Chanelle Aponte Pearson has been creating narrative, documentary, and experimental content as an award-winning writer, director, and producer for over 13 years. She is executive producer for the Peabody Award-winning HBO series Random Acts of Flyness, producer for the critically acclaimed feature An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, and Spotlight on Women Directors “Live the Dream” Gotham Award winner. Her directorial debut, 195 Lewis, went on to win Best Breakthrough Short Form Series at the 2018 Gotham Awards. 

Chanelle is a proud managing member of the New Negress Film Society (NNFS), a collective-run film production company centering the lives and experiences of Black women and girls. Prior to her role at NNFS, Chanelle was senior producer and chief operating officer at MVMT, the Brooklyn-based film production company responsible for over 18 film and digital projects including An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (2012), Brooklyn is Masquerading as the World (2015), The Way it Should Be (2015), They Charge for the Sun (2016), 195 Lewis (2017), and Random Acts of Flyness (2018).

Chanelle’s commitment to centering the lives and stories of marginalized communities began as a policy researcher, analyst, and community organizer. She holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and graduated from New York University with a master of public administration. Chanelle currently works and resides in her hometown, The Bronx.