GOOD TALK WITH THE FIRST STEP SPEAKERS

Director, Producer & Featured Speakers of THE FIRST STEP

REQUEST A GOOD TALK WITH BRANDON KRAMER, LANCE KRAMER & LOUIS L. REED

Brandon Kramer is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has spent his career directing films that tackle complex social and political issues. As the Director of THE FIRST STEP (Tribeca), CITY OF TREES (Netflix, PBS), THE MESSY TRUTH (CNN) and SAABA (AFI DOCS), Brandon has an expertise in telling stories about the complex relationships that form between communities, advocates and policymakers, and sharing these narratives with broad and diverse publics. Brandon's nuanced and deeply personal films seek to advance a pillar of a functional democracy by helping the public understand and empathize with urgent social and political issues.

Expertise
Brandon is an award-winning filmmaker who has spent his career directing films and collaborating with filmmakers to tell personal, observational documentaries. Having directed dozens of long-form, short-form and episodic documentaries with national and international institutions, Brandon is also an expert in building dynamic partnerships with institutional partners, universities, and government agencies. Through multi-year mentorship relationships with master filmmakers like Gordon Quinn (Hoop Dreams, Minding the Gap), Carol Dysinger (Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl) and Lewis Erskine (Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool), Brandon has over 15 years experience directing documentaries that that tackle complex social and political issues. As the Director of THE FIRST STEP (Tribeca), CITY OF TREES (Netflix, PBS), THE MESSY TRUTH (CNN) and SAABA (AFI DOCS), he has a specific expertise in scripting and casting, field research, building access in sensitive environments in communities with public figures and with policymakers, documentary ethics, crew and production workflows, director/cinematographer/editor collaborations, narrative editorial structure and storytelling around complex political narratives.

Speaking History
Georgetown University, Yale University, American University, George Mason University, Cleveland State University, Montana State University, PBS' America Reframed, Tribeca Film Festival, AFI Docs.

Lance Kramer is a seasoned independent filmmaker with 15 years of experience producing award-winning independent films and leading in-depth social impact distribution strategies, for projects including CITY OF TREES, THE FIRST STEP, THE MESSY TRUTH, and SAABA. Lance speaks about his experience in social justice storytelling; narratives that represent people impacted by the criminal justice system; bipartisan and bridge-building narratives; impact strategies that engage racially, culturally, politically and geographically diverse audiences; filmmaker sustainability; and the life and career of an independent filmmaker.

Expertise
I have more than 15 years experience as an independent filmmaker producing award-winning documentary films exploring complex landmark pursuits of social justice in the United States and abroad. My approach specializes in navigating and representing the complexities behind efforts to achieve social justice as told through ethical, personal, authentic narratives. I have developed, produced and released original films that have been official selections at leading festivals including Tribeca, AFI DOCS, Full Frame, streamed on Netflix & Amazon Prime, broadcast on CNN and PBS, and designed and led impact campaigns that have engaged hundreds of frontline partner organizations working on criminal justice reform, environmental justice, bridge building, and addiction & recovery. I have also been an active leader of filmmaker coalitions working to improve filmmaker sustainability, including the Documentary Producers Alliance. I have published articles in the IDA's Documentary Magazine about these topics including https://www.documentary.org/feature/messy-truth-behind-day-job-documentarian and led Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility initiatives within the documentary field including the National Endowment for the Arts-supported program "Producing Towards Equity."

Speaking History
Festivals: TRIBECA, AFI DOCS, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, and more than 100 other festival Q&A's and panels between 2010-2023
Universities: Dartmouth College, Yale University, American University, George Washington University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, California State University, Florida A&M University, Howard University
Conferences: International Documentary Association Getting Real, Media That Matters, Southeastern Social Workers Conference, North American Association of Christians in Social Work, Arbor Day National Conference
Corporations: Checkr.org

Louis L. Reed is a leading expert in criminal justice reform, policy advocacy, and public health. Having spent 14 years in federal prison and worked on supervision, his leadership led to the passage of over 30 state and federal level bills, including the historic First Step Act in 2018. As an an award-winning author, commentator on the Law & Crime Network, licensed and board-certified addictions practitioner, and producer of Hulu’s UnPrisoned series, he speaks with audiences about social impact and leadership.

Expertise
As someone who has experienced being in prison and negotiating conversations with people, I led the advocacy for the most significant criminal justice reform bill in a generation, bridging a divided Congress during the leadership of a polarizing President. My expertise in this area makes me an ideal speaker to discuss the topic of criminal justice reform, and audiences can expect to gain insights on prioritizing outcomes over outrage from my experience and presentation.