CORE TEAM
Derrick Williams
Founder
Derrick has spent over 2 decades in the entertainment industry working on live events, as well as TV and movie productions. He has managed the production finances of multi-million dollar features films and series for the past 10 years as a Lead Production Accountant. He is currently working at NBC, and has worked for such companies as Viacom, Gunpowder & Sky, AwesomenessTV, BET, and many others. He is recently instrumental in the equity funding acquisition of $1.6M for a feature he is currently Co-Producing.
Derrick started the Open Door Film Project because he didn't like seeing disenfranchised or marginalized groups asking to be included. The underrepresented are actually the majority, and he believe we can create our own.I
Anna Levine
Head of Creative
A digital media expert, Anna Levine, spent the last 4 years serving as the creative architect of DUST, a brand that is the definitive taste-making source for emerging voices in the science fiction space with over 10 million subscribers across platforms. In partnership, with Gunpowder & Sky, Levine is continuing to develop multiple feature and TV adaptations of DUST properties.
Prior to her time at DUST, Anna started Geek World Radio a news and media company where she served as a producer and correspondent, often lending her services to Cinefix, Anime Vice, ComicsOnline, Cox Media’s The Point, and others.
Anna is currently an independent producer, speaker, and digital consultant, and continues her work with Gunpowder & Sky and Geek World Radio while teaming up with new partners to give opportunities to up and coming filmmakers.
Steve Deering
Head of Development
Steve Deering has worked in the development field for nearly a decade. He began his career as an intern at Paramount Pictures, where he learned film development within the offices of The Robert Evans Company, which is renowned for producing Hollywood classics such as The Godfather, Rosemary’s Baby, and Chinatown.
From there, Steve became involved with a variety of story analyst companies. He currently holds positions with Spec Scout, Slated, Selling Your Screenplay, Screenplaycoverage.com, and Coverage Ink. He’s also served as an analyst for studio professionals connected to Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, and Lionsgate. Additionally, he serves as a personal mentor and guide to many up and coming writers.
Steve has also had key development roles for online and streaming channels such as Gargoyle Media and Horror Show. He’s truly in his element when simultaneously developing multiple projects and ushering them along to production. He is honored to be a part of the Open Door Film Project and to help underrepresented communities flex their voices and present their art.