Jeremiah Birnbaum is a filmmaker and educator with more than three decades of experience. A graduate of Wesleyan University and NYU’s Tisch School, he began his career producing social-issue documentaries before founding Fog City Pictures, which has produced independent films and documentaries screened globally. As a cofounder and President of the San Francisco Film School, Jeremiah leads curriculum development and mentors aspiring filmmakers in directing, editing, storytelling, and production. His approach emphasizes authentic voice, technical craft, and opportunities for underrepresented artists to tell stories that matter.

Dr. Laura Flaxman, Ed.L.D., is an educational leader and innovator, with more than 30 years’ of experience. Laura has served as a teacher, principal, coach, school founder, non-profit leader, and consultant. Laura is the co-author of Small Schools, Big Ideas: The Essential Guide to School Transformation and the upcoming book, Connections, Culture, Community: How to Build Families in Schools. Her doctoral research at Harvard centered on new models for higher education access for older or out-of-school youth. A proud alum of Wesleyan University and the Bread Loaf School of English, as well as the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she has led school redesign efforts in numerous schools and districts both nationally and internationally, including founding and leading two schools in Oakland, California. Laura’s expertise lies at the intersection of instructional excellence, creative design, community-building, and systems-level innovation to uplift underserved students.