SISTAPAC BIOS

Maureen Aladin (Co-Founder) is a singer/songwriter and actress. Behind the scenes, she’s taking center stage as a producer/writer. Recent producing credits include several made for t.v. shows, PSAs , feature film and an online indie music sessions show. Maureen has appeared on NYCTV as a host for They're So New York.

A graduate of the University of SUNY Stony Brook, Maureen holds a BA in Political Science. She received a Masters in Computer Science from New York Institute of Technology. Her artistic training includes studying with One-on-One Productions, The Harlem Theatre Company and Harlem Screenwriters. Maureen penned her first t.v. script on music composer Terrance Blanchard (Spike Lee films), which aired as a special on BET. Keeping true to her roots and reclaiming her place in front of the camera, Maureen landed a role in the popular Off-Broadway play Mama I Want to Sing. In 2005 she snagged the crown in the first ever Miss Creole Beauty Pageant. Balancing her need to create on screen and off, Maureen co-founded SistaPAC (sistapac.com) productions. The company is a dynamic enterprise that produces refreshing works in film, television and music.

Ella Turenne (Co-Founder) is an artist and activist. She has been involved in the television and film industry for over 15 years. One of her first projects was her own television talk show, The Ella Show, which she starred in, directed and produced while attending Stony Brook University. She then went on to host and produce a live weekly talk show called Not for Nothin’ while obtaining her Master’s degree at Boston University. Some of her acting credits include The Viagra Dialogues; Celebrity Babble; Big, Dark, Scary Girl and most recently One More Try. Ella is also a theatre and spoken word artist and has performed all across the country, including the Black Family Channel show Spoken. She is an accomplished writer, having published a book (revolution|revolisyon|révolution 1804 - 2004: An Artistic Commemoration of the Haitian Revolution, Liv Lakay Publicationsi) and written for several magazines and newspapers. She has been included in several anthologies, most recently Letters from Young Activists: Today’s Rebels Speak Out (Nation Books) and Check the Rhyme: An Anthology of Female Poets and Emcees, nominated for a 2007 NAACP Image Award.

Ella is currently working on her second Master’s degree in Media Studies at the New School. She teaches art and activism at New York University and recently sat on the Board of the Blackout Arts Collective. Her first short film, woodshed, which she directed and produced, had its world premiere at the Hollywood Black Film Festival and it’s New York premiere at the Reel Sister’s Film Festival. She has recently completed her first screenplay, The Whole Roots and is working on her next, a made for TV film, Duality. Ella is a founding member of SistaPAC productions and recently completed production on her latest short film, Madden’s Revenge, which she wrote, produced and directed. For more information on Ella, visit her at blackwomyn.com.

Jessica Nyel Hartley (Co-Founder) is an actress, writer, director and marketing consultant. She has performed as an actress in many venues across the country and has numerous credits to her acting resume, especially in theatre and independent film. Jessica has a BA from Purdue University and college internships included The Oprah Winfrey Show, WSB TV-2 in Atlanta, and America’s Black Forum in Washington, DC. She also received her MBA with a specialization in Media Management from Metropolitan College of New York. She has studied with the Purdue New Directional Players, Screaming Venus Theatre Company, One-on-One Productions, and The Harlem Theatre Company.

Over the past few years, Jessica has collaborated with two partners to form SistaPAC Productions, a writing and production company focusing on providing opportunities for artists of color in the entertainment industry. Independently, Jessica has spread her wings towards writing and directing. She is currently working on her second novel, along with her first screenplay and teleplay. Her first short film, Viagra Dialogues, is currently being submitted to film festivals. A marketing consultant for small business and artists of color, Jessica has started her own marketing consulting firm, Viscosity Interactive Media and Entertainment, LLC (VIME – vimellc.com) geared towards helping artists and entrepreneurs of color market their products and services. She has also just launched The RIP Effect (theripeffect.com), an online casting community and resource center created to help artists of color advance their careers.

SistaPAC Milestones

2004:
SistaPAC Productions founded.

2005:
Pilot 1 is birthed.
Website launched.
Sunday Shorts concept and plan developed.

2006:
Ten pilot scripts completed.
woodshed (short film) post production completed.
Viagra Dialogues (short film) production completed.
Celebrity Babble (short film) production completed.

2007:
woodshed accepted into film festivals (Hollywood black Film Festival,
Reel Sister's Film Festival,Roxbury Film Festival,
Montreal International Haitian Film Festival).
woodshed nominated for best short at Reel Sister's Film Festival and
Montreal International Haitian Film Festival
Celebrity Babble post production completed.
Madden's Revenge (short film) production completed.

2008:
Pilot 1 launch plan completed.
Viagra Dialogues post production completed.
Madden's Revenge post production completed.

Cora Lena's Kitchen Pilot production completed.

2009:
Cora Lena's Kitchen Pilot post production began.

Production completed of the stage play, Gray, featured as part of the 'Come Celebrate The Glory of Sugar Hill' Theatre Festival

Kindred Webisode Series currently in post-production.