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MEET THE TRI TEAM
Gerard Shaka | Writer, Lead, Co-Director
Gerard Shaka is a gay, Bahamian-American filmmaker and actor who’s spent most of his life between Nassau, The Bahamas and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Driven by his desire to create stories that depict beautiful black and queer life, Shaka’s work centers on quirky characters with dark and tumultuous pasts, looking at how they push through to better futures, whilst questioning ideologies and structures. After teaching middle school for a few years, Gerard received his MFA in Screenwriting from Florida State University, where he also taught Documentary Filmmaking and Film Studies.
Brook Karner | Co-Producer
Brook Lee Karner is a transmasculine genderqueer filmmaker who expresses his worldview through themes of absurdity with comical contemplation on the paradox of the self. As a visual storyteller, Brook seeks complexities and idiosyncrasies of humans and their perceptions of self-image and belief systems. Brook was born and raised in the suburbia of Southwest Miami and studied Film Production at Florida State University. Since graduating with their MFA, Brook has moved to Los Angeles to work on narrative short and feature length films.
Ayana Jones | Producer
An Atlanta-based independent producer with a specialization in Location Management, Ayana has expertise in operational logistics, location scouting, budgeting and a mastery with leading teams. With a BA in Mass Communication and having worked as an assignment editor in broadcast news, Ayana then ventured into filmmaking and storytelling. She received her MFA in film production from Florida State University. Her works stands for itself with having worked on big budget productions such as The Color Purple and A Family Plan.
Ashley James | Producer
Ashley James is an independent film and theatre producer based in Atlanta. In 2015, she received the Princess Grace Theatre Honorarium Award to continue her work as an emerging director with Double Edge Theatre, where she also worked as a performer. Later, Ashley relocated to Atlanta where she worked on various theatre and film productions. Having graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s of Art in Theatre, she returned in 2018 to pursue her Master’s in Film Production. Since returning to Atlanta in the summer of 2020, Ashley has worked as a Production Coordinator on major studio projects, and is currently in post-production for a documentary she directed.
Cieara Little | Associate Producer
Cieara is an independent producer currently working out of Atlanta. She is a 2019 graduate of DePaul University, where she earned her Master’s in Fine Arts, focusing on Creative Producing. Cieara has goals to push artists as they develop projects, helping them shape their stories from the script straight to the screen. She’s attracted to stories that captivate powerful human emotion, push for social change and more than anything—make audiences laugh.
Shari Petti | Director of Photography
Shari Petti is a Trinidadian filmmaker who is immensely passionate about her culture and all things cinematography. For 7+yrs she has worked on numerous film productions in Trinidad, USA and the UAE. Her film “Sorf Hair,” which explores the natural hair experience in Trinidad and Tobago, has captured the eyes of audiences internationally. Exploring womanhood, culture and the complexities of Afro-Caribbean life, Shari’s short films have been selected at various film festivals, including two premieres at the Pan African Film Festival. Shari’s a Fulbright Scholar with an MFA in Film Production from Florida State University, where she focused on Cinematography and Directing.
Senaite Murray | Development Assistant
Senaite Murray is an Atlanta based writer, director and photographer. She is passionate aboutcreating work that connects and explores the multitude of perspectives of the black Africandiaspora. Senaite’s films have been selected for multiple festivals including the High Museum’sReel Riot Film Festival and the Georgia State Student Film Festival in 2018.
Dai-jah Todd| Development Assistant
Dai’jah is a filmmaker interested in languages, movies and all things Black. After graduating from Grand Valley State University in 2018 with a BA in Film and African American Studies, she moved from Detroit, MI to Atlanta, GA to pursue her dreams of making movies. It was here that she was able to create more films geared towards her passions as well as make the connections to get her foot in the Indie door as well as the major Hollywood door. She’s worked with directors such as Bobby Huntley to Regina King. Her goal is to help curate stories that aren’t commonly told, as well as create her own.
Barbara Citraro | Production Designer
Citraro is a multi-faceted Spanish-Venezuelan artist specialized in film based out of Miami, FL. During her time at Florida State College of Motion Picture Arts she was granted the NALIP Scholarship for Content Creators and Art Directed films such as FAIRY DUST, winner of the Directors Guild of America Award. Barbara later expanded her studies at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain diving into sculpture, media tech, and visual art. Barbara believes that creation is nature and to know ones DNA is to begin understanding humans as a collective.
Become A Part of Tri-Family
Tri-County is about connecting with communities and highlighting forefront issues that need to be discussed. We are about representing the underrepresented and are here to tell stories untold. Stay up-to-date with organizations we are collaborating with, our campaign and our filming.
Check out our Resource Page and find an Organization that resonates with you.