YEMM
Leena Joshi
Leena is the Director of Youth Programs at BAVC Media, supporting both our SF youth programs and Reel Stories in the East Bay. Through curriculum development, instructor support, and program evaluation, partnership, and capacity building, Leena supports the learning of young media makers and growth of BAVC Media’s youth programs on both sides of the Bay. Leena joined BAVC Media in March of 2024 with experience leading Digital + New Media arts and writing initiatives within SFUSD, as well as at Oakland-based studio for disabled artists, Creative Growth Art Center. As an artist who came of age within DIY, punk, [...]
Faye Terry
Faye Terry has worked as Youth Programs Coordinator at BAVC Media since January 2019, helping lead creative media programs for young people across the Bay Area. Her work is grounded in the belief that young people are already artists long before anyone hands them a camera. The important part is building spaces where they feel safe enough to experiment, connect, take risks, and tell the truth about what they see. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York and later earned a master’s degree in Community Development and Planning, experiences that continue to shape how she thinks about storytelling, public space, [...]
Xiarel Guillermo-Cortes
Xiarel GC is a Youth Media Instructor at BAVC Media. They are an alumnus of the Bridges Live Fellowship (2023) and the Youth Media Making Summer Intensive (2020). Their focus is youth development, and they are responsible for teaching all aspects of live video production in Bay Area-based youth programs. While discovering an attraction to video editing and videography, Xiarel joined BAVC Media as a student in 2020. They later became a Producer, then a lead instructor for the Factory Live Video Production class (2022) and the Climate Warriors summer intensive (2023). Alongside their role as an instructor, Xiarel has [...]
Timoteo Flynn-Valadez
Timoteo Flynn-Valadez is the Program Tech Coordinator for BAVC Media, responsible for organizing equipment across departments, handling checkouts to students, staff and BAVC Media members as well as troubleshooting tech issues and finding thoughtful solutions to technical issues. Teo also teaches classes in video and audio production. Timoteo Flynn-Valadez is an SF State graduate with a degree in Broadcasting and Electronic Communication Arts. They have been a media maker in the Bay Area their whole life working in radio, podcasting, sound design, independent filmmaking, documentaries and commercial video production. Teo is also a passionate educator teaching multimedia audio and video [...]
Dawn D Valadez
Dawn D. Valadez is the Director of Workforce & Artist Development at BAVC Media. She is responsible for training young adults and people of all ages in media careers. Dawn co-directs national artistic programming such as the Media Maker Fellowship. Dawn Valadez is a second-generation Xicana, fiercely independent, disabled, queer filmmaker and artist. Along with the Colectiva Varina, their film Querida Fátima (in post) won the 2024 DocLands Jury Prize for their recorded pitch. Dawn is the Producer/Co-director of The Pushouts (with Katie Galloway, 2018), earning the 2019 Imagen Best Documentary award. Dawn loves road trips, creating art with friends, [...]
