Conversations about documentary funding tend to focus on who is giving—philanthropists, governments, platforms, investors—and less on how money moves, who controls it, and what mechanisms exist to get it to filmmakers or artists. Levies, obligations, lotteries: these are not new ideas, but they are being reinvented, and not only by governments. From a South African lottery redistributing proceeds directly to artists and cultural workers, to a democratically governed investment fund that puts financing decisions in the hands of community members rather than accredited investors, to the rise of film production incentives—this conversation brings together people building new infrastructure from the ground up, in places and at scales that documentary filmmakers rarely hear about.
Moderated by Sanjay Sharma, a digital media pioneer who has spent a career figuring out the economics of independent media, this session aims to get past the DIY playbook.
Moderator: Sanjay Sharma (Marginal MediaWorks)
Panelists: Tiny Mungwe (The People's Commons), Julia Parker (Boston Ujima Project), and Grace Porras (#MakeItBay)
Biographies:
Tiny Mungwe has produced over 35 documentary films from across Africa working for the renowned South African company STEPS and is developing both fiction and documentary films, having released the first feature doc under CTRL ALT Shift. She also works in industry development with international partners that include Durban FilmMart, Great Lakes Creative Producer Lab and Locarno Open Doors.
Grace Porras is an Emmy Award-winning producer and content development leader with over a decade of experience in film, television, and documentary production. As COO of Flashback Pictures and Co-Founder of #MakeItBay, she has built a reputation for championing underrepresented voices and strengthening the Bay Area's creative economy. Grace's production credits span premium networks and platforms including HBO, Showtime, Peacock, E!, VH1, and Bravo. As a Producer on the Emmy-winning documentary 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed, she shaped narrative structure and editorial vision from field production through post. Her supervising producer work includes the WWE docuseries Evil (Peacock) and the Super Bowl LVI halftime special The Show: California Love. Beyond her network credits, Grace has worked alongside major productions such as SBLV's Apple Half-Time show featuring Bad Bunny where she was on the Talent Management team working directly with the artists' tour band. Grace holds a BA in Communication and Media Studies from Pace University and is fluent in Spanish. She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sanjay Sharma is the founder and CEO of MARGINAL, an indie studio focused on popular storytelling genres from underrepresented voices in film, television, audio and animation. The fast-growing US-based company has produced 15 films, including 3 documentaries, sold its first two TV series, sold its first audio series, and is developing a slate of international fiction and nonfiction films. Its film, “Cypher,” won the Jury Prize at Tribeca. "She Taught Love" premiered at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival and won the AAFCA's Indie Film of the Year. The studio has won or been nominated for Gotham, NAACP, Indie Spirit, Imagen, and GLAAD Awards. Its most recent film "The Rose," is a documentary about a Korean rock band that premiered at Tribeca and was just released theatrically by CJ. Sharma previously helped found and lead two digital media companies, ALL DEF (focused on hip hop and comedy), and MACHINIMA, the first YouTube MCN, instrumental in launching "the creator economy" (focused on video gaming; acquired by Warner Bros). Sharma is a co-founder and Board Member of The Future Film Coalition, co-founder and Board Member of Gold House; Board Chair of CAPE; and adjunct lecturer at Stanford Law School.
Julia Janai Parker is a community investment strategist, educator, and consultant working at the intersection of democratic finance, community ownership, and economic justice. She is the Founder and Principal of Park4029 Consulting, where she supports mission-driven organizations in designing non-extractive lending programs, community investment funds, and equitable capital strategies. Julia currently serves as Managing Director of the Ujima Fund at the Boston Ujima Project and leads community-owned real estate CORE research and field-building work with Transform Finance. Her work has supported cooperative enterprises, community land trusts, small businesses, and solidarity economy initiatives across the country. Julia brings deep experience in underwriting, fund design, technical assistance, and participatory governance, with a focus on moving capital in ways that build collective power and long-term community wealth. She holds an MBA from Boston College, an MS in Urban Studies and a BA in Political Science and International Relations from Creighton University.
Conversations about documentary funding tend to focus on who is giving—philanthropists, governments, platforms, investors—and less on how money moves, who controls it, and what mechanisms exist to get it to filmmakers or artists. Levies, obligations, lotteries: these are not new ideas, but they are being reinvented, and not only by governments. From a South African lottery redistributing proceeds directly to artists and cultural workers, to a democratically governed investment fund that puts financing decisions in the hands of community members rather than accredited investors, to the rise of film production incentives—this conversation brings together people building new infrastructure from the ground up, in places and at scales that documentary filmmakers rarely hear about.
Moderated by Sanjay Sharma, a digital media pioneer who has spent a career figuring out the economics of independent media, this session aims to get past the DIY playbook.
Moderator: Sanjay Sharma (Marginal MediaWorks)
Panelists: Tiny Mungwe (The People's Commons), Julia Parker (Boston Ujima Project), and Grace Porras (#MakeItBay)
Biographies:
Tiny Mungwe has produced over 35 documentary films from across Africa working for the renowned South African company STEPS and is developing both fiction and documentary films, having released the first feature doc under CTRL ALT Shift. She also works in industry development with international partners that include Durban FilmMart, Great Lakes Creative Producer Lab and Locarno Open Doors.
Grace Porras is an Emmy Award-winning producer and content development leader with over a decade of experience in film, television, and documentary production. As COO of Flashback Pictures and Co-Founder of #MakeItBay, she has built a reputation for championing underrepresented voices and strengthening the Bay Area's creative economy. Grace's production credits span premium networks and platforms including HBO, Showtime, Peacock, E!, VH1, and Bravo. As a Producer on the Emmy-winning documentary 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed, she shaped narrative structure and editorial vision from field production through post. Her supervising producer work includes the WWE docuseries Evil (Peacock) and the Super Bowl LVI halftime special The Show: California Love. Beyond her network credits, Grace has worked alongside major productions such as SBLV's Apple Half-Time show featuring Bad Bunny where she was on the Talent Management team working directly with the artists' tour band. Grace holds a BA in Communication and Media Studies from Pace University and is fluent in Spanish. She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sanjay Sharma is the founder and CEO of MARGINAL, an indie studio focused on popular storytelling genres from underrepresented voices in film, television, audio and animation. The fast-growing US-based company has produced 15 films, including 3 documentaries, sold its first two TV series, sold its first audio series, and is developing a slate of international fiction and nonfiction films. Its film, “Cypher,” won the Jury Prize at Tribeca. "She Taught Love" premiered at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival and won the AAFCA's Indie Film of the Year. The studio has won or been nominated for Gotham, NAACP, Indie Spirit, Imagen, and GLAAD Awards. Its most recent film "The Rose," is a documentary about a Korean rock band that premiered at Tribeca and was just released theatrically by CJ. Sharma previously helped found and lead two digital media companies, ALL DEF (focused on hip hop and comedy), and MACHINIMA, the first YouTube MCN, instrumental in launching "the creator economy" (focused on video gaming; acquired by Warner Bros). Sharma is a co-founder and Board Member of The Future Film Coalition, co-founder and Board Member of Gold House; Board Chair of CAPE; and adjunct lecturer at Stanford Law School.
Julia Janai Parker is a community investment strategist, educator, and consultant working at the intersection of democratic finance, community ownership, and economic justice. She is the Founder and Principal of Park4029 Consulting, where she supports mission-driven organizations in designing non-extractive lending programs, community investment funds, and equitable capital strategies. Julia currently serves as Managing Director of the Ujima Fund at the Boston Ujima Project and leads community-owned real estate CORE research and field-building work with Transform Finance. Her work has supported cooperative enterprises, community land trusts, small businesses, and solidarity economy initiatives across the country. Julia brings deep experience in underwriting, fund design, technical assistance, and participatory governance, with a focus on moving capital in ways that build collective power and long-term community wealth. She holds an MBA from Boston College, an MS in Urban Studies and a BA in Political Science and International Relations from Creighton University.
