Sharese Bullock-Bailey is the Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer at Ghetto Film School.  Sharese has funded, distributed, and curated independent media globally for the past 18 years. She has led service and international education programs in over 20 countries, including filmmaking exchanges for young producers and educators throughout the US, UK and India.  She is an Emmy-nominated producer, and founder of Overstand – a global strategic consultancy.

Sharese recently served as Director of Tribeca Teaches, a filmmaking residency at Tribeca Film Institute, and was selected by the Ford Foundation as a 2015 Rockwood JustFilms Fellow and as a 2016 New York Community Trust Leadership Fellow.  Sharese is an Executive Board Member of ITVS (Independent Television Service) and Board Member at The Frick Collection.

Sharese received a BA in Communications at The University of Pennsylvania, then participated in the Financial Analyst program at Goldman Sachs.  She also served as a Teach For America Corps Member, earning a M.S. in Education while teaching in her hometown of Brownsville, Brooklyn.

Read our Q+A below to get to know Sharese!

How do you define creative success?
Creative Success is individually designed mastery of craft and expression.

Have you had to/willingly make any changes following the reemergence of the industry
after the height of the pandemic? 
Change is constant; collaboration is a must. For the past two decades, I’ve consistently encouraged artists and brands to collaborate; working intentionally in partnership is sine qua non in the post-pandemic space.

How would you describe your creative process? Could you provide details?
Strategy first; Listen Closely; Stay loyal to the craft and your authentic voice. I think long term strategy is my greatest creative superpower- I think of ideas for 30 year, 300 year, and 3000 year impact to start. My love of history, storytelling and art allows me to create data insight from many sources, which guide my cultural practices, yielding the most accretive impact.

What are some of the challenges that you face moving ahead into a content heavy landscape for 2022?
The greatest challenge will remain retention of the best creators, people are the greatest asset in our culture and organizations – we are finding a scarcity of time and available resources to make sure the right people are working together at the right time.

What are some of your creative goals for the upcoming year? How do you plan on achieving them?
Complete 2 manuscripts; a memoir and a book of strategems. My plan is to continue to retreat for writing sessions in 2022 to hit my deadlines.

What does being part of the Telly Silver Council mean to you?
Team and Community are our greatest advantages as creative leaders. While being in a class of one can yield great innovation and excellence, it’s through the league of creative community where we find true impact and relevance. I’m honored to be part of this community of creative excellence.

What is one thing the Telly Awards community should know about you?
I’m from Brooklyn, I’m a world Citizen.