Who We Are

Sarah Ann Masse

Founder & President

Sarah (she/her) is an LA-based, queer, invisibly disabled actor, writer, singer, producer, filmmaker, and comedian who was one of the first people to come forward about being abused by Weinstein. Since facing career retaliation due to speaking up about abuse, she launched Hire Survivors Hollywood® – an organization that works to end retaliation against survivors of sexual violence within the entertainment industry. 

Sarah believes we must use our position as entertainers and creators to change the culture we live in to be more inclusive, representative, respectful, and dynamic for people of all ages, genders, races, nationalities, abilities, sexualities, and creeds. A Forbes profile details Sarah’s work as an artist using positive comedy to advocate for fellow survivors of sexual violence and also focuses on the realities of being an artist with several invisible disabilities; and a recent Variety feature discusses the importance of her initiative – Hire Survivors Hollywood – and their success in creating safer and more equitable working environments. Sarah’s writing on such topics has been featured in The Independent and The WRAP.

She also works with many organizations and individuals such as: Equal Rights Advocates (as a Hollywood Ambassador she helped pass AB9 into law in CA in 2019); ECHO Training; Time’s Up (member of the Time’s Up Entertainment Safety Working group); The Wrap Women; Women in Film; The Hollywood Commission; ReFrame; elected as a SAG-AFTRA Convention Delegate and member of the LA Government Affairs and Public Policy Committee, the LA Sexual Harassment Committee, the National Sexual Harassment Committee, the National Performers with Disabilities Committee, and the LA NextGen Committee; Senator Brad Hoylman and Safe Horizon (she helped pass The Adult Survivors Act in NY in 2022); and Lucy Lang (former Manhattan DA candidate and current NY State Inspector General) to codify consent and reform the criminal justice system to be trauma informed and survivor focused.

She has also recently been awarded the inaugural “Global Impact Award” by Diversity MBA at their 17th annual conference for the work she does with her art and advocacy to improve equity, safety, and DEIA practices for all historically marginalized folks, especially those from the survivor, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ communities and the PAVE “Shattering The Silence Award” for her work as the Founder and President of Hire Survivors Hollywood.

Sarah has been an outspoken advocate for positive change in the arts industry for decades and ran a successful non profit theater company in New York for several years. It was called the Vagabond Theatre Ensemble and operated as a non-profit through fiscal sponsorship from Fractured Atlas. And, as the Founder and face of Hire Survivors Hollywood, Sarah works directly with survivors, is constantly educating herself to become a better advocate, and centers inclusion, intersectionality, and equity in all of her efforts.

Shane Kalminski

Director of Digital Media Communications

Shane Kalminski (he/him) has been with Hire Survivors Hollywood since day one, and was instrumental in helping develop the brand identity for social platforms. As our Director of Digital Media Communications, he works closely with Founder Sarah Ann Masse to compose well researched, thoughtful, conscious, relevant, and eye-catching content.

Through his work in community programming for the City of West Hollywood, he engages daily with a diverse community, and enjoys taking on creative projects. As a volunteer with the LA LGBT Center, he assists senior citizens with understanding technology, and has advocated for trans rights before City Council, and at rallies. He also co-created the LGBT Center’s learning modules that are provided to new volunteers, and interns.

Shane is compassionate, and treats his work for Hire Survivors Hollywood with the level of respect it deserves. His writing style is professional and organized, but with a clear, impactful voice that proudly stands with survivors and Silence Breakers.

Hire Survivors Hollywood Advisory Board

Andria Wilson Mirza

Andria Wilson Mirza (she/her) is the Director of ReFrame, the screen industry’s gender equity coalition founded and led by Sundance Institute and Women In Film, Los Angeles. Previously, Andria was Executive Director of Inside Out, Canada’s largest LGBTQ film festival. There, she established the world’s only LGBTQ Feature Film Financing Forum, launched two development funds, co-founded the North American Queer Festival Alliance (NAQFA), and spearheaded a 4-year partnership between Inside Out and Netflix. Named ‘one of 15 Canadian women to watch’ by the CBC, Andria has been a featured speaker at festivals including TIFF, Sundance, SXSW, Berlin’s European Film Market, Greece’s Outview, Oslo Fusion, and the Iris Prize Producer’s Forum. Under her Baby Daal Productions banner, co-founded with her wife Fawzia Mirza, Andria produced their award winning short NOOR & LAYLA for CBC Gem and is in pre-production on Fawzia’s directorial debut feature ME, MY MOM AND SHARMILA. Andria and Fawzia served as advisors on the Sundance documentary SIRENS from Emmy-winning director Rita Baghdadi, and are Executive Producers of Sandra Itäinen’s upcoming queer Muslim documentary COMING AROUND. 

“Advocating for gender parity, for equity and inclusion in Hollywood, must include advocating for survivors – and building a culture where they can thrive. I strongly believe in Hire Survivors Hollywood and their mission to create community, safety and support for survivors in the entertainment industry.” – Andria Wilson Mirza

Anonymous Female Survivor

Anonymous Male Survivor

Ashley Merriman

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Cecilia Della Peruti aka Gothic Tropic

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Claire Wilson

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Danni McClellan

Danni (she/her) is a filmmaker, writer, and producer who has been playing with cameras and using storytelling as a means of expression since she was in diapers growing up in East Lansing, MI. As a teenager she secretly submitted herself for acting roles on Backstage and after high school worked on friends’ no budget films. Her tenure as a Production Assistant in Detroit began during the Michigan Tax Incentive while she worked on her bachelors in communication, graduating from The University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2012 as an award winning writer-director. 

By the time she landed in LA (the first time) for the UCLA Professional Producing she had found success as an indie Assistant Director, Production Coordinator, and Producer.  Danni has dedicated herself to standing up against all forms of abuse on set. Her passion for production often put her into situations where she would advocate on behalf of the set crew, not wanting them to experience the same hardships she endured.

As a storyteller and filmmaker, Danni brought the same energy to Chapman University where she earned her MFA in Directing. During the pandemic, Danni advised faculty and the Dodge Graduate Student Government regarding the importance of comprehensive and disability inclusive COVID protocols. 

After graduation in 2021, Danni set her sights on joining the Video Game Industry as a Producer and Writer. She’s excited to get to work supporting talented game creators who are building accessible and immersive stories. Danni is thrilled to use all the knowledge she gained from her nearly two decades in film production in a new field. She currently lives in Hollywood with her two amazing dogs. 

Danni’s directing reel can be found on Vimeo

Erica “EL” DuBois

Erica “EL” DuBois (she/her) was born & raised in Texas,  where she still lives today surrounded by her amazing family, and menagerie of fur babies. Erica is an avid artist, music lover, and reader. She is proud to be Choctaw & Cherokee & is a Southern Belle at heart with a passion for Chucks in various colors, creating, and most importantly helping others. When Erica is not writing, painting, or producing films, she can be found enjoying a beautiful life with her loved ones. Erica’s personal experiences have made her an advocate, and supporter of many causes facing survivors of any harassment or abuse. It is her greatest wish that no one ever has to suffer the traumas she endured, and that justice be brought for all those who have. These experiences have made her appreciate life, laughter, and love. She is a believer in positive attitude, positive actions, and paying it forward. Her motto is “do good things with no expectations, and life has a way of bringing goodness back to you”. Erica started her own production company Poodle in a Pit Bull Fight & is Co-CEO of so&so Productions with her brother J. Mackie Matysiak. In 2021 her need to help, heal, bring change, & give back to the community, prompted her to co-found the Twisted Crown Foundation with her best friend Vanessa Flores.

“Working with HSH is truly a honor. I believe in their mission. As a survivor it is imperative that we create safe, supportive spaces for survivors. It is all part of the healing.” – Erica “EL” DuBois

 

Erika Rosenbaum

Erika Rosenbaum is a Canadian actress, photographer and activist. Erika is one of the dozens of women who spoke out against convicted Former Producer HW. After sharing her experience of harassment and assault, Erika began taking on speaking engagements to share her experiences and create dialogue about women’s rights, respect and using your voice to create change. 

Erika works in film, television and video games and is the proud mother of three young performers and one time comedian, who are testing the waters in film and television as well. 

“I’m very protective of my children in this industry obviously, and I feel that I can create a safe environment for all young performers by being present and involved as a parent and keeping a watchful eye on how things are managed from the inside. My children are still very young, but for now they’re having fun with the work. We take it one job at a time”. 

“When I was victimized by a powerful man in our industry, I faced an impossible choice: I could tell everyone and try to get justice. I would risk being called a liar, or a troublemaker, and most likely (odds are and statistics prove) I would not be believed anyway. I would be nudged aside and there would be no consequences for my abuser. The second choice was to say nothing. A rotten choice for me, and for the women who were targeted after me. I chose to bury the truth; to ignore it and try to forget. That haunts me.

Carrying around the story of being assaulted and keeping it a secret takes an incredible toll on us, and affects our work and our voices. Actors must be brave and take emotional risks to do the work we do. A great performance takes confidence and boldness. One has to feel free and safe to give that kind of performance. For me, speaking out finally made me feel like I could be the kind of actor I had been holding back all those years. 

Hire Survivors Hollywood offers people like me the support to be the performers we were meant to be. It means so much that there is an organization that works to help survivors find their place in our industry after so many people turned a blind eye to the abusers in entertainment for years. Hire Survivors Hollywood encourages all levels of the industry to align with the brave truth tellers that help make our work safer.” – Erika Rosenbaum

Genevieve Winters

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Grace Haddad

Joanne Chew

Hailing from San Francisco and currently based in Los Angeles, Joanne Chew (she/her) is an actress, abstract artist, and activist. She is particularly passionate about initiatives championing anti-racism, equality, and intersectionality. She met the founder of Hire Survivors Hollywood, Sarah Ann Masse, while working on the PSA “I Am Christine Blasey Ford Project,” directed by Skyler Barrett. There, she had the privilege of connecting with many incredible survivors, and further realizing how important it is to have a safe place to advocate and speak up for each other.

It’s an incredibly sad truth that the majority of women will experience some sort of harassment or abuse by the time she reaches adulthood, particularly within the Film and TV industry, where many of the perpetrators are in positions of power and the survivors (women and men alike) are prone to extreme backlash or even getting blacklisted, for speaking up, should anything happen. It’s why a great number of survivors feel compelled to stay silent, because they have so much to lose and too much at stake. No one should have to make this kind of sacrifice for the sake of preserving their career, yet this is the risk that many survivors take by choosing to come forward.

Joanne is incredibly honored to be invited onto the Advisory Board for Hire Survivors Hollywood. She is a longtime admirer of their tireless outreach and advocacy work, and is incredibly excited to be involved with them moving forward. She has always believed that being an artist and activist go hand in hand. Her artwork has been featured in numerous charity auctions benefitting various initiatives, and also feels that the medium of storytelling whether it be film, television, or live performance, to be a powerful conduit in expressing all matters of social justice. She is incredibly grateful that Hire Survivors Hollywood champions these projects, and the artists behind them. It is only through working together that we can build a safer and more inclusive working environment for ourselves and our fellow performers.

Katherine Kendall

Katherine Kendall  (she/her) is an actor and artist who lives in Los Angeles. 

She is a Silence Breaker and one of the first women to come forward to Jodi Kantor of the New York Time’s about Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulting her.  She has spoken out about her experiences on podcasts including Michael Barbaro’s THE DAILY as well as many others. She hosts her own podcast ROAR WITH KATHERINE KENDALL where she talks with other survivors and guests on the topics of courage, resiliency, and trauma.  She started her acting career in the iconic film SWINGERS directed by Doug Liman.  She has been a series regular and guest starred on many shows such as 90210, MONK, Firefly and NYPD Blue.  She recently appeared in the movie SHE SAID as an ex-Miramax executive.

Katherine has continued her advocacy for victims across many platforms.  Over the last six years, she has been a recurring speaker at THE GEORGETOWN DAY SCHOOL’S Sexual Assault Summit in Washington, D.C. providing a platform and voice for teens who have no where else to turn. She was also the 2022 keynote speaker at THE WENDT CENTER FOR LOSS AND HEALING  in WASHINGTON, D.C.

Katherine is passionate about bringing safe and healthy practices into the industry so people have the tools they need to feel safe and free to do their best work. She continues to lend her voice and her time to helping create safe spaces for others and it is her personal mission to help people find healing.

“As a Harvey Weinstein survivor, I know that breaking the cycle of retaliation is a critical step towards creating a Hollywood where survivors are heard, believed, and empowered to speak their truth, which is why I am proud to be part of Hire Survivors Hollywood and their mission to put an end to retaliation.” – Katherine Kendall

Keah Brown

Keah Brown (she/her) is a journalist, author, studying actress and screenwriter. She is the recipient of Ulta Beauty’s Muse 100 award, Which is a celebration of 100 inspirational voices around beauty, she is one of The Root’s 100 most influential African Americans of 2018. Keah is the creator of the viral hashtag, #DisabledAndCute. Her work has appeared in Town & Country Magazine, Teen Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire UK, And The New York Times, among other publications. Her Debut essay collection, The Pretty One is out now.  Her debut picture book, Sam’s Super Seats will be out Fall 2022 via  Kokila books. 

“The work being done at Hire Survivors Hollywood will change the industry for the better. Hire Survivors Hollywood wants the industry they love to be better because it can be better, it should be better. For far too long, there has been too many open secrets, too many exposés years after the fact. Hiring Survivors Hollywood’s work is so important because it will allow people to feel safe to tell the truth, to feel safe going to work each day because they know the actual survivors are there in their corner working to stop career retaliation and make the industry they love better.” – Keah Brown

Kylie Sparks

Kylie Sparks (they/them) is an actor, writer, and wearer of many hats of other things based in LA but born in Tulsa, OK.  They have been in the entertainment industry for two decades starting as a child actor, and has worked in every medium possible.  They are also incredibly passionate about local politics, organizing, coffee, and pugs.  When they aren’t on set, Kylie loves to go to Dodgers, Clippers, Kings, and Angel City games and is a big fan of LA and Vegas sports across all genders, and they also love video games, going to concerts, and exploring to find the perfect taco.  Socials: @kyliesparks, website: kyliesparks.com 

Lauren Weingarten

Lauren Weingarten (she/her) is a credentialed Victim Advocate (NACP) and Certified Trauma Support Specialist. She is the voice and founder of the MTMV Community Support Network, one of the first online-based support communities established for survivors & supporters of survivors.

Lenora Claire

Lenora Claire (she/her) is a survivor of multiple violent crimes, advocate, activist, entertainment industry professional, CEO of Lenora Claire Consulting LLC, and member of the Los Angeles District Attorney Crime Victims Advisory Board.

“It pains me, as a survivor who works with other survivors and entertainment industry professional, how frequently these worlds overlap. Hire Survivors Hollywood provides a critical support network and resources for survivors and silence-breakers seeking reprieve from retaliation. We all deserve better, and are stronger together. ” – Lenora Claire

Leo Anna Thomas

Leo Anna Thomas (they/them) has 20 years’ experience in the Art Department, 6 of which as a Standby Art Director and is also the UK film & television industry’s first WellBeing Facilitator (WBF). 

Having experienced bullying and taking the decision to step away from the industry, to look after their mental health in 2009, they returned in 2013, making a promise to speak honestly about their experiences and slowly formed an idea. From 2018-2019 the idea gradually developed into the role of WBF, which they unofficially trialled on ‘His Dark Materials 1’, ‘Trigonometry’ & ‘Small Axe’.

The catalyst for this shift in their career was due to losing two friends/colleagues in the industry to suicide during 2017-18. Leo trained as a Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) immediately and later trained to be an i-Act Manager. In 2020 Leo joined the board of directors at 6ft From the Spotlight, having been introduced to Matt Longley by a mutual friend in 2019. They continue to work with BFI, BAFTA, The Film and TV Charity with this work.

Today, the role of WBF is fully insured, educated in health & safety & employment law, writing stress mental health risk assessments, uses talking interventions & active listening to successful signposting to external counseling services that already exist, ultimately helping productions meet their legal duty of care.  

Leo has worked as WBF on ‘The Lost Girls’, ‘This Way Up2’ (Merman), ‘The Peripheral’ (Amazon/Kilter Films) & BFI funded features ‘Chuck Chuck Baby’, ‘Hoard’, ‘Layla’ and ‘Maryland’ (ITV) so far. 

Leo is also mentoring trainee WBF’s on British Film Institute (BFI) 2022 funded films, and across Welsh productions as part of a Creative Wales, BECTU, Cult Cymru trial.

Leo has also presented their lived experience story and introduced the role of WBF to students across universities, including London Film School, Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Westminster, and plans on participating more within film education.

Leo was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in 2015 and speaks very openly about this, raising awareness on social media and with the charity Mind. 

Leo is also a writer of prose, poetry and sketches in journals since they were 16. Today they have crated 50 journals in total and is working on self-publishing a collection. Leo practices Vipassana meditation and is a proud non-binary member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Lisa Zambetti

Lisa Zambetti (she/her) is a Casting Director for Television, Film, Video Games and Commercials. As a member of the Casting Society of America she has served on many committees including Equity in Entertainment and Artist Development to provide education and opportunities for actors. Lisa co-hosts the Wondery podcast “Real Crime Profile”, a true crime show that focuses on the victims and survivors of crime. She is also a volunteer and fundraiser for CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for children going through the foster care system. 

“Hire Survivors Hollywood is a crucial advocacy group that is not only supporting victims, but also educating our industry. It is extremely difficult to walk through this world called Hollywood, carrying our burdens alone on our shoulders and keeping secrets deep in our hearts. It can be extremely isolating, embarrassing and traumatizing — to experience abuse and be silent in fear of retaliation. Or worse yet, tell our stories, and experience the backlash, the silent shunning…or in some cases not-so-silent recrimination. Hire Survivors Hollywood is shining a bright light, creating a healing community and enabling real opportunities for survivors to move forward in their craft.” – Lisa Zambetti

Louisette Geiss

Louisette Geiss (she/her) is the Writer/ Producerof The Right Girl Musical, a Women’s Rights Advocate, a Sales VP, and was one of the first silence breakers to come forward publicly against Harvey Weinstein, placing herself in an extremely vulnerable position against a movie-mogul powerhouse. Though she had just given birth six weeks prior, she felt it was her duty to stop a predator given his termination, and she stepped up in a big way. At the time, few women were willing to put a name or face to what we now know as the #MeToo movement. Louisette alongside her original attorney, Gloria Allred, came forward publicly just days after the New York Times and New Yorker articles were released, and the rest is history. Louisette Geiss was also the lead plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit against The Weinstein Company and she was also the chair of the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee in The Weinstein Company bankruptcy. She spear headed the way for 4.5 years enabling over 50 survivors to receive a settlement.

In addition, Louisette gathered 25 women to share their #metoo stories and co-wrote the musical, The Right Girl. The music and book tout such names as Diane Warren and Howard Kagan as her co-writers. The musical is slated for release mid 2023. Each survivor who contributed their story is part of a royalty share when the show is a success. Louisette, although a survivor herself, continues to give back to the many women who made a change in our world. 

Louisette Geiss was a working producer, actress, singer, and writer for over 20 years but left the entertainment business after her experience with Harvey Weinstein. Louisette was best known for her work as an actress in shows such as Two and a Half Men, King Of Queens & Wishmaster, to name a few.  She also sang professionally in many national commercials and performed at the Grand Ol’ Opry which propelled her to owning her own award-winning, music company. She had such clients as Royal Caribbean, Motorola, Splenda, Nissan, Merck, Lexus, etc. Louisette knew she had to leave the entertainment business though as the complicit rape culture, fear and sexual harassment continued to rage on in Hollywood at the time.

Louisette reinvented herself and moved into social media, working with Buzztone, Evite, the Oscars, and many well-known executives. Louisette now works at a well-known title insurance company as a Vice President of Sales. Louisette now has 4 amazing children, a wonderful husband and is still dedicated to creating a new reality for all women and men in any industry. She strongly believes that no one should be subjected to the frightening power dynamic that existed for so many years.

Lulie Haddad

Lulie Haddad (she/her) is an award-winning documentary producer, director, and writer. She has worked mostly on American History films for PBS. Earlier in her career she worked for Blackside, Inc., ABC News, Wall Street Journal Television, VH1 and she has produced films in India and Mexico. She is currently Vice President of the Writers Guild Initiative.

Melissa Sagemiller Nesic

Melissa Sagemiller Nesic (she/her) has been a film/television actor for over 20 years. Having starred in 9 films, many TV series, and a becoming a veteran of Hollywood, in 2017 Melissa came out to Jodi Kantor of the NY Times, and others about her experience of sexual assault and harassment. Soon after the MeToo and Times Up movements ensued.

Six years ago, our Voices came together to help ignite a movement. And, what mountains we’ve moved! Today, each of us continue to use our Voice in order to continue this fight. After joining in a historic class action suit against The Weinstein Companies, she eventually became a part of what is now known as The Silence Breakers with an amazing group of Harvey Weinstein survivors.

They continue to speak out against sexual assault and harassment in Hollywood and beyond. Melissa, a GDS lifer alum, is now a mother of 2 boys, and activist, writer, and also co-founder of Relative Wellness, a women’s health and wellness company. She advocates for women’s access to health and information for women worldwide.

Hire Survivors Hollywood is a brilliant and much needed organization that uplifts and supports the vital artists in our community, artists that have sometime been silenced, ignored or passed over unfairly because they have used their voices to speak out against abuse in this industry. Bravo Sarah Ann Masse and team for creating this resource. – Mellisa Nesic

Monica Gleberman

Monica Gleberman (she/her) is an award-winning journalist who has navigated the industry for over 20 years. She has been published on CNN, AP, Emmy Magazine (The Television Academy), Variety, Hidden Remote, AOL, Netflix Life, and TMCnet. She was an editor for Patch and a columnist for the Connecticut Post for years. She has spent time working behind the scenes on many investigative pieces, one of which was published in Variety, which earned her a journalism award. The article was nominated for a social platform award as it trended on social media for over five days and was in the top .05% of articles clicked for the week. 

Monica has moderated panels and Q&As and hosted multiple industry events — most recently hosting the Peacock Twitter spaces panel for Dr.Death. Additionally, she is the founder and host of Silence on Set, a number-one entertainment podcast that interviews celebrities and other influencers in the industry. As the podcast grew, she expanded into video content with a collection of all recent interviews on YouTube. She created a multi-media hub bringing news from around the world in one place called TW Entertainment. Monica is also a member of the Society for Professional Journalists and the Freelancers Union. 

Additionally, she became an advocate after facing multiple struggles as a woman in the industry. She has fought alongside a multitude of advocacy groups to bring more equality for women — participating in workshops and teaching online classes. Another big issue Monica wanted to tackle was mental health. Monica became a certified suicide prevention mentor and currently works at a crisis service that is available 24/7, covering everything from anxiety, depression, suicide, and more. The group uses an online chat and phone line but has added a texting component making it even easier to get in touch with someone. In her spare time, Monica is a member of Be My Eyes as a “sighted volunteer,” allowing her to help blind and low-vision individuals with their daily tasks through a smartphone. Blind and low-vision users can ask for help with tasks ranging from explaining the color of a shirt to navigating unfamiliar surroundings, etc. The application says, “No matter the case; your assistance allows them to lead more independent lives” while providing vocal support. 

Monica saw potential in working as a journalist and publicist to bridge the gap between the two mediums. In 2008, Monica started her PR firm Prime Entertainment Publicity, which has a full range of celebrity clientele but offers a unique component to help mentor those who are up and coming in the industry. Monica is also on the voting board of multiple festivals and industry committees working to engage change. 

She is an official influencer and brand ambassador for multiple companies such as SU2C, Spotify, and Anchor — and is a consultant for a non-profit that works to empower women and help those in underrepresented and poverty-stricken communities get long-lasting, sustainable help. 

Monica currently holds a Master of Science in Journalism and Communications from Quinnipiac University, an MBA from Lander University, a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and English from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and a Bachelor of Science in Crime Analysis and Criminology from SUNY Canton. 

Social for Twitter and IG: @Monica1236

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5w7NBoTE6ctUIFstMr3pPB

Hire Survivors Hollywood (HSH) is critical in helping everyone in the industry succeed in an environment where they can feel safe. It sounds simple, yet those in the entertainment industry suffer from fear and anxiety of going to work because someone stole their safety. HSH reminds the industry it will be held accountable and shines a light on the voices of survivors and silence breakers. It a collation that is ever evolving with plans of working hand in hand with those in power to not only join in the conversation, but work together to make things better. HSH is a friend, advocate, policy changer, supporter, warrior, and most importantly a resource. Remember safety is not a privilege… it’s a right.  – Monica Gleberman

Pamela Guest

Pamela Guest (she/her) formerly Pamela Rack (University of Michigan, B.A. Drama/Residential College/LS&A; M.A. Speech Communication and Theatre/Rackham) first played Robert DeNiro’s secretary in “The Last Tycoon” directed by Elia Kazan.  She has since acted opposite Gena Rowlands, Cathy Moriarty, Nick Nolte, Martin Landau, Barbra Streisand, James Woods, Mickey Rourke, Ed Asner, Mickey Rooney, Tony Curtis and Rob Schneider. John Cassavetes directed her in 1981 in the play “The Third Day Comes” and deemed Pamela “THE actress of her generation.” Numerous roles on stage and in film and TV followed along with several On Air hosting spots on PBS with co-hosts Dr. Wayne Dyer, Nicholas Guest and Hugh Hewitt.

In her day job as an Artios Award-nominated Casting Director, she worked with filmmakers David Lynch on “Blue Velvet,” Paul Schrader on “Patty,” Christopher Monger on “Waiting for the Light,” Mike Figgis on “Stormy Monday” and Donald Cammell on all his US films (including Marlon Brando’s only screenplay “Jericho”) discovering talent Julia Roberts, Natasha Richardson, Isabella Rossellini, Sean Bean and Pete Berg along the way. 

She has been a credentialed guest of the Cannes Film Festival as an actress, producer, director and casting director since 1988. In 2016 she was awarded Best Actress for her performance in indie film “Cleopatra Backstage” at the Best Actors, Accolade and IndieFEST film festivals. Her first short film script “The First of Many” (aka “Shattered’) won the 2016 Van Gogh award at the Amsterdam Film Festival. Encouraged by the win, she produced and co-directed with her daughter Elizabeth Guest the short film based on her screenplay which won Best Short Narrative: Drama at Cinequest. She executive produced the web-series “Guest Appearances, Season One and Two” (and played the role of Stella) which won Jury Awards at the 2016 Austin and 2017 Nashville Film Festivals, among several other awards. She appeared in the RAINN PSA Spot “Won’t Stay Quiet.” She presents a series of Healing Videos online based on her own experience at PAVE.org where she also serves as an Ambassador. Her last role on stage was opposite Ed Asner as God in “God Help Us.”

She produces the Senior Showcase in Los Angeles for the U-M Department of Theatre and Drama and gives workshops in the U-M Department of TV, Film and Media and at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival. She is a member of the TV Academy, Casting Society of America, Women in Film, Alliance of Women Directors, Film Independent, the Creative Coalition, Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA where she serves as Alternate to the National Board and as an elected member of the LA Local Board of Directors and on the following SAG-AFTRA committees:  

• Founding Member-National Sexual Harassment Prevention Committee 
• Chair and Founder-LA Sexual Harassment Prevention Committee
• Chair, LA Government and Public Policy 
• Member-National Women’s and LA Seniors Committee
• Past member – LA Executive Committee

Her work as a Silence Breaker in the #MeToo movement that started with her short film “The First of Many” includes:

•  Time’s Up – Safety Committee
• Official Speaker – RAINN Speakers Bureau
• Hire Survivors Hollywood Advisory Board Member
• Ambassador – PAVE and VIA
• Founder – Awareness into Action Coalition
• Presented testimony in 2018 to the Judicial Committee of the California State Assembly in support of SB.224 and in 2019 to the New York State Assembly’s public hearings on sexual harassment in Albany, New York.

She is a Lifetime Member of the famed Actors’ Studio.

Quei Tann

Quei Tann (she/her) is an actress known for They/Them (2022) How To Get Away With Murder (2019) and Dear White People (2019) She was born in Los Angeles, California.

Quei Tann is proud to be a part of a collective of people that are working to support the emotional as well as material wellbeing of SA survivors. Tann understands that abuse is done on an interpersonal and systemic level–and therefore in order to heal that abuse–our actions of care must also be interpersonal and systematic. Tann is committed to a holistic approach to supporting survivors and undoing the retaliation that all survivors face by extending opportunities. Opportunities to heal. Opportunities grow. Opportunities to earn.

Sami Bass

Sami Bass (they/she) is a filmmaker and ancestral medicine worker focused on bringing the ancient ceremonial elements of storytelling into the future of filmmaking. Sami is also an ancestral healer and certified somatic movement practitioner and trauma informed integration coach whose work focuses on bringing survivors back into safety living in their own bodies after trauma. 

Sami has traveled the globe to study with elders from traditions far and wide, and brought these practices to their work as a writer, producer, and artist, as well as their work as a healer. 

Sami has been an influential voice in groundbreaking films and advocacy for years including the gender-parity platform MoviesByHer, Feature Films For When You Get Lost and The Redeemer, and the documentary We Ride For Her. In 2020 Sami created and produced the social documentary series Disrupting the Silence, which held space for people from all walks of life to sit down together and tackle difficult conversations regarding race, gender, identity and equality in front of the camera to encourage a culture that tackles adversity rather than ignoring it.

Sami has also worked alongside such organizations as LevelForward (Slave Play, Jagged Little Pill) and The Red Sands Project on advocacy and impact, creating awareness while carving space for lesser known voices in the industry. On one of their most recent films, We Ride For Her, Sami created safe interview spaces for human-trafficking survivors and their family members by bringing her healing and trauma-informed practices to her capabilities as a storyteller. In 2021 Sami worked alongside Golden Globe winner, Irene Bedard, on the Sundance Institute film The Redeemer, to explore how indigenous stories could take up space in modern storytelling without being exploited. Sami uses their skills as a healer, a Black and indigenous womxn, queer person, and award-winning filmmaker to weave safer spaces for the previously-voiceless and decolonizing the running narratives, while digging deep into the shadows of society, creating equality and healing for all.

As a survivor, Sami’s own path to healing brought them to exploring decolonized tools for healing, and deeply investigating the systems that institutionally cosign on or enable abuse. Sami sees Hire Survivors Hollywood as paramount new infrastructure for the sanctity of storytelling. Sami believes that part of healing is regaining the autonomy to tell one’s own story and that this is no different than the art of storytelling in film and media. Sami uses this belief to integrate healing and safety into all aspects of storytelling and strives to create the same safe containers for social storytelling that are necessary for individuals and survivors to reclaim their agency.

Sarah Leigh

Sarah Leigh (she/her) is a neurodivergent, working-class British writer-director, actor & advocate. Passionate about inclusion and authenticity in film, Sarah recently founded Inclusivity Films, a company that works with d/Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent talent on and off the screen, and is developing a slate of narrative and documentary projects. 

Recent writer-director credits include the short film, TYPICAL?, which had 50% of crew & cast identifying as disbaled/neurodivergent. Films in pre-production include ONE DAY, written by Sarah and a screenplay finalist in the Flickers’ Rhode Island Film Festival, and short film TOURETTE’s & I. She also co-founded INCLUSIVE TALENT, a talent agency that forefronts d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent actors. 

As an actor, Sarah most recently starred alongside Frank Harper & Joel Fry in the British hit SILENT NIGHT, directed by Will Thorne, and in the feature film HEART OF HOPE (Amazon Prime). She also starred in the award- winning environmental short film 2025: THE LONG HOT WINTER (narrated by Brian Eno). Theatre credits include TWO BOYS (English National Opera); and Patrick Marber’s CLOSER.

Sarah is a campaigner & has worked alongside Mencap, the NHS, Newlife, Time’s Up UK, and the BBC to raise awareness and contribute to social change. She is a survivor and excited to be part of the Hire Survivors Hollywood Advisory Board. 

Other work includes National & International TV news journalism and working for the Obama administration.

Sarah Tither Kaplan

IMAGE AND BIO COMING SOON

Suzannah Rogan

Suzannah Rogan [she/her] is a curious leader, hope-filled preventionist, and impassioned artist (and consumer of art) whose work often focuses on examining power dynamics, gendered stereotypes, and social norms. In 2020, she completed the Executive Program in Leadership Strategy for Violence & Abuse Prevention at the University of Pennsylvania Ortner Center on Violence and Abuse where she focused on creating more inclusive practices of engaging men and masculine-identified and socialized individuals in violence prevention and intervention. She earned her Master of Science in Gender, Media and Culture from the Gender Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2016. Her focus was on the use of violence and other forms of power in masculinity construction and identity formation. She attended Seattle University where she graduated with a BA in Drama with Departmental Honors. Her thesis was focused on the use of Brechtian and Aristotelean theatrical practices within documentary drama to achieve the goals of Brechtian theatre.

Before joining the violence prevention and intervention movement, she worked as a store manager at Starbucks and co-created an all-female, fringe theatre company in Seattle, WA – Theatre Machine – focused on character-driven storytelling. She now has over a decade of experience focused on prevention work. Currently, Suzannah serves as the inaugural Assistant Director for Prevention & Education within the Office of Equity and Compliance at California State University, Northridge. She also sits on the Executive Committee for the National Organization for Victim Advocacy’s Board of Directors. Most recently, she was the Senior Training and Technical Assistance Specialist on the Workplace and Economic Justice Team at Futures Without Violence. In this role, she was responsible for providing guidance, training, and technical assistance to workplaces dedicated to shifting their workplace culture toward trauma-informed response and prevention practices, protocols, and policies. She also created and led a program that engaged teenagers to develop a social media awareness campaign about the prevalence and impacts of teen economic abuse. Prior to joining Futures Without Violence, she built the Campus Advocacy, Prevention, Education (CAPE) Project at Doane University, supported the development of a new Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and university-wide strategic planning as the DEI Specialist at Doane University, and contributed to Columbia University Sexual Violence Response as a Prevention Coordinator.

She has a background in content and curriculum development, leadership and team development, project and budget management, community engagement and organizing, needs assessment and strategic planning, workshop facilitation, and utilizing anti-oppressive frameworks and theories of change to create sustainable culturally responsive impact. Suzannah shines at building relationships and organizing diverse groups of individuals to create cultural shifts.

As a newer advisory board member for Hire Survivors, I want to share about the incredible organization you will be supporting with your Giving Tuesday donation. I am an anti-violence advocate who originally reached out to Hire Survivors to create a working group that would define professional standards for the entertainment industry that were trauma-informed, inclusive, and understood that the oppressions that someone experiences does not end when they enter the workplace. 

 

Since our initial conversation, I knew that I wanted to support this incredible organization in any way that I could. I have been in absolute awe with the amount of work that only two staff members have achieved. The dedication to eradicating career retaliation against survivors while creating safer and more equitable environments in the entertainment industry and beyond is inspiring. – Suzannah Rogan