THE VISION
Foundation E is a 501(c)3 nonprofit harnessing the power and influence of media and education to affect change.
We believe in the power of...
Education + Entertainment = Effective Global Impact
Foundation E develops and produces Film/TV tackling the social issues of our time.
Foundation E creates high-touch, innovative programmatic work that is the impetus for the development and execution of our impact-driven media content.
THE IMPACT
Foundation E's film and television content educates the public on topics beneficial to the community and the world at large; through stories focused on social, cultural and economic injustices, stories by and about people and topics that are underrepresented or misrepresented, and stories aimed at provoking thought and affecting change.
A social impact campaign is specifically designed for every Foundation E project to further our impact and advocacy mission. Foundation E identifies avenues to raise awareness and provide additional education to the public on the social cause addressed by the project, further public conversation on such social cause, raise funding to provide resources and affect change, leverage our A-list celebrity/influencer involvement, and incentivize the community to become active in addressing and participating in solutions.
In furtherance of our impact and advocacy focus, Foundation E employs, mentors and empowers those who are underserved, underrepresented and marginalized.
Foundation E is committed to justice, diversity, inclusion, equity and equality through our programmatic work. Our Global Girl Impact program is focused on empowering, equipping and educating black and brown girls from marginilized communities.
THE TEAM
Shani Pride
Founder | CEO
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My passion and purpose lies in media, education and social impact.
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I began honing my craft at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts as a Theater Major. Then, I continued my studies at UCLA Theater School.
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I studied/collaborated with numerous distinguished institutions, including the Sundance Institute, to sharpen my writing, producing and directing skills.
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For 17 years I worked professionally as an actor in commercially successful films and television. But something was missing. Which led me to producing projects that were rooted in social impact. My first project was a film about the child solider crisis in Northern Uganda and South Sudan.
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Ultimately, I founded Foundation E, solidifying my chosen path as an impact-driven actor, producer, screenwriter, director, and entrepreneur.
Neil Sacker
Lead Counsel and Advisor
Founder of Sacker Entertainment Law. Prior, Sacker was an entertainment partner and counsel at top-tier firms Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP and Skadden, Arps LLP. An entertainment industry veteran, Sacker serves as counsel and advisor to distinguished financiers, distributors and producers in the entertainment industry. Sacker’s career includes business and legal leadership at highly successful and influential studios; including Warner Bros., Miramax Films, Dimension Films, the Yari Film Group and The Film Department.
Sacker earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and his B.A. from Cornell University, graduating magna cum laude.
Maha Dakhil
Advisory Board
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) agent and Time’s Up co-founder. Dakhil’s clients include Reese Witherspoon, Ava Duvernay, Steven Spielberg, Natalie Portman, Tom Cruise, Anne Hathaway, Salma Hayek, Daniel Kaluuya, Mindy Kaling, Steve McQueen and Sam Mendes. CAA represents many of the most successful professionals working in film, television, music, theater, video games, sports and digital content, and provides strategic marketing and consulting services to corporate clients.
Dakhil is a CAA Board Member and she holds a degree in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Andi Gitow
Advisory Board
On special assignment from the United Nations, working as Director of Strategy, Partnerships, and Media Production at Steven Spielberg’s USC Shoah Foundation. Formally the Deputy Director of the United Nations representative office in Washington D.C. Worked at the UN Headquarters as Head of Global Campaigns, Films and Special Projects, as Acting Chief of Partnerships in the UN’s Global Communications Division, and also served as Executive Producer in the UN News and Media Division.
Gitow holds an undergraduate and Master’s Degree from Columbia University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Philip Fier
Chief Financial Officer
Principal at Focus Advisory Services, Fier has provided strategic direction and project management for influential media players. He previously served as Senior Vice President at Sony Pictures and as VP and CFO at 20th Century Fox International. Fier has structured deals with top producers; including Revolution Studios, Lucasfilm, MGM and New Regency.
A graduate of Middlebury College, Fier obtained his Master’s Degree in International Finance from Columbia University.
