Team

Maxyne Franklin (USA)

Director

Maxyne is one of the founding Directors of Doc Society and shares responsibility for overseeing the film funding programmes. She also sits on the selection committee for the Good Pitch events and oversees the annual DOC Impact Awards; celebrating the films that have made the greatest impact on society.

For Doc Society, Maxyne has been lucky enough to executive produce a number of award-winning films including Virunga, All These Sleepless Nights, Hooligan Sparrow, The Possibilities are Endless, The Square, Pussy Riot, Hell & Back Again, Ping Pong and Afghan Star.

As of 2015 Maxyne relocated to New York to head up the US office, Doc Society Inc. Since there she has been deepening relationships with partners and working with our talented collective of US based filmmakers.

Nikki Heyman (USA)

Film Officer

Nikki is a three-time Emmy Award-winning producer and programmer experienced in the non-profit and brand-driven spaces. She strives to be a champion of diverse cinema and constantly pushing for equity in the field. At Doc Society she works across US funds as Film Officer. Nikki's most recent experience at Tribeca Studios afforded her the opportunity to produce narrative and documentary alike, elevating voices and stories through corporate programs such as P&G's 8:46 and the Queen Collective. Prior to Tribeca, Nikki was the co-producer for the acclaimed documentary show POV on PBS. Nikki curated for the series across seven seasons, oversaw series production, and provided editorial support to independent documentary filmmakers. Nikki has served on panels and juries across the U.S. and abroad. She holds a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from Oberlin College and is a member of the Producers Guild of America. Nikki is an avid beach bum, an easy crier, and a popcorn aficionado.

Shanida Scotland (UK)

Director, Head of Film

Shanida Scotland is an award-winning commissioning editor and executive producer, working within documentary film and audio. Shanida is the new Head of Film at Doc Society. Before Doc Society, Shanida was Commissioning Editor at The Guardian and worked long term at STORYVILLE, the BBC’s multi award-winning flagship international documentary strand. Shanida developed the ongoing series AFTERWORDS, an award-winning audio documentary series that puts the ideas of great writers into dialogue with contemporary writers, academics and activists, for Falling Tree Productions and BBC Radio 3 and 4.

Shanida is interested in the alternative, the intimate and the liminal: visual and sonic resonant qualities, that which remain meaningful and impactful through time.

Outside of Doc Society, Shanida regularly hosts documentary Q&As for the Barbican’s ScreenTalk strand and manages a delightful dance between sci-fi reading group, sonic explorations and terrible drumming.