FOUNDER

Born in the Dominican Republic, MaryAnn Talavera is an award winning creative technologist, filmmaker, and polyglot with a love for storytelling. She studied XR and virtual production in the Interactive Telecommunications Program(ITP) at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. MaryAnn is the Associate Director of Recruitment in Tisch Special Programs and an Artist-in-Residence at Barnard College’s Movement Lab.

She received her BA in NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and her first Master’s Degree in Latin American & Caribbean Studies at NYU where she researched issues of race and representation in Brazilian media. MaryAnn has studied and worked all over the world, including the Italy, France, Brazil, and Japan. Prior to working at Tisch she helped managed the prestigious Maria Moors Cabot and Alfred I. DuPont Awards at Columbia Journalism School.

MaryAnn is a 3D artist, founder of Rolos Productions, and Co-Creative Director of the Synastree. In 2021, she received a HEAR US(Helping Elevate and Recapitalize Underrepresented Stories) Award for “Root,” a project highlighting issues of representation within 3D, including a lack of afro-textured hair assets and Black character options. MaryAnn is passionate about projects that uplift Black and Brown narratives and transcend borders while tackling social justice issues like race and climate change..

FOUNDER

Reese Antoinette is a Caribbean-American actress and interdisciplinary artist. She is currently a recurring guest star on Apple TV’s Bad Monkey (Fall 2023), and in RICKY, a short film that debuted at Sundance Film Festival 2023. She recently executive produced a horror comedy, Sam & Kiki - Reese plays the titular character Kiki. Sam & Kiki will debut October 2023 at The 23rd Annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Reese is a graduate of NYU Tisch MFA in Acting, British American Drama Academy at Oxford University, and Manhattan College BA in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in music.

Her work often explores time, metaphysics, and culture. Her work also lies at the intersection of technology and storytelling: how theater, television and film can explore science fiction, and the human relationship to new and old technology. Reese has been an advocate for women, immigrants and youth empowerment in New York City for over a decade. She served as the Graduate Student Senator, and Head of Diversity for NYU Student Government. She is currently a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for the British American Drama Academy.

She is the co-founder of The ORIXA Project, An immersive theatrical experience that explores black women narratives throughout time and space in VR and AR technology. She was recently an Artist-in-Residence at Columbia University: Barnard College’s Movement Lab. She is currently an Artist-in-Residence of ONX Studio at The Onassis Foundation, and she was recently admitted to The Future of Storytelling Explorer Program.