ABOUT THE FILMMAKER

April Abeyta has a 15+ year career in filmmaking and corporate video production, and has acquired a unique ability to balance creativity with business acumen. As an independent filmmaker, she has directed and produced several short films, including Sly Sylvester, an award-winning comedy, and Seven Minutes to Closing, a nationally-screened drama starring Trestin George (Fruitvale Station) which earned Best Direction and Best Cast Performance awards.

In the corporate sector, she has produced and managed video teams for a wide variety of projects and customers. Currently she is the Head of Operations for Seed&Spark, an entertainment platform built to increase representation in media and help creators build sustainable careers. April has a BFA in Film and Television Production from Chapman University.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Nola Taylor was born in Oakland California and played basketball at Oakland High from 2001-2003 and transferred to Fremont High School 2003-2005. At her time at both high schools they appeared in the OAL playoffs and made many appearances in CIF playoffs as well. After graduating with a 2.75 in 2005, she was offered a scholarship by Midland College, College of Southern Idaho, Foothill College, University of Nevada- Reno. She committed to attend and play for Midland College.

While attending Midland College she majored in Kinesiology, also earning playing time and eventually appearing in the starting line up 5 times as a Freshman, and starting her Sophomore year. During her Sophomore season she was highly recruited by top Division 1,2 and 3 universities. She committed to Texas A&M University-Commerce, where she became an important player after injuries took place to star players. In her Junior season she ended the season she finished second on the team. After finishing her playing career at A&M-Commerce, she decided to play basketball aboard for 5 and a half years playing in Ukraine, Romania, Turkey, Montenegro, Malta Winter, & Puerto Rico. Summer 2014. After finishing overseas in Fall 2014 she came back home. She got a job with OUSD and decided to finish her degree. Currently, she is the head Varsity basketball coach at Fremont High School.