Josh Olshansky

Executive Producer

Josh is the Co-creator and Executive Producer of Future Filmmakers. He’s a family guy, a retired finance exec, and now spends part of his time trying to make his community a little better — preferably without causing too much trouble. While he doesn’t know much about filmmaking, he’s having a great time learning from a wildly talented group of creators of all ages. Josh lives in San Francisco with his wife and three children.

Jordan Olshansky

Program Director & Instructor

Jordan Olshansky is a documentary filmmaker and co-founder of Future Filmmakers. Following a career as a brand strategist at The Richards Group and Hal Riney, he founded True Stories, a documentary content company he has led for over twenty years. His portfolio includes work for ESPN, Disney, and Schwab, alongside award-winning documentaries such as Eugene, which won Best Documentary Short at the Big Sky and Phoenix Film Festivals. Jordan considers Future Filmmakers one of the most rewarding endeavors of his career.

Zak Piper

Managing Producer

Zak is an Emmy and PGA award-winning filmmaker with 25 years of industry experience. A frequent collaborator of director Steve James, he produced the SXSW Audience Award-winner The Luckiest Guy in the World, the Emmy-winning The Interrupters, and Life Itself. He produced City So Real, which premiered at Sundance and was included on President Barack Obama’s year-end “Favorites” list. Most recently, Zak co-directed the PBS documentary The Ants and the Grasshopper and produced the RFK Journalism Award-winning 16 & Recovering for MTV.

Dinesh Sabu

Academy Lead

Director and media artist Dinesh Sabu is the filmmaker behind the nationally broadcast PBS feature Unbroken Glass. Produced in partnership with Kartemquin Films, the project earned him "Best Director" at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. With work featured on HBO and support from the Firelight Media Documentary Lab, Dinesh brings a rigorous academic and professional background to his current faculty position at Marquette University.

Elivia Shaw

Program Instructor

Elivia Shaw is an award-winning Berkeley-based filmmaker whose work explores social systems through personal narrative. Her films have been featured on The Atlantic and PBS, with her short The Clinic winning the Grand Jury Prize at AFI Fest. A Stanford MFA graduate and faculty member, Elivia co-produced the Sundance-winning Users and the PBS POV feature How to Have an American Baby. She is currently directing a feature documentary on California’s Central Valley with support from ITVS, SFFILM, and the Redford Center.

Emmet Shipway

Content Lead

Gita Saedi Kiely

Emmet Shipway is an Educational Content Developer and Post Supervisor for the Future Filmmakers project. An editor from the first season of Future Filmmakers, he now supports our teachers with instructional training videos for the students. He manages our film archives and he supports the editors throughout the post production process. A professional ultimate frisbee player in his free time, Emmet lives in Seattle with his partner and gigantic German Shepherd.

Andrew Funkhouser

Operations/Admin Lead

Andrew is a full time freelance producer, often managing projects from initial idea all the way to completed film. He has also worked as a field producer on a variety of documentary projects with Steve James, Zak Piper, Bing Liu and Josh Altman among others. Before that, you could find Andrew working at a local television station in Bloomington, Indiana, or bartending at Blackbird, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Chicago. Andrew enjoys bringing his good attitude and creative problem solving skills to whatever project comes his way.

Monica Swope

Impact Consultant

Monica Swope is the founder and principal consultant of Learning Dimensions, a Chicago-based firm specializing in innovative educational design. With nearly 30 years of experience, she develops curricula and professional learning programs for school districts nationwide and internationally through the U.S. Department of State. Rooted in curiosity-driven learning, Monica holds advanced degrees in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership, and has led transformational educational initiatives across the globe.

Courtney Madl

Curriculum Consultant

Courtney Madl is a Consultant at Learning Dimensions, where she leads research, curriculum design, and strategy for international educational organizations. As a Business Associate at Nova Talent, she scales community engagement for a global network of 25,000+ members. A summa cum laude graduate of Miami University and a Stamps Scholar, Courtney holds dual degrees in International and Italian Studies. Passionate about global development and venture capital, she is currently based in Spain.

Scarlett Urbano

Editor

Scarlett is a filmmaker, editor, and creative producer with a background in award-winning narrative shorts. Her debut, Penelope, was an official selection at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, while her follow-up, Jasper, earned multiple awards at the New York Latino Film Festival and NewFilmmakers LA. Now specializing in editing and creative producing, Scarlett is dedicated to identity-centered storytelling and creating intentional spaces for honest, documentary and narrative projects.

Our team brings together educators, filmmakers, mentors, and organizers who are deeply committed to empowering young storytellers and amplifying student voices through meaningful, personal documentary work.

Our Team