Introducing myself and my journal: Helping Kids Around the World Tell Their Stories Through Film

About Me:
I founded and run BYkids in 2007. BYkids is a non-profit organization pairing master American filmmakers with youth (ages 8-21) from around the world to mentor the child in creating a short documentary about his or her life. BYkids selects these children's stories for their international relevance. All BYkids documentaries carry the universal values of courage, perseverance and dignity, and illuminate critical global issues from a perspective rarely told in mainstream media. In coordination with its broad film distribution, BYkids’ community and educational outreach programming strives to engage the American public's participation in these issues. BYkids seeks to change the way Americans see the world — and the way the world sees us — by using the power of film as a tool for global understanding and a catalyst for action.

I began my career as a writer and editor at The New York Times and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Since then I have lived in Korea as a Henry Luce scholar and print and television journalist; produced the award-winning documentary, Margaret Sanger; co-founded North Carolina's Full Frame Festival; served as a consultant for The After-School Corporation; produced the PBS series Media Matters; and most recently was the Executive Director of The Global Film Initiative.

My Passions:
Film, kids, education, photography, international understanding

My Challenges:
Days are too short to get it all done!

My Vision for the Future:
Making friends through film will lead to peace

My Areas of Expertise:
Filmmaking, fundraising, non-profit management, journalism