The Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) is an arts nonprofit that cultivates documentary media made in or about the South. It’s our mission to empower Southern makers to tell stories through Southern eyes. We prioritize underrepresented voices, especially those with long connections to the South. Inspired by our belief that media has the power to change lives, we provide makers with diverse resources, including grants, fiscal sponsorship, mentorship, community awareness, education and training – all to champion Southern documentary and lower barriers to entry for new and emerging makers.
Mei-Yen is Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Eric Johnson is the SVP of Sound + Engagement at Trailblazer Studios, a production, post, and sound facility based in Raleigh, NC. Projects include production and/or post-production for Discovery Channel, OWN, HBO, National Geographic, PBS, Paramount Pictures, Disney Channel, Columbia Pictures and NBC Universal.
TREASURER
Irene Oakley Johnson is Former First Lady of Clark Atlanta University where she was an integral part of the life of the University and the ambassador for “Lifting Every Voice.” She is a retired procurement professional in the Mission Operations Support Office at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas.
SECRETARY
William A. Link served as the Richard J. Milbauer Chair in Southern History at the University of Florida and the former President of the Southern Historical Association.
Firas Quran is a Talent Specialist with All American Entertainment and in the past has worked for the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and NBC Universal.
PRESIDENT
Ellen Stolzman has a long history in the marketing of entertainment products. She began her career at CBS, where she spent nearly 10 years engaged in the worldwide marketing of American music legends. She joined Simon & Schuster to launch their Books on Cassette and Home Video businesses, and then moved to senior management at HBO Video, where she built their non feature film business with the targeted marketing of documentaries, music, sports, comedy and educational programs.
Nicole Triche is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, who serves as Associate Professor at Elon University’s School of Communications where she is also the Director of the elondocs production program.