Brynne (she/her)
Bio: Los Angeles native, Brynne is an independent singer/songwriter. Inspired by artists such as Sade, James Blake, Minnie Riperton and Little Dragon, she loves the duality of poetic and introspective lyrics while layering atmospheric vocal harmonies. She has continuous airplay on independent radio station Amazing Artist Radio both in the USA and UK and has released two EP's independently, Motorcycle and Self Verse. As of Jan 2024, Brynne signed with Van Sciver Music Group, for music licensing.
My mentorship style & approach: My style and approach as a mentor is to listen. I believe as artists and creators, we are seekers for some sort of truth and the way I am to participate on your journey is to listen to the truths you have inside you, listen to questions you want to explore, hear the challenges or the knowings you feel about your work and encourage the route(s) you as the creative can take to bring the answers to your questions into fruition. Then, keep that encouragement going throughout the process.
Work with me if you enjoy/value:
tenderness in the midst of perseverance
critical thought along with creative feedback
honest conversations about why you are doing the work you are doing
Ala' Khan (she/her/ella)
Bio: Ala’ Khan is a storyteller and filmmaker focused on community based storytelling - uplifting the authentic and diverse stories of BIPOC communities. Currently serving as the Marketing and Communications Manager at WIF (formally, Women in Film), Ala’ is an advocate for increasing representation on and behind the screen by empowering people and communities to take control of their own narrative. Ala’ is also a freelance video producer, director and consultant, specializing in diversity, justice and multicultural appreciation and personal narrative development.
Ala’ is a graduate of the University of California Berkeley where she studied Latin American history. She also pursued graduate-level communications and digital media at the University of Washington. Ala’ is a lifelong community activist in pursuit of justice, racial equity and immigration reform. Faith and spirituality are what ground Ala’ and motivate her work and engagement with the world. Ala’ feels immensely blessed to be from Southern California where she loves soaking up the sun and engaging in the beauty of her diverse communities. Ala’ is an avid traveler and dancer who strives to live beyond borders in all aspects of her life.
My mentorship style & approach: I have a collaborative mentorship style oriented towards facilitating the confidence, empowerment and creative direction of the mentee. I lean into curiosity, support, encouragement, and constructive feedback for a fruitful mentorship relationship. I ask questions to understand the mentee’s personal values, professional development goals, and their preferred communications style. I also like to share some of my own background and journey to establish a relationship of transparency and trust. Once I understand my mentee’s goals I create space for knowledge sharing, allowing the mentee to share what process would be most supportive to their learning. I provide concrete tools, insights and resources that will support the mentees growth and project development. I like to work together to set benchmarks and a timeline for a specific project so I can check in with a mentee on their progress and help facilitate completion of a project. Then I like to let someone run with their project and periodically check-in to provide guidance. I am a believer in learning from experience and am available to act as a sounding board along the way. I give feedback and encouragement using a “grows, glows and go’s” framework for concrete points of affirmation and improvement.
Work with me if you enjoy/value:
liberation for all people, authentic storytelling and decolonial artistic expression.
creating art that tells the stories of systematically marginalized communities
a space where BIPOC narratives are celebrated and uplifted.
anti-racism and intersectionality
art and activism at the intersections of spirituality and justice
spaces where you can show up as your full authentic self
community empowerment
collaborative ideation and brainstorming
rejoicing the beauty in our communities and creation
Follow me on IG – drop a note with the friend request that you’re an AAF mentee applicant.
edxi (she/her)
Bio: edxi is an autistic, Black, Blackfeet descended(non enrolled) trans Pinay, multimedia artist, public speaker, and longtime community organizer. Her work entails political education while providing material support to historically targeted and colonized communities. She creates art/media for the sake of propagating anti-authoritarian resistance culture to spark discourse, sources of healing, critical thought, dialogue, mutual aid and direct action. She was a recent Mellon Foundation Artist-In-Residence for the Feminist & Gender Studies Program of Colorado College; and a R.I.S.E. Poetry & Art Fellowship Award winner. She is also a creator of zines and a published writer in books such as the Lambda Literary award winning anthology, Love WITH Accountability: Digging Up the Roots of Child Sexual Abuse. And the book Blackseed: Not on Any Map: Indigenous Anarchy in an anti political world.
My mentorship style & approach: Though being a mentor is very new to me, I aim to have a motivating mentorship style through a non hierarchical lens and practice that would challenge any mentee to find and strengthen their autonomy. I would hope the relationship wouldn’t be imbalanced by assuming I have nothing to learn from my mentees positionalities and experiences. I would also offer support for their goals as artists to be reached.
Work with me if you enjoy/value:
Talking about neurodivergence
anti-colonial social theory
Various art forms that can be practically applied towards collective liberation
Check out my work & visual artistry!
Amalia Mesa (she/they)
Bio: Amalia Mesa (she/they) is an independent film producer and the managing director of SpeakOut, a non-profit, social justice speakers agency. Born in Havana, Cuba and raised in Oakland, CA, comes from a long line of activists, artists, and storytellers, and has a deep passion for amplifying revolutionary narratives that uplift people of color, queer and trans folks, Muslims, and femme-identifying folks.
Amalia has produced an array of films, shorts and media projects, including the award-winning short, THE SYED FAMILY XMAS EVE GAME NIGHT, which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2021. Amalia got her start in commercial, film, and TV production as a producer and directors’ assistant for HBO, Marvel, Universal, 20th Century Fox, National Geographic, to name a few, and has explored everything from producing/directing to production to script development to cinematography to direction to casting.
Amalia is a lifelong activist, dedicated to the liberation of all people, and has been involved with many arts activism organizations and nonprofits. Through her work at SpeakOut, she helps to bring progressive voices like Angela Davis, Dolores Huerta, and Loretta Ross, to campuses to educate and inspire change. Amalia currently sits on the National Advisory Council for the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE), and is a member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). Amalia graduated from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television.
My mentorship style & approach: In my mentorship, I prioritize a collaborative and holistic approach that looks at both personal and professional development. I want to create a supportive environment where a mentee feels valued, heard, and empowered to explore their creativity and potential. I believe we both have a lot to learn from one another. My style is rooted in fostering genuine connections and building trust, allowing for open and honest communication. I encourage mentees to set ambitious goals and challenge themselves while providing guidance, encouragement, and constructive feedback along the way. I believe in supporting my mentee in their own unique journey, and will tailor to what they want in a mentor as well, and help them create something that is healing, impactful, and fun.
Work with me if you enjoy/value:
Using film and storytelling to change the world!
If you have a story to tell!
If you are looking to find ways to deepen your practice, want to learn both creative and business insights about filmmaking, how to foster authenticity in your work and create something that stands out, want to create something that can be healing, how to create a film or media project from ideation to post-production, receive practical guidance on your career and the arts/entertainment industry, how to stay rooted in using your activism, how to not get burnt out and how to take care of yourself and community, how to forge a strong network, and how to collaborate and communicate with others
If you want to hone your craft, or to find your visual style and aesthetic as a storyteller.
Follow me on IG!
Audrey Chan (she/her)
Bio: Audrey Chan (b. 1982, Chicago) is a Los Angeles-based artist, illustrator, and writer. Her research-based projects use drawing, painting, and public art to challenge dominant historical narratives through allegories of power, place, and identity. Public art commissions include Will Power Allegory (2022) for Metro Art at the Little Tokyo/Arts District Metro Regional Connector Station and The Care We Create (2020) at the Los Angeles offices of the ACLU of Southern California, where she was the organization's inaugural artist-in-residence. Chan has been awarded fellowships with Artists at Work and the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at the Japanese American National Museum, California Arts Council, and California Community Foundation. In 2021, she was recognized as a DCA Cultural Trailblazer by Los Angeles’ Department of Cultural Affairs. In 2023, she was named an 18th Street Arts Center California Creative Corps Fellow working in partnership with AAPIs for Civic Empowerment Education Fund on a political education comic book. In 2024, Chan was named USC Pacific Asia Museum’s Artist Awareness and Impact Honoree. She has been an artist-in-residence with OxyArts’ Encoding Futures Summer Residency (with Monument Lab and the Mellon Foundation), Sam Francis Gallery, and l’école régionale des beaux arts de Nantes.
My mentorship style & approach: As a mentor, I am interested in what you care about, what makes you hopeful, what makes you angry, and why. I want you to be comfortable asking questions about process, work/life “balance”, and co-learning with me in our conversational check-ins. I believe in reciprocity and a mutual investment in the time we share. I also believe professionalism is a love language. It’s important to learn skills of communication and accountability that will serve your goals, carry your message clearly and effectively, and support your work in collaboration and partnership with others. I want to help guide my mentees in developing skills of project visioning and management and practicing self-discipline to support their ideas becoming realities. My growth as an artist activist coincided with becoming a mother of two, so I have a relationship with time that is priority-driven and strongly motivated by milestone goals but also open to spontaneous detours and delights. I am admittedly more practical than theoretical so I am less likely to recommend readings than I am to discuss your 5- and 10-year plans. That being said, I am very interested in reading your manifesto!
Work with me if you enjoy/value:
nerding out about activating archives
thinking intersectionally
articulating boundaries (i.e. unlearning “people pleasing”)
practicing community and self care
tapping into the storytelling potential of drawing and design and comics
and/or learning how to make yourself useful to the work of movement building for just futures
Janil Hernandez (she/her)
Bio: Born in Tongva territory aka Los Angeles but spent my childhood in so-called Mexico.The clashing of both cultures left me feeling alienated at a young age and so I sought refuge in my imagination and the stories I created in my mind with make-believe characters that I swore would become a cartoon some day. Through my exploration of art I became interested in my families histories and our cultural legacies. Music was also a driving force that radicalized me and made think about the state of the world and society in a different way. I've had the opportunity to utilize different materials to express my thoughts and feelings ranging from writing poetry and songs to sculpting with clay or paper, jewelry making with copper and brass, and painting with different mediums. Becoming a mother has given me a surge of inspiration like never before which has propelled me to evolve and create work that helps us imagine a better world for the future generations to come.
My mentorship style & approach: I feel like my approach is about exploration and encouragement. In my own practice I love to research styles, colors, history, meaning, about topics or subjects that are a part of what I will be creating; it's a big part of the process because it's how we may gather inspiration. I also believe it's important to nurture our ideas by allowing ourselves the freedom to simply create when it feels right. A balance of both of these- go with the flow but with a vision- is ideal but most importantly have fun and enjoy the development of your creation.
Work with me if you enjoy/value:
painting and/or sculpting, patterns, motifs, portraits
themes such as Indigenous resistance and sovereignty, land stewardship, land back, motherhood or children, and flora and fauna
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Jumai Yusuf (she/her)
Bio: Jumai Yusuf is a Director, Writer, and Producer. She is a Muslim, Nigerian immigrant, who strives to bring the stories of underrepresented minorities to the screen. She has an MFA in Film & TV Production from USC, and a B.A. in Neurobiology from Harvard. Her short films have screened at dozens of festivals worldwide including the San Diego Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival.
She is a fellow in the inaugural Sundance Institute x Walt Disney Muslim Artist Fellowship program, which supported her animated pilot script LAYLA AND THE STARSHIP AFROTOPIA. This pilot was previously selected for the inaugural Television Screenwriting Lab for Black Muslim Writers, held by MPAC Hollywood and the BlackHouse. Her horror feature film script COCOA DOLL was selected for the 2022 Muslim List presented by the Black List, MPAC Hollywood, and Pillars Fund, along with the 2022 WScripted Cannes Screenplay List presented by MUBI. She is also one of the directors for Rifelion’s Ramadan America anthology that premiered at The Muslim House @ SXSW 2024. Currently, she is the Creative Development Coordinator for Film & TV at Riot Games. Her full portfolio is available at www.jumaiyusuf.com
My mentorship style & approach: I have worked in development for 5 years, so therefore I am experienced with dissecting scripts and giving notes to writers and filmmakers. I am very comfortable with coaching filmmakers and screenwriters, and giving feedback in a compassionate way. I've been a mentee myself, and I’d like to model what I value the most from a mentor; consistent communication, constructive feedback, and generally being a good listener.
Work with me if you enjoy/value:
storytelling in a narrative cinema format, especially if you love "genre" i.e. sci-fi, fantasy, horror, afrofuturism. I have worked in live-action and animation
stories with a social message that avoid being didactic, expansive worldbuilding, and creating new visions for the future
shreya delgado-shah (they/them)
Bio: shreya is a queer, south asian, disabled social movement artist, coach, trainer, and facilitator. they have supported movement work across the states and globe for more than 14 years and are based in los angeles. find more info at: www.saltwatertraining.org
My mentorship style & approach: i am direct, curious, experimental, fun, and ready to dig in deep on a spiritual, political, creative, artistic, and embodied level. our work will be led by your political and artistic goals and dreams. i ask big questions that deepen self-accountability practices, expand your path of possibilities and choices, and clarify what gets in the way for you to be the artist / cultural worker / organizer you most strive to be.
Work with me if you enjoy/value:
poster-making
large-scale collaborative projects
creative direct action art-making
cultural organizing
community-based art
linking with other radical social movement artists
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Mustafa Rony Zeno (he/they)
Bio: Mustafa Zeno is an LA-based filmmaker from Aleppo, Syria. His practice is anchored in exploring the moving image’s ability to be a site of communal processing. He synthesizes ancestral artistic forms, languages, histories, and ways of seeing into emergent audiovisual compositions.
As a producer, cinematographer, and director, his films have been released on mostly colonial outlets such as PBS, Netflix, NYT Op-Docs, and National Geographic. They have received grants from Sundance, CAAM, Islamic Scholarship Fund, and California Civil Liberties. He was a creative nonfiction fellow in True/False Film Festival’s inaugural PRISM Fellowship in 2020. He is the former director of the Arab Film Festival in Los Angeles and current co-director of the diasporic culture studio RUG and VASE.
My mentorship style & approach: I see the mentor-mentee relationship as one of intergenerational co-learning. As such, I like to start by learning about one another: who our (biological/chosen/artistic…etc) elders are, what we’re exploring with our respective creation practices, what approach, process and form best encapsulate that exploration, and what we’re struggling with. Based on that I will see how we can work through those struggles together, what guiding questions I can ask, and what resources I can provide to best empower them on their path.
Work with me if you enjoy/value:
bringing your ancestors into your process of creation
Dani Marzouca (they/them)
Bio: Dani is a queer anti-capitalist activist living in their van on Tongva land (most of the time). Born and raised in south Florida, Dani has ancestral ties to the First Christians of Bethlehem, Palestine, and to the Spanish settlers of the Canary Islands and then Puerto Rico. Presumably due to white supremacist assimilation pressure, Dani didn’t grow up in their Palestinian heritage and has turned to art and activism to reclaim their cultural inheritance and amplify the undeniable queer resistance to the occupation of historic Palestine.
In the last six months, they've helped organize ceasefire protests against Congressman Jimmy Gomez; infiltrated his UCLA graduate course in order to stage a "no ceasefire, no class" protest inside; bird-dogged Adam Schiff at an LGBT Senate Forum; helped block the Rose Parade; and organized a vigil for queer Palestinians killed in Gaza.
In 2022, Dani started taking classes to learn and preserve the centuries-old Palestinian art form of tatreez (embroidery) from Palestinian-American tatreez artist and historian, Wafa Ghnaim.
Dani’s artistic goal is to embroider their own story onto a queer-ified thobe suit. Dani has made a living writing for non-profit campaigns, freelance covering Latino news, and in SEO content marketing. As the genocide on Gaza intensifies, they’re most often writing speeches or lessons, though they dream of SEO-optimizing a pro-Palestine Learning Hub.
My mentorship style & approach: The first crude metaphor that comes to mind is that my mentorship style is like what a belayer is to a rock climber. My job as a belayer is to support the climber’s creative ascent according to their preference and keep them safe. Some climbers love a hype man while others detest it. Some climbers are encouraged to hear a suggestion when they’re stuck while others will feel robbed of solving the puzzle. Either way, I’m anticipating asking you some basic questions about your preferences, relying on you to fill in any gaps you want me to know, and enjoying the catharsis! A bit about my non-metaphorical experience: I’ve mentored teen animal rights activists the first few years out of college. The last few years, I’ve largely mentored writers and quality-edited their work in the workplace. I’ve received anonymous feedback that my comments are exceptionally uplifting, productive, and supportive; and that I consistently collaborate to improve a piece. Above all, I genuinely love to see any artist, especially of the global majority, claim their power.
Work with me if you enjoy/value:
out-gaying the LGBT orgs that manufacture consent for genocide with immersive, creative protests
processing collective grief through collective art
and if you believe the intifada gods have something special planned for us
Follow me on IG!