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CUTTER CONNECTIONS

Cutter Connections is a mentorship program designed to unite professional women from all career stages of the advertising, entertainment, and digital media industries. At our events, young women entering the field are able to sharpen their network skills and develop relationships with experienced creative professionals.

Professional. Female. United. Forward. 

OUR MENTORS

Hillary Cutter

Hillary Cutter

Founder & EP, Cutter

Hillary Cutter is the founder of Cutter Entertainment. She is a renowned film executive & producer, curator of directorial talent, and fierce champion of the inclusion of women in entertainment from set to screen.

Niki Janowski

Niki Janowski

Head of Production, Cutter Entertainment

Niki has 2 decades of experience as a producer, prod manager, prod coordinator, and 1st & 2nd asst director on features, docs, shorts, television, live events, commercials, promos, music videos & corporate videos.

Farah X

Farah X

Director | Editor

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.

Severine Reisp

Severine Reisp

Creative Video Producer | Director

Severine Reisp is an award-winning German-American filmmaker based in New York City. With a background in ballet, she brings an intuitive sense of rhythm and movement to her work, crafting visually striking narratives with emotional depth.

Barbie Leung

Barbie Leung

Cinematographer

梁麗君 Barbie Leung is a New York based cinematographer working in features, commercials, and music videos.

Shannon Williams

Shannon Williams

Freelance Editor | Animator | Producer

With over fifteen years of experience in video editing and animation, Shannon has collaborated with a wide range of brands, advertising agencies, production companies, and non-profits.

Lauren Ciaravalli

Lauren Ciaravalli

Creative Director & Film Director

Lauren Ciaravalli is a Webby Award–winning director and WGA Award–nominated writer with a passion for talent-driven storytelling and imaginative social campaigns.

Patrice Francois

Patrice Francois

Executive Director | Post Production Professional

Patrice Francois is a filmmaker working in post-production for TV and digital media. She founded Imagine This Women’s Film Festival to amplify women’s voices, promote diversity, and mentor emerging filmmakers.

Rozz Therrien

Rozz Therrien

Executive Producer

Rozz Therrien is a NY based film, television, and commercial producer. She has consulted on development projects for Academy Award -nominated and BAFTA winning producers and writers.

EVENTS

December 2023

Crossing Boundaries and Mixing Mediums

​At the event, “Crossing Boundaries and Mixing Mediums,” hosted at Nice Shoes, our panel of industry experts talked about navigating the ever-changing landscape of the entertainment industry and spilled some special tips for our mentees about how to make the most of their network and skillset as they enter the industry. 

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A final HUGE shout out to our sponsors: Nice Shoes, William Chris Vineyards and My First Job in Film. 

June 2022

Reviving the multi-hyphenate

The world has changed and so have we - more of us than ever are starting independent businesses and trying on multiple professional hats - DP/Directors, Writer/Producers, Editors/VFX/Animators, etc.! So, we gathered to answer questions about the benefits and challenges of working for oneself, why it’s important to have a versatile skillset, how to overcome the stigma of having more than one title, and how to stay relevant and hirable via word of mouth alone.

 

Our esteemed moderator Director/Producer/Writer, Rebecca Eskreis and brilliant panelists DP, Jendra Jarnigan, Director/Editor, Farah X, Director/Writer/Producer, Assal Ghawami, and Producer/Director, Katie Leary walked us through their journeys to success and reflected on what they’d wish they’d known earlier.

December 2019

An Evening with Women Screenwriters

Cutter Connections celebrated its 9th event which honored both aspiring and accomplished female screenwriters. Most excitingly, we have now welcomed over 700 (!!!) women in the tristate area looking to connect with likeminded artists in advertising, television, and media.

April 2019

Women in Sports: Take the Field

Cutter Connections held its 8th event celebrating the trail-blazing achievements of female leaders in the field of Sports and Entertainment. Over 50 women congregated in the spacious offices of New York audio house Sound Lounge to hear expert panelists, trade career advice and sharpen their networking skills thanks to the sponsorship of SVG and Newhouse Sports Media Center. The impressive list of mentors and mentees present held roles in production, development, marketing and creative direction from companies ranging from the MLB Network to Whistle Sports, CBS Sports, NBC Olympics and The Players Tribune.

OUR SPONSORS

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