Autumn & Summer

Ugenia Stokes (she/her) is a multi-talented educator, artist, actress and filmmaker who has worked in the entertainment industry for the last 15 years. She is made her directorial debut with the documentary short “FREE TO BE,” an Official Selection of the 2021 Toronto Film Festival, Denton Black Film Festival “People’s Choice Award” and Micheaux Film Festival “Best Documentary Short” which dives into the lives of four individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community and their push for social justice and racial equality. She has been successful at producing short films such as PUPPY LOVE (Snapchat Tribeca Film Festival) and feature films such as DOUBLE DOWN (Miami Film Festival).Ugenia attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York, where she obtained a B.A. in Acting and Costume Design with a minor in History. Through her art and community advocacy she aims to be at the forefront of a new equitable Hollywood that represents the perspectives of an increasingly diverse nation and world. Ugenia has styled and produced content and magazine covers for companies such as Forbes, Alberta Ferretti, Interview Magazine, and Hearst (Seventeen Magazine). Ugenia has produced film, TV, and commercial content in collaboration with companies such as Neuehouse, Sony, Amazon, LA Tech Week, AMP Beauty and has launched brands such as Hollywood Massive. 

Ugenia feels that it is her personal responsibility to relay the untold stories of African-American culture through narratives addressing black successes, triumphs, and struggles. Her goal is to bring a voice to a culture which is typically depicted in an unauthentic way in media.

She is also a strong advocate for women in film, both in front of and behind the camera.

Crystal Manich (she/her) is thrilled to be a part of the directing, producing, writing, and development team at FWIN to tell meaningful stories for the screen. As a theatre veteran, she has directed over sixty-five stage productions in opera, plays, and musical theatre across the United States, Argentina, and Australia. Recent work during Covid-19 includes Mozart’s Così fan tutte for Pittsburgh Opera with masks for streaming and filmed excerpts from well-known operas for streaming for Wolf Trap Opera. In 2021 Crystal will direct the world premiere opera The Copper Queen as a feature film for Arizona Opera. She was the Co-Founding Artistic Director of Opera Omnia; former Assistant Artistic Director with Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam in Brazil; former Artistic Director of Mill City Summer Opera. Her first short film, L’Ivresse, explores opera in film and won the audience award at the 2018 Great Lakes International Shorts Festival. Crystal holds a BFA in Drama and a Master's in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and currently makes her home in Puerto Rico.

Phillip N. Lambert, Jr. (he/him) is a writer, interdisciplinary artist, producer, strategist, and musician, whose works are birthed from his lived experiences as a, queer, fat, Black boy born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. Earning a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Arts in Sociology from Roosevelt University, and currently pursuing a Doctorate in Community Psychology, he has wielded academia to hone his professional and creative toolkits and has over nine years of experience in partnership development and viral brand storytelling for such companies as Cup Noodles, Insomnia Cookies, Subway, and Crayola. With over 20 years of experience in using Performance as Prevention (PaP), his art practice and intersectional work around race, racial justice, health equity, and LGBTQIA+ identity has appeared in 2nd Floor Rear, Art AIDS America, Alphawood Gallery, The Art Institute of Chicago, Blavity, Black Cinema House, the Chicago Cultural Center, OpenTV (OTV), INTOMORE, Vh1, and the 2022 Outfest. 

Brandon Claybon (he/him) is originally from Oakland, Tennessee, a small town 20 minutes outside of Memphis.  Brandon became a working model in multiple cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and he then quickly transitioned into the career of acting. After just a few years after relocating permanently to Los Angeles, Brandon has booked over 30 national commercials for leading brands; done numerous roles on networks like CBS, ABC, Showtime and OWN; as well as served as a host and interviewer for BET.com, talking on camera with celebrities such as Gerard Butler, Djimon Hounsou, Kelsey Grammer, Queen Latifah, Samuel L. Jackson, and Halle Berry.  During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Brandon created his own digital Youtube talk show, The Actors Break, which connects with Hollywood’s most promising actors.  He has also flexed his producing muscle in several future projects ranging from scripted and docu-series.  In addition to his career pursuits, Brandon also makes time to give back to the community, especially through the support of various charitable causes.  

Daarina Marie is an accomplished multiplatform creative and television producer with a passion for storytelling that jump started in 2007 when she produced her first pilot for Endemol USA. Originally from Chicago, she followed her dreams to Los Angeles, after earning her B.A. in Television Production and Directing from Columbia College Chicago, graduating with honors.

With over 15 years of experience in the industry, Daarina is now an Emmy-nominated producer, known for her exceptional work on various top-rated television shows such as America's Got Talent, The X-Factor and Legendary. She has also made significant contributions to projects for prominent networks and platforms including OWN, ABC, Facebook Watch, FOX, NBC, HBO Max, and Netflix, to name a few.

As a creative force, Daarina's accomplishments extend beyond traditional television, as she is the Creator and Executive Producer behind the award-winning digital series "Chronicles of a Dark Child In Hollywood."

Beyond her professional achievements, Daarina dedicates her free time to causes close to her heart. She is a fervent supporter of the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California, where she mentors and advocates for teenagers.

In her downtime, you can find Daarina indulging in her love for thrifting, appreciating unique finds and hidden treasures. With her vast experience and commitment to making a positive impact, Daarina Marie continues to be a trailblazer in the entertainment industry.

Amanda Murphy (she/her) is a New York born and bred playwright, screenwriter, director, producer, comic, and actor. Amanda is committed to telling stories where women are free to be messy, funny, weak, strong, and essentially… human beings. After writing, directing, and producing her original comedy “Family Business” Off-Off Broadway, Amanda moved to Los Angeles to pursue her MFA in Writing for Screen and Television at the University of Southern California. Amanda has written and consulted on numerous comedic projects, and she plans to one day be the female Judd Apatow.

Tori Burnett (she/her) is a producer based out of Los Angeles, CA. She has over a decade of experience seeing shows from development to delivery. With her wide variety of experience, she brings a multitude of ideas. Tori has worked across multiple genres of television from talk to competition and house shows to documentary follow and everything in between. Tori has worked for networks such as Netflix, Hulu, Fox, E!, Bravo, TLC, and many more. Some of the most recent shows she has produced include Is It Cake?, Love Island, 90 Day Fiance, Hell's Kitchen, Catfish, Southern Charm and Crime Scene Kitchen. Tori has a love for people as well as creative and that shows through the cast she produces on screen.

Raja Salahuddin (he/his) is an Actor and Writer from Chicago, IL, who moved to Los Angeles in 2018, to get closer to the arts and expand her network. She has worked as a Production Assistant on JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE and THE MARLON SHOW, where she nurtured her passion for comedy and drama. She attended acting class with Caitlin Adams, focusing on sensory and improvisation. Through hard work and perseverance she became a Producer Assistant on IFCs SHERMAN SHOWCASE, and later for the HBOmax hit series SOUTH SIDE, where she also played the character Mariah. Raja is now a proud member of SAG-AFTRA.

Cecilia Mou (she/her) is a director/producer based in Los Angeles, and is currently a student at the University of Southern California pursuing a BFA in Film and Television Production. She’s incredibly excited to bring stories of the underrepresented to life along with FWIN Productions and Planned Parenthood this year. 

Dominique Scoggins (he/him) is a film and event producer for over 15 years. He has worked in production for shows on Facebook, BET, ABC and HBO. Dominique embraces strong, bold visionary ideas and creates narratives to match. Whether broadcast, streaming or digital, Dominique has a passion for specializing in authentic scripted and unscripted storytelling aiming to redefine the rules and create content that leaves a mark. 

Maria "Two-Straps" (she/her) is a firm believer that we can all change the world by simply strengthening our intimacy, our relationships, and by having the difficult conversations together. She is a certified intimacy coordinator, sex educator, and soon-to-be sex therapist currently residing in sunny Los Angeles, CA. At the core of her work is an intersectional approach to bringing the “taboo” topics of life to the forefront and fiercely advocating for, not just safety on sets, but smoothness and accuracy.  "