Rachel Stander is an independent producer focused on narrative film. Her first feature, Scrap, world premiered at the Deauville American Film Festival in France and co-starred Anthony Rapp and Lana Parrilla. Her follow-up feature, Victorian Gothic thriller Séance, premiered in 2024 at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Other work highlights include Lesbophilia, a dark comedy short with queer themes and Julian, a quirky short comedy about family.

Rachel is a member of Film Independent, Women Independent Producers, The Gotham, and Women in Film, and provides mentorship for early- and mid-career professionals. Before graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Southern California with a degree in Theatre, she studied dance at Barnard College, Columbia University, as well as at NYU’s Tisch School of The Arts and Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Robina Riccitiello started Spark Features with business partner Josh Peters with the goal of helping young filmmakers bring stories to the screen that are different, quirky, surprising, and challenging.

In 2024, Spark Features had four films at Sundance including Dìdi, which won the Audience Award and will open in theaters in July of 2024. Spark Features had five films at SXSW that same year, including Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award nominee, The Black Sea, and Audience Award nominee, The Queen of My Dreams. Bitterroot made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024 as well, where it was nominated for the Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature.

Other recent festival favorites include A Love Song (Film Independent Awards ’23, John Cassavetes Award nominee), Frybread Face and Me (SXSW ’23), We Grown Now (TIFF ’23, Changemaker Award), Mutt (Sundance ’23, U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award), and Soft and Quiet (SXSW ’22). As of May 2024, all of those films are streaming, many after having had theatrical releases.

A self-proclaimed Post-Modern Renaissance Woman, D.D. is or has been a writer of poetry and short-short fiction, a bass player (Fender electric) and singer, a photographer, and an abortion rights activist. In her work as a film producer, she helps filmmakers make their creative dreams come true. Notable films include the feature documentaries Sam Now, which was nominated for a Peabody Award in 2024 and Suburban Fury, which premiered at the 2024 New York Film Festival.

D.D. is a member of the Dramatists Guild and playwright-in-residence at Key City Public Theatre in Port Townsend, WA. She has served on the creative team for new plays in development by Doris Baizley, Richard Dresser, Jeni Mahoney, Wendy MacLeod, David Natale, and Andrea Stolowitz.