Executive Director

Lynn Hughes (she/her) is an award-winning producer, writer and director whose career creating media spans more than 20 years. Her expertise is in developing and producing non-fiction programming, which has aired on networks across the globe, including NBC, PBS, Discovery, History Channel, BBC, Channel 4, MTV and Showtime with recent series on Apple, Disney+, HBO, Investigation Discovery and OWN. As a member of the Producers Guild of America, she served as chair for the Documentary Committee and the Women’s Impact Network (WIN). Lynn is a former member of the board of Action Youth Media, serving in her tenure as Finance Chair and Co-Chair of the board.

Studio Operations Team Lead

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Outreach Operations Team Lead

(she/he/they) has had a long standing commitment for community activism and education. Morgan is studying education at Champlain College in Vermont and dreams of one day to becoming history teacher and professor of critical race theory. She has a deep passion for her field and for empowering her community, making mutual aid and activism a main priority. In the studio, Morgan spends her time at work building relationships within local school and organizations in the community, recruiting students and partners for AYM.

Lead Teacher

(he/him) is a British filmmaker based in Washington, DC. His films have been screened at film festivals in the United States, UK, and Asia. Graham is a faculty member at Montgomery College and an associate producer at Sightline Media, a media outlet that reports on the military. He is the head programmer at the North by North International Film Festival and has taught Filmmaking at Ohio University and Interlochen School of the Arts.

Teaching Artist

(she/her) was featured in Variety's 2015 100 Writers to Watch. She is a former NYC analyst, DC policy writer, international aid director and touring dancer. In 2023, her plays were presented at the Signature in DC, Nashville and Omaha. Nayna is an alumna of the Unlock Her Potential initiative, The Salon initiative, Disney ABC TV Writers Program and the Sesame Street Writers Program. She has written for Disney, ABC, Netflix, DreamWorks, Mattel and won a development deal with Sesame Street. Recent credits include ABC’s The Baker and The Beauty, Disney’s Encanto, an upcoming Disney film, and a Netflix live-action YA fantasy show.

Teaching Artist

(she/her) is a Ghanaian-American Writer, Actress, Director, and Producer who was born and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She received her undergraduate degree in Creative Writing from Towson University in 2018. In June of 2024, she graduated from the Stella Adler Studio of Acting Professional Conservatory program in New York City. She has since produced, written, and directed her first independent film titled Sound, and worked as a Producer and Associate Producer, Production Designer, Casting Director, and Production Assistant in over nine projects including commercials, documentaries, independent films and web series local to the DMV.

Teaching Artist

(she/her) is a film enthusiast, radio personality, film blogger and video producer. Having worked in the entertainment business for over 25 years, she wears many hats -- casting director, producer, radio show host and film publicist. Molly hosted BROADMINDED, a national talk show on Sirius XM for eight years. Molly gets to the heart of any story with humor and extortion. Molly's passion is discussing the filmmaking process. She has interviewed hundreds of actors, directors, writers and continues to host filmmaker screenings and Q&A’s for numerous studios such as Focus Features, Paramount Pictures and Fox Searchlight.

Teaching Artist

(she/her) is an award-winning filmmaker, editor and director who focuses on documentary and independent features. She’s had a lifelong love of movies and a keen interest in how they are created behind the scenes. Georgia’s a team leader and editor for Black Girls Film Camp, a nonprofit that seeksto close the representation gap of stories in media by cultivating the next generation of storytellers and amplifying those stories from "dream to screen to social impact." She has worked in virtually every position on a film crew, and hopes to make a difference in her community through her favorite medium.

Teaching Artist

(she/her) is a graduate of American University wtih an MSc in Media Communication from the London School of Economics. She spent several years living in post-conflict countries working for humanitarian organizations focused on public health, girl education and women's issues. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The Bitter Southerner, Bicycling Magazine, ProPublica, The Globe and Mail, Healthline, EatingWell Magazine, USA Today, Cosmopolitan.com, and VanityFair.com

Teaching Artist

(he/him) is a filmmaker from Gaithersburg, MD. He graduated from Towson University with a degree in Electronic Media & Film and a minor in African American studies. Bala has directed several short films and music videos for various artists. He has also worked on notable films such as Apple TV's "Ghosted'' starring Chris Evans and Ana De Armas, and Netflix's "Rustin" with Colman Domingo. Additionally, he has experience as a gaffer/lighting technician for films such as "Step Back, Doors Closing." Bala is always eager to take on new projects and bring fresh ideas to the table.

Teaching Artist

(she/her) is a video producer and editor interested in imagining visions of an equitable world. She covers social movements and other topics at the intersections of culture, identity and politics. Her work has been featured in More Perfect Union and The Washington Post. 

Teaching Artist

(she/her) has always loved art and expressing herself creatively. aAs a sophomore in high school, she took the initiative to begin a 3-year digital media production course. Quickly it became her passion! Shir is a first-generation college graduate, who double majored at Towson University in Maryland, graduating with a B. in Electronic Media and Film and a BFA in Digital Art and Design. Shir is skilled in photography, fine art, digital art, and illustration, as well as 2D, 3D, stop motion, and rotoscoping. She loves her work and is grateful for the opportunity to work with youth.

Teaching Artist

(she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and documentarian working at the intersection of research, storytelling, music, and technology. Her work blends intensive inquiry, intimate interviews, self-composed violin scores, and unconventional videography to create projects that are both emotionally resonant and intellectually rigorous, and her films have been screened in New York, Los Angeles, Milan, Melbourne, and London. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Environmental Policy with a Minor in Media Arts and Culture from Occidental College. She also works as an archival researcher with Ken Burn’s film company, Florentine Films.

Program Operations Team Lead

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