MONIQUE AVILA (ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS) is a Mexican-american producer from Los Angeles. She currently manages the Sundance Institute’s Catalyst Program, the institute’s film financing lab that aims to build a culture of partnership between independent investors and filmmakers; to unlock funding for ambitious new independent films; and to engage our community in supporting the independent film ecosystem. She produces the annual Catalyst Forum, the program’s premiere pitch event, and prepares Catalyst filmmakers to present their projects for production financing. Previously, for three years she helped bring filmmaking to underserved classrooms throughout California via the Youth Cinema Project, resulting in hundreds of completed shorts that premiered at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival. She is passionate about the power of story, and dedicated to contributing to the sustainable evolution of independent film.
AMBER BENSON (SCREENPLAY FEEDBACK) is a novelist and screenwriter. She co-directed the Slamdance feature film DRONES and co-wrote and directed the Audible original series SLAYERS. In her previous incarnation as an actor, she spent three years as ‘Tara Maclay’ on the cult television series BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.
