Team

Jay is a queer, trans South African filmmaker living in Los Angeles. Their previous work includes the documentary shorts The Clean Up, The Vanishing Act, and Shaping Masculinity. They are currently working as a production coordinator and have worked on shows for NBC Universal, Amazon Prime, and HBO. Their artistic interests lie at the intersection of class and identity and they are passionate about using the documentary medium to explore these interests.  They are a proud IATSE member and a recipient of IATSE Local 871’s 2022 Lily La Cava Award. Jay graduated from the University of Southern California with a BFA in Film and Television Production.

Wendy is a Los Angeles-based producer and non-profit professional. She immigrated to the US from China at a young age and was raised in the South Bay area of California. Wendy currently holds the position of Grants Manager at Center Theatre Group of Los Angeles. Simultaneously, she works as a freelance theater and film producer. She has previously worked in fundraising for a non-profit documentary TV series during its development stage. Wendy holds a BFA in Theatre Design from the University of Southern California and an MA in Gender, Sexuality and Culture from the University of Manchester.

Claire Evans is a filmmaker originally from Kansas City, now residing in Los Angeles, California. She is passionate about all elements of filmmaking, but particularly loves involving herself in documentary works. Her work includes the short films Doors, Teenage Daydream, Two Thieves Arrive in an Erotic Store, and A Wistful Memoir. She has worked for Cannes Film Festival as well as for both Variety and Indiewire at Sundance Film Festival. Claire graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in Communication and Media Studies.

Lily is a Los Angeles based film editor. She has worked as an assistant editor for feature films and television. She has also edited trailers, music videos, sizzles, and short films. Lily received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production from Chapman University. 

Chance is a Los Angeles-native cinematographer and stop-motion animator. He works as a freelance editor and cinematographer in commercials, notably for the Trolli Ferrara Company. His previous work includes the Student Academy Award-winning film Not Just a Name and the mixed-media shorts Use Your Voice and Plastic Surgery. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a BFA in Film Production.

Nick is a production sound mixer, sound designer, and musician. Originally from the suburbs of Atlanta, they now live in Los Angeles and work full-time doing production and post-sound for documentaries, narrative shorts, and features. Their work includes the short films Hell is a House Party, Killer Views, Transparency, and In the Gray. Nick also makes music for the indie folk band goodtree and their solo project, sandalwood. They graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies.

Jordan Williams is an artist and proud LA native who loves to explore the city to get to know its people as inspiration for art and character design. Jordan worked as a Render QC Artist on Avatar 2: Way of the Water. They received a Bachrlor of Art in Art and minors in Visual Narrative Arts and Game Animation from the University of Southern California. Jordan's goal for The Empty Chair is to use animation to tell a deeply human story about a fight for representation and struggle for support.

Dane is an editor, photographer and cinematographer. He was born and raised in southern California, and in his spare time he enjoys surfing, hiking, playing soccer and traveling. Dane graduated from Pepperdine University in December 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Screen Arts. 

StormMiguel Florez is a trans, queer Xicane filmmaker, whose work includes the award-winning documentaries The Whistle (Producer/Director) and MAJOR! (Editor/Co-Producer 2015). StormMiguel is also an event and media producer, actor, and life-long musician. He is a 2022 SFFILM/Rainin grant winner and a 2021 Sundance Trans Possibilities fellow. His work has also been supported by The San Francisco Arts Commission, NALAC (National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures), and Horizons Foundation. He is originally from Albuquerque, NM, which he considers to be his homeland, and has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 25 years. 

CJ is an editor finishing his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production at Chapman University. He is from San Jose, California, and enjoys table top games, pickleball, reading, and traveling.