Celene Beth and Natalie explore her multi-faceted background—reflecting on her career beginning as an associate producer on Ken Burns’ landmark 10-part PBS series, Jazz, her growth as a documentary producer and emerging director, and her extensive fellow and mentorship roles across Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center, DOC NYC, Sundance, and Rockwood Institute. They dive into how DAWG came to be in 2020 during a time of national racial reckoning, emerging out of a vital need to challenge traditional documentary practices and center care, consent, and collaboration in filmmaking.

Natalie shares how DAWG continues to collaborate with change makers, collectives, and allied organizations across the field—including the likes of Brown Girls Doc Mafia, Film in Mind, and the Documentary Producers Alliance—challenging all of us to learn, evolve, and reflect on how stories are told and who holds power behind and in front of the lens. Together, they explore what true systemic change looks like when values and ethics guide documentary storytelling from reflection all the way to release.

Featured Frameworks & Essential Links:

• ​DAWG Framework:

• ​DAWG Syllabus:

• ​Working Films:

• ​DPA Ethics Resource Library:

• ​A True Story of Reflection - With Love:

• ​Ethics Squad:

• ​Margie Ratliff's Screen Trust:

• ​Multitude Films: multitudefilms.com

Allied Organizations & Field Resources:

• ​Brown Girls Doc Mafia:

• ​Film in Mind:

• ​Nonfiction Core Application (Filmmaker Resource):

To learn more about the standardized grant framework mentioned in the resources, check out this guide on the

Keep creating, filmmakers!