Filmmakers

Sam Pollard - Consultant

Sam’s documentary and feature film accomplishments span 30 years.  He was a producer/director for Blackside, Inc.’s Eyes On The Prize II, for which he won an Emmy Award, and co-executive producer for Blackside’s six-part series I’ll Make Me a World: A Century of African American Art. He served as producer and editor of When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.

Dru - Producer / Director / Co-Writer

Dru is an educator, producer, and documentary filmmaker. She has combined a solid Wall Street career with a passion for education and film. While working with some of the brightest minds in financial services, she was inspired to produce and direct Wall Street In the Black, an educational documentary about the contributions and challenges of African Americans in the financial services industry. She has a BS in Communications, International Relations with a concentration in African American Studies from Syracuse University.

Ismael Gomez III - Editor

Ismael Gomez III is a Cuban-American film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He attended the directing program at New York Film Academy after winning the Brett Ratner's grant. Gomez III has earned several awards in film festivals in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Cannes, Miami and others. He is currently collaborating in various narrative projects with other    filmmakers around the world.

Melvin Estrella - Director of Photography

Melvin is a storyteller and uses film, video, and photography to share interesting stories about the people, places, and things around the world.  For the past twenty years he has worked in in the independent film arena, television, and non-profit media production.  

Al Santana - Cinematographer 

Al is a professional film and video director, cinematographer, and independent filmmaker. Over the past thirty years he has photographed numerous award-winning documentaries, public affairs films, and videos that have aired on both network and public television. 

Denise A. Outram, ESQ. -  Co-Writer & Associate Producer (AP)

Denise Outram is a Senior Attorney with over 15 years of legal expertise in government, policy, legislative, pension-investment and financial compliance. Over the years her roles have included serving on the board of New York City's largest pension fund, as well as on Wall Street as a regulatory/compliance analyst. As an AP, Outram has been a contributing writer on the documentary script and on numerous publications, including our newsletters.

Tanya M. Odom - Associate Producer (AP)

Tanya M. Odom, is a highly regarded consultant, coach, facilitator, teacher and thought leader. She has conducted hundreds of workshops for adults and youth around the United States and the world. She has conducted workshops in focus areas including: Innovation and Creativity, Diversity and Inclusion, Teambuilding, Hate Crime Prevention, Conflict Management, Educational Equity, Girls’ Leadership Development, Coaching, Coaching Women of Color, Youth Engagement, and Community Building.  As an AP, Odom has been supporting on reviewing the script, assisting with the historical section in the documentary, and providing insight as a D&I consultant and interviewee.  

Janice R. Rooths, MBA, PMP  - Associate Producer (AP)

Janice Rooth is Vice President of Finance and Administration at Path of Life Ministries. Janice has 30+ years of experience in roles from Director of Marketing to Software Engineer with organizations such as IBM, Accenture and State Senator Diane Watson. As AP, Rooths has provided oversight with fundraising, event management, transcription and story content. 

Angel Stewart - Associate Producer (AP)

Angel Stewart is the Director of Talent Management at the Robert Toigo Foundation (RTF).  She manages career services for post-MBA finance professionals and provides career counseling to MBA students. Stewart was previously a vice president at both Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. As AP, Stewart has provided oversight with fundraising, transcription, and story content.