Anacostia Youth Media Festival 2024

BAD MEDICINE COMEDY

Shoa Appelman is a writer, director, performer, and animator with Bad Medicine. She has performed around the country in festivals, and her sketches have been featured in HBO's Women in Comedy Festival and Broad Humor Film Festival.

BAD MEDICINE COMEDY

Nicki Escudero is a writer, performer, assistant director and video creator with Bad Medicine. As a professional copywriter in her day job, she loves activating the creative side of her brain to create sketches that are dark and absurd and that generate a relatable, emotional response.

GAME DESIGNER

Kristen Marcinek is a game designer passionate about providing non-traditional educational experiences and accurately representing intersectional and marginalized lenses that are grounded in tangible realities. Kristen is currently a student at American University working towards her MFA in Games and Interactive Media with a focus on meaningful games and immersive experiences. Kristen has experience in many areas of game design, including writing, pixel art, and coding.

PHOTOGRAPHER

Travis Chenhao Ma is a cameraman based in the Washington D.C. area. He does all kinds of photography and cinematography. Travis is a believer in the art of the camera. He believes all camera work is about the vision, and art is about the beauty. Through the camera, Travis enjoys using his sharp eyes to discover the beauty of this world people are living in day to day.

SMARTPHONE FILMMAKER

Susie DeFord is a filmmaker, writer, musician, & dog trainer. She is a Master's student in the Film and Media Production program at American University. Susie is passionate about mentoring and teaching production in the community by utilizing smartphone filmmaking and other budget-conscious equipment to level the playing field and nurture underrepresented voices. She believes great storytellers come from diverse backgrounds and that economics and education shouldn't dictate whose stories are told.

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST

Toni DaCosta is a 4th year undergraduate at American University majoring in Film and Media Arts with a Literature minor. She has previously worked with a company called Slapbox Creative where she edited photos and videos for organizations like Nike, Slam Magazine, T-MOBILE Little League Home Run Derby, and Steph Curry’s Underrated Tour. Toni has also worked with the Girls EYBL basketball circuit including stops in Virginia and Texas as well as the championship tournament Nike Nationals in Chicago. Another one of her passions is giving back to underserved communities through media distribution. With this, she has worked with several grassroots basketball tournaments in New York City including Bobbito Garcia’s Full Court 21 and NY vs NY. Toni wants to further her work in video production so that she will be able to shine a light on women in sports who are not getting the exposure they deserve.

SMYAL

Jhirbron Tonge (he/him) is a dedicated Youth Engagement Manager at SMYAL, where he passionately designs and facilitates engaging weekly programs for queer and trans youth. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Jhirbron is a proud graduate of School Without Walls Senior High School. With a strong commitment to enhancing the quality of life for individuals in the DMV area, Jhirbron initially joined SMYAL as a Health Impact Specialist from the Department of Health. His work has focused on building an effective system of care for diverse communities. Driven by his dedication to youth mental health, Jhirbron aspires to further his education and become a therapist to support young people in their journeys. A firm believer in the power of positive change, Jhirbron's unwavering passion for helping others has been the guiding force in his career. When he's not actively engaged in making a difference at SMYAL, Jhirbron can be found immersed in moments of tranquility through meditation in local parks, connecting with friends over video games, channeling his creativity through painting, or pouring his heart into heartfelt poetry.