&E doc special).
ANXIETY CLUB is Wendy’s first feature documentary.
Wendy is a member of the Producers Guild of America and TV Academy, and Vice President of the Angelight Films charity, which empowers children with brain tumors to create and star in their own short film.
Natalie Noel
Anxiety & OCD Treatment Specialists
Natalie Noel
Anxiety & OCD Treatment Specialists
Natalie Noel, LMHC, is a specialist in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders. With dual licensure in Florida and New York, she is the founder of two private practices: Anxiety & OCD Treatment Specialists and Depression Relief Therapy. Natalie’s approach is rooted in advanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), particularly exposure response prevention (ERP) and behavioral activation (BA). Her career includes leading intensive OCD treatment programs at Rogers Behavioral Health in both Tampa, Florida and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Known for her exceptional skills in managing severe OCD cases, Natalie delivers personalized, evidence-based care to her clients. Based in Tampa, Florida, she combines her expertise with a compassionate approach, helping individuals achieve meaningful progress and relief.
Nick Midwig
Cinematographer
Nick Midwig
Cinematographer
NICK MIDWIG is an award-winning cinematographer collaborating with Irene as Director of Photography on each of Vermilion’s films since 2016. Nick has a decade of experience setting the visual tone for critically acclaimed feature films, television series, and commercial campaigns.
Nick has worked on several films with Vermilion, including Moonlight Sonata and the Emmy-nominated documentary feature Beware the Slenderman. His other feature credits include National Geographic’s Paris to Pittsburgh and 12 O’Clock Boys.
Nick also served as the series DP for two seasons of the National Geographic series Mars, which was executive produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. The series was nominated for an IDA Award for Best Episodic Series and called “visually gorgeous” by The New Yorker.
Whether filming scientists in Antarctica, Shaolin monks in China, or complex starscapes in the Atacama Desert, Nick pairs well-developed vérité shooting instincts with a particular talent for creating high-end, cinematic visuals.
Natalie Bullock Brown
Documentary Accountability Working Group
Natalie Bullock Brown
Documentary Accountability Working Group
Championing filmmakers, funders and other documentary stakeholders who are aligned with equitable, accountable filmmaking practices that mitigate harm for film participants, and increase opportunities for transformative storytelling.
Natalie Bullock Brown is the proud director of the Documentary Accountability Working Group. She is a 2023 Harvard Shorenstein Center Documentary Film Fellow, and a 2021 Rockwood JustFilms Fellow. Natalie was a producer on filmmaker Byron Hurt’s PBS documentary, Hazing, and produced his upcoming NOVA film, Lee and Liza’s Family Tree. Natalie was also an associate producer on Ken Burns’ Jazz.
Tiffany Jenkins
JBST Digital Media LLC
Tiffany Jenkins
JBST Digital Media LLC
Tiffany Jenkins of “Juggling the Jenkins” is a Comedian, Best-Selling Author, Speaker and podcast host. She has over 9M followers across her social media platforms and has amassed over a billion total video views.
Although best known for her comedy, Tiffany is incredibly passionate about bringing awareness to mental illness and addiction. She travels the nation to speak at high schools, jails, rehab centers, and conferences about her own personal experiences with addiction and recovery.
Tiffany has been featured on national television shows like The Today Show, The Doctors and Good Morning America.
Tiffany has headlined two U.S. comedy tours, and currently hosts two podcasts about parenting, addiction and recovery.
11:30-12:45PM
The Filmmaker-Participant Relationship Unpacked
Documentary filmmaking can empower communities, but it also involves risks for participants. In this first public presentation of their research, ITVS’ Sherry Simpson will moderate a discussion with her colleague Grace Anglin, journalist Soledad O’Brien and others on their groundbreaking large-scale study that incorporated input from 195 documentary participants and 678 filmmakers exploring key issues such as compensation, editorial control, and whether publicly sharing their lives was worth the risks. Join experts from journalism, academia, and the visual arts as they explore the findings and discuss how to balance impactful storytelling with minimizing harm.
Sherry Simpson Dean
ITVS
Sherry Simpson Dean
ITVS
Sherry Simpson Dean is currently Senior Director of Engagement and Impact Innovation for Independent Television Service (ITVS). She is a recognized leader at the intersection of media, social change and values ethics and accountability in media. Her focus includes building younger and more diverse audiences while amplifying the impact of documentaries in the public media space. Her expertise has been honed over the last fifteen years, during which time she has developed and secured financing for multiple film, television and music projects. This list includes her production Amandla! a revolution in four-part harmony for which she won an Emmy and Sundance Film Festival Awards. Following the success of this film she was deemed a subject-matter-expert on South Africa’s human rights struggle and lectured globally on the impact of reconciliation through film, arts and culture.
Grace Anglin
ITVS
Grace Anglin
ITVS
Grace Anglin is the Research and Evaluation Director at ITVS, where she collaborates with filmmakers and public media partners to understand and amplify the impact of documentary films. She leads large-scale evaluations, including studies of the relationship between documentary filmmakers and participants and of ITVS’ multi-film initiative on the criminal legal system. In addition to evaluating the reach and impact for individual films, she works to enhance how ITVS supports filmmakers and engages audiences. Prior to ITVS, Grace spent over a decade at Mathematica as a Senior Researcher and Director, overseeing mixed-methods evaluations of health and social service programs, including the largest initiative to improve primary care in the U.S. She holds a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Michigan.
Soledad O'Brien
Founder, Soledad O’Brien Productions
Soledad O'Brien
Founder, Soledad O’Brien Productions
Soledad O’Brien is an award-winning documentarian, journalist, speaker, author, philanthropist, and founder of Soledad O’Brien Productions, a media production company dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories on a range of social issues. She anchors and produces “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien,” a Hearst political magazine program seen in 95% of the country. She was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in May 2023.
Soledad has a national impact through her podcasts, social media, speeches, and books, including her critically acclaimed memoir “The Next Big Story” and her 1.3 million followers on X. She gave Congressional testimony on media disinformation. She has anchored shows and specials on CNN, MSNBC, Nat Geo, BET, ABC, and CBS, co-anchored NBC’s Weekend Today, and reported for PBS NewsHour, Scripps News and HBO Real Sports.
Her upcoming projects include the documentary short, “The Devil is Busy” about life for the security guard at an abortion clinic following the demise of Roe vs. Wade, and the documentary War on La Radio for Scripps News documentary show “In Real Life.” Her recent work includes the top-rated IHeart podcast “Who Killed JFK ” with Rob Reiner and her documentary “The End of Affirmative Action” which streamed on CBS, Paramount +, and YouTube. She is Executive Producer of the Peabody-Award-winning documentary, “The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and streams on Peacock, and the multi-part series “Black and Missing”, which won the Independent Spirit and NAACP awards and streams on HBO. Soledad O’ Brien Productions has also produced documentaries for Discovery Plus, CNN, BET, PBS, and others. She also works with major foundations, like the Ford Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to produce impactful documentaries on topics like hunger, race, and education.
O’Brien’s work has been recognized with four Emmy awards, three times with the George Foster Peabody Award, four times with the Gracie Award, which honors women in media, twice with Cine Awards for her work in documentary films,, twice with Telly Awards and with an Alfred I. DuPont Award.
She runs the PowHerful foundation with her husband which has helped dozens of young women get to and through college and connects thousands of others with assistance through regional mentoring conferences.
Co-presented by ITVS.
1:45-3:00PM
Participant-Centric Filmmaking Strategies
Join us for an engaging and interactive session about participant care in documentary filmmaking, featuring industry leaders Stephanie Palumbo (Peace is Loud) and award-winning filmmaker Jalena Keane-Lee (Standing Above the Clouds). Dive into meaningful conversations about best practices for participant care, and learn practical, real-world strategies to support ethical storytelling. Through a dynamic presentation and collaborative workshop, we’ll explore vital topics like consent, compensation, and distribution. This panel involves audience engagement.
Stephanie Palumbo
Director of Film Impact and Innovation, Peace is Loud
Stephanie Palumbo
Director of Film Impact and Innovation, Peace is Loud
Stephanie is an organizer, writer, and film producer leading strategic campaigns that use documentary films to build movement power. For more than 20 years, she has worked with grassroots movements to challenge systemic inequities, and joined Peace is Loud in 2016, where she oversees their documentary film impact campaigns and Collective Lens impact trainings, and develops strategies that integrate care into all aspects of documentary filmmaking. Her propensity for archival and story producing propelled her career, where she has worked with award-winning filmmakers including Michael Moore and Martin Scorsese, and spearheaded impact campaigns for groundbreaking documentaries including Knock Down the House, The Hunting Ground, and The Armor of Light. She is also a former assistant editor at O, the Oprah Magazine, and a freelance writer published in The Believer and Vulture, among other outlets.
Jalena Keane-Lee
Director
Jalena Keane-Lee
Director
Jalena Keane-Lee is a filmmaker who explores intergenerational trauma and healing. She was named a 2023 Adobe x Sundance Woman to Watch and co-founded Breaktide, an all-women-of-color video production company that has won two Cannes Lion awards for branded content. Jalena’s first feature-length documentary Standing Above the Clouds premiered at Hot Docs in 2024 and won Best Social Impact Documentary.
3:15-4:30PM
What is Trauma-Informed Filmmaking?
Join Bruce Shapiro of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, Malikkah Rollins of DOC NYC and editor/Dart Center Fellow Hana Wuerker as we invite attendees to rethink the impact of storytelling on both filmmakers and participants. In a world where documentaries often delve into painful experiences, this session will explore how understanding trauma can prevent harm and create more ethical, responsible films. Topics like consent, power dynamics, and emotional safety will be unpacked to show how trauma-informed practices can lead to deeper, more compassionate storytelling. Whether you’re new to filmmaking or seasoned in the field, this workshop will open your eyes to the ethical responsibility of telling stories with care. This panel involves audience engagement.
Malikkah Rollins
Director of Industry and Education
Malikkah Rollins
Director of Industry and Education
As the new Director of Industry and Education at DOC/NYC, Malikkah will oversee a portfolio of projects including DOC NYC PRO, the festival’s line-up of educational courses and industry networking opportunities; Only In New York industry meetings for filmmakers with works-in-progress; and the 40 Under 40 list. Malikkah brings 15 years of experience in education, counseling, and professional development to the role. As a freelance doc producer, WIFV/DC board member, Sundance Collab Community Leader and D Word Ambassador, Malikkah’s passion is rooted in connecting people and building stronger, more collaborative film communities.
Bruce Shapiro
Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma
Bruce Shapiro
Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma
Bruce Shapiro is Executive Director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a project of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism encouraging innovative reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy worldwide. An award-winning reporter on human rights, criminal justice and politics, Shapiro is a contributing editor at The Nation and U.S. correspondent for Late Night Live on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio National. He is Adjunct Professor and Senior Advisor for Academic Affairs at Columbia, where he teaches journalism ethics. His books include Shaking the Foundations: 200 Years of Investigative Journalism in America and Legal Lynching: The Death Penalty and America’s Future. Shapiro is recipient of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Public Advocacy Award for “outstanding and fundamental contributions to the social understanding of trauma.”
Hana Wuerker
Filmmaker/Editor
Hana Wuerker
Filmmaker/Editor
Hana Wuerker is a Brooklyn based filmmaker and documentary editor. She has worked on a variety of docu-series, including Amazon’s The Money Game (2024), HBO’s The Vow: Part II (2022), and HBO’s The Case Against Adnan Syed (2019), among others. Her feature work has played at Telluride, Sundance, DOC-NYC, and IDFA. Hana is a 2024 Dart Center Documentary Film Fellow.
DOC NYC PRO is co-presented by:
