The mission of deadCenter Film is to inspire, promote, and celebrate creativity and community through film.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Amy Janes is a visionary filmmaker, producer, and arts leader with over 30 years of experience in production, story development, and creative strategy. Before stepping into this role, Amy served as VP of Production at Paramount’s Parkchester Pictures and co-founded Filmmakers Ranch, Oklahoma’s first full-service soundstage. A champion of creative talent, she also launched the Oklahoma Film & TV Academy where they trained over 600 highly skilled and diverse below-the-line crew members.

With an MFA from UCLA in the prestigious Producing Program, Amy’s career bridges the artistic and commercial worlds, spanning documentary films, branded content, and original series. Her work has earned accolades from Sundance to SeriesFest and includes collaborations with icons such as Dr. Maya Angelou. She’s known for elevating bold voices, building platforms for authentic storytelling, and creating safe spaces where truth can thrive. In addition to her work in film, Amy proudly serves on the board of Riversport, Oklahoma City’s world-class outdoor adventure and Olympic training facility, which will host events during the LA28 Summer Olympics.

Whether producing award-winning campaigns or leading one of the country’s most dynamic film festivals, Amy remains deeply committed to creativity, community, and the transformative power of film.

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING

Sunrise Tippeconnie has worked in film and television production for over twenty years, working for directors such as Martin Scorsese, David Lowery, Sterlin Harjo, Erica Tremblay, Peshawn Bread, Paul Harrill, Michael Winterbottom, Nick Cassavetes, David Slade, and Yen Tan.

Tippeconnie also develops, produces and directs fictional work with filmmaker David Burkhart. Tippeconnie’s Indigenous focused works have shown world wide, including the Heard Museum, imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival, and the National Museum of the American Indian.

Tippeconnie has programmed shorts and features for film festivals, including NextFrame Film Festival, Native Crossroads Film Festival. Tippeconnie is currently the Director of Programming at deadCenter Film and is a co-host on the Reel Indigenous Podcast.

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION + OUTREACH

With over 20 years in the film and media industry, Victor Caballero is a multi-award-winning independent producer and director with 12 years of broadcast experience, including two years as a reporter for Telemundo Oklahoma City. He has also worked as a model in national print campaigns and appeared in numerous commercials and films, including McDonald’s, Stillwater, God’s Not Dead: We The People, and Malicious Motives.

Beyond filmmaking, Victor’s greatest passion is education. He is deeply committed to teaching students the art of cinema and journalism, equipping the next generation of storytellers with practical skills and creative confidence. Since 2024, he has served on the Advisory Committee for the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Creative Media Marketplace at the University of Oklahoma.

As the founder of Oklahoma Latin American Film and former co-founder of the OKCine Latino Film Institute, Victor has provided hands-on filmmaking education since 2017. Through these programs, he leads students through every stage of production, from pre-production to post-production, offering the same immersive, real-world training model that has helped launch emerging filmmakers across Oklahoma.

MANAGER OF FESTIVAL + OPERATIONS

Sierra grew up and continues to reside in Norman with her family. She is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma but is also of Kiowa and European descent. Sierra has volunteered at various events across the state such as Norman Film Fest, Opening Night, and Festival of the Arts but has always considered deadCenter her family. She has been a loyal volunteer since 2014 and was invited to serve as a Box Office Chair for the Festival Committee Board in 2018. In 2023, Sierra was awarded the Volunteer Festival Icon Award by her deadCenter family. After 20 years in customer service and her experience with the festival, Sierra was offered the position of Festival Manager + Operations. She spends her free time relaxing with her family and friends or having game nights.

GRANTS COORDINATOR

Steffie has had a multifaceted professional life woven together by a liberal arts degree and a love of words. A former teacher, editor, and communications director who is now semi-retired, she works part-time as a development coordinator for deadCenter and writes and copyedits for a handful of freelance clients. She lives in Yukon.

Education + Festival Coordinator

Jamie Loy is a deadCenter Film Education + Festival Coordinator, Oklahoma Filmmaker and Actor. Her recent credits include the award-winning films ENDANGERED IN THE OZARKS, LORD FINN, LITTLE CHIEF and THE CHEROKEE WORD FOR WATER. Jamie has worked alongside veteran actors such as Zahn McClarnon, Raoul Trujillo, and Kimberly Guerrero. Apart from her experience in front of the camera; Jamie has significant experience behind the camera in jobs such as Lead Stand-In, Set Decorator, Writer, Stand-In, and Second Assistant Director among others. She is currently enrolled in OCCC’s Digital Cinema Production Program. Jamie’s passion for film comes through in her work in front of and behind the camera.

SENIOR FEATURES PROGRAMMER

Kevin has served as a features programmer for the past sixteen years, helping deadCenter curate a slate of films that represent the best of independent film. He helped build the festival into being recognized as one of only 27 festivals in the US with Oscar-qualifying designation in all three short film categories. Kevin is also a filmmaker and directed the films “This Christmas” and “Rainbow Around the Sun.” Kevin edits the opening bumpers for the deadCenter Film Festival and selects the local band whose song is featured each year.

During the day, Kevin works as the Creative Director at LifeChurch.tv and comes home to his daughters and his wife, Holly.

FEATURES PROGRAMMER

Camila Chaves Rojas is a film programmer with five years experience at the deadCenter Film Festival. Born in Colombia, and raised in Oklahoma she earned a BA in Film and Media Studies from the University of Oklahoma. Her international experience, including a film distribution internship at a Berlin Film Festival and European Film Market, has shaped her global perspective on cinema.

Dedicated to championing diverse voices in independent filmmaking, Camila is committed to fostering a vibrant film community in Oklahoma. Beyond her work at deadCenter, she actively contributes to the arts and culture scene as a board member of the Garde at Oklahoma Contemporary and a real estate marketer and photographer.

SHORTS PROGRAMMER

Paris Burris is a Chickasaw and Choctaw filmmaker and programmer in Oklahoma City. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma in 2016, she spent some years in the field telling stories of harsh realities. But she soon realized her true passion as a storyteller was in telling stories of fictional realities. Now, she makes independent films with her friends, and is an unabashed cinephile who loves discovering and sharing underseen films. She also runs Femme Film, a film series that screens movies made by femmes for free to the Oklahoma community.

HEAD OF PRIDE PROGRAMMING

Laron M. Chapman is an actor, screenwriter, director, and producer from Oklahoma with a BA in Film and Media Studies and a background in journalism and film production.

A passionate screenwriter/filmmaker, his work spans from reality TV featured on the Food Network, FOX, and Discovery Channel, to the Oklahoma-filmed Academy Award-nominated film August: Osage County starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and other stars in the Hollywood film scene.

As a queer, African-American filmmaker, his films explore issues relating to race, identity, and sexuality in a topical and entertaining fashion. Chapman made his directorial debut in 2017 with his now multi-award nominated feature film, “You People.”

SHORTS PROGRAMMER

Julia received her BA in Film Studies from Oklahoma City University and her MA in Preservation & Presentation of the Moving Image from the University of Amsterdam. This education put her in many kinds of classrooms: film sets, cinemas, archives, labs, and more. She has written and presented on topics from Soviet-era children’s cinema to the works of Maya Deren to restorations of science fiction media. In 2018, she curated a selection of classroom films from the Oklahoma City Museum of Art 16mm collection, showcasing hidden gems in various states of decay.

Beyond assisting the deadCenter team, Julia is Grants Manager at the Kirkpatrick Family Fund and serves as Board President for Rodeo Cinema. She loves to travel, having visited more than 20 countries, and spends her free time going to pub trivia and playing saxophone.