Board Member
Susana Echevarría is a literary editor from Mexico with filmmaking in her DNA. Her parents are standouts in the world of documentary film: the prolific Mexican director Nicolas Echevarría (María Sabina, Eco de la Montaña) and the great sound engineer, Sibylle Hayem. Susana studied screenwriting at el Centro de Capacitación Cinematografica (CCC) in Mexico City and received her masters in French literature at the Sorbonne in Paris. Now she lives in Mexico City and works in diverse types of media. Susana is a member of the DIY Docs board.
Film Student, Intern & Teaching Assistant
Aleimi Garcia Briones was born and raised in Jackson, Wyoming. During her childhood, she also lived in Tlaxcala, Mexico for four years, where she improved her Spanish skills. In the fall of 2022, she entered the University of Denver as a first-generation college student studying psychology and film. Because of her interest in photography and film, in 2019, she participated in DIY Docs Sister Cities documentary filmmaking class. She discovered a new way of expressing herself through her film, Our Anxiety.
Current Board President
Emily Gomez was born and raised in a bilingual & bicultural household in Mexico. She studied journalism at Mexico City’s Carlos Septien Garcia University and worked as a writer at Animal Politico, Mexico’s first digital news outlet, covering the environment, science and technology, and politics. She is passionate about languages, rock climbing, and spending time with her family. She currently lives in Western Wyoming, where she works as a community interpreter, translator, and a self-taught systems administrator for One22 Resource Center.
Marketing Consultant, Instructor
Martina Abrahams Ilunga is a Brooklyn-based creative entrepreneur, storyteller, and community builder. She's the executive producer and host of NATAL, a podcast docuseries about having a baby while Black. She’s also the creator of You Had Me at Black, a podcast and community which uses storytelling to connect, heal, and liberate. Martina has produced work for NPR, Spotify, and others, and in a past life worked in the tech industry. This avid lover of Soca music is an alumni of Georgetown University. Martina’s branding and storytelling skills shaped DIY Docs from its inception.
Teaching Assistant
Francisco Saldaña Perez is a naturally gifted artist in the techniques of portraiture and mural painting. He was born and raised in Adolfo López Mateos, Hueyotlipan, Tlaxcala until 15 when he moved to Jackson, Wyoming. In 2018, he moved to Brisbane, Australia to study hospitality management at Canterbury Technical Institute. He now works as a professional artist as well helping children interested in venturing into the field of art. His greatest joy is to see more young people succeed.
Founder & Instructor
Alyson Spery aims to amplify stories often unheard. She’s driven by a passion for justice, authenticity, and a real-good story. She received her M.F.A. in Media Arts from the University of Montana and her bachelors from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In 2019, she founded DIY Docs and began teaching filmmaking courses for The Sister Cities Docuseries. In 2020, she was awarded a Fulbright Garcia Robles scholarship to continue the project in the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico. She now resides in Jackson, Wyoming working in film and dreaming in Spanish.