Join us for a conversation centered on how women in film lead with both creativity and strategy—shaping visual stories through collaboration, intuition, and experience. This panel would explore how creative decisions are made, the dynamics of leading teams, and the evolving role of women as visual storytellers and decision makers across different types of productions.

Moderator: Mariah Mellus

Panelists: Miriam Footer, Renny Grames, Amy Redford, and Julia Camp

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MARIAH MELLUS Utah Film Center Executive Director

Mariah Mann Mellus is the Executive Director of Utah Film Center, where she leads with a deep commitment to amplifying diverse voices through film and media arts. A Utah native and longtime arts advocate, Mariah has spent more than 20 years connecting people, stories, and ideas across the nonprofit, cultural, and creative sectors. Her background in media, public policy, and community building informs her thoughtful, dynamic approach to moderating conversations that matter. She’s especially passionate about the role of film in sparking empathy, reflection, and dialogue—and believes the best discussions happen when curiosity leads.

In addition to her professional work, Mariah actively supports her community. She serves on the boards of the Motion Picture Association of Utah and the Utah Arts Alliance, and volunteers alongside her daughter with the National Charity League.

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MIRIAM FOOTER, Director, 1st Assistant Director

Miriam Footer is a seasoned Assistant Director based in Park City, Utah with decades of experience across feature films and commercials.  After graduating with a BS in Radio, Television and Film from Northwestern University she began her trek west.  The idea was LA, but she stopped in Park City to ski. This is where her career began, starting as a production assistant and advancing steadily through the ranks; PA, Production Coordinator, Production Manager, 2nd Assistant Director, 1st Assistant Director. She has worked on a plethora of commercials with brands such as: Oreo, Toyota, Nissan, Sony and notable films such as The World’s Fastest Indian (2005) and Fallout (2023).

Miriam is a proud member of the Directors Guild of America.  She has a reputation for exceptional leadership on set and seamless coordination in a fast-paced environment.

Her expertise includes managing day-to-day shoot logistics, ensuring creative vision alignment between all parties, and supporting directors through all phases of production.

Miriam brings clarity, calm, and precision to every set. Her track record reflects deep knowledge of local workflows, collaborative spirit, and ability to elevate storytelling through strong production focus and creative partnership.

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RENNY GRAMES Producer, Actor

Renny Grames is an award winning producer, director and actress. She and her partner, Boston McConnaughey have amassed an impressive following, with their original content garnering over a quarter of a billion views online. This viral success caught the attention of industry giants, leading to collaborations with top-tier brands such as Reebok, Nokia, Sony Pictures, Google, Gatorade, and Coca-Cola.

Renny’s most recent project, "Alien Country", a sci-fi action feature film, was featured in the New York Times as a top top sci-fi movie to stream right now and won the Grand Prize for the Best Comedy Feature Film at Flickers International FF and is now available on all platforms.

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AMY REDFORD Director, Producer, Actress

Amy Redford’s career in the creative arts spans over three decades as a director, producer, and actor in film, television, and theatre. Currently, she is directing and producing the feature Salt and Honey, set to shoot in Helper, Utah. Her directorial debut, The Guitar, starred Saffron Burrows, and her recent film What Comes Around premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Amy produced Showtime’s The Lincoln Project and is in pre-production on two docu-series: Not Part of the Plan, exploring LGBTQ+ youth in Utah, and Shelter, about The Other Side Academy’s tiny home village. She also produced Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, starring Rebecca Hall.

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Amy hosts and produces the podcast Scrappy Broads, now in its second season, and has directed music videos, including “I Am a Wolf, You Are the Moon” for the composer of the Netflix series Wet Hot American Summer. As an actor, she has appeared in Sunshine Cleaning, The Sopranos, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Sex and the City, among others, and performed in theatre productions like Bhutan and The Shape of Things.

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Amy completed her postgraduate work at LAMDA and studied at ACT, Circle Rep, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art,and CU, earning her BA from SFSU. Amy serves on boards for the Sundance Institute and Spy Hop: Digital Media Arts for Youth. She resides in Salt Lake City with her three daughters. See her website for more information.

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JULIA CAMP, Cinematographer, Director

Julia Camp is a cinematographer and director with a deep love for wild places and a passion for creating work that both captivates and drives meaningful change. Her career spans everything from high-end commercial productions to intimate documentaries filmed in some of the most remote corners of the world. Julia is committed to telling visually striking, honest stories that empower people and organizations, always bringing a collaborative spirit and a story-first mindset to every project she takes on.