AURIELLE A. AKERELE
Producer
Summary
Results-driven multimedia Producer and interdisciplinary researcher with over8+ years of experiences in video journalism, documentary filmmaking, and multimedia storytelling. Expertise in pre-production logistics, production management, and post-production workflows. Exceptional project managements and communication skills for collaborating with cross-functional teams.
Overview
4
4
years of professional experience
2038
2038
years of post-secondary education
3
3
Languages
Work History
Founder & Executive Producer
A3J Productions
01.2023 - Current
- Established and operate a full-service creative studio specializing in video production, photography, branded content, and social media storytelling, delivering over 50 high-quality campaigns for digital platforms.
- Oversee all aspects of planning and execution and development story elements, scripting, production, editing, post-production, pitching, and budgeting for high-quality multimedia branded campaigns, documentaries, specials, and packaged shows, Ensuring alignment with distribution and strategic partnerships across multiple channels, including Instagram, broadcast television, connected TV (CTV), video on demand (VOD), over-the-top (OTT) platforms, YouTube, and TikTok.
- Creative Directed onsite production and post-production processes—including editing, sound design, and visual effects—to finalize pilot episodes for docuseries, ensuring alignment with client expectations.
- Managed schedules and supervised SAG-AFTRA actors, directors of photography, and production crews to successfully complete live-action films on time and within budget.
- Consulted clients on multimedia and distribution strategies—from concept development to proof-of-concept videos—overseeing production, post-production, and packaging pitch materials for premium broadcast networks and distributors
Lead Producer
Blowback Productions
01.2021 - 01.2024
- Developed, produced, and edited the feature-length documentary It's Basic, examining the impact of guaranteed income pilot programs across the United States.
overseeing all phases from concept development through post-production, marketing, and distribution, casting that resulted selections in 14+ Academy Award-qualifying festivals, including Tribeca and Cleveland Film Festival.
- Orchestrated extensive field operations , coordinating over 300 production shoots across 50+ cities. Responsibilities included securing location permits (including access to correctional facilities), organizing logistics and travel for crew and directors, and supervising on-site teams.
- Spearheaded post-production processes for multiple feature-length films for clients such as HBO, Showtime, and PBS, including The Slow Hustle. Collaborated closely with award-winning directors to integrate complex archival materials into seamless final cuts.
- Developed and executed a nationwide impact campaign for It's Basic, leading activations and screenings in over 50 cities. Engaged policymakers, government officials, and participants, influencing policy discussions on guaranteed income programs at both local and national levels.
- Collaborated cross-functionally with internal teams and external PR and marketing directors at SpringHill Company and YouTube Originals to create engaging multi-platform branded and influencer content for the rollout of LeBron James' I Promise documentary (YouTube Originals, YouTube Kids), achieving over 1 million views in the first week of release.
- Negotiated licensing agreements and cleared footage for sensitive historical documentaries, ensuring legal compliance across high-profile releases.
Associate Producer & Archival Researcher
HBO Documentaries
01.2022 - 01.2024
- Collaborated with Executive Producer Katie Couric—
renowned journalist and former CBS Evening News anchor—and award-winning Director Marc Levin on the documentary An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th, on HBO which examines the rise of domestic terrorism through the lens of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Contributed to the project's success through investigative research, editing, and narrative structuring. - Secured clearance rights for worldwide distribution of sensitive historical footage, working with major archival houses, international agencies, and personal estates.
- Collaborated with HBO's legal department and internal post-production supervisor to align research, licensing, music, graphics, and editorial direction, ensuring factual accuracy and compelling storytelling.
Producer & Strategic Partnership Lead
Anacapa Productions
01.2024 - Current
- Enhanced operational efficiency, increasing agency capacity by 50% through optimized business processes and leading creative direction for a lean production team.
- Developed strategic partnerships, identifying new revenue streams and implementing SEO optimization, resulting in a 60% increase in site traffic and securing high-impact projects.
Education
BA - Human Rights & Africana Studies
Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson12-2019
Certificate - International Relations
Bard Globalization International Affairs Program (BGIA)
New York, NY 05.2001 - 01.2019
Skills
Project Management
Budgetting & Financial Management
Avid Media Composer
Adobe Premiere Pro & Final Cut Pro
Post-production processes
Still Photography
Video & Photography editing
Photography editing
Social Media Management
Field production
Fact Checking
Contract Negotiation
Project Coordination
Event planning and coordination
CRM and database management
Location Scouting
Talent acquisition
Effective communication
Creative direction
Asset Management
Leadership
Speaker Thought Leadership
- Assembly for Black Possibilities, 10/01/23
- It's On Us @ Sarah Lawrence College, 04/04/18, Invited panelist for 'Intersectional Survivors,' a discussion on the impact of sexual assault on diverse communities.
- Title IX Town Hall – Bard College, 01/01/18, Organized and facilitated a campus-wide discussion in collaboration with It's On Us.
- Sexual Health & Assault Peer Educator – Speak for Change @ Northwestern University, 01/01/16, 01/01/17, Educated peers on sexual health, consent, and dating/domestic violence.
Awards Festival Screenings
- Tribeca Film Festival, 2023, It's Basic (World Premiere)
- Provincetown Film Festiva, 2023, It's Basic (Official Selection)
- DTLA Film Festival, 2023, Best Documentary Winner
- Cleveland International Film Festival, 2024, It's Basic
- HBO #1 Top Pick Documentary Premiere, 2024, An American Bombing (April 2024)
Quote
There is no person, thought, idea, memory, image, feeling, or sensation out of the past, in the present, or ever to arrive in the future that could stop me from being Successful!
Unknown
Timeline
Producer & Strategic Partnership Lead
Anacapa Productions
01.2024 - Current
Founder & Executive Producer
A3J Productions
01.2023 - Current
Associate Producer & Archival Researcher
HBO Documentaries
01.2022 - 01.2024
Lead Producer
Blowback Productions
01.2021 - 01.2024
Certificate - International Relations
Bard Globalization International Affairs Program (BGIA)
05.2001 - 01.2019
BA - Human Rights & Africana Studies
Bard College