TEAM
The People of Female Filmmaker's Initiative
OLIVIA VANSICKLE
Managing Director
Olivia VanSickle is a Junior DMP major with a minor in Japanese. She found her love of film at Kent State and has since created and contributed to projects for FFI and TV2. Her favorite movies include The Shawshank Redemption, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Nope. In the future, she hopes to write and direct her own movies while continuing the fight for equity in the film industry.
ALEXANDRIA THOMPSON
Creative Director
Alexandria Thompson is a Junior Digital Media Production student with a minor in French. She realized that she wanted to pursue a career in the film industry when she started making home videos and mock commercials during elementary school. Since then, she has created video content for A Magazine and Cleveland-based production company Fashion Talks. Her favorite movies include Marie Antoinette, Before Sunrise, and Clueless. She hopes to be able to create stories catered that uplift and celebrate women of color.
LACIE WARREN
Secretary
Lacie Warren is a Senior Digital Media Production student. Lacie has always been in love with content creation and the way that it connects people with similar stories. She found this love through social media, video games and films, while also loving fashion and beauty. After discovering a female fashion vlogger with a film degree, she knew there was a place in film for her to tell her story and pursue projects that help create that space. Lacie's favorite films are Coraline, Big Hero 6, and Stuck In Love.
NIKKI SCHALK
Treasurer
Nikki Schalk (She/Her) is a Senior DMP Major with a minor in Theater Performance. She found that she enjoyed video editing in high school, and as such most of her film experience is in post-production/editing, which is what she plans to do for her career after graduation. She joined FFI to get more film experience, make new friends and connections, and learn more about the challenges that the film industry presents.
ANNIKA CRONIN
Outreach Team
Annika Cronin is a Senior DMP student. Along with FFI, she works at Teleproductions to direct live events. She joined the organization to be a part of a community that uplifts marginalized voices in the film industry.
JULIANNA ANDERSON
Media Team
Julianna Anderson is a Senior Digital Media Production Student with a minor in Theatre Management. She realized her love for filmmaking over the course of the pandemic and promptly switched from theatre to film in late 2020. She is so thrilled to find this tight-knit community of filmmakers within FFI to create and grow with. She's also president of Flash Film Commission. Her favorite films are Promising Young Woman & Spirited Away. She hopes to create films that uplift people from all backgrounds and bring joy into the lives of others.
CRESS WALDROP
Outreach Team
Cress Waldrop is a Senior at Kent Stare University. They recently switched to Digital Media Production, but before that they were a Theatre Studies Major. Bonnie has worked in theatre productions as a director, actor, choreographer, and vocal director. They love telling stories of any kind, but films have always had a special place in their heart. As they enter this new part of their college career, they are so excited for opportunity to create new stories with the Female Filmmakers Initiative Team.
ANNA SPAGNOLA
Media Team
Anna Spagnola is a senior Digital Media Production and French student with a minor in Italian Studies. Anna has always dreamed of being a storyteller whether it's through film, books, music, video games, or in translation. Her favorite movies are School of Rock, Samsara, and Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. Anna aspires to work as an audiovisual translator and to hopefully make one of her novel ideas a reality.
ELORA KEISER
Outreach Team
Elora Kaiser (she/they) is a psychology major with a love for filming. Coffee Lover. Phoebe Bridgers Enthusiast. Thriller Genre >>>
LAUREN MCELRATH
Media Team
Lauren McElrath is a junior DMP major here at Kent State University. With a love for story telling, she hopes to become a dramatic screenwriter in the film and gaming industry. She joined FFI to be united with other talented women who support each other in such a turbulent industry.
MCKENNA GILBERT
Financial Team
Mckenna is a current Sophomore studying Digital Media Production with minors in Business & Entrepreneurship.  She has always loved film and filmmaking, but it wasn’t until her sophomore year of high school that she realized this is the industry she want to be apart of. She wants to share my stories and ideas with the rest of the world. Her goal is to help change the direction in which Hollywood by creating a production company that presents different stories while also lifting up other creative voices that have been pushed down for so long.