A white woman with long, brunette hair wearing an orange t-shirt.
Samantha Curley
Photo courtesy Samantha Curley
Producer

Samantha Curley (she/her) is an award-winning documentary film producer and creative entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. She is the co-founder of Level Ground, which is both a 501(c)3 nonprofit artist collective and a production company. The first film she produced, Framing Agnes (dir. Chase Joynt), premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival where it won the NEXT Innovator Award and Audience Award and went on to win the 2023 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and the Kellogg School of Management and has held fellowships with the Producers Guild of America, Impact Partners, and NBCU Original Voices. In 2023, she received a Cali Catalyst grant awarded to California changemakers creating tangible impact within the arts and culture sector, shifting power and influence to historically underrepresented voices.

more Project: Hatched 2024 winners
Portrait of a woman with long hair, smiling and looking to something out of frame to her right
Mara Adina
Photo courtesy Mara Adina
A black and white photo of a seated woman with curly dark hear, wearing a black tank top, seen from the side with a camera in the foreground.
Emily Mkrtichian
Photo courtesy Emily Mkrtichian
Jeanie Finlay headshot
Jeanie Finlay
Photo courtesy Jeanie Finlay
Blonde woman looks into the camera, blurry trees in the background.
Hanna Aqvilin
Photo courtesy Hanna Aqvilin
A man with brown hair looks into the camera, smiling, blurry background.
Eric Nyari
Photo courtesy Eric Nyari
A woman, dark brown hair, standing outside with a film camera over her left shoulder, she wears headphones around her neck.
Shiori Ito
Photo courtesy Shiori Ito
Portrait of Nailah Jefferson. Nailah looks away from camera with arms crossed.
Nailah Jefferson
Photo: Lauren Colchamiro
Darcy Mckinnon leans on her forearms staring into the camera.
Darcy McKinnon
Photo courtesy Darcy McKinnon
A mid-shot of Rilda Paco, a young Aymara woman standing against a dark background, her expression calm and introspective. She has straight, dark hair that falls just above her shoulders. She wears a sleeveless black top with lace detailing along the neckline, paired with jeans. The lighting is soft, highlighting her features gently, with the contrast between the darkness around her and the lighter tones of her skin and clothing creating a striking, minimalist portrait.
Rilda Paco
Photo courtesy Rilda Paco
A close-up photo of Redelia Shaw, an African American woman with dark brown skin and short, natural coiled hair adorned with small beads. She has expressive eyes with long eyelashes, a warm smile revealing a gap between her front teeth, and a few freckles on her cheeks. She is wearing colorful, patterned earrings and a black top. The background is a gradient of orange and yellow, creating a soft, warm ambiance that complements her friendly expression.
Redelia Shaw
Photo courtesy Redelia Shaw
A close up of Dan Fallshaw, a white male with short brown hair and a light beard, standing with his arms crossed. He is wearing a white T-shirt with the text "ART IS A DIRTY JOB BUT SOMEBODY'S GOT TO DO IT" printed in bold letters on the front. Dan has a serious, confident expression on his face. A silver watch is visible on his wrist. The background is blurred, featuring graffiti art, which adds an urban feel to the portrait.
Dan Fallshaw
Photo courtesy Dan Fallshaw
Violeta Ayala is shown in a close-up portrait. She has straight, dark hair styled in a braid, adorned with colorful red and orange tullmas. Her expression is calm and confident, highlighting her strong features, including high cheekbones and a warm, light brown complexion. She is wearing a black shirt, and the plain background keeps the focus on her face, reflecting her Quechua heritage.
Violeta Ayala
Photo courtesy Violeta Ayala
Headshot of a woman with long hair and looking above the camera, wearing a black turtle neck and beret
Contessa Gayles
Photo courtesy Contessa Gayles
Headshot of JJ’88 wearing a denim shirt and navy blue vest against a brown backdrop.
James "JJ'88" Jacobs
Photo courtesy JJ’88
Headshot of David Felix Sutcliffe against a baby blue brick wall.
David Felix Sutcliffe
Photo courtesy David Felix Sutcliffe
Headshot of richie reseda wearing a blue sweatshirt and white collared shirt against a gray backdrop.
richie reseda
Photo courtesy richie reseda
A group of people stand in a line shielding each other from impending violence. A person holds a camera and police in military garb circle.
Michael Toledano
Photo courtesy Michael Toledano
A women in a winter coat and hat looks off as a red dress hangs in the snowy background.
Brenda Mitchell
Photo courtesy Brenda Mitchell
A person wearing beaded earrings in a grey shirt that reads "Decolonize Birthwork" looks at the camera with green grass and a tree behind them.
Jennifer Wickham
Photo courtesy Jennifer Wickham
A bearded white man in a blue suit and bolo tie stands in front of a white background.
Brock Williams
Photo courtesy Brock Williams
A black and white photo of a blondish woman with shoulder length hair and light eyes wearing a striped, collared shirt. Her arms are folded.
Kirstine Barfod
Photo courtesy Kirstine Barfod
A black and white photo from the torso up of a woman wearing a black sweater with a lanyard necklace, and dark hair pulled back, smiling.
Alina Simone
Photo courtesy Alina Simone
Alejandra Díaz Scharager looks directly at the camera and smiles.
Alejandra Díaz Scharager
Photo courtesy Alejandra Diaz
Paola Castillo looks directly at the camera and smiles.
Paola Castillo
Photo courtesy Paola Castillo
Tana Gilbert looks directly at the camera.
Tana Gilbert
Photo courtesy Tana Gilbert
Suzanne Alizart headshot. Suzanne is a white woman with short brown and grey hair. She is wearing a dress with a deep red and plum pattern and is smiling warmly.
Suzanne Alizart
Photo courtesy Suzanne Alizart
Eliza Licht looking directly at camera. She is wearing earrings and is in front of an out focus background.
Eliza Licht
Photo courtesy Eliza Licht
A black & white image of a mixed-race Black and white person with a dark pixie haircut, wearing a white button up shirt and layered necklaces.
Mars Verrone
Photo courtesy Mars Verrone
A black & white image of an Asian man with dark, shoulder-length hair wearing glasses and a dark shirt.
Stephen Maing
Photo courtesy Stephen Maing
This is a headshot of Brett Story, a white woman with freckles and long brown hair and bangs. She is sitting at a table against a white wall, wearing a black turtleneck and jeans.
Brett Story
Photo courtesy Brett Story
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