Tom Oliva - Founder & Executive Director
Tom is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of The All American High School Film Festival, and Crave Arts, the premier destinations for emerging filmmakers and visual storytellers all over the world. Tom has worked with young creatives in myriad capacities for 25+ years, discovering, developing and connecting a vast network of talented young content creators and building a community of shared passions and lifelong relationships.
In addition, Tom travels the world presenting the AAHSFF Roadshow, writes and produces curriculum for the Video Production Resource Community (for educators) hosts and produces the podcast The Future of Film and works with a wide variety of brand partners, colleges and universities to develop unique and enriching opportunities for ALL emerging content creators.
Tom has produced films for AT&T, IMAX, Sony, Warner Music Group and Atlantic Records, Blackmagic Design, Jostens, Refinery 29, Storyblocks, End Distracted Driving the Ad Council and more.
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Andrew Jenks - Co-Founder
At the mere age of 19, Andrew moved into an assisted living facility for two months; what started as a simple, low-budget documentary turned into an international hit, ANDREW JENKS, ROOM 335, premiering on HBO in January 2008. The New York Post said, "It's almost impossible to believe that a kid could produce a documentary like this. It's a gorgeous, hilarious, sad, wonderful, unblinking look at the joy of life - even at the end of it.” At 21-years-old, ESPN Films financed his second documentary, the award-winning film THE ZEN OF BOBBY V., which followed Bobby Valentine, the former New York Mets manager and famed American baseball coach who had become a national icon in Japan while managing the Chiba Lotte Marines.
Following the success of Room 335 and The Zen of Bobby V, Jenks created MTV's WORLD OF JENKS, focusing his lens on stories of inspiring yet underrepresented young people, from a young homeless woman to a young adult with Autism. The premiere marked MTV’s largest in history with nearly 10 million viewers. US World News and Report said the show was "a raw, intimate look at daily struggles and victories, and what it means to be a young person today.”
Jenks was also the lead correspondent for MTV News' coverage of the 2012 Presidential Election. The Daily News remarked that "...Jenks has been a voice for his generation for some time...and is carrying the weight of a potential 45 million younger voters on his shoulders.” In 2013, Jenks teamed with Scholastic to publish his book MY ADVENTURES AS A YOUNG FILMMAKER.
In 2015, CNN Films released Jenks’ award-winning short film, ALL-AMERICAN FAMILY, a film that chronicled an all-Deaf high school championship football team. That same year, Jenks premiered his award-winning feature documentary, DREAM/KILLER which The New York Times said, “elicits incredulity, frustration and astonishment...is fast-paced and frightening”. The film is currently available on Netflix. Through his work on Dream/Killer Jenks created and executive produced the documentary series, UNLOCKING THE TRUTH, which helped contribute to the release of Kalvin Michael Smith, who was wrongfully incarcerated for 20 years.
Other projects Jenks has directed include ESPN's 30/30 short film POSTERIZED, part of ESPN’s Emmy Award-Winning series, and and the MAC Aids Fund feature film IT'S NOT OVER, which he shot in India, South Africa, and America and premiered on World Aids Day on global platforms including Netflix and Hulu.
Andrew writes and hosts the critically-acclaimed documentary podcast series WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?, produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, which reached #1 on Apple Podcasts and is in its fourth season. The show delves into historical events overlooked or misunderstood. He also co-writes and hosts the critically-acclaimed podcast GANGSTER CAPITALISM. Season one, which was nominated for a prestigious Peabody Award, focused on the college admissions scandal.
Jenks has also developed two scripted fictional series with ABC Studios and HBO respectively.
Andrew is the founder of The All-American High School Film Festival, the largest high school film festival in the world. Held annually in New York City, the festival has awarded over $3,500,000 in prizes and scholarships to the best emerging filmmakers from around the world. Jenks is also a mental health advocate, teaming with different organizations, in order to destigmatize depression and other disorders.
Chris Omar - Festival Producer
Chris Omar is the Festival Producer of the All American High School Film Festival. As an AAHSFF Alumni (‘15-’16), he brings a tremendous passion for supporting and developing emerging student filmmakers. His early productions won multiple awards and he was recognized as an AAHSFF Official Selection and Finalist in 2015 and 2016. While attending Brooklyn College, Chris directed and produced the documentary, "You Found A Home" which was an Official Selection at DOCNYC 2019.
In addition to his role with AAHSFF, Chris is a freelance producer, director, writer and cinematographer, developing a multitude of projects ranging from music videos to documentaries with the intent of telling stories of communal resilience, individual growth, and how we can collectively prevail.
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Eric Jacks - Director of Marketing and Communications
Eric Jacks is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the All American High School Festival and Co-Founder | Board Member of Crave Student Arts. In this role he is responsible for overseeing all marketing initiatives and strategic partnerships on behalf of the festival and the foundation. A seasoned marketing executive with more than 15 years of experience, Eric is tasked with helping build these organizations by leveraging his network of relationships with various brand and celebrity partners.
Prior to AAHSFF, he was head of the Entertainment and Intellectual Property group at Rogers & Cowan, one of the world’s leading entertainment publicity and marketing firms with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville and Florida. There he was responsible for development of various multi-platform, branded-entertainment initiatives for R&Cs brand and talent clients through the creation of entertainment franchises, development of original content strategies and monetization of their intellectual property. This included projects for Sony Pictures Television, Billboard, The Grammy’s and numerous others.
Before Rogers & Cowan, Eric was a Senior Agent/Executive at CAA managing Global Brand Partnerships as part of CAA’s Lifestyle Talent division, while also serving as a member of the Executive Team for CAA’s digital content practice. His efforts included developing groundbreaking entertainment franchises for high profile clients including Anthony Zuiker (“CSI” and John Woo (“Face Off,” “Mission Impossible II”).
Prior to CAA, he served in various Executive Producer and Brand Strategy roles at several high profile media industry companies including Yahoo!, Tribal DBB, RAPP, Slingshot, Vimation and The Regan Group.
Eric’s career accomplishments include the creation of award-winning campaigns and strategic partnerships for brands such as Victoria’s Secret, NBC Universal, ABC, Lionsgate, Dreamworks, The New York Times, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Samsung, Hilton Hotels, Mattel and Ford/Lincoln.
Lloyd Lenox - Creative Director
Lloyd Lenox is our Creative Director, leading the festival’s design and creative direction from concept to creation. With a background in artist development in the music industry combined with years spent as a narrative filmmaker, he takes point on identifying artistic trends and tailoring visual experiences that speak to the filmmakers of tomorrow.
When Lloyd isn’t putting together moodboards or designing our next campaign, he works as a freelance filmmaker and graphic designer focusing on highly stylized storytelling.
Ashley Gonzalez - Production Coordinator
Ashley Gonzalez is the Production Coordinator of the All American High School Film Festival. An AAHSFF Alumni (’18-’19), she was awarded a Tindie for Best Broadcast Journalism Feature Story in 2019. She recently graduated from the University of Central Florida and wants to continue building up the community of student filmmakers across the globe.
As Production Coordinator, Ashley assists with event production and logistical coordination throughout the year.
Contact:
ashley@aahsff.com
Malé Ojeda - Social Media Coordinator
Malé Ojeda is the Social Media Coordinator for the All American High School Film Festival. She is a festival alum (‘23 -’24) who was nominated for the Complete Experience Invitational Competition 2 years in a row for her work on “What You Don’t Know About Jess” (‘23) and What Happened to Our Vision (‘24). She is currently a Communications and Marketing student at Florida State University. Through her work with AAHSFF, she continues to be inspired by student filmmakers from all over the world and wants to help rising students in their craft.
As Social Media Coordinator, Malé is in charge of running all social media platforms for AAHSFF and assists with developing creative and promotional content for our socials.
Contact:
male@aahsff.com
Oliver Sulla - Festival Content Producer
Oliver is a Content Producer for the All American High School Film Festival. A festival alumnus (’21), he films and edits all our festival every October, which he uses to produce promotional material for the festival throughout the year.
In addition, Oliver works as a freelance videographer & editor, having worked on a variety of projects for companies such as EDC, Forbidden Kingdom Festival, UCF Athletics, and Student Television Network.
He also serves an Associate Programmer for the Oscar-qualifying Florida Film Festival and graduated in 2025 with a degree in Multimedia Production & Management from the University of Central Florida.
Brady Shea - Content Creation Intern
Brady Shea is a Content Creation Intern for the All American High School Film Festival, where he produces promotional content for the annual festival. A two-time festival alumnus (’23, ’24), he remains an active collaborator with the team, crafting content that highlights the festival’s energy and impact.
In addition, Brady works as a director, videographer, and editor, creating content for BECON-TV and the NYU Marketing Society, while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Film & Television at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Maria Levak - Production Intern
Maria Levak is an Production Intern for the All American High School Film Festival. A Festival Alumni (‘24), she is currently pursuing a double major in Digital Technology and Emerging Media, as well as Film and Television, at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center.
Her background includes collaborating on creative production with her peers and exploring the impact of digital storytelling with audiences. As a Production Intern, Maria will assist the production team with the logistical and administrative tasks leading up to the festival.
Maddox Chen - Content Creation Intern
Maddox Chen is a Content Creation Intern for the All American High School Film Festival. As a Festival alumnus (‘24), he creates content that spotlights standout works from across the festival’s history.
He is a junior at New York University, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Film & Television. Through writing, directing, and editing, Maddox aims to craft distinctive and character-driven stories that leave a lasting impression.
Rowan Walter - Content Creation Intern
Rowan Walter is a Content Creation Intern with the All American High School Film Festival, specifically aiming to make high-energy shorts that encourage new creatives to submit their work.
He studied Film & Television at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, focusing in television writing, producing, and showrunning, additionally pursuing acting and voiceover. He is currently a projectionist and technician for Lincoln Center (NYFF), Whitney Museum, School of Visual Arts, and Digital Media Systems (Tribeca, Sikelia Productions), as well as a local TV/podcast producer and editor for The Radical Imagination and Preventing Violence Now.
Eric Wood - Production Intern
Eric Wood is a Production Intern with All American High School Film Festival. He is studying Media Production and Journalism at Bloomsburg University of PA where he is a full time student and part time photographer.
With a photo based background, Eric got into filmmaking around his senior year of high school, and has produced multiple commercial products since. As a production intern, Eric assists with festival photography as well as projections during screenings. In addition to interning with All American, Eric works as the Photo Editor for his college publication The Voice and is a technical director at BU sporting events.
Colin Dowse - Production Intern
Colin Dowse is a Production Intern at the All American High School Film Festival. A Festival Alumni (’20-’23), he was awarded the 2020 Teen Indie Award for Best Overall Film & Best Visual FX for Smile, and Best Editing in 2021 for Out of My Mind. He is currently a Sophomore at Emerson College and hopes to tell stories through film that empower the disabled community.
As a Production Intern, Colin creates content for our Future of Film Podcast as well as other festival promotional assets; on the ground, he supports guest relations, and assists the team where needed to ensure smooth festival operations.
Our Volunteers
AAHSFF wouldn't be possible without the help of our wonderful volunteers! Interested in volunteering for this year's festival? Visit our volunteer sign up page.