Lisa Y Allen
Distribution Strategist & Impact Director
Helping documentary filmmakers navigate creative distribution
I create impact and distribution plans for documentary films, establish partnerships for screening events and PBS underwriting, and book speaking engagements for filmmakers. My vision is to collaborate with filmmakers to build sustainable careers.
Recent Documentary Film Impact Campaigns
Bad Press (Sundance 2023) — Jun 2024-Present
There Was, There Was Not (True/False 2024) — Jun 2025-Present
Roleplay (SXSW 2024) — Feb 2025-Present
No Matter What (ReelRecovery 2023) — Apr 2023-Present
Climate in Therapy (CPH:DOX 2025) — Jun-Nov 2025
The Negotiator (Docs Ireland 2025) — Dec 2024-May 2025
Home is a Hotel (SFFILM 2023) — Jun 2023-Apr 2024
26.2 to Life (DOC NYC 2022) — Oct 2023
Mama Has a Mustache (Mountainfilm 2021) — Aug 2022-May 2023
Safe Sets (2023) — Feb-May 2023
Momentum (2022) — Feb-Apr 2023
River’s End (2022) — Feb 2023
This Might Hurt (2020) — Apr 2021-Jan 2022
First Vote (2020)
Dir. Yi Chen / C35 Films (60 mins / USA)
First Vote provides unparalleled access to a diverse cross-section of four politically engaged Chinese Americans in battleground states.
Film Festivals: AFI DOCS, CAAMFest, Hot Springs, Los Angeles Asian American, Hawaii International, Austin Asian American, Silicon Valley Asian Pacific, Boston Asian American, and more.
Plus dozens of community screenings and panels; PBS America ReFramed/ WORLD Channel national broadcast; GOOD DOCS educational distribution; #YourVote2020 impact campaign for increasing civic engagement amongst Asian Americans in battleground states.
Motherland (2019)
Dirs. Emily Mkrtichian and Jesse Soursourian (19 mins / Armenia)
Motherland follows a group of women who work full-time as land mine clearance officers in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan, known for one of the worst land mine problems in the world.
Film Festivals: Full Frame, Camden, Big Sky, Hot Springs, Bend, DC Shorts, Brooklyn, Scandinavian International, Aesthetica, Copenhagen, and more.
Plus a dozen community screenings, including five in Nagorno-Karabakh; $10,000 raised for Women Entrepreneur Fund; Best Documentary Short award at Copenhagen Film Festival.
Trouble Finds You (2019)
Dir. Stephanie Tangkilisan (23 mins / USA)
Trouble Finds You follows a Bronx native who gets caught up in the largest gang bust in history and spends 22 months in jail before being released on time served.
Film Festivals: Reel Sisters of the Diaspora, Worker’s Unite, (In)Justice for All, Justice on Trial, Chain NYC, and more.
Plus 20-page discussion guide available with community screenings; Film was produced with The Intercept and was released with this in-depth article about the RICO Act and the Bronx 120.
No Place to Grow (2019)
Dir. Michelle Aguilar (26 mins / USA)
No Place to Grow documents a group of Latino farmers fighting to save a 20-year old community garden.
Film Festivals: Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital, Colorado Environmental, Watsonville, and more.
The film is available for educational and community screenings.
RETURN (2018)
Dir. Karen Cantor/ Singing Wolf Documentaries (28 mins / USA)
RETURN follows six courageous Native American women from tribes across the continent reconnect with the earth and reclaim their health and spirit by following their ancestral foodways.
Film Festivals: Santa Fe, London International Short, Santa Barbara International, Vision Maker, and more.
Plus dozens of community screenings; Broadcast on Vision Maker Media in association with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; 13-page press kit, outreach materials, and poster available with film now out of DVD.
City of Trees (2015)
Dir. Brandon Kramer / Meridian Hill Pictures (76 mins / USA)
During the recession, City of Trees follows three trainees and the director of a stimulus-funded green job-training program designed to put unemployed people back to work by planting trees in DC.
Film Festivals: Full Frame, Hot Springs, American Conservation, St. Louis International, Chesapeake, Annapolis, Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital, Yale Environmental, Princeton Environmental, and more. 25+ film festivals.
Plus 75+ educational and community-based screenings; Raised $20,000 through educational DVD sales and dozens of coordinated filmmaker speaking engagements; PBS America ReFramed/ WORLD Channel national broadcast; Generated dozens of press, academic, and community member reviews; Educational distribution through Cinema Guild. Netflix VOD launch; 28-page discussion guide available with screening kit.
Logistics & Social Media Management
I work with leadership teams at organizations as well as one-on-one with public figures to maximize visibility and impact. This includes supporting the vision of the director, ensuring smooth logistical implementation of campaigns and deadlines, and developing outreach and impact goals through digital marketing and social media content creation.
Voice of America - VOA Director
Largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of more than 280 million people.
Social Media Producer: Developed, planned, executed, and tracked social media content for former VOA Director, Amanda Bennett, that expertly captured her voice and mission of VOA; Distilled and summarized VOA articles to create succinct copy; Crafted rapid Twitter responses to challenges from the White House administration; Almost doubled following on Instagram @VOA_Director and added thousands of new followers on Twitter @abennett.
Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival and Symposium
Double Exposure is the United States’ first and only film festival dedicated to investigative reporting on film. It pairs five days of film screenings with a professional symposium that brings together watchdog journalists and filmmakers venturing into investigative storytelling.
Festival Manager: Managed festival’s operation and ensured team and contractors adhered to deadlines for smooth delivery of graphic design, print production, website updates, hospitality and registration, deliverables for sponsors, and impact assessment; Liaised with 100+ filmmakers, speakers, and funders to book travel and hotel, and coordinate logistics of participating in five-day festival and symposium; Raised $52,500 (approximately an eighth of the festival budget); Tracked all festival expenses and invoices; Managed speaker travel/hotel budget, and spent under allotted amount; Trained and managed two dedicated festival assistants; Became primary point person for fielding any questions from primary collaborators about festival; Solicited film promotional material and screened film submissions.
Photo by Allison Shelley
Wild Earth Allies
Wild Earth Allies joins forces with local organizations and individuals to protect the wildlife and habitats that are vital to global biodiversity and sustainability.
Digital Marketing Consultant: Designed and managed digital marketing strategy; Wrote social media and newsletter content; Created content for The Wild Fund 2017, a $1.5 million year-end fundraising campaign; Implemented tracking tools; Identified key metrics; Uppdated back-end of the website to improve SEO and readability, and monitor and increase traffic.
Cover of Kyoto Journal Issue 78
Kyoto Journal
Founded in 1986, Kyoto Journal is a Kyoto-based non-profit, volunteer-driven quarterly magazine presenting thought-provoking insights from Kyoto, Japan and all of Asia.
Editorial Assistant and Head of Outreach: Interviewed contemporary and traditional artists in Japan for long-form articles; Edited content and provided photography on eight issues of the magazine; Developed and implemented outreach strategy in collaboration with Founding Editor, John Einarsen, and Director, Lucinda Cowing, as the magazine temporarily transitioned from print to digital; Recruited and managed marketing and outreach team to promote magazine sales and develop creative online content; Grew followers from 40k to 200k on Facebook; Launched Instagram; Wrote copy for advertisements.
The Phillips Collection’s Japan Tour Group outside Meiji Shrine
The Phillips Collection’s Travel Program
The Phillips Collection’s Travel Program brings art enthusiasts and leading art collectors together, fostering a global conversation through the language of modern and contemporary art.
Interpreter and Guide: Served as a guide and interpreter for 20 high-level donors and museum director, Dorothy Kosinski, during The Phillips Collection’s international trip to Japan; Curated art and culture tour in collaboration with Art Consultant, Noriko Kashiwagi; Led communication with prominent Japanese artists, including photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto and with the leadership team at the Nezu Museum; Interpreted for museum directors as well as washi paper designer, Eriko Horiki.
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