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 inequity by creating powerful, authentic media while diversifying the creative industry. Through the education and employment of low-income youth, young people of color, and young women in the Bay Area, and producing media 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.
Arash Malekzadeh
Video Producer
Arash Malekzadeh is a multidisciplinary Iranian-American documentary filmmaker whose storytelling amplifies underrepresented voices among diverse communities. At BAYCAT, he hopes to disrupt the current media landscape in creating socially-conscious content that further promotes diverse perspectives.
Ayanna Ziegler
Creative Producer
Ayanna's belief in the power of storytelling drives her to develop and produce intentional stories that uplift women and communities of color. Raised in Oakland, Ayanna is proud to create work that serves the Bay Area.
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
Head of Production & Tech
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Sierra Lee
Development Manager
Sierra believes that having agency over our own stories is essential to community self-actualization and empowerment. Over her career, she’s built resources to support filmmaker development, new film projects, and film festivals that illuminate diverse, untold stories.
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.
Vrinda Khanna
Grants and Development Coordinator
Vrinda believes that storytelling is the most impactful way of creating empathy in the world. She is passionate about increasing awareness and driving positive change through effective communication.
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.
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.
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.
Amanda Chin-De Jesus
Board Member
Golden State Warriors
I’m really proud of the work the Warriors have been able to do with BAYCAT and personally I am really passionate about good storytelling and providing opportunities for youth.
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
All Of Us
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.
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.
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.
Shana Stanton
Board Member
YouTube
As an attorney in the Bay Area tech field for over ten years, I see first hand just how important it is for the next generation of creators to reflect all of the unique perspectives of our community.
Lisa Luscap
Board Member
Dolby
I attended a BAYCAT youth screening event and was blown away by the insights and bravery that was conveyed through the youth pieces. Coming from tech and entertainment, I've seen the underrepresentation first hand and believe that each of us, as leaders in our own areas, need to be a part of the change we want to see.
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.
Alessandra Carter
Brightwheel
Ben Murninghan
Argo Group
Brady Penn
Telegraph Hill Solutions
Cameo Wood
Charming Stranger Films
Celine Cuevas
Juvo
DJ Satoda
Scoop Technology
Hannah Clemmons
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Janet Lee
MuleSoft
Jara Montez
Salesforce
Kasey Morrison
DigitalFish
Liz Morrison
Airbnb
Mina Park
Salesforce
Nicole Barton
KQED
Robyn Ribotsky
Samar Marwan
Strange Brew Strategies
Shaquille Heath
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Tony Urso
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