Chicken & Egg Pictures is thrilled to welcome Kiyoko McCrae to The Nest as Program Director! In this newly expanded role, Kiyoko will work closely with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Program staff to strategize, plan and oversee the implementation of all Chicken & Egg programs.
She brings a commitment and passion to support women and non-binary filmmakers and the belief that films have the power to shift narratives, and create social and cultural change. “Kiyoko embodies the values, spirit, and mission of Chicken & Egg Pictures, and will lead programs with the vision and inspiration needed at this critical juncture,” said Jenni Wolfson, CEO of Chicken & Egg Pictures.
Previously, Kiyoko was Director of Documentary Programming and Filmmaker Labs at New Orleans Film Society, leading the documentary film programming for the New Orleans Film Festival and working to connect Southern filmmakers to resources and relationships through the Emerging Voices Directors Lab, Southern Producers Lab, and South Pitch. Prior to that, she was Managing Director of Junebug Productions where she taught an accredited community-based theater course with founder John O’Neal through Tulane University and Xavier University, and directed and produced several touring theater productions and award-winning films.
Kiyoko will lead the implementation of new programs and goals set in our 2023-2025 Strategic Plan, including a new Producers Grant and Research & Development Grant. “I have long admired the work of Chicken & Egg Pictures for its care and commitment in supporting women and non-binary filmmakers. I could not be happier to be joining C&E at this time of immense growth with such a strong Strategic Plan in place to move the organization forward,” Kiyoko says.
Aligned with our values of equity and inclusion, Kiyoko also brings a depth of experience as an organizational development consultant for several social justice arts organizations. She received her BFA in Theatre Arts from New York University’s Tisch School where she studied under Jan Cohen Cruz, leading practitioner of activist and community-based performance.
“I’m driven by Chicken & Egg Pictures’ goal to support transgender filmmakers and to be an anti-racist organization; I look forward to developing program practices through this lens,” Kiyoko says. “I’m extremely proud to be joining an organization that has committed to equitable workplace practices.”
You can meet Kiyoko at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where she will be in attendance along with Jenni Wolfson, CEO, and Rebecca Celli, Associate Director of Development. Kiyoko commences her post on January 17.