BLAKE SIMPSON
Born and raised in Seattle, WA, Blake spent seven years in East Africa building several businesses including a production studio in Nairobi, Kenya. More recently he has been living and working in Switzerland where he owns and operates Blaked Visuals and works as a Senior Producer for Yoveo AG.
MORRIS SCHMID
Previously the managing partner of Module Plus and a co-founder of the 9 NIGHTS film collective, Morris brings over 7 years of experience in the world of video production and photography. He works over multiple camera systems and software platforms, providing a very versatile skillset.
KIRIMI KIAGE
Kirimi is a story developer and an unapologetic dreamer from Nairobi, Kenya. He is the co-founder of Nyota Art Gallery. He has worked in various capacities with Liverpool VCT, Kenya Social Ventures and Gaia's Garden. When he is not dabbling in writing or poetry, he works as a youth counselor in Germany.
TEDDY GITAU
With over 8 years of experience in film and 6 years in script writing, Teddy is a master translator of ideas into scenes and dialogue. With screenplay credits from FilmAid, Premier Studios, and Project Studio Creations, Teddy has not only applied his craft, but also lectures in script writing at African Digital Media Institute.
BILL AFWANI
Afwani is a co-founder at Rocque Pictures Ltd, which produced '18Hours' movie and won Overall Best Movie at the Africa Magic Viewer's Choice Awards, 2018. His directorial debut feature film 'Safari' premiered at the CineKid Film Festival 2022 , Amsterdam Netherlands. He has recently written and directed two feature films for M-Net Africa, 'Agonda' & 'Chinga' airing on Showmax. He is an alumni of Durban Filmmart 2022. Afwani is also a filmmaking coach for children at German School Nairobi.
CHARLIE KIMILU
With a 7+ year track-record producing video content for a variety of industries, Charlie has handled a vast array of productions from live cutting national sporting events to overseeing short and feature film sets. He is the founder of Project Studio Creations, which has worked with clients such as Coke Studio and Super Sport.
MORTINNO MORTON
Mortinno Morton is Ghanaian film director, editor, producer and founder of mXquared Studios. He has worked on productions such as The Burial of Kojo, EKWA, and Spirit We Dance which have been selected and won awards at film festivals such as Hollywood Venus Awards, Africa Movie Academy Awards, FESPACO, Ghana Movie Awards, and Montreal film festival.
PETER NYAMATO
Peter Nyamato is the Literary Agent of the Rustic Talent Agency as well as the Manager and Producer of Theatrical Production. He has written the soon-to-be published epic poem “Amachuma” and is also a co-host of the “Africa Rising” program for Rustic Talent , which deals with African history and politics.
TANNER LEE
Tanner Lee is a Montana-based versatile creative with a portfolio spanning the gamut of director/producer, DP, drone pilot, and photographer. His roster of clients include Audi, The Discovery Channel, Sennheiser, Lays and some of the world’s largest musical festivals from EDC, and Bonnaroo to Holy Ship and Governor’s Ball.
Austen Szott
Austen Szott is the author of numerous experimental and blended-genre works. He has written and produced novels and short fiction in audio, paperback and e-books with themes of literary horror, romance, erotica, spirituality and science-fiction. More of his writing is available through his visionary, flash-fiction blog at AustenSzott.com.