Cheryl L. Bedford and I talk about her journey into the film industry. She shares shares has NYU made her a filmmaker and AFI taught her how to be a filmmaker in Los Angeles. Cheryl also shares how she met Bill Duke and became a line producer on the documentary, “Dark Girls.” That led to us talking about colorism.
Joan Theresa Curtis, Cheryl’s mother is her biggest role model. has influenced her to use her gifts to make the world a better place for the next generation. In her honor, Cheryl started Women of Color Unite / The JTC List which creates a list of women of color to help get them hired, their work distributed and to create a community for Women of Color.
WOC UNITE is having it’s first annual Gala on March 28, 2019.
Cheryl L. Bedford, a NAACP Image Award Nominee for “Dark Girls” and Baltimore native, holds a BFA from NYU’s TSOA and MFA in Producing from AFI. She is currently based in Los Angeles, CA. As a Production Manager, Line Producer, and Producer, Cheryl has worked on countless film/tv/digital projects, including 16 Independent
Features. Ms. Bedford served as CFO and Supervising Producer for a boutique studio.
She was formerly Chair of Diversity Development and a Producing Instructor at a Film School in Los Angeles, California. As Chair, Ms. Bedford developed the Diversity Series, the Industry Lab (creating a bridge from school to work), among other initiatives. She has
also taught The Art of Line Producing at UCLA Extension in Westwood, CA. Ms. Bedford formed her own company, Cheryl L. Bedford Productions, in January of 2001. In her spare time, she judges film festivals. More recently, Ms. Bedford founded Women of Color Unite, her 501(c)(3), which purpose is to help WOC get Hired, their projects Funded and their content Distributed. From the members of WOC Unite, Cheryl created The JTC List. The JTC List is a Google Doc of 400+ Women of Color in Entertainment, which is being shared throughout the Industry. Never again will someone be able to say, they can’t find any WOC for any job above or below the line. The list is named after her mother, Joan Theresa Curtis, an activist, warrior and Ms. Bedford’s biggest fan, who passed away in 2016. To join the list or to hire women from the list, please email TheJTCList@gmail.com
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