The Outwords Archive

QUEER HISTORY LIVES HERE. Our Story. Forever.

Queer History Lives Here. Our Story. Forever.

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Staff

  • Mason Funk

    Founder / Executive Director

    Mason Funk (he/him) grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from Stanford University. Prior to creating OUTWORDS, Mason produced and directed award-winning non-fiction films for the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Fox Sports, and other major networks.

  • "Bliss" Tom Bliss

    Operations Director

    Bliss (he/she//they) is a queer, gender nonconforming, former club kid with a B.A. in Multimedia Performance: Life as an Art Form from Pitzer College. S/he exalts the power of authentic storytelling. Bliss previously ran intake for a trauma therapy group and coordinated lectures at a sex therapy center, where they co-authored the award-winning Mirror of Intimacy: Daily Reflections on Emotional and Erotic Intelligence.

  • Melanie Hamburger

    Donor Development Consultant

    Melanie Hamburger (she/her) has decades of experience as a development director, major gifts officer, and fundraising consultant. For the past 10 years, Melanie has worked exclusively with smaller social justice nonprofits, often serving as their sole development staff. Melanie’s values are deeply rooted in community and connection. In 2022 she launched Community Grantwriters to support nonprofits.

  • Betsy Kalin

    Senior Producer

    Betsy Kalin (she/her) is an Emmy-nominated director/producer/writer at Itchy Bee Productions. Her films ‘Vision 2030: Future of SoCal,’ ‘East LA Interchange,’ ‘Roof,’ ‘Chained!,’ and ‘Hearts Cracked Open’ have been honored with multiple awards. She is currently in development with the feature documentaries ‘Dreaming in Somali’ and ‘Phoenix: The Life and Death of Alice Herz.’

  • Jack MacCarthy

    Communications Director

    Jack MacCarthy (he/they) is a non-binary human, writer, creatrix, Sundance alum, and life coach. Their debut Young Adult novel, Squad, was named a Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated LGBTQAP YA Book of 2019. Their plays have been performed all over the world and called "a lot of fun" by The New York Times.

  • Nix Mendy

    Digital Archivist

    Nix Mendy (they/them) is a sonically-driven poet from New Orleans and a graduate from Simmons University's Archives Management program. Their interests include oral histories & traditions, folklore, and mythology, especially related to Southern, African, and LGBTQIA2S+ communities. They hope to inspire greater self-determination from historically marginalized people by challenging under- and misrepresentation in archives.

  • Oladele “Sogo” Oluwasogo

    Transcription Reviewer

    Nigeria-born Oladele “Sogo” Oluwasogo (he/him) is a writer and documentary photographer who believes passionately in the power of the pen and the importance of enabling people to tell their own life stories. He is currently working on a photography project called ‘Identity’.

  • Astra Price

    Editorial Director

    Astra Price (she/her) is a moving image specialist and an educator in digital media, having taught for over a decade at California Institute of the Arts. She has worked in the digital collections of such artists such as Bill Viola, Jane Geiser, Lewis Klahr, and Sylvère Lotringer. Her publications on preservation of time-based media can be found in Leonardo and the IIC Journal. In addition to working with other artists, Astra is also an artist and filmmaker with a focus in experimental documentaries.

  • Juan Raymundo Ramos

    Associate Editor

    Juan Raymundo Ramos (he/him) is a visionary independent filmmaker in Los Angeles, driven by a passion for using the art of storytelling to inspire positive change in people’s lives. With a B.A. in Cinema and Television Arts from Cal State Northridge, Juan Raymundo has honed his craft for over 8 years of editing a diverse range of projects.

  • Sam Sermeño

    Digital Archivist

    Sam Sermeño, MLIS, (they/she) is a first-gen Salvi-Korean librarian turned archivist/arts educator with Riot Grrrl roots. Dedicated to working with youth, over the last 10 years Sam has worked with students and families within libraries, schools/colleges, museum workshops, and LGBTQIA+ music camps. In their spare time, you can find Sam haunting the local independent bookstore, art-gayzing, knee-deep in a creative project, or happily identifying plants.

Board of Directors

  • Scott Galea

    Board Chair

    Scott Galea is an experienced technology leader with a passion for helping others connect with and support their best ideas. Scott is a frequent mentor and speaker at start-up events, focusing on aiding go-to-market plans. He is delighted to bring this experience to support OUTWORDS' budget and advancement initiatives.

  • Jennifer Dawson

    Board Treasurer

    Jennifer Dawson is the Founder and CEO of Pallas Care, which helps seniors age at home while maintaining dignity and independence. Previous to her pivot to entrepreneurship, Jennifer had a 16-year career in nonprofit fundraising. She has raised tens of millions of dollars for important causes. In 2023, Jennifer received a Masters in Social Entrepreneurship from USC's Marshall School of Business, as well as a Certificate in Gerontology at Pasadena City College.
  • Oscar Contreras

    Oscar Contreras-McClendon

    Board Secretary

    With over 25 years of experience in the marketing and advertising industry, Oscar Contreras-McClendon has been a strong advocate of promoting inclusion and diversity representation. His seat at the table has guided many Fortune 500 brands to better embrace culturally appropriate representation through their advertising. A native of Mexico (bilingual and bicultural), Oscar’s primary passion is mentoring both new generations of marketers and supporting the LGBTQ+ youth.

  • Marsha Botzer

    Board Director

    Marsha Botzer has served the LGBTQIA+ and progressive communities for over 45 years. She has served on boards of Pride Foundation, Seattle Counseling Service, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Ingersoll Gender Center, The National LGBTQ Task Force, and others. She currently serves on the Martin Luther King County Labor Council Executive Board and is a founding member of the Washington State LGBTQIA+ Commission.

  • Fred Dillon

    Board Director

    Fred has over 25 years of experience leading and advising nonprofit and start-up organizations. He currently heads Advisory Services at Hopelab, working with partners to build digital products to support youth mental health, especially for youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth. Fred previously served as Director for Public Policy at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

  • Shannon Holloway

    Board Director

    Shannon Holloway's background as a CFO, COO, and CEO makes her an expert at strategy design, partnership development, fundraising, and building scalable inclusive cultures at start-up ventures and nonprofits. Performance poet, artist, activist, and Dharma coach, Shannon also brings ancient Zen and Buddhist teachings to underserved communities and nonprofits in New York City, Tennessee, and Nevada.

  • Alex B. Perez

    Board Director

    Alex B. Perez is an attorney with a private criminal defense practice in Southern California, Law Offices of Perez & Perez. He attended Stanford University, earning a bachelors degree in Political Science and a masters degree in Sociology, before graduating from USC Law School in 1994. He is also a Board member of Outfest LA.

  • Jovan Wolf

    Board Director

    Jovan Wolf is an innovative and passionate advocate for the TGI community, seamlessly blending roles as a DEI&B (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Consultant, business owner, fashion designer, and herbalist. Drawing from a multi-racial, Black and Filipino background, as well as being a veteran for the US Army, Jovan identifies as Trans and Gender Non-Conforming, utilizing their passion for art, advocacy, and media to uplift the TGI community.

  • Richard Tate

    Board Chair Emeritus

    Richard Tate is CEO at The California Wellness Foundation. He served as OUTWORDS Board Chair from 2017-2022.

Production Team

  • Amy Bench

    Director of Photography

    Austin-based cinematographer and filmmaker Amy Bench has been twice nominated for the Kodak Excellence in Cinematography Award, and was recently named a “DP on the Rise” by Paste magazine. Her camera work has screened at many festivals including Berlin, SXSW, and Sundance.

  • Isabel Bethencourt

    Director of Photography

    Award-winning Los Angeles-born cinematographer Isabel Bethencourt shot the documentary short Grounded which premiered at the Margaret Meade Film Festival. Her work as a director and cinematographer has been published by The Wall Street Journal, GQ, and Teen Vogue.

  • Scott Drucker

    Director of Photography

    Scott Drucker is a Chicago-based award-winning director and cinematographer. His documentary Who is Arthur Chu? premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2017. Scott has also created content for Vice, Hulu, ESPN, and Vocativ.

  • Connie M. Florez

    Director of Photography

    Indigenous Hawaiian director of photography Connie Florez has produced and filmed multiple award-winning documentaries and narrative films for PBS national broadcast, Netflix, Amazon and international distributions since 1998 with her company Hula Girl Productions.

  • Kate Kunath

    Producer / Interviewer / Director of Photography

    Kate Kunath is an Emmy Award winning Director and Executive Producer/ Showrunner known for her documentary, non-fiction and branded works. In 2018, Kunath won a Primetime Emmy for directing and executive producing Anthony Bourdain's Explore Parts Unknown: Little Los Angeles. Her first feature length doc We Came To Sweat premiered at OUTFEST/NEWFEST. Kate loves an adventure—near, far or virtual.

  • Michelle McCabe

    Director of Photography

    After beginning her career in the world of fashion, celebrity, and lifestyle still photography, Michelle McCabe has been a cinematographer for more than 15 years. Her documentary work has taken her to China, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Malaysia, Ukraine, Cuba, Brasil, and countless other locations.

  • Andrew Lush

    Editor / Director of Photography

    Andrew Lush (he/him) writes, directs, and edits short films and he has also created animated intro videos for the Sundance Film Festival. He received his MFA in Film Directing from CalArts. In addition to working with OUTWORDS, Andrew teaches performance, filmmaking, and computer graphics, and is writing a feature and a web series.

  • Florencia P. Marano

    Editor

    Argentinean editor and filmmaker Florencia Marano is based in Los Angeles. Florencia's award-winning documentaries have been shown in international film festivals, art galleries, universities, and international networks.

  • Lucy Mukerjee

    Interviewer

    Lucy Jane Mukerjee (she/her) is a film curator and inclusion activist. Being in conversation with queer community keeps Lucy both inspired and grounded. She and her partner Charlie are van-lifers in pursuit of a better quality of life.

  • Howard Shack

    Director of Photography

    Emmy Award-winning director of photography Howard Shack has filmed all over the world for PBS, Discovery, and National Geographic. Over the course of his career, he has worked for many acclaimed documentary filmmakers including pioneer Albert Maysles, Academy Award-nominee Robert Stone, and Sundance Audience Award Winner Tom Shepard.

  • Janine Sides

    Director of Photography

    Cinematographer Janine Sides’ body of work consists of live-action film and TV, music videos, commercials, and documentaries. Her clients have included MTV, Instagram, Fox, Hyundai, Sesame Street, HBO, and Google, and she recently worked on two seasons of the USA Network drama series Queen of the South.

  • Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

    Director of Photography

    Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola is a Nigerian-American storyteller from Baltimore, MD. She has bachelor’s degrees in Theatre and Broadcast Journalism, and is currently pursuing an MFA in Film & Television Production at USC. As a storyteller, she strives to create spaces where underrepresented individuals can utilize their voices and properly share their stories.

  • Goro Toshima

    Director of Photography

    Goro Toshima is an award-winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He won a best feature award at the SXSW Film Festival, and a best film nomination from the International Documentary Association. His work has been seen on PBS, HBO, and at the Sundance Film Festival.

  • Natalie Tsui

    Director of Photography

    Hong Kong native Natalie Tsui lives in New York. Her award-winning work, which revolves around identity, memory, and subjectivity, has screened at Frameline, the National Queer Arts Festival, and the Festival de Cannes.

  • Keith Wilson

    Director of Photography

    Keith Wilson is a San Francisco-based filmmaker whose films have screened at Sundance, the Berlinale, South by Southwest and the Museum of Modern Art. His documentary Deep Inside the Shaman's Den about the performance artist Frank Moore will premiere in 2020.