Creative Team

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• Cheryl Bookout is a filmmaker and artist residing in Joshua Tree, CA.  Bookout is a founder of The Chimaera Project, a nonprofit organization that advocates for filmmakers identifying as women.

Projects with Director/Producer/Writer Credits

•   Moving Like Pond Water, Director, Feature Documentary
• Inside the Beauty Bubble, Director, Short Documentary
• About The Chimaera Project, Director, Short Info Video
• •Countless Little Moments, Producer, Micro-Short Narrative
• Just A Friend, Producer, LGBTQ Short Narrative
• Gloria’s Call, Producer, Short Documentary
• PURE, Producer, LGBTQ Short Sci-Fi Narrative
• I AM BE, Producer, Short Experimental
• Acting Like Women, Producer, Feature-length Documentary 
• Women of Steel, Writer, Sci-Fi Screenplay

• Stacy Sweeting is known for producing the short film Shevolution (2021) Inside the Beauty Bubble (2021) short documentary and Discover Indie Film (2019) anthology series. Stacy has experience in managing crowdfunding campaigns including Seed&Spark, which will be the fundraising platform for this project. She has been working with nonprofits for almost 25 years, making a positive impact by helping reach their organizational and business-related goals. Stacy is currently Director of Operations for The Chimaera Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering female filmmakers.

• Courtney Deelen is a filmmaker based out of TORONTO, Canada whose passion is telling entertaining stories with heart. Together Courtney’s partner in work and life, Michael T. Burgess,developed their production company Deelen with Trouble, Inc. in 2015. Since DwT's inception, they have successfully completed multiple short films, two PSAs, concept trailers, a short form documentary and 2 concept commercials. More about Deelen with Trouble here. 

• Michael T. Burgess, a native of the port city Hamilton in the Canadian province of Ontario. He trained at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts, in New York City.Michael's experience behind the camera has ranged from work as an Actor, Assistant Director, Casting Assistant, and Assistant Production Manager. His credits include Suits, The Boys, The Expanse, Flashpoint, Titans, Get Rich or Die Tryin', RED: Retired & Extremely Dangerous, Spotlight, and Suicide Squad.  More about Michael here. 

• Tracy Jordan Roberts brings her strong research and organizational skills to this project. Tracy’s Mom, Ginny Jordan, organized the Douglas, Arizona “Wall of Faces," a commemorative storytelling project honoring that city’s Vietnam War veterans on display not far from the border wall that separates Douglas from the Mexican border town of Agua Prieta. Tracy  is excited to be part of a film project that shares the stories  of Veterans serving in the U.S. Military. Tracy has been practicing Trusts and Estates Law since 1997. She is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a legal specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. 

• Patrick Wallis has been deeply involved with Mil-Tree Veterans Project, a nonprofit organization, serving as Board President for the last three years. Mil-Tree aims to combat veteran isolation through programming that connects veterans with the community via shared projects, creative expression and inclusive dialogue. Mil-Tree recently completed a significan program titled "Tapestries of Transformation." Through a unique blend of myth, personal storytelling and communal collaboration, the program created a living narrative that united veterans, artists, and community members. 

• John Darwin Kurc was shooting the Rolling Stones in Phoenix, Arizona in the summer of 2019 when he took a detour to the US/Mexico border to have lunch. There, John was shocked by what he saw. After COVID abruptly ended his photography business, and motivated by what he had witnessed on the border that day, he decided to turn towards making a difference with his camera. He returned to Southern Arizona and began investigating and documenting the construction of the Trump border wall. John is the protagonist of the short film produced by New Yorker Magazine, American Scar, embedding himself into the vast American borderlands and capturing previously unseen images of mountains being blasted and habitats destroyed for the wall’s construction. 

• Joyce Callo, a New York Emmy Award winner, is an independent writer/director for film, television, and other media.  Her films have been selected for dozens of film festivals worldwide and have won numerous awards. She has written, produced, and directed five short films, written several feature film screenplays as well as various TV projects. She holds an MFA with honors in writing/directing from Columbia University’s Graduate Film School. She began her career as an on-air TV news reporter and weekend anchor.  More about Joyce here.

• Barry Norwood attended the UCLA  School of Theater, Film and Television, Los Angeles. He is known for his work in commercials & music videos . Filmography includes Suicide Kings, Back to Even, The Omega Code, Final Voyage,Inside the Beauty Bubble, plus 70 more credits. Barry shot the music video for The Cold War Kids' "Hang me Up To Dry" - Nelly's "Country Grammar" - Director of Photography for Jay Z music video "Girls, Girls, Girls." 

• Jillian Corsie is an award-winning editor and filmmaker, driven by a passion for crafting stories that engage and captivate audiences, drawing them into the human experience. Her creative expertise working for over a decade in advertising, honing her skills through working with boutique editorial houses and agencies, cutting commercials and branded content for reputable brands like Apple, Gatorade, Airbnb, Uniqlo, and Lexus will help us develop a short marketing piece for our fundraising campaign. She specializes in feature documentaries. Her recent highlights include Body Electric, which explores body image in the LGBTQ community, and Desert Angel, a poignant portrait film about a man who is determined to bring closure to families torn apart by the harsh realities of migration. As a documentary filmmaker, she is dedicated to creating character-driven stories with a social impact.  More about Jillian here.ilmography includes Suicide Kings, Back to Even, The Omega Code, Final Voyage,Inside the Beauty Bubble, plus 70 more credits. Barry shot the music video for The Cold War Kids' "Hang me Up To Dry" - Nelly's "Country Grammar" - Director of Photography for Jay Z music video "Girls, Girls, Girls." 

• Foster Corder likes to share: “I have helped a lot of filmmakers and other artists get started and for that, I am at peace.” Foster Corder lays claim to many ‘firsts’ in his long and successful career. Corder was commissioned by Paramount Pictures to pen a screenplay entitled The Cats based on his life story: Forging his birth certificate at the age of fifteen, The Cats chronicles his 13 months of active duty in Vietnam. A true survival story.Corder co-founded Black Bird Films, where he produced television advertising for major brands including McDonald’s and the California Lotto. During the glory days of music video, Corder was Director, Music Video Production at Capitol Records, guiding creation and execution of hit clips for M.C. Hammer, Bebe and Cece Winans, Young MC and many others. Corder formed Daughters 2 Feed Productions in 1995 to focus on new media technologies and various projects he wanted to develop. In recent years, Corder has acted as Producer, Director, Director of Photography or Gaffer on 55 short and 23 feature films. 

• Kim Marcus is an enrolled Tribal Elder with the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians, and his grandfather was an enrolled member of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. He is a retired California Credentialed Native Language Teacher and counselor and Student Affairs staff at the California Indians Nation College. Mr. Marcus is a traditional singer/dancer, and culture bearer of the Serrano and Cahuilla rituals, customs, and traditions. We are grateful to Kim Marcus for being our advisor so that we respectfully honor the land and ceremonies of the Serrano Indians, the indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys and mountains during the filming of this project in San Bernardino County, CA.