In the past 15 years, we've educated over 4,250 youth and launched more than 225 careers in filmmaking and storytelling.
78% of our graduates are people of color, and 58% are women.
82% of our graduates have been hired by major media, entertainment, tech, advertising, and PR companies.
Our Vision
BAYCAT believes that every person’s story matters. We envision a world where media and technology facilitate the telling of stories from the broadest possible range of experiences, driving people to create inclusive, equitable communities.
Our Mission
BAYCAT exists to end racial, gender, and economic inequities by opening the media industry to underrepresented storytellers. Through the education and employment of low-income youth, young people of color, and young women in the Bay Area — and through our production work for socially-minded clients — we are changing the stories that get shared with the world.
Villy Wang
Founder, President & CEO
Raised by an immigrant single mother in New York City, Villy’s desire to tell her story forged a passion for using the digital media arts to capture stories untold and to create social change. She is the President of the SF Film Commission, a TED speaker, a Bay Area Jefferson Award winner, and was named one of 2017’s Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business by SF Business Times.
Katie Cruz
Vice President
Passionate about youth and the arts, Katie uses her expertise in program management and the media industry to build BAYCAT’s pathway from education to employment in storytelling and filmmaking.
Ariel Dovas
Creative Director
From conceptualization to post-production, Ariel finds innovative ways to create authentic media that tell stories with a lasting social impact.
Jessica Pullano
Director of Development
Throughout Jessica’s nonprofit career she has focused on harnessing the power of storytelling to engage individuals and organizations to donate their time and capital to strengthen communities.
Fox Nakai
Media Producer & Mentor
Fox believes that the best way to see more diverse films is to create them ourselves. Fox was raised by immigrants from Japan and Mexico and has been producing award-winning films for over a decade.
Genevieve Leighton-Armah
Academy Coordinator & Community Liaison
As a Bay Area native, Genevieve is dedicated to bringing great programs and opportunities to underserved youth, and helping communities of color achieve self-sufficiency.
Jade Grout
Editor & Motion Graphics Designer
Jade’s appreciation for film and its power to convey social messages to share untold stories led her first to our BAYCAT internship and then as BAYCAT’s Studio Editor.
Jose Alfaro
Senior Producer
Jose’s experience in award-winning filmmaking has ranged from producing, directing and cinematography, to editing documentary and narrative shorts. He's the first BAYCAT graduate who joined the full-time team.
Josh Schielie
Graphic Designer & Mentor
Josh is a graphic designer, illustrator, and storyteller who brings a passion for youth arts development. Formerly in the apparel industry, he now leads instruction in youth graphic design and animation projects.
Liz Salinas
Studio Manager
Passionate about filmmaking as a young immigrant from Nicaragua, Liz is achieving her dreams at BAYCAT, whether on-set, managing hundreds of pre-production details or mentoring interns and youth.
Niko Bellott
Grants Manager & Copywriter
Niko uses the power of story to drive fund development, amplify branding messages, engage diverse stakeholders and accelerate impact for communities, corporates and underserved populations.
Nisa Sanders
Academy Manager & Media Producer
Nisa’s career in media arts has led her from Texas to Washington D.C. to San Francisco. She oversees our youth and young adult programs and empowers them to hone their creative and storytelling skills.
Ryan Scura
Video Producer
Ryan is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who loves to collaborate with other filmmakers and support local communities through video.
Senait Hailemariam
Creative Producer
Senait joined the media industry to help bring more diversity to the stories we tell. At BAYCAT, she specializes in creative development interviewing, and producing.
Shelby Malvoso
Fiscal Manager
Shelby has worked with nonprofits since 2003 as a bookkeeper and CPA. She has a passion for social justice and using her skills as a CPA to lift up accounting in nonprofit organizations.
Sydney Johnson
Production Coordinator
Sydney loves coordinating and producing projects that give people who are typically misrepresented a platform to tell their story. She is breaking barriers for women in the film industry.
Theo Hollingsworth
Media Producer and Mentor
Not only does Theo understand what it takes to tell a great story, but he’s uniquely qualified at leveraging video and the value of conscious storytelling to help companies achieve an impact.
Tyler Lim
Assistant Editor and Mentor
San Francisco native Tyler was drawn to BAYCAT because of its mission to bring representation to the media industry, and his desire to fuse his skills in video production with his passion for working with youth.
Morgan Laurie
Administrative Assistant
Morgan believes that real change comes from giving power to the next generation. This belief led her to BAYCAT, after successful ventures in the hospitality industry, to support the team in making our mission a reality.
Eric Pearson
Chairman
Pixar Animation Studios
I would have dreamed to have a BAYCAT when I was a kid, and now, I love making it happen for other youth and connecting them with the industry.
Marianne Wilman
Vice Chair
Business Presence, LLC
BAYCAT means building skills, generating confidence, creating opportunities. BAYCAT changes lives in front of your eyes.
Charles Patton
Treasurer
CBP
BAYCAT positively impacts the SF community due to strong leadership, a unique business model and the relationships it's built over these years.
Craig Peters
Secretary
Awasu Design
The most important reason I love BAYCAT is that the program builds genuine skills. Creativity, opportunity, and sustainability are not just buzz words.
Chhayal Mehta
Board Member
Masterclass
It's my privilege to serve the BAYCAT board and empower our underserved communities, through education and job opportunities, to be the next generation of storytellers.
Jason Lee
Board Member
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
I joined BAYCAT because I believe they provide a platform for the expression of ideas and sharing of individual human experiences is invaluable.
Jason Robinson
Board Member
Juvo
As a member of the board, I especially appreciate the unique channel for making a systemic impact on my immediate community
Kim Diaz
Board Member
Pixar
BAYCAT’s mission resonates deeply with me. I was the first person to go to college in my immediate family, and one of the few women in my animation program in college.
Lauren Zaner
Board Member
The work that the youth and teens are producing based on the lessons and support they get through BAYCAT is so impressive, and excites me about what their future has to hold individually as well as it’s broader impact on social inequity.
Oliver de Albuquerque
Board Member
BAYCAT serves a critical purpose: create more opportunities for under privileged kids in the Bay Area through high quality curriculum, a stellar Intern program and via its Studio that serves socially conscious clients.
Ricky Spencer
Board Member
Mechanics Bank
I believe in BAYCAT's mission so much because I've personally seen my family and community members benefit from their high-quality programs and the care that their team brings to each person they serve.
Nicole Barton
KQED
Hannah Clemmons
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Ismael Fofana
Snapchat
Lauren James
Integral Ad Science
Janet Lee
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Samar Marwan
Strange Brew Strategies
Liz Morrison
Airbnb
Kasey Morrison
Fabel Studio
Mina Park
Salesforce
Robin Robitsky
DJ Satoda
Scoop Technology
Andrea Wong
Cameo Woods
Charming Stranger Films
