DIRECTORS
SHELDON CANDIS
Award-winning Director and Baltimore native, Sheldon Candis, has made a mark with his high-impact, culture-defining feature films, documentaries, linear series, and campaigns. Candis most recently helmed the prestigious limited Netflix and ARRAY series COLIN IN BLACK & WHITE, which chronicles the early years of civil rights activist, cultural icon and athlete Colin Kaepernick, Executive Produced by Ava DuVernay, starring Nick Offerman, Mary Louise Parker, and Jaden Michael.
His first feature LUV was an official selection at Sundance and stars Common, Michael Rainey Jr., Danny Glover, and Michael K. Williams. His second feature, the full length documentary BALTIMORE BOYS, was commissioned by the reputable ESPN films. Candis’ television credits include the CW & DC Comics super hero series NAOMI, TNT’s THE GAME PLAN Executive Produced by Shaquille O’Neal, BET’s detective noir series REBEL, and OWN’s CHERISH THE DAY. Sheldon also worked with Executive Producers LeBron James and Maverick Carter to direct a story line within the cult video game NBA 2K 20 starring Idris Elba, Rosario Dawson, Thomas Middleditch, and Lamorne Morris.
Candis has developed and directed documentary series such as AMC/Sundance’s WHO WILL SURVIVE AMERICA about the US’s storied love affair with gun accessibility, the Under Armour docu-series I WILL WHAT I WANT starring ballet phenom Misty Copeland, and the Charles Barkley Executive Produced DREAMS. Candis’ poignant, fearless, and textured storytelling has seamlessly translated into advertising campaigns for the likes of Amazon, Ford, Honda, Walmart, and Microsoft alongside numerous national PSA’s, including the IT’S ON US sexual awareness campaign for the Obama-Biden administration.
JESSICA EDWARDS
Raised by musician parents on a hobby farm in Ontario, Canada, Jessica Edwards’ imagination for storytelling was inspired at a young age.
After establishing herself as a brand partnership executive working with major television networks, including on the launch of MTV Canada, Jessica made the natural transition to directing branded content, films, and commercials for global clients such as Adidas, Air Canada, HP, Huawei, Stella Artois, and The Washington Post. Now a sought-after filmmaker, Jessica is known for her verité style and emphasis on intimate, cinematic storytelling.
Her most recent series ‘Mom Famous,’ produced in partnership with People TV, gives audiences an exclusive look into the lives of the country's most successful mom influencers. Her content work has won Best-Of-Show at the Gramercy Content Marketing Awards and her short film for Huawei, 'Connecting The North' was nominated for Best Documentary at the NYC Cynopsis Media Awards.
Jessica’s feature film, STAY AWHILE, is a personal story chronicling her parents’ brush with fame as they climbed the worldwide music charts in the 1960s/70s as Canada’s first super group, The Bells. The film premiered at the Whistler International Film Festival and was an opening weekend selection for the Hot Docs International Film Festival. The film was subsequently picked up by Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Prime, and DirectTV in the U.S. – leading Jessica to be named a ’filmmaker to watch.’
While continuing to direct branded content, series and films, she is currently in development with her next scripted feature film, The Laurentians.
JIM FABIO
Jim Fabio is an award-winning filmmaker with a distinctive visual style and a keen sense of story, for which he has garnered numerous accolades, to include Emmy, Cine Golden Eagle, New York Festivals, Voice and Telly Awards. His work on the groundbreaking Red Line Films sports documentary series Timeless for ESPN earned him his first Sports Emmy in 2005. From 2008 to 2010, as part of Lookalike Productions, Jim produced a series of social issue documentary specials for Sesame Street and PBS, for which the production team garnered several awards, as well as a Primetime Emmy nomination. And in 2013, Jim won another Emmy Award for his work on the NFL Network series The NFL Season: A Biography.
Jim was recently involved in the production of two documentary films in Africa: one in West Africa about the music of Mali, and another for Oprah Winfrey’s HARPO productions about the first class of students to graduate from her leadership academy for girls in South Africa. He more recently wrapped production on the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia and the 2016 Olympic Games for NBC in Rio de Janiero for NBC; a pair of documentaries for the NFL Network about Pro Football Hall of Famers Warren Sapp and Andre Reed; and a documentary film for Red Bull Media House about the sport of Jai Alai. He also directed a slate of feature stories for the 2016 Invictus Games for ESPN and 2017-2018 Thursday Night Football for CBS & NFL Network.
Currently, Jim is completing production of a documentary about the Orangeburg Massacre, the February 1968 mass shooting of unarmed black students by white Highway Patrolmen on the campus of South Carolina State College.
He has been selected to Who’s Who in America and is a member of American Mensa.
FARAH X
Farah X is an award-winning Pakistani-American director and editor, whose list of clients includes Prince, Mariah Carey, and Beyoncé – among many other industry icons. Her first music video got her on Billboard Magazine's 'Top 10 Up and Coming Directors to Watch' list. She was sought out by Mariah Carey to be her personal editor and soon thereafter, took on the same role for the legendary Prince. Since then, Farah has gone on to edit and direct award-winning projects, with a consistent focus on women’s stories – especially women of color. Her work has been showcased at SXSW, AFI Docs, LA Film Festival and can be seen on Netflix and iTunes.
Farah co-directed (and co-edited) her first feature length documentary, The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion. The film premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2019 and has gone on to win several awards worldwide before being picked up by Netflix.
Her online docu-series SeeHer: Multiplicity, an extension of the SeeHer campaign, won a Gracie Award for Original Online Programming – Video Series National (previously won by First Lady Michelle Obama). The series also won Gold and Silver Telly Awards. She recently directed an episode of Hulu’s acclaimed doc series Rap Caviar Presents, and her short documentary Mamba’s Murals for the upcoming Sports Explains the World Series premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2023.
Farah is currently in development on a project with Five All in the Fifth and Jesse Collins Entertainment and calls Brooklyn home.
NIKA OFFENBAC
Nika Offenbac is an award-winning director, producer and collaborator whose heart lives in the world and whose stuff lives in Brooklyn NY.
Commercially she has directed brand campaigns for Evian, Airbnb, Ubisoft, Nestle & TBS, among others. Her visual style and onset approach is based on 10+ years of experience in post-production, animation and visual effects leading tour visuals for Skrillex, Tiesto & Zedd, and branded content for Nordstroms, Macy’s. Toshiba, & Sprint.
In the realm of network television, she has executive produced rebrands, show packages, promos, series and network campaigns for the likes of truTV, Amazon, Netflix, FX, MTV & HBO, including co-executive producing a 5 part documentary series for MTV World, “Until the Sun Comes Up,” about the global evolution of dance music.
When not on set, in meetings or a windowless editing bay, you can usually find her in the boxing ring taking a refresher course on some of life’s deeper lessons which can be boiled down to the following. Be fearless. Be kind. Never ask how many.
SEVERINE REISP
Severine Reisp is an award-winning German/American filmmaker in New York City. She has always been captivated by the incredible power of film to bridge gaps and bring people together, regardless of language or culture.
Drawing from her background as a ballet dancer, she possesses an intuitive sense of rhythm and timing, which informs her decisions on dynamic camera movement, scene cuts, dialogue pacing, and actor cues.
During her time as a Creative Producer and Director at Christie's, the world's leading auction house, Reisp had the opportunity to direct spots for major brands in the luxury space, such as Nike, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., and Rolex, and for individuals like Richard Gere and Diane von Fuerstenberg, earning her three Telly awards, and showcasing her versatility in crafting compelling narratives across diverse media platforms.
Reisp has a proven track record of innovating within the luxury space, bringing stories to life in a way that not only showcases the glamor and sophistication of high-end brands but also adds depth and emotion to their narratives. By no means confined to a genre; she likes to bring aesthetic precision and mesmerizing visuals to each project.
Her short films have received numerous awards at national and international Film Festivals. In her latest project, "Deceive," a short film featuring Dandara Veiga (former principal with ballet Hispanic), Marty Lawson (Smash, The Blacklist, currently in Broadway's Chicago) and shot by Emmy-Winning DP Wolfgang Held, A.S.C., she explores the journey of an abuse survivor, using dance as a powerful medium for healing and liberation. “Deceive” won several awards, including Best Cinematography at the Paris Arts and Movie Awards and the Audience Choice Award at the Yonkers Film Festival.
EVAN SAVITT
Evan Savitt is a NY-based director of commercials, branded content, and music videos. His fascination with the rhythmic momentum of everyday life and the elevation of the ordinary into the filmic has translated into a longstanding career in lifestyle content, comedic dialogue and music videos.
As a director, he’s known for his love of dissecting the mechanics of a brief and developing dynamic practical effects and visual patterns.
He has directed projects for clients ranging from Under Armour, to DVF, Kate Spade, Condé and Nast, to name a select few. Evan has built a reputation in the health and wellness spaces as well, shooting for Columbia-Presbyterian and Hope and Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund for over 15 years.
AUBREY SMYTH
Aubrey’s comedic writing and colorful visual style has been greatly influenced by the imagination and Americana of her childhood, having traveled to 40 states in her family’s motorhome before the age of 10. In the years after graduating with High Honors in Film & Video and being awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award in Media Arts/Film by the acclaimed Pratt Institute, Aubrey set her mind on directing.
Her first documentary about donor conception and the unregualted fertility industry, “The Need To Know”, was executive produced by Tribeca Studios and 23andMe. Aubrey was the Grand Prize Winner for Moët Moment Film Festival sponsored by Moët & Chandon for her film “The Bout” and recipient of a $25,000 prize. She won 1st Place for a Lipton Iced Tea spot and was runner-up for a Klondike spot both via MoFilm’s International commercial competition.
In Aubrey’s commercial career spanning 10 years she has directed notable talents Mark Ruffalo, Priyanka Chopra, Busy Philipps, Hasan Minhaj, Laverne Cox and more. In addition, she writes and edits many of her commercials and studied improvisational comedy at Upright Citizens Brigade.