Our Team
Beverly “Bev” Chukwu is a Nigerian American writer, director, and script consultant for film & TV. Bev’s work rose to public attention in 2021, when her screenplay PRINCE OF LAVENDALE STREET won the 2021 BlueCat Screenplay Competition, and her projects have since either screened or won awards at African Film Festival Atlanta, Women in Horror Film Festival, Cleveland Arthouse Film Awards, AGLIFF, Portland New Alternative voices, and more. Bev has received fellowships from the Black List x WIF Episodic Lab; the Google’s YouTube Originals Black Voices Creator Program; and the James A. Michener Center for Writers, where she received her MFA in Screenwriting and Fiction and established herself as a writer, who tells genre-agnostic dramas about assimilation, technological dysphoria, and mental health for people of the Black diaspora.
Executive Director, Co-Founder
Christiana Tan is a filmmaker, art director, and costume designer/stylist based in Austin, TX. Starting as a regular art department collaborator for co-founders, Bev Chukwu and Maryan Nagy Captan, Christiana has taken on the role of Art Department Lead for ongoing Ayagozie Productions projects. Given her time as a former production designer on several short films and her roles as Art & Wardrobe Supervisor for award-winning psychological horror drama, PRINCESS (2024); Art Director for LORETTA(2026), and Costume Designer on Karl-Mary Akre’s short film, WHAT WE CARRY (forthcoming 2026), Christiana holds a wide range of art department experience that translates to her visual style as a filmmaker. Between film projects, Christiana continues her work within tech and fashion, serving as a personal and brand stylist.
Creative Director, Art Supervision
Kateri David is a writer, filmmaker, and photographer based in Austin, TX. After graduating from The University of Texas with a B.S. in Advertising, Kateri worked as a copywriter for brands like Roku, Shiner Beer, and GMC. In 2024, she officially pivoted into filmmaking after graduating from Austin Film Society’s Creative Careers Program.
Kateri joined the Ayagozie Productions team in 2025, after working as the creative producer for their 2026 short film, Loretta. In this role, she tackled everything from social strategy to prop production, in addition to capturing BTS footage and still photography. In her spare time, Kateri enjoys shooting on her Canon A-1, bouldering, and—most importantly—watching movies with the prop lead on THELMA™️ SAVED MY LIFE (who just so happens to be her husband).
Creative Producer, Social Media
Alekka Hernandez is a Hispanic and Indigenous art teacher turned multi-media artist in filmmaking based in Austin, TX. She served as the art director on the short film LITTLE PRAYER, the Social Media and Fundraising Manager on the short film PRINCESS, and the Associate Producer on the short film LORETTA. Additionally, she is the in-house producer for Ayagozie Productions, and she is a former member of the operations team at Austin Film Society where she helps support the local film community.
