Martha Reeves signed with Motown Records in the early 1960s. With several songs penned by famed songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland at the ready, Martha and the Vandellas went on to widespread pop and R&B success. Their songs such as "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave," "Dancing in the Street" and "Nowhere to Run" became staples of the era. After leaving Motown in 1972, Martha sang with companions including Godfather James Brown and the Boss Bruce Springsteen.

Grammy winner, Martha Reeves is the recipient of the Dinah Washington Award, a Rhythm n’ Blues Foundation Pioneer Award, a Black Woman in Publishing Legends Award, and has been inducted in the Alabama, Soul, Rock and Roll, and Vocal Group halls of fame. “Dancing in the Street” has been entered into the Library of Congress Registry of Historical Recordings and into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, are listed among Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Immortal Artists.” All of the roadways to victory in Martha’s career have lead her to the ultimate lights of Hollywood, where she will receive her STAR on the “Hollywood Walk of Fame 2022” on Hollywood Blvd.

Aaron Schillinger

Writer/Director/Editor

Aaron Schillinger’s directorial debut is Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale (2021). Aaron is a cofounder of the Sarah E. Ray Project, an organization shining a light on the forgotten story of a Detroit civil rights pioneer. Aaron’s production company Baby Volcano Films specializes in telling stories that make a lasting impact. Their clients include non-profits such as Lambda Legal and the National Eating Disorders Association. Baby Volcano’s LGTBQ+ themed short film Pepper (2018) received premieres at the Seattle International Film Festival, Jeonju International Film Festival and Cleveland International Film Festival.

Steve Bannatyne

Producer

Steve is producer and co-founder of Lucky Hat Entertainment. Since 2007 Steve has produced or executive produced over 20 films including The Russian Five, Audience Award winner at the 2018 Traverse City Film Festival and one of the top grossing documentaries of 2019. Steve's other productions include Z for Zachariah, which premiered at Sundance and stars Margot Robbie, Chiwitel Ejifor and Chris Pine, If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Oscar nominated for Best Documentary in 2012 and Goodbye Solo, which was named one of the top films of 2009 by Roger Ebert

Isabel Sandoval is a New York-based Filipina filmmaker. She has directed three full-length features, including the Filipino-language Señorita (2011), which premiered in competition at the Locarno Film Festival and was nominated for Best Picture by the Young Critics Circle of the Philippines. Her second feature film, Apparition (2012), a period drama about cloistered Filipino nuns during the Marcos regime, was widely acclaimed in its Philippine theatrical release and won a number of international awards. Her latest film Lingua Franca (2019) had its premiere at Venice Film Festival and is currently on Netflix.

Desiree Cooper is a 2015 Kresge Artist Fellow and former attorney. For more than a decade, she penned an award-winning column for the Detroit Free Press, during which she received two Pulitzer Prize nominations. Her debut collection of flash fiction, Know the Mother, is a 2017 Michigan Notable Book that has won numerous awards, including the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award. Cooper's flash fiction has appeared in The Best Small Fictions 2018, Forward: 21st Century Flash Fiction, Electric Literature, COG Magazine, and in the forthcoming Choice Words: Writers on Abortion. 

Bec Sloane is a production designer, puppet builder and animator based in New York City. Her work is known for promoting sustainable material, handmade craft and practical effect. Her most recent collaboration with Director/Lighting Designer Taylor Stanton, The Likes and Dislikes of Marj Bagley (2018), has played in over 15 festivals including the Austin Film Festival, DC SHORTS, DOCNYC, Hot Springs and the New Orleans Film Festival. 

Milan Boyer has been working as a freelance video production professional for the last four years. She received her Bachelor's degree in film/video media studies and creative writing from Western Michigan University in 2011. After graduation Milan briefly lived in Los Angeles where she gained experience as a production assistant and wardrobe/prop assistant. She took these skills back to the Detroit where she has gained momentum in the Detroit film industry. Milan aspires to collaborate with local artist and filmmakers to show off the beauty of Detroit and the many stories it has to tell.

Growing up in the Big Easy, Yuki Monestere has been a student in the media arts since middle school. She moved to New York in 2011 to attend NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where she graduated with a BFA in Film & TV Production. She has remained in New York ever since, where she freelances in video editing and photography and runs around Prospect Park with her two corgis, Franklin and Oliver.