THE TEAM
JULIE YOUNG, ESQ.
FOUNDER
Julie Young is an attorney turned non-profit executive, producer, writer, speaker and facilitator. Adopted at the age of three from Korea by an Italian and Irish-American family, she grew up in upstate New York. She moved to New York City to attend Fordham University where she earned a degree in Psychology. Shortly after college, Julie located her Korean family and maintains an ongoing relationship with them.
Julie is a frequent speaker and facilitator on topics related to representation in the media, race, identity, diversity, inclusion and adoption. Past speaking engagements have included Harvard Law School, The Made In Brooklyn Summit, Asian American International Film Festival 40th Anniversary and Mazars, amongst many others.
Julie is the Founder of DreamMaker DreamDoer DreamSupporter, inc. (3D) a non-profit company that provides resources, connections and inspiration for creatives. Signature programs of DreamMaker3D include the TIDE Film Festival, a festival that highlights movies written, produced or directed by people of color and The Phenomenal Girls Club, which fosters learning, leadership and friendship for girls of color. She is the creator, producer and host of the web series Not Your Average for KoreanAmericanstory.org. Julie is the founder, co-creator, former co-producer and current advisor to $6.99 Per Pound Podcast.
Julie served for almost ten years as the founding and immediate past Board Chair for KoreanAmericanStory.org and as an advisory Board member of Nazdeek, a human rights and legal training organization. She holds a degree in Psychology from Fordham University and a J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
TAYLOR WILLIAMS
DIRECTOR
Taylor Williams works as an Assistant in Distribution at a major TV network. She graduated from Brown University where she concentrated in English and Africana Studies. At Brown, she produced a short film for Brown Motion Pictures, and served as a judge on the screenplay committee for Ivy Film Festival.
Taylor is experienced in conducting qualitative and quantitative research after serving as a Research Associate at Horowitz Research. At the firm, she gained immense experience in media literacy, specifically tapping into niche markets and specializing in helping brands understand multicultural consumers.
MARIE Y. CHOI
BRAND DIRECTOR
Marie Choi is a fashion stylist and creative consultant based in Brooklyn. She has worked with clients such as Nike, Solange Knowles, and VICE, and has contributed to the benefits team for the non-profit, Apex for Youth.
She holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies and Sociology from Rutgers University. She also studied Fashion Design at F.I.T. and Classical Voice at Manhattan School of Music.
Utilizing her diverse creative background and interests, Marie works with the TIDEFF leadership team to oversee branding and marketing via creative content and community partnerships. Fueled by her dedication to promoting lasting cultural awareness, she is proud to contribute to a movement that champions those who are boldly challenging the mainstream narrative in film.
KAREN MCMULLEN
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING
Karen McMullen is a Brooklyn based programmer, editor and educator. She is Lead Curator for the New Voices in Black Cinema Film Festival at BAM and Programmer at DOC NYC Film Festival, a juror at the Pan African and Bentonville Film Festivals, and a screener for Sundance and Nantucket Film Festivals. She participates in industry panels, moderates post-screening Q&A’s for the NY African Film Festival. She appears on television and radio as a media expert and to promote various festivals.
She began her career as a film editor with credits on documentaries, features, television, and short films. She’s currently an associate professor at Long Island University, teaching film post-production. Ms. McMullen received a double BA from Brown University majoring in International Relations and French Studies, and studied abroad at Wesleyan University’s program in Paris.
JANE KIM-SMITH
EVENT DIRECTOR
Jane Kim-Smith is Event Director for The TIDE Film Festival. In this role, Jane oversees the overall event production of the film festival, from coordinating details with venues, vendors and partners for all festival events, to managing volunteers and staff to ensure the events run smoothly and effectively.
When Jane isn’t working on TIDEFF, she is the VP of Account Management at a NYC- based marketing agency, Team Epiphany. She oversees the Account Management team, focusing on executing successful marketing campaigns for her TV & Film clients.
She is passionate about being a part of a festival (and movement) that empowers more people of color to be in front of and behind the camera. Jane is committed to doing whatever she can to build a reality where her daughter can easily see herself (and all facets of herself) in mainstream TV and films.
Jane graduated from Brandeis University, majoring in English and Sociology.
SÉ KIM
DIRECTOR OF CONTENT AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Sé is an art director and shoot producer in the kids' fashion world, where she utilizes her background as a graphic designer, proposal writer, and project manager to create digital and social media content - while intersecting with e-commerce and major retailers.
From an early age she has moved to many different parts of the world and has had a deep connection with the importance of having a voice when you are considered “other” - she is passionate about what TIDE Film Festival is doing as a movement and takes pride in reaching the community, one social post at a time.
Sé has received her BFA from SVA and has studied Art Value Analysis and Assessment at NYU.
ESTEBAN ARTURO
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Coming soon.
SAIDAH RUSSELL
PROGRAMMING COORDINATOR
Saidah Russell joined the TIDE Film Festival team in 2018. Previously, she worked for multiple film festivals—in operations and as a screener—which led her to experience the heartbreak of falling in love with a film only to have it disappear after closing night. She landed in exhibitions and festival programming out of a desire to champion stories that are often overlooked and unsupported. Outside of TIDE, she works at the Jacob Burns Film Center where she programs a series showcasing the diversity of the black experience on film.