project team
Our documentary production team is dedicated to preserving African American history through innovative digital storytelling. We aim to capture and share the rich tapestry of the African American experience, focusing on narratives that are often overlooked or at risk of being forgotten.
Yanela G. McLeod, Ph.D.
Director | Producer | Writer
Yanela McLeod strives to elevate social consciousness and improve race relations by sharing important stories related to the African-American experience. Author of The Miami Times and the Fight for Equality: Race, Sport, and the Black Press, 1948-1958, she has spent her professional career as an educator, journalist, and social historian. In 2017, she served as editor and publisher of the book, Agile, Mobile, Hostile: The Biography of Alonzo S. “Jake” Gaither, written by Prof. Roosevelt Wilson, her former professor and mentor. She earned both a Ph.D. in African-American History and a master’s degree in U.S. History from Florida State University. She is also an alum of Florida A&M University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. She is currently director of Communications and Alumni Relations for the FAMU College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, where she is also an adjunct professor of history. From 2003-2014, she was as an assistant professor in the FAMU School of Journalism & Graphic Communication. For five years, during the publishing tenure of Roosevelt Wilson, she was associate editor and senior reporter for the Capital Outlook, a black-owned newspaper in Tallahassee. A native of the Republic of Panama, she was raised in the historic Armstrong Community located in Elkton, Florida, a small township on the outskirts of St. Augustine, Florida.
sean woods
Cinematographer | Editor
Sean Woods (affectionately knows to many as Sean-D), is a full-time cinematographer, photographer and owner of S/W Media (seanwoodsmedia.com). He enjoys working with new clients and loves the fact that they trust him to bring their thoughts to life. After working with so many people and companies, he says the best part is seeing and hearing their excitement once projects come together in the end! Sean takes pride in helping others bring their photo and cinematography ideas to life. Many have the ideas, but the tough part is figuring out where to start and how to put things together. That’s where he comes in to help with that extra push. Sean has been practicing photography for nearly 10 years. Initially, he randomly started taking photos everywhere. He would post them on his social media sites, just to share, but soon after, people started to inquire. At that point, photography and cinematography started to have a different meaning, as he began to photograph and film everything from weddings to television ads. One of his favorite parts of this journey is the fact that things are always different. No client or event is the same. It keeps him on my toes and pushes him everyday.
E. Murell Dawson, Ph.D.
Writer | Researcher | Historical Consultant.
For several decades, the Meek-Eaton Black Archives Research Center and Museum, more simply known as the Black Archives, kept a little secret behind her doors — E. Murell Dawson, Ph.D. Dawson is a treasure trove of African-American history and culture and is the safeguard and preserver of Florida A&M University history. Dawson, who served as interim director of the Black Archives for 13 years, is the archivist and lead researcher at the museum where she was apprenticed by its founder, the late Dr. James N. Eaton. Dawson began her undergraduate career at FAMU on a scholarship in the late ’70s. In four years she graduated with a degree in print journalism, and a minor in history. Later, she acquired a master’s degree in history but focused specifically on museums and archives. Following her return to Tallahassee in the late 1990s, the Dawson era of the Black Archives began. She was tasked with organizing print records under Eaton’s direction. Dawson her tenure as director, the museum underwent a plethora of improvements and accomplishments. These include the installation of several historical markers both on and off of campus, as well as the addition of the expansion facility, which opened to the public in 2006. Dawson is an incredible communicator, whose writing captures the full depth and delicate nuances of the narrative.
gerald tookes
Assistant Cinematographer | Aerial Videographer
Gerald Tookes, owner of Gerald Tookes Aerial Productions LLC, is a seasoned producer, videographer, photographer, and drone operator with a reputation for creating compelling documentary content. With extensive experience across multiple media formats, Gerald excels at capturing powerful visuals and telling impactful stories. His expertise spans the realms of photography, videography, and aerial drone operations, ensuring that every project is visually captivating and deeply resonant. Tookes is a federally licensed drone videographer whose work lends depths to video productions, particularly as it relates to historical reenactment.
Gina Kinchlow
Consultant | Branding & Marketing
Gina Kinchlow is president and CEO of Kinchlow & Company, an award-winning boutique PR firm that specializes in small business consulting services, strategic marketing communication, training and development, and business start-up consultation. She served as a marketing professor in the FAMU School of Business and Industry and director of the Big Bend Minority Chamber. Kinchlow is known in enterprise community as an Innovative, forward-thinking, business-savvy leader with strong communication, organizational and management skills. Her proven talents as an effective administrator has helped her provide consulting services in the key areas of strategic program planning, market research, integrated communications and campaign planning for small business entrepreneurs.
Kenneth Jones
Technical Director | Consultant - Film & Distribution
Selected as a Teacher of The Year, Jones is a broadcast journalism professor in the FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication. He has been a filmmaker, and news and documentary reporter/producer for more than 30 years. He has won regional, national and international awards, including a CINE Eagle and a Silver Addy Award. As a filmmaker, his docudrama, Rosewood, aired nationally on PBS stations, and was instrumental in Florida’s legislative action for Rosewood victims. His current feature film, “My Music,” involves the miracle of music that is tragic and transforming for a girl, Ruth, who is the caregiver for her aunt who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s. Sedona International Film Festival noted My Music, as "magical, uplifting and inspiring." He is an award winning and experienced film director/writer with a demonstrated history of working in the film and television industry. Skilled as a in both genres, he is also an accomplished broadcast journalist and documentary filmmaker. His dynamic film and television skills are rooted in his broadcast journalism degree from from Florida A&M University and his directing/writing degree from the prestigious Florida State University MFA film program.
jadaun sweet
Videographer | Assistant Editor | Motion Graphics
An award-winning independent filmmaker. Sweet received the Founder’s Choice Award during the Urban Media Maker’s Film Festival in
Atlanta, Ga. In 2015, he won Best Innovative Short Film during the Orlando Urban Film Festival for his debut film titled “Chain Music.”