NYWIFT Blog

Terry’s Picks: KitSplit Mentors, Superhero Study, Confidence Gap

KitSplit Mentors: Our friends at KitSplit are offering free coaching sessions for women in film and video.

Superhero Study: A new study from BBC America and the Women’s Media Center reveals the lack of female representation in sci-fi – and posits how seeing more female superheroes could affect the confidence of young girls.

Confidence Gap: Superheroes aside, The New York Times offers important tips for parents to help their daughters gain confidence, especially between the ages of 8 to 14, when confidence in young women drops by as much as 30%.

(Image by Stephanie DeAngelis, The New York Times)
PUBLISHED BY

superadmin

superadmin

View all posts by superadmin

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

Related Posts

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Courtney DeStefano

Welcome to NYWIFT, Courtney DeStefano! Courtney grew up in a small town, where she spent hours devouring old movies and pouring through every indie-film magazine she could get her hands on. She graduated with a BFA in Film & Television from NYU Tisch School of the Arts before embarking on her editing career where she worked with clients like CBS, Bravo, Showtime, BET, NatGeo, Discovery & TLC. She’s spent the last several years dividing her time between chasing after her three young sons and hiding in her home office to write. Her work has been recognized by the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, PANO Network, Hollyshorts and the PAGE Awards, among others. In our interview, Courtney discussed her small-town inspirations, how editing informs her writing and directing, and her latest short film.   

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Alex Kokenis

Welcome to NYWIFT, Alex Kokenis! Alex Kokenis (she/her) is a queer filmmaker and editor living in Brooklyn, NY. Her last short film, A Pickle and a Coke, is currently in its festival run, recently winning Best Script at Chicago Film Frenzy. Through her production company, It’s a Long Story Productions, Alex has co-written and co-directed two short films, Wednesday, and The Root, as well as directed and edited music videos. When she is not creating her own work, she is a passionate editor and loves to bring others’ stories to life. Alex is currently an Assistant Editor for narrative features and a proud member of IATSE Local 700. She cites Steven Soderbergh and the Duplass Brothers as her main inspirations for storytelling. She loves a good vest and to go bowling.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Sara Newton

Welcome to NYWIFT, Sara Newton! Sara is a director and cinematographer based in New York and Los Angeles. She is the creator of the MDR Sketch Comedy Show on PBS and has recently returned from an expedition in Antarctica, where she filmed a documentary. Her digital comedy sketches, produced under brands like Made by Tom and Sara, Nightpantz, and Conservation Comedy, have collectively garnered over 5 million views. With a strong foundation in television production, Sara has coordinated hit reality shows such as Love & Hip Hop (VH1), Bridezillas (WEtv), and Nellyville (BET). Her extensive experience in physical production led her to spend six years at Gunpowder & Sky, where she managed production across various platforms and developed sizzle reels for network pitches. Additionally, she served as the cinematographer for the experimental film Dust Flow: A Meditative Experience, also produced by Gunpowder & Sky. As of 2025, Sara is Head of Content for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and is set to direct a feature film this fall. Sara shares her journey as an unconventional storyteller who is not afraid to explore new platforms and storytelling formats.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Lauren Hale-Rieckhoff

Welcome to NYWIFT, Lauren Hale-Rieckhoff! Lauren is a Strategic Advisor and Producer of feature films and documentaries. She began her career as a Casting Associate on HBO’s Sex and the City, then spent over ten years at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where she represented talent across music, film, TV, and sports, facilitating over $200 million in deals for A-list clients like Ron Howard, Jamie Foxx, Hilary Swank, Eva Longoria, John Legend, Dwyane Wade, and Sarah Jessica Parker. In 2017, she co-founded WilyfoXX Collective, a boutique agency advising, among others, tech giants and legacy fashion brands, with a client portfolio exceeding $10 million. Now, as the founder of Andiamo Pictures, Lauren is producing The Florist, starring Carla Gugino as Vivien Leigh, and has upcoming projects including Savage House (Paramount, 2025) and a documentary on Dita Von Teese. Her film financing and production approach combines industry experience with a talent-first, future-focused philosophy. Lauren shares her journey in the film industry, beginning as a Casting Associate and progressing to producing her own films.

READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
css.php