Film and content studio Wavelength has hired Jessica Wolfson as new executive director of the Wave Grant, a program designed to support emerging filmmakers from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to tell their stories.
The Wave (Women at the Very Edge) grant selects five recipients to receive a $5,000 seed grant for the production of their first short film. Recipients also receive mentorship from Wavelength’s team in an effort to guide them through all aspects of development, production, post-production, festival strategy and more. Additionally, the program offers crowdfunding mentorship from Seed&Spark and coloring services from Nice Shoes.
“It is an honor to join Wavelength and lead the Wave Grant Program at such a pivotal time,” Wolfson said in a statement. “I’m excited to work with this amazing team to expand opportunities for emerging voices and strengthen the community of filmmakers shaping the future of storytelling.”
Wolfson is a filmmaker and producer whose work spans documentary, narrative and branded content. Her credits include directing “Hot Grease” (Discovery Channel), “Radio Unnameable” (Kino Lorber) and “Play Around With Me” (ESPN).
She has also produced feature documentaries like “Life & Life,” “Sacred” (PBS), “Radical Landscapes” and “Revenge of the Mekons” as well as shorts like “The Paint Wizzard” (The New Yorker). She began her career at IFCtv Originals, collaborating with directors Kirby Dick, John Landis and Jon Favreau.
Additionally, Wolfson has previously mentored filmmakers through Gotham, Tribeca Film and international arts programs in Central Africa and Yemen. She has taught documentary production at the New York Film Academy and Austin Community College and sits on the advisory board of the Austin Film Society’s Creative Careers.
“We are so thrilled to have a talent like Jessica joining our team,” CEO and founder Jenifer Westphal said. “As we level up our grant initiative, we couldn’t imagine a better leader for our team.”
Wavelength produces documentary and scripted films, musical theater and branded content including Sam Green’s doc “32 Sounds” and Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation,” and Broadway productions “The Outsiders” and “The Who’s Tommy.”