OUR BOARD MEMBERS
Julie Rubio
President
Julie Rubio is a multifaceted and award-winning film director, producer, writer, and actor, known for her dynamic storytelling and passion for bringing to light the narratives of those often overlooked. As the President of Women in Film SF Bay Area, Rubio dedicates herself to empowering and elevating women in the film industry, fostering a supportive community for female filmmakers.
Diane Walsh
Vice President
During Diane Walsh’s twenty+ years as an executive in the L.A. film and television business, she collaborated with seasoned professional screenwriters honed in their craft as she developed, sold and produced movies for broadcast and cable television with creative folks like producer/director Robert Greenwald (The Burning Bed, Outfoxed), Al Ruddy who produced The Godfather – and most notably with Gross-Weston Productions, where she was Emmy-nominated as producer of the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation about childhood AIDS, A Place for Annie, starring Cissy Spacek and Mary Louise Parker. She also thrived on the ‘buyer’ side of the table as Director of Programming for the Family Channel weekly movie night for two years in the late 90’s.
Carol Hall
Treasurer
Carol was born and raised in Oakland, California, and formed her own film production company, Blue Carp Productions LLC, in January 2020 to produce some of her screenwriting projects. Prior to that, she has been a screenwriter since 2009. Her family crime dramedy, Ryan’s Treasure Hunt was optioned by Roslin Pictures.
Carol’s passion is to write and produce films that portray positive and important images of women and Asians. She is seeking markets for eight of her scripts. Seven have won or placed in eighteen screenplay contests, most notably, the Write Room Grand Prize for Donaldina: Based on True Events in the Life of Donaldina Cameron (now renamed Jeweled Bird) and Third Place in the Cinequest Film Festival Screenplay Contest for the same script.
Nil Unerdem
Secretary
Originally from Istanbul, Nil Unerdem grew up in Silicon Valley and majored in electrical engineering at Stanford and Columbia. She worked in tech for 18 years until she started to pursue filmmaking full-time. Over the years, she’s taken screenwriting & film classes at SFFILM, the Writers Grotto, Script Anatomy, and Sundance Collab, and completed a one-year film program at the San Francisco Film School. Nil is drawn to female character driven, pop culture heavy yet poetic stories about connection, interwoven with comedy. Her latest is a 90s indie comedy feature about a nerdy, middle-aged woman who runs an electronics surplus store called Lydia’s Electronics Supply & Surplus. Her horror comedy feature Human Stalk (Stowe NYX Horror Finalist, Blacklist Real Time Top List, Cinestory Retreat) is about zombie environmentalists and climate change. She also wrote and directed a short drama Pearl in the Window (SF Short Film Festival, Cascadia Women’s International Film Festival, BraveMaker Film Festival).
Amy Zins
Board Member
Ami was born in San Francisco and as a teen moved to Berkeley/Oakland where she has lived ever since. A civil rights and social justice activist her entire life, Ami has found a way to infuse these themes into the over 15 plays she directed, as well as into the communications courses she teaches at UC Berkeley. With over 25 years’ experience in the film industry Ami is also a producer, consultant, and 13 years as director of the Oakland Film Office, is proud to have worked with films such as Fruitvale Station, Matrix 2 & 3, East Side Sushi, a Carlos Santana music video, among hundreds of other projects ranging from commercials and music videos to student, independent, and studio films. Ami also serves on the board of The LoveLife Foundation, and Oakland based, youth violence prevention program.
Kelli A. White
Board Member
After spending a couple decades as an aviation accident investigator and emergency response manager for airlines, Kelli met some amazing female aviators and just knew their forgotten story needed to be told. As she worked to develop the project and get this story told, she strived to learn more and more about production and the art and business of filmmaking and fell in love with it!
Nichole Carlson
Board Member
Nichole Carlson is a an independent film director dedicated to bold, character-driven storytelling. She wrote, produced, and directed "Maternally Damned," a standout short in the internationally released Sinphony: A Clubhouse Horror Anthology. With over 20 years of experience in independent film production and executive support, she combines creative vision with expert logistical execution to bring compelling stories to life. As a board member of Women in Film San Francisco Bay Area, she is committed to championing diverse voices, fostering mentorship, and building a stronger, more inclusive film industry.
Darlene DeRose
Board Chair
Darlene is a teacher, public speaker, group facilitator, and emerging producer in the San Francisco Bay Area. After earning her MBA at Yale University, she worked as a public finance consultant for 20 years, founding and operating a nationally ranked company. In 2020, she founded ShadowPower Productions, creating docu-style visual media - documentary films, promotional content, campaign videos, and advocacy shorts. She works with clients as diverse as non-profits, government agencies, educational institutions, political campaigns, religious organizations and volunteer groups.