Patel Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship
Empowering the Next Generation of Charlotte Filmmakers
The Independent Picture House’s Patel Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship is designed to support emerging storytellers whose work expands the possibilities of independent cinema. Rooted in creativity, mentorship, and community engagement, the fellowship provides filmmakers with the resources, professional development, and artistic support needed to bring original projects to life.
At The Independent Picture House, we champion filmmakers who challenge convention, celebrate diverse perspectives, and create work that sparks meaningful conversation. The Patel Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship invests in artists whose voices contribute to the evolving cultural and cinematic identity of Charlotte and beyond.
What Fellows Receive
Patel Emerging Filmmaker Fellows receive a range of artistic and professional opportunities designed to support both creative growth and career development, including:
- Financial support/stipend for the development of the proposed project
- Membership to The Independent Picture House
- A film screening opportunity at The Independent Picture House (May 4, 2027)
- Mentorship with an established film industry professional
- A Discovery Different Pass to the Charlotte Film Festival
- Presentation opportunities at Northwest School of the Arts
- Featured speaker opportunities at The Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture’s Wednesday Night Live program
- Featured speaker opportunities at The McColl Center for Art + Innovation
- Workshops in grant writing, pitch development, and screenwriting
- Access to post-screening discussions with featured guest speakers
Patel Emerging Filmmaker Fellows
Destiny Washington is a DMV-born, Charlotte-based director and founder of Emberstone Media, a video production company specializing in branded content, commercials, and culturally grounded storytelling. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Johnson & Wales University, where she specialized in Sports, Events, and Entertainment. Through this academic foundation, she bridges concept and execution with a blend of creative vision and strategic thinking.
Before transitioning into full-time entrepreneurship, she built a strong foundation in corporate marketing and communications across the sports, music, and entertainment industries. This professional experience sharpened her expertise in brand strategy, audience engagement, and narrative development—principles that continue to guide her creative practice.
Since launching Emberstone Media, she has directed and produced work for a diverse range of clients across North Carolina, including organizations in the construction, technology, events, and small-business sectors.
Nick Williamson is a Charlotte-based visual artist and documentary filmmaker whose practice evolved organically from graphic design and digital media experimentation.
Originally studying Graphic Design at Central Piedmont Community College while working at Vans and pursuing a design internship in California, Williamson’s trajectory shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, he began teaching himself animation while developing content for professional athletes, eventually expanding into video production and documentary storytelling.
His early work led to collaborations, including an animated YouTube series and a trailer for Wilson Sporting Goods’ documentary Factory to Field. In 2023, he co-directed and filmed the paranormal documentary series SKEPTIC, which involved production across 10 states and extensive multi-camera field work.
Today, Williamson is developing The 10,000 Hours, an independent documentary series spotlighting Charlotte musicians and their creative process, with a focus on preserving and amplifying local artistic communities.
Riley Hamilton is a Charlotte-based filmmaker, writer, photographer, and alumnus of Appalachian State University, where he earned a B.S. in Electronic Media and Broadcasting with a minor in Film Studies.
For nearly a decade, Hamilton has worked across short-form narrative film, music video, and experimental documentary projects, often embracing a grainy, low-resolution aesthetic that emphasizes intimacy, imperfection, and authorship. His work reflects a commitment to handmade visual storytelling and a belief in process-driven creation.
Alongside filmmaking, he maintains an active writing and photography practice, with ongoing projects including Can You Hear The Trees?, an experimental narrative that blends nature-documentary aesthetics with digital media culture, and The Arm, a stylized, sports-themed short film.
Hamilton describes his practice as that of a “creative chameleon,” adapting form and style to best serve each story.
Collegiate Cohort
Desmond Sampson (University of North Carolina at Charlotte) is a filmmaker from Columbus, Georgia, and a Film and Media Production major at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His creative voice is shaped by influential works such as Friday, Love Jones, The Wood, and the television series Power, all of which have informed his appreciation for character-driven storytelling and culturally resonant narratives.
As an emerging filmmaker, Desmond is primarily drawn to directing, while also pursuing interests in cinematography and acting. His approach to filmmaking is rooted in authentic cultural representation and interpersonal narratives, exploring the relationships, communities, and lived experiences that shape identity.
Beyond film, Desmond is passionate about helping small businesses strengthen their marketing and advertising through visual storytelling. He also credits video games as a significant creative influence, particularly for their immersive approach to world-building, a quality he hopes to bring into his own work as a future filmmaker. Project Advisor: Rodney Stringfellow
Broderick “Brody” Martin (Central Piedmont Community College) is a Charlotte-based filmmaker, writer, and entertainer. He began creating at the age of only seven when he founded his first YouTube channel, RedBrody7, and began uploading near-daily content of everything from vlogs to sketches to Roblox gameplay. This inspired an early love for entertaining and creating media for others to enjoy, and so from there he pursued everything he could related to the arts. He started acting in plays and improv shows, he performed in piano and dance recitals, and at 14, he enrolled in the theater academy at the Central Academy of Technology & Arts. From there, he started to write short horror stories online, began experimenting with the camera, and became the school’s daily announcer while also pursuing dreams of streaming and eSports with games such as Fortnite, Valorant, and Minecraft, among others. While the dream of eSports fame died young, Brody went on to chase after his new goals of success in writing and filmmaking. He found his first success at the Blumey Awards, where he went on to secure a program-record of three consecutive nominations for Best Student Reporter (formerly Best Student Critic) and won the prestigious award in 2024. After his win, he founded Captures by Brody, a photography and videography company, where he now produces short films, publishes his photography content, and continues to expand his business to make bigger and better films in the future. Project Advisor: Torell Shavon Taylor
Calum Held (Central Piedmont Community College) is a Charlotte-based writer and filmmaker whose work explores mortality, human peculiarity, and the psychological complexity of lived experience. His practice is influenced by independent and avant-garde filmmakers such as Werner Herzog, John Waters, Melvin Van Peebles, David Lynch, Paul Schrader, Jim Jarmusch, and Don Hertzfeldt, as well as literary figures including Irvine Welsh and Yukio Mishima. These influences inform his interest in boundary-pushing, auteur-driven storytelling.
Through his participation in the Patel Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship, Held aims to further refine his artistic voice and develop the technical and conceptual tools necessary to realize his creative vision. Project Advisor: Torell Shavon Taylor
Raquan Sweezy (Johnson C. Smith University) is a filmmaker and storyteller whose work centers on empathy, transformation, and the lived experiences of marginalized individuals. His creative journey began at Johnson C. Smith University, where a formative class project led him to write and produce Still Chosen. That experience became a turning point, affirming his commitment to storytelling as a vocation. Sweezy’s work focuses on humanizing individuals often labeled as outsiders or “villains,” exploring themes of mental health, faith, and community. His perspective is shaped by his embodiment, which informs his nuanced approach to character and narrative. Through filmmaking, he seeks to build bridges between communities and create space for voices that are often unheard. Project Advisor: Sitara Sadler
Zhenja Jeffers (Johnson C. Smith University) is a senior majoring in Communications, with a focus on cinematography, video editing, and visual storytelling. Originally from Miami, Florida, she began her creative journey in photography before expanding into cinematography and video production. A short film masterclass further solidified her interest in filmmaking and led her to pursue formal training in video production.
Her work is influenced by filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, and Ava DuVernay, and she has a strong interest in science fiction as a genre for its imaginative and visual storytelling possibilities. Jeffers has produced multiple short films and continues to develop her voice through music videos and experimental visual work, focusing on symbolism, emotion, and narrative clarity. She is committed to creating visually compelling stories that resonate deeply within short-form formats. Project Advisor: Sitara Sadler
Why This Fellowship Matters
The Patel Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship exists to cultivate bold storytelling, nurture emerging creative voices, and strengthen Charlotte’s independent film landscape. Through mentorship, community engagement, artistic development, and professional opportunities, fellows are invited into a supportive creative network committed to innovation and cultural impact.