STAFF
ELLE SHAW
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Elle is originally from Topeka, Kansas. Elle started acting in pursuit of a deeper understanding of the human condition. Four years ago she made her stage directing debut at the Aquila/Morong studio with Neil Labute’s ‘Some Velvet Morning’ in Los Angeles starring Geoff Stults & Eva Swan. On the heals of ‘Some Velvet Morning’ she partnered with Catherine Waller to produce Catherine’s one woman show ‘The Creeps’, taking it on a festival tour starting in Los Angeles followed by the Edinburgh Fringe, Camden Fringe, Best of Amsterdam Fringe and finished in NYC at the United Solo Festival. The show has had continued success and accolades in NYC and will debut Off-West End in London at the inaugural United Solo Festival September 2020. Her credits include the CBS pilot, The Odds, as well as AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire series and many independent films. She graduated with a B.S in Life Science from Kansas State University. She completed the 2 year Meisner program at the Baron/Brown Studio in Santa Monica. Recent credits include: Wolves, Mars Colony:2060, Touch (directed by Lulu Wang)
ERIN BROWN THOMAS
CO-FOUNDER / ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
As a diplopic filmmaker, Erin Brown Thomas literally sees everything twice, shaping her slick, visually heightened approach to "traumadies"—dramas that masquerade as comedies until an emotional gut punch. Her films have won at Oscar-Qualifying festivals, and as Artistic Director of Salute Your Shorts, she champions other emerging filmmakers.
LAUREN REID BROWN
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING
Lauren Reid Brown is a 35 year veteran teacher from Ohio. Shortly after retirement she got involved with film festivals by attending many that her daughter’s films played in around the country. Her enjoyment of that led to volunteering at several including the Oscar qualifying Cleveland International. Lauren became a screener for Salute Your Shorts inaugural festival in 2017 and is now Programming Director. She enjoys the creativity and heart of independent filmmaking. Lauren also has worked on numerous movie sets in a variety of capacities eventually becoming a Producer. Her latest work, HUMAN, which was shot in her mountain town of Salida, Colorado premiered in 2020 and continues to soar on the festival circuit.
BECKY MURDOCH
CO-FOUNDER
Becky Murdoch hails from Detroit, Michigan. During college she dove head-first into a decade-long career in music which brought her to Nashville, and ultimately Los Angeles. It was there that she attended her first film festival which prompted her transition into film producing and volunteering/working at festivals in the Los Angeles area.
Meanwhile, while working at Epiphany Space in Hollywood, Becky single-handedly pioneered their live-events productions branch, creating hundreds of opportunities for artists of all kinds to showcase their work and bringing a personal touch to what can be a very impersonal city.
Her backgrounds in music, film, and live events coalesced when she co-founded the Salute Your Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood, CA and is an emeritus festival director.
VINCENT DELUCA
PROGRAMMER / DIRECTOR OF INDUSTRY OUTREACH
Vincent DeLuca is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has made films on a variety of pressing global topics. His work has screened at festivals worldwide, including Austin Film Festival, Big Sky, MountainFilm, Rhode Island, and Slamdance, and has been employed by non-profit and global organizations to cultivate deeper understanding around critical humanitarian issues. Brand clients include ABC, JetBlue and Verizon. Vincent has a law degree and a Masters in Latin American politics from Duke University as well as a PhD from the University of Amsterdam’s School for Cultural Analysis on the history and philosophy of political cinema. Vincent is a lecturer in Film Production at Loyola Marymount University.
JILLIAN CORSIE
PROGRAMMER
Jillian Corsie is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and branded content director whose work has been featured on Huffington Post, Refinery29, ABC News, and ABC's 2020. Working across documentary, commercial, and branded content, Jillian’s has worked with brands like Apple, Gatorade, Airbnb, Uniqlo, and Lexus, among others. Alongside commercial content, she continues to hone her storytelling skills by directing and editing documentary work with a big impact. Her debut feature documentary, Trichster, sold out screenings at film festivals across the US, and has been viewed by over 160 countries on VOD. Her latest documentary, Second Assault, awarded her “Best Director,” two “Audience Choice Awards”, and “Best Crowdfunded Film” from the Sidewalk Film Festival and has played at more than 20 film festivals globally. Until 2018, Jillian worked as the lead editor at TBWA/Chiat/Day cutting commercial and branded content, and recently finished editing a 6 part docuseries directed by Peter Stormare. Jillian is dedicated to telling stories that shine a light on difficult subjects as well as showcase strong female role models on screen.
KATHERINE TOLENTINO
PROGRAMMER
Katherine Tolentino is a Chinese-Salvadoran filmmaker from the San Francisco Bay Area. Her short films have played at Cinequest Film Festival, Sarasota Film Festival, and IFF Boston, among others. Her short "Ahora que te has ido" won Best Latino Short Film at the Central American International Film Festival in LA. She has worked for major studios including HBO, NBCUniversal, ABC, TNT and FOX. She's drawn to stories that reclaim the narratives & experiences of women of color and other marginalized groups.
NAKORN CHAISRI
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Nakorn is a Thai filmmaker based in Bangkok. He holds a Master's in Film and Television from Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles. He has contributed as a screening committee to festivals including AFI Docs, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and a Shorts Programmer Associate for AFI Fest.