BOARD MEMBERS

We are proud to introduce the dedicated individuals who serve on the board of Black Film Space.

  • Hollann Sobers is a multidisciplinary leader and Production Executive overseeing cross-platform entertainment from conception through distribution in television, short film, documentaries, promos, and events.

    Hollann rose to the position of Production Executive in her time at Viacom, where she worked on documentaries under VH1’s award-winning Rock Docs franchise and various original series, including the launches of Love & Hip Hop and Black Ink Crew.  After VH1, she worked at Al Jazeera America and Sundance TV before joining Complex Networks in 2017 as the Director of Production.   Hollann worked across all original programming brands while building an infrastructure to support 30-plus series per year,  including some licensed by Netflix, Hulu, and Roku. Before leaving Complex, she executive produced the ComplexCon(versations) series and was Sr. Director of Integrated Development & Programming Operations, which entailed a combination of innovative content development, original programming, and operational excellence.

    Most recently, Hollann served as a Production Executive at Amazon Studios overseeing their unscripted programming.   In addition to being an active member of the  PGA, NYWIFT, and NAMIC, she is in her second term on the Television Academy’s Board of Governors representing the Production Executive Peer Group. Currently, she serves as Vice Chair of the Diversity Committee.

  • Ms. Johnson has extensive experience in the areas of global philanthropy, public policy, healthcare and higher education. She has over fifteen years of experience advocating for the needs of underrepresented and raising funding globally to support society's greatest needs. Ms. Johnson is passionate about connecting corporations and individuals to social causes that matter most to them to help them accomplish their philanthropic goals.

    She previously served as Senior Development Officer at Freedom House, a global non-profit that strengthens, and defends democracy worldwide through programs that support frontline activists, research, and advocacy. We are leaders in identifying threats to civil liberties and political rights, and never in our 80-year history has our work mattered more. This role leads the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities of major gifts for a portfolio of 75-100 prospects which includes individuals and corporations.

    Ms. Johnson completed her Master of Science in Higher Education at Drexel University. She also received her undergraduate degree from Drexel University where she majored in International Area Studies, & minored in Africana Studies. One of her most memorable pastimes includes participating in study abroad programs. In the past, Ms. Johnson has conducted research in Ghana, Brazil, Costa Rica and continuously aspires to travel and learn about the commonalities that exist between different cultures.

    Prior to working at UNCF, Ms. Johnson has extensive experience in the field of intercultural engagement, law, and government. Her most memorable job experiences include working at the United Nations in New York City, and City Council in Philadelphia, and the New York State Unified Court System in New York. She is extremely passionate about the needs of underrepresented minorities and aspires to follow a career path that connects individuals and corporations to philanthropic causes that matter.

  • Stanley Delva is an artist and arts administrator who is deeply committed to uplifting and supporting the arts; his passion lies in supporting emerging filmmakers, artists, and small businesses through fundraising.

    As an artist and storyteller, he believes in fostering an equitable community and securing resources for historically marginalized people to better challenge dominant narratives. Stanley's artistic practice encompasses writing, filmmaking, photography, and curation. His fundraising and development experience includes work with organizations such as El Museo del Barrio, Cool Culture, Film-Maker’s Coop, and Brooklyn Arts Council.

    He actively supports arts funding through grant writing and has served as a grant panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), New York City’s Department for Cultural Affairs (DCLA), and the Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).

    A Brooklyn bred, native New Yorker of Haitian descent, Stanley cherishes the Caribbean heritage seen across the city and has received a Bachelor's degree in English and African American Studies from Brooklyn College and a Master’s degree in Museum Studies from CUNY School of Professional Studies. 

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

  • Roland Kennedy, Jr., is director of grants management. Prior to joining the Corporation, Kennedy led special projects and operations and served as internal liaison at Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative. During his time there, he helped transform a set of presidential campaign policies into a new philanthropic program focused on civic and economic justice for Black Americans, including accelerating the pace of wealth accumulation. Earlier for Bloomberg’s grants team, he led planning and operations for data governance projects and grantmaking portfolios for education, Bloomberg Connects, and Founder’s Projects.

    His earlier work experience at the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, Democracy Fund, and Democracy Fund Voice included 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) grantmaking for effective U.S. and international governance practice, media and journalism, international peace, and atrocity prevention, as well as a focus on elections and voting issues.

    Kennedy earned his MS in international relations from Northeastern University and BA in global affairs from Villanova University.

  • Jeanine Daniels is an acclaimed writer, producer, director, and actor who honed her skills at KCET, ABC, Warner Bros., and Disney Animation after college. In 2008, Jeanine co-founded Black&SexyTV, a digital content studio and distribution network focusing on content starring people of color. While there she spearheaded the network’s most successful shows, and optioned the first series she created, The Couple to HBO. Various other shows she created and/or produced were licensed to BET and Centric, including her first feature film, That Guy (The Movie). A spinoff of her That Guy series, Becoming Nia, is currently being studied at Spelman College.

    In 2015, Jeanine launched nine27 Entertainment, her own full service production company. Under her nine27 banner, Jeanine wrote, directed, and produced a series of 5 Black History Month vignettes for TV One. “The Soulcial Movement”, was a series featuring African-American agents of change who use social media as their primary tool for imparting positive change within social movements. Also in late 2015, Jeanine received an Honorable Mention Award from The African American Women in Cinema at the Women of Excellence Awards.

    Jeanine is currently creating original content and developing a digital platform that will highlight the voices and everyday stories of people of color. She thrives when she’s telling authentic stories about environments and people that aren't typically highlighted. Her old fans have followed her across platforms from YouTube to VHX to Periscope and Snapchat, while new ones are joining from the Netherlands, China, and Brazil. Her latest Snap thread, #midgnightmission, is just one of a handful that has caught the attention of publications like Essence magazine.

    She is repped by ICM Partners and managed by 5 Streams.

  • Marissa Crespo, known as the “Culture Curator,” is an entertainment and intellectual property attorney who focuses on copyright and trademark brand protection for content creators in the film, television, literary, fashion, and music industries.

    Marissa has been involved in deals for television shows on major networks such as NBC, VH1, Bravo, BET, and WE tv, including such shows as Love and Hip-Hop and the Real Housewives franchises.

    She has successfully drafted and negotiated film deals for directors, writers, actors, and production companies and has functioned as production legal counsel on films that have premiered at Tribeca and Sundance.  

    A frequent writer and panelist on entertainment related issues, Marissa has been published by Thomson Reuters and in leading entertainment trade journals such as Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts and the New York Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Journal.

    She is currently a freelance writer for Screencraft.

    Visit her website: crespolawoffice.net

  • Kike Aluko Wahutu is an entertainment attorney and a member of the Entertainment & Media Practice at Greenberg Traurig. She focuses her legal practice on a diverse range of transactions within the entertainment industry, particularly music licensing in connection with film and television, sports, digital and marketing initiatives, as well as the representation of musical talent. She has experience drafting and negotiating music deals in connection with original film/TV content on major streaming platforms, including agreements with recording artists, music producers, songwriters, composers, music supervisors, record labels, music publishing companies, and more. As a classically trained musician and an MBA graduate, Kike brings a variety of valuable perspectives to her practice that provide her with a unique understanding of the creative and business issues facing the music industry. Kike also serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board of the African Creative Economies (ACE) Initiative at Harvard Law School, and on the Associate Board of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA).

    Prior to joining Greenberg Traurig, Kike spent time working with the Nigerian Copyright Commission, Spotify, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and Pandora. Before graduate school, Kike had a six-year career in the non-profit sector, where she worked with marginalized communities in health education and professional career development.

    Kike is a JD/MBA graduate from Harvard University, and a 2009 graduate from Stanford University. She is currently admitted to practice law in New York and Georgia.

  • Janis Vogel is an award-winning film editor, producer and relationship coach with a multi-genre scope. She produced, edited and directed her first film in 2008. Drop won many awards, including the Independent Film Project and New York Mayor's Office of Film's NextGen Award. She went on to work on many documentary series for MTV, Discovery Channel, TLC, and others while at the same time editing short films and music videos with acclaimed filmmakers, which have screened at countless festivals including Sundance, Outfest, NewFest and beyond. 

    She has worked on critically acclaimed documentaries such as Natalie Rae’s, Daughters, featuring young girls visiting their fathers in prison, Laura Poitras’ Terror Contagion, and Silas Howard’s, drag queen bio pic Sticks & Stones: Bambi Lake, which won a Frameline grant and premiered on Pitchfork. She most recently edited the riveting documentary WICKET, which premiered at Frameline, winning the audience award. 

    There is a strong through-line in her work of capturing the stories that often go untold and bringing light to the experience of the underdog. A queer, black, single mother herself, she resonates deeply with the important stories she helps shed light on. Janis later segued into narrative film editing, working with director Spike Lee on She’s Gotta Have It for Netflix, and most recently working on Celine Song’s Past Lives, and the most Emmy-nominated show of all time, Severance. She has also edited commercials for Pepsi, Always, Dove, and other brands that select her expertise when they are looking for a raw, vulnerable, and poetic vision. 

    She is the co-foundar of the Blue Collar Post Collective a 25K strong organization for post-production professionals.

  • Sharra Dade is a performing arts educator, voice over artist, creative entrepreneur, and Founder

    of I Coach Stars, a multi-faceted acting studio and creative hub offering on-camera training,

    theater and Broadway training, improv, voice-over, and scene study for actors of all ages.

    Through I Coach Stars, Sharra has helped nurture both emerging and established talent,

    building confidence and preparing performers for opportunities in television, film, animated

    series, commercial work, and on Broadway. She has also played a key role in helping break

    new talent into the industry while guiding parents of child actors to navigate the business

    strategically and effectively.

    With a professional background in Public Relations and Communications, Sharra brings a

    strategic lens to storytelling, branding, and talent development. She has worked across creative

    projects, events, and media initiatives, bridging artistry with effective visibility and audience

    engagement. Known for liaising effectively with professionals at all levels, Sharra excels at

    building, nurturing, and adding genuine value to long-term relationships across the creative and

    business landscape.

    Sharra is also expanding into film production and screenwriting, currently developing her first

    YA-focused project alongside her daughter, actor Alyssa Cheatham. Together, they develop

    stories rooted in emotion, identity, and meaningful representation. Their work centers on

    coming-of-age narratives that empower youth, reflect diverse lived experiences, and explore

    young people navigating growth, resilience, and self-discovery.

    As a member of the Advisory Board of Black Film Space, Sharra is passionate about supporting

    inclusive filmmaking, access to industry education, and building sustainable pathways for

    underrepresented creatives in film and media.