Author: Ian Skorodin

Rhiana Yazzie (Navajo) is a 2021 Lanford Wilson and 2020 Steinberg Award winning playwright, a director, a filmmaker, and the Artistic Director of New Native Theatre, which she started in 2009 as a response to the lack of connection and professional opportunities between Twin Cities theaters and the Native community. She is a 2018 Bush Foundation… Read more »

Steven Tallas (Navajo) is an Award-Winning Filmmaker known for his debut feature film, 2019’s Rez Dogs. Growing up, Steven wanted nothing more than to see someone like himself starring in the movies he enjoyed most. With his penchant for storytelling and love of cinema, it’s no surprise that he found his calling in filmmaking. He… Read more »

Sydney Leigh Soliz is a descendant of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe who first discovered the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Sydney wrote her first screenplay “Vince and Guy” as a result of a tragic incident that disrupted the lives of Native Americans in Mashpee. “Vince and Guy” gained her acceptance into the American Film Institute (AFI) where… Read more »

Stefan Perez (Graton Rancheria) is a Native American, Latino filmmaker based in Petaluma, California. His small videography business keeps him busy while his filmmaking collective, Flat Quack Films, keeps him busier. Stefan’s original plan of becoming an actor ended when he discovered the power of filmmaking during an acting class assignment in high school. The… Read more »

Vanessa Lillie (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) is the bestselling author of the debut thriller, Little Voices, which received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal as well as must-read lists in Real Simple, Refinery29, and Cosmopolitan UK, and was named one of the best debut thrillers by Bolo Books. Little Voices was featured in the New York Times as one of a new type of… Read more »

Kyle Leonard (Navajo) is a food and beverage aficionado and professional. He has spent his career working in hotels from Arizona to LA and New York. His expertise in the luxury hotel sector has led him to one-of-kind experiences and services. His most notable company worked for is the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts brand,… Read more »

Michelle Hernandez is a Wiyot and Latina filmmaker. She grew up on the Table Bluff Reservation, where she found her love for filmmaking. She has a Masters in Film and Electronic Media at American University in Washington, D.C. and a B.A. at Humboldt State in both Film and Native American Studies. Her work often focuses… Read more »

Joshua Emerson (Navajo) is a Navajo comedian, writer, and actor, based in Denver, Colorado. He is a founding member of the award-winning comedy troupe and production company, DeadRoom Comedy. Comedy shows that Joshua produces through DeadRoom Comedy include ‘Colorado Native,’ a Native American Comedy Showcase, and ‘Dead Inside,’ winner of the Denver Fringe Festivals Audience… Read more »

Rory Crittenden is a screenwriter, director, and producer from the Peavine community of the Cherokee Nation. He is a winner of six Heartland Regional Emmys for his past documentary work for his tribe. In 2022 he became a recipient of Firelight Media’s SPARK Fund, underwritten by the National Endowment for the Humanities. He participated in… Read more »

Diego Moreno is a Pascua Yaqui and Mexican American screenwriter from Tucson, Arizona. His 2016 Native Horror Short, My-A-Knee, won the Alexander Laing Memorial Award for Best Screenplay. In 2018, Diego received a BA in Film and Media Studies from Dartmouth College where his honors thesis, My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys, focused on portrayals… Read more »