The Outwords Archive

QUEER HISTORY LIVES HERE. Our Story. Forever.

Queer History Lives Here. Our Story. Forever.

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Staff

  • Alexandra Cantalupo

    Grants Strategist

    Alexandra Cantalupo (she/her) has dedicated her career to finding and securing funding for inclusive and visionary programming that breaks down barriers and creates new possibilities. In collaboration with her stellar clients, Alexandra has raised over 5 million dollars for the arts+. Alexandra and her wife also operate a small homestead with goats, ducks and a big garden in the Blue Ridge Mountains, NC.

  • Mason Funk

    Founder / Executive Director

    Mason Funk (he/him) founded OUTWORDS in 2016 after a career in TV and film. As executive director, Mason coordinates the team’s production, archiving, and distribution efforts as well as external fundraising and board relations. A lifelong writer and storyteller, Mason brings deep curiosity and a love of road trips to his work at OUTWORDS. Mason currently lives in Palm Springs, California with his husband Jay Edwards, where he enjoys hiking, songwriting, cooking, and stargazing.

  • 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 Tynan MacCarthy

    Communications Director

    Jack Tynan MacCarthy (he/they) is the Communications Director of OUTWORDS, where he oversees marketing, events, partnerships, and serves as a co-host and producer of OUTWORDS’ Queering Precedent podcast. Jack is also an award-winning writer, an intimacy coordinator, performer, parent, and former life coach. The New York Times has called Jack’s work “a lot of fun,” and Kate Bornstein called it “brilliant.”

  • Nix Mendy

    Digital Archivist

    Nix Mendy (they/them) graduated from Simmons' Archives Management program (2020) and contributed to OUTWORDS' website optimization group before joining the team as a Digital Archivist in 2021. They conduct oral histories, collect + manage digital photographs, and make interviews accessible + discoverable on the website. They led the Content Advisory Task Force, co-founded the Content Advisory Initiative, and continue to support programming, grants, internships, and web design.

  • Amara Norman

    Operations/Communications Manager

    Amara Norman (she/they) uses her B.A. in History and Critical Gender Studies to bridge the gap between her skills and interests, applying her love of poetry, filmmaking, pop culture and artifacts to the complex process of managing post-production materials and publishing OUTWORDS interviews for the world to see. They carry out daily administrative supervision, as well as management of production materials and communication initiatives to ensure the highest quality of all OUTWORDS interviews.

  • 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 the editorial director at OUTWORDS, where she brings the stories of OUTWORDS interviewees to a broader audience by crafting smaller glimpses into their lives, formatted for contemporary media platforms. A moving image specialist, Astra spent numerous years as faculty at California Institute of the Arts and as an archivist and post-production facilitator for artists such as Bill Viola and Janie Geiser.

  • Juan Raymundo Ramos

    Production Manager

    Juan Raymundo Ramos (he/him) holds a B.A. in Cinema and Television Arts from CSUN and serves as Associate Editor at OUTWORDS, where he leads in-person and remote interviews, live event photography & videography, video editing, and asset management. He is a Co-founder of production company Howling Gale Entertainment, Head of Media at FilAmCreative, and a passionate advocate for inclusive storytelling centering underrepresented communities, including Filipino-American and LGBTQIA2S+ voices.

  • Sam Sermeño

    Digital Archivist

    Sam Sermeno (they/elle/she) is a first-generation librarian, archivist, educator, and creative. Their librarian-archivist work centers a love for People's History, LGBTTQIA+ communities, oral histories, community archives, decolonial-liberation movements, and cultural preservation. Initially inspired by scholarship around ACT UP’s oral histories, Sam joined OUTWORDS in 2022. As one of two archivists on staff, they collaborate widely, including helping create OUTWORDS’ content advisory and internship programs and conducting oral history interviews.

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.

  • 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.