Meet the Filmmakers
Director
Marilyn Agrelo
Marilyn Agrelo is an award-winning New York-based director and producer. Mad Hot Ballroom (2005), Marilyn’s directorial debut, enjoyed a theatrical run of over 24 weeks and was short- listed for Best Documentary Feature at the 2006 Academy Awards. Marilyn’s latest film, Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021) had its world premiere at Sundance and won an Emmy in 2022 for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary.
Marilyn’s feature film debut was An Invisible Sign, shot in the fall/winter of 2009 and released by IFC Films. She has directed numerous commercials and branded content films that have aired around the world and several projects for television and new media, including the Emmy-winning children’s series Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Apple TV’s The Helpsters.
A Cuban-American raised in New York, Marilyn’s background and immigrant identity shaped an early awareness of social themes she continues to explore through her work.
Executive Producer
Emma Ratliff
Emma Ratliff is the founder of Craftwherk Productions, a multimedia development company with a focus on international stories told through the female lens. Emma has over 20 years of professional experience and has traveled the world to deliver powerful stories to the global market.
Emma has produced episodic television for Netflix, CNN, History, HGTV, Nat Geo and Travel Channel. As a Producer for HGTV’s House Hunters International, Ratliff traveled across the world to tell stories that helped HGTV become one of the most-watched cable networks in America. Her production teams worked with the Emmy award winning Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Ratliff's work on the “Massachusetts” episode was cited by Bourdain as one of his most important – focused on drug addiction and the public health crisis.
Prior to television, Emma was the City Desk Editor for The Boston Herald where her team earned multiple industry awards for coverage excellence and breaking news.