About Us

Established in 1997, the Black Women Film Network (BWFN) was founded to prepare black women to enter the film and television industries.

Preparing black women to enter the film and television industries

Our Mission

Established in 1997, the Black Women Film Network (BWFN) was founded to prepare black women to enter the film and television industries.

The organization seeks to preserve the voice of these women through film and educational programs that empower and inform. A 501(c)3 non-profit, BWFN provides student scholarships, hosts screenings and workshops, and honors individuals who have excelled in this difficult industry.

Founded by Sheryl Riley Gripper

Who We Are

Sheryl Riley Gripper is Founder and executive director of the Black Women Film Network, an organization that prepares women for work in the film industry. The organization has given thousands of dollars in scholarships to women pursuing careers in film, broadcast and related areas.

A multi-Emmy Award winner, Gripper was Vice-President, Community Relations, for WXIA-TV, 11Alive and WATL-TV 36, for 29 years. She is a Community Relations Consultant for WXIA-TV, 11Alive and Atlanta Technical College. A graduate of Spelman College and Georgia State University, she holds Masters Degrees in Education and Film.

Additionally, Gripper was Founding Executive Director of the BronzeLens Film Festival, a festival that promotes diversity in film. She is also founder of Rosey Posey Pictures, LLC, a company that produces film and digital media that encourage and inspire.

The mother of three, she is the wife of Jeff Gripper, Atlanta’s First World Karate Champion. As a member of Elizabeth Baptist Church, she serves in the Intercessory Prayer and Encouragers ministries. Gripper wrote and produced the documentary, I Didn’t Make Him, God Did, the story of three media moms who lose their adult children to murder. Her most recent work is a short film, choreopoem entitled “In the Last Days.”

Board Members

Sheryl Riley Gripper

Founder
Sheryl Riley Gripper is the Founder of the Black Women Film Network, the oldest organization dedicated to preparing women for careers in the film industry and preserving the stories of marginalized women in film and digital media. Over 27 years, it has awarded more than $35,000 in scholarships. A multi-Emmy Award winner, Gripper served as Vice President of Community Relations for WXIA-TV and WATL-TV for 29 years and was the Founding Executive Director of the BronzeLens Film Festival, which promotes diversity in film. She is a graduate of Spelman College and Georgia State University.

Chiquita Lockley

Chairman

Chiquita Lockley is producer and director of the award winning documentary, Eggs Over Easy: Black Women & Fertility (OWN 2022). She is also the producer of the award-winning documentary Kunta Kinteh Island: Coming Home Without Shackles (PBS) . She holds a BA in English from Spelman College and an MA in Film Studies from Emory University. She has the distinction of Goodwill Ambassador for the State of Georgia, awarded by former Secretary of State Cathy Cox. She currently serves as Board Chair for Black Women Film Network.

Phylicia Fant

Board Member

Phylicia Fant is renowned throughout the entertainment industry as a trusted leader, esteemed executive, and public relations/marketing visionary. But even more importantly, she is a conduit of culture. Fant consistently and strategically connects artists to brands, media, film/television opportunities and philanthropic causes. In her role as Head of Music Industry and Culture Collaborations at Amazon Music, she transforms global synergy into commercial opportunities while prioritizing meaningful cultural moments.

Sing Lathan

Board Member

Sing Lee Lathan is the director and creative producer of Black Lion TV. She leads operations in its effort to preserve, promote, and present the arts of the African diaspora. In her most recent work, Sing directed and produced the Emmy Award Winning WNET Group All Arts special Michael Mwenso Honors George Floyd, which premiered May 25th, 2021. The episode was the network’s launch of The First Twenty, a series exploring events from the past two decades which caused shifts in the collective American consciousness, told from the narrative point of view of various artists.

Jaunice McSwain

Board Member

Jaunice Sills McSwain is Sr. Director of DEI Production and Creative Partnerships on the NBCU LAUNCH team at NBCUniversal, where she oversees external partnerships with film festivals, non-profits, and advocacy groups committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She develops TV programs and initiatives to increase representation across the business, including casting, production, and below-the-line roles. A creative and content-driven entertainment executive, Jaunice is widely recognized as a leader in the industry.

Ronda Racha Penrice

Board Member

For over 25 years, Ronda Racha Penrice has been at the forefront of Black entertainment, lifestyle, and culture. As an editor, she has worked with Rap Pages, Upscale, and Uptown, with bylines in outlets like Billboard, EBONY, ESSENCE, RollingStone, and more. A noted Black cultural critic, she is the author of Black American History For Dummies and editor of Cracking The Wire During Black Lives Matter. Ronda has appeared on TV One, CNN, and MSNBC, produced HBO First Look: All Eyez On Me, and written scripts for award shows like the AAFCA TV Honors. She is a lifelong advocate for diversity in film and TV, with contributions to BHERC and AAFCA.

Salena Rochester

Board Member

Salena Rochester is a Peabody Award-winning producer and writer with a decade of experience in television. She has developed and produced major unscripted series, including The Real Housewives of Atlanta & New York, Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard, and Peacock’s award-winning documentary The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. As a former network executive for Bravo, E!, USA, Oxygen, and Peacock, Salena has built strong industry relationships and specializes in documentaries, true crime, and lifestyle programming. Her prior credits include producing for Weekend Today, MSNBC’s Election Desk, and CNBC’s Fast Money.

Lilliepearl Schultz

Board Member

Lilliepearl Schultz is a recent Cum Laude and Departmental Honors graduate of Spelman College, where she majored in Documentary Filmmaking and minored in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. With a keen eye for film directing, criticism, and design philosophy, she uses visual storytelling as both an art form and a rhetorical tool. Her work focuses on creating dynamic stories that educate, promote cultural understanding, and raise awareness to combat inequality and injustice, blending her artistic vision with effective business strategies.

Kiera Sills

Board Member

Kiera Sills has served as Treasurer of BWFN since 2021. A freelance Production and Payroll Accountant based in Atlanta, she has worked on projects for networks like Investigation Discovery, TLC, HGTV, BET, Netflix, OWN, and Tubi. Kiera earned her BBA from Howard University and her MBA from Shorter University. Before her TV/film accounting career, Kiera was an accounting supervisor at International Paper Company in Memphis, TN. She later partnered with her twin brother, Courtney “Bear” Sills, to manage Atlanta-based music artists and producers through Sills Entertainment, which has shaped careers and influenced the culture.

Mercendez Springer

Board Member

Mercendez Springer has served as the BWFN Short FIlm Festival Director since 2018. With over a decade of experience as a freelance television producer/director she has worked for countless major networks to include: HULU, MTV, Paramount +, Peacock, VH1 and many more. She is a member of the African American Film Critics Association as a contributing journalist where her expertise shines in critiquing new and classic cultures films through her public platform and podcast Chic Critiques.

Tracey Tooks

Board Member

Tracey Tooks is a dynamic entrepreneur and marketer with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Guided by her motto, "producing results by leading with service," she brings curiosity and creativity to every project, from event planning to film production. Her career began at UP Entertainment, LLC, where she developed a passion for supporting new writers. In 2011, she created and produced the UP Faith & Family Screenplay Competition in partnership with UPtv and the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). This groundbreaking competition introduced a script-to-screen model with live table reads and a one-year production cycle.

Advisory Board Members

Dr. Sheril Antonio

Advisory Board Member

Dr. Antonio is an Associate Arts Professor in the Department of Art and Public Policy and the Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives. A recipient of the 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Faculty Award, she teaches courses such as Anatomy of Difference: The Other in Film, The World Through Art, and Issues in Contemporary African American Cinema. She received Curricular Development Challenge Grants for Issues in Contemporary African-American Cinema and The Summer Film & Video Program for High School Students. An Emeritus Board Member of Ghetto Film School, Dr. Antonio frequently lectures and has collaborated with organizations like Panasonic Kid Witness News and the NAACP.

Angela Cannon

Advisory Board Member

Angela Cannon is the SVP of Multicultural Networks and Strategy for UP Entertainment, where she oversees the growth of aspireTV, aspireTV+, and the FAST channels aspireTV Life and Cine Romántico across distribution platforms. As a member of the Executive Team, she develops strategies to engage multicultural audiences and fosters a diverse, inclusive workplace. AspireTV celebrates Black life, style, and culture with original shows, movies, and documentaries. Under Angela's leadership, the brand has launched over 10 original programs spanning food, travel, home design, fashion, and the HBCU experience, consistently breaking viewership records year-over-year.

Shaunya Chavis-Rucker

Advisory Board Member

Shaunya Chavis-Rucker is a multi-Emmy Award winning veteran television journalist and film industry professional. She is currently the Executive Director of Fulton Films; the largest County Film Office in the State of Georgia overseeing multiple block-buster movie production agreements. She is also the Station General Manager/Anchor for the Public Television Station, FGTV-Fulton Government Television (in Atlanta/Fulton County, GA). Shaunya has had a distinguished career as an Anchor/Reporter in television news in a number of network-affiliate stations around the country including WSB-TV Atlanta, WCPO TV in Cincinnati, and KTVI-TV in St. Louis, to name a few.

Wendy Credle

Advisory Board Member

Wendy Credle is a creative, entrepreneurial powerhouse. During her thirty years plus tenure in the music business as an A&R Executive and Entertainment Lawyer, Wendy has played a pivotal role in the careers of several multi-platinum, Grammy award winning artists, sogwriters, and producers. In 2007, she was awarded NABFAM’s “Legal Executive of the Year”. In 2015 after starring in the WEtv Legal docuseries, Money Power Respect, Wendy launched WenPie Productions, Inc. where she created and executive produced the OWN docuseries, To Have & To Hold: Charlotte, and wrote and produced the Andre Harrell tribute “Mr. Champagne & Bubbles” for BET.

Kiara Ellozy

Advisory Board Member

Kiara Ellozy specializes in driving revenue growth, profitability, and strategy development. As Chief Operating Officer and Partner at the Kai Kai Group, she worked with clients like UN Women, the NAACP, and Nielsen, focusing on partnerships, strategic communications, executive visibility, marketing, and event management. With extensive board exposure and advisory expertise, she brings a wealth of experience to her consulting work. As Senior Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Mischief, Kiara plays a key leadership role in developing strategy, forging partnerships, identifying growth opportunities, coordinating the senior team, and recruiting new talent.

Saptosa Foster

Advisory Board Member

Saptosa Foster is an award-winning communications strategist with nearly 20 years of experience in public relations and media. She is the Chief Communications Officer at Sallie B. Howard School of Arts & Science, a free public charter school in Wilson, NC, serving 1,200 K-12 students and recognized as a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School for Excellence in Closing the Achievement Gap. Previously, Saptosa was managing partner of ONE/35 Agency, a strategic communications firm where she led campaigns for clients including Google, YouTube, National Geographic, Disney Channel, and Bounce TV over 19 years.

Shannan Herbert

Advisory Board Member

Shannan Herbert is the Executive Vice President of Inclusive Credit at Stratyfy, a woman-led fintech company dedicated to accelerating financial inclusion by eliminating bias in financial decisions. She leads strategy and program development for Community Development Financial Institutions and community banks. Previously, Shannan served as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer for City First Bank, one of the largest Black-led Community Development Financial Institutions in the U.S. With over 20 years of leadership experience, she has focused on providing capital to under-resourced groups, helping hundreds of businesses owned by people of color and women thrive through her commitment to community development and small business lending.

Connie Orlando

Advisory Board Member

Constance M. Orlando is an award-winning media executive and the Executive Vice President of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. A pop culture visionary, she oversees original programming, including scripted series and specials like Black Girls Rock!, and leads the BET News department, producing critically acclaimed specials on topics like Ferguson and Baltimore. She also launched the BET Truth Series, featuring award-winning documentaries such as Katrina 10 Years Later and Stay Woke. As Executive Producer of tentpole events like the BET Awards, the #1 cable program among African American viewers, and her work has earned nine NAACP Image Awards.

Nina Packer

Advisory Board Member

Nina Packer is an innovative nonprofit, education, and entertainment professional with over 20 years of experience creating career exposure and pipeline programs in media and entertainment. She developed Warner Bros. Discovery: Future Leaders Institute and helped establish music industry certificate and degree programs at Jackson State University and Florida A&M University. Through her company, Nonprofit Planning & Administration (NPA), Nina manages the Cortez Bryant Foundation and the Rob and Shaun Hardy Amazing Stories Foundation, both focused on empowering young BIPOC professionals to thrive in the music and film industries. She recently produced HBCU-focused content for YouTube Originals, Blackstream Live/Live Nation Urban, and NBCUniversal.

Adrianne C. Smith

Advisory Board Member

Adrianne is the Founder of Vision Corps Media Group (VCMG), a media incubation company dedicated to creating content for current and emerging media outlets. With over 20 years of experience in advertising, media, and professional development, her work focuses on creating opportunities for underrepresented communities. Adrianne has produced documentaries and television programs and was part of the launch team for a digital sub-channel network. As Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Advertising at Howard University, her training programs propelled many advertising executives to success, including Cannes Lions award recipients. In 2017, she founded the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective to provide underrepresented communities with access to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Kimberly Stephens

Advisory Board Member

Affectionately known as "The Talent Whisperer," Kimberly is a seasoned Talent Executive and Event Marketing Specialist with a talent for fostering partnerships across industries. As Senior Manager of Talent Relations for the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, she connects with Oscar winners and nominees, building and maintaining key relationships. Kimberly began her entertainment career as a talent agent assistant and quickly rose to become a trusted consultant for major brands and organizations, including BET, TV One, Walmart, Sony Films, HBO, VH1, Essence Festival, and Spelman College. Her expertise spans talent relations, event marketing, and strategic collaboration.

Breanna Washington

Director of Multicultural Publicity & Marketing - National

As the Director of National Multicultural Publicity & Marketing at Allied Global Marketing, I develop and manage strategic, engaging, and attention-grabbing multi-platform PR & Marketing campaigns for a range of entertainment and brand clients targeting the African American audience.

With over 10 years of experience in film/tv production including a brief stint in film school, I work directly with top streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and MORE. My previous clients range across industries such as crypto/blockchain, spirits/beverage, restaurants & hospitality, and music artists. I've secured top thought leadership opportunities for high-profile executives at SXSW, ForbesBLK, Axios Summit and supported red carpet premieres for major studio films, award/gala ceremonies, and musical premieres.

I am also a Founding Member at MINO, a membership that provides emerging Black women leaders with professional development and a supportive network on their journey to becoming world-changers. I hold a Master's degree in Communication Management/Public Relations from the University of Denver and a Bachelor's degree in English & Spanish from Spelman College.

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