About the filmmakers

Erin Kitzinger | Writer/Director/Editor

Erin Kitzinger has directed several short films, spanning digital, 16mm, and 35mm formats. Her script for “Hope For A Thorn” was the recipient of the UCF School of Film & Digital Media Grant for Special Achievement in Screenwriting in 2005, as well as a postproduction grant from Women in Film & TV – Florida. In 2006, she traveled to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to present a documentary she co-directed on American shoppers at the Women as Global Leaders conference. She recently graduated with an MFA in Film from the University of Central Florida, where she also worked as an instructor. She graduated in 2005 with a BFA in Film and a BA in Psychology, also from UCF. Recently, her short film “The Girl Who Couldn’t Dream” was a finalist in the Lifetime Movie Network’s Every Woman’s Film Competition. Erin and Jay are now living in Chicago, where she works as a freelance editor.

Jay Delaney | Producer

Jay Delaney’s passion for people has led to a career that spans filmmaking, politics, government, and the nonprofit industry. After working for the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and a U.S. Congressional campaign, he went on to direct and produce a feature-length documentary, “Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie,” which premiered at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival and was just released on DVD. His short film, “The Day the World Saved Shane Sawyer”, shot in New York City, was selected to screen in the 2006 Sarasota Film Festival. He has helped produce various films and videos in New York City. Delaney graduated in 2001 with a B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.   He studied film at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Jay is currently working as the President/CEO of the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce in Chicago.