Our Team
CREATOR
The story depicted in this short film is part of upcoming novel by Constance Nicole Frierson, The House on Union Street. Frierson has an extensive employment history in human services in industries such as higher education, financial services, corporate healthcare, and media management. She is a working writer, the recipient of grants and support from Hold This While IP Productions, a company that incubates and elevates women's stories, an active community volunteer, a trained online leader and a full-scholarship recipient to the Story Summit Writer's School's annual women's writers' conference, Her Spirit, in 2021 through a grant arranged by a private foundation. Additionally, Frierson has been selected to participate in The Field’s Fiscal Sponsorship for Social Justice Arts Practitioners Program, a subsidized fiscal sponsorship membership with special benefits for individual artists and art collectives or organizations who identify as members of a historically underrepresented or marginalized group and whose creative work puts into practice and furthers values of social justice, equity, and inclusion in their communities.
DIRECTOR
The film is being directed by Aimiende (Aimi) Negbenebor Sela, a Producer-Writer-Director of Nigerian descent, raised by a Jewish-Israeli family from the Bronx. A recipient of the distinguished alumni award in the Arts and Humanities from her alma mater, Stevens Institute of Technology, Aimiende's award-winning films have screened at numerous festivals across the world. Growing up as that kid glued to The Sound of Music, back in Nigeria, to the adult now dazzled by the complexity of the characters in 12 Angry Men, films have always helped Aimiende make sense of the world. As a result, her work interrogates the human condition, but with empathy; as she truly believes we all live the same lives, just colored differently. Her production company, Sela Films LLC, was born out of this belief in order to help push the boundaries of innovation, inclusion, diversity, and creativity with a focus on humanism.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The film photography was directed by Alexxiss Jackson, a Director of Photography and Camera Operator, as well as Adjunct Cinematography Professor at Spelman College. She is a member of the International Cinematographers Guild/IATSE Local 600 (classification: Camera Operator), the Society of Camera Operators (SOC), Sporas, and the International Collective of Female Cinematographers (ICFC). She was also selected as a participant in the 2022-2023 American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Vision Program. Alexxiss received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Film/Video Studies and English from the University of Michigan. She has served as Director of Photography on narrative films, commercials, branded content, music videos, and more. Alexxiss served on the Cinematography Jury for the Atlanta Film Festival in 2022.
1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Laurel Wong is a multi-disciplined artist based in San Francisco Bay Area, honing her love for filmmaking, acting, design, and dance. She got her start in the Bay Area as an engineer in the heart valve repair industry, and recently changed careers to use her technical and collaborative expertise for storytelling and advocacy. As a 3rd generation Chinese American, Laurel hopes to elevate BIPOC narratives, dig into underappreciated but impactful moments, and explore the intricacies of genuine human connection.
PRODUCER
Yhá Mourhia Wright is a bicoastal, multi-hyphenate artist from San José, CA. In May 2016, she graduated with her MFA in Acting from the Actors Studio Drama School. Upon graduation, she founded her production company, YháWright Productions, and developed the company’s first original series, #LoveMyRoomie, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. During her previous time as the Senior Video Producer for MadameNoire, she simultaneously led production for three digital shows: Listen to Black Women, In This Room, and Healthy Her. Her most recent short film, Don’t Be Desperate starring D. Woods (Broadway’s ‘For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf…’ Danity Kane) premieres at the 2022 Hip Hop Film Festival in Harlem. She is currently the Programs Director of the Black TV & Film Collective, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping filmmakers, make their work!
