Bionic Buzz® got to interview Diane Robinson the founder of Yard Girl Productions and Director of the documentary YOUNG VOTE. A lot is at stake in November. The 2022 midterm elections will not only decide control of both the U.S. House and Senate, but also who sits behind the governor’s desk in 36 out of the nation’s 50 states. During this mid-term election year all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested. Thirty-nine state and local elections will also be contested. Activating young voters for the midterms and the general elections in 2024 is critical and the main goal of The Young Vote, a documentary by Director Diane Robinson, one of the directors to watch in 2022.

Award-winning education leader, filmmaker and activist Diane Robinson was born in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. She immigrated to the United States with her mother when she was 7 years old. Robinson was raised in Brooklyn where she attended public schools, graduated from Midwood High School at age 16 and was a first generation graduate of Vassar College in 1991. She credits her mother as a mentor as well as Wendy Kopp, Founder of Teach For America and Teach For All.

Diane grew up around great storytellers and was always inspired by filmmakers like Ava Duvernay and fellow Brooklynites Spike Lee and Darren Aronofksy, but it wasn’t until after she received her doctoral degree from Harvard University that she realized the power of film to impact culture change.

Diane Robinson founded Yard Girl Productions in 2019 to actualize evidence-based learning theory that film can activate aha moments, change mindsets and catalyze impact in society.

A movement-builder since her early days on the front lines as a teacher and non-profit leader in low-income communities for organizations like Teach For America, KIPP, Teach For All and Global Nomads Group — she knows how to make change happen.

She has traveled and worked extensively in the United States and globally, is a first-generation college graduate and Jamaican-American who earned her Bachelors degree from Vassar College, a Masters degree from California State University and a Doctorate from Harvard University.

Diane is also a Pahara Institute Fellow, a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and a 2021 Recipient of the Black Voices for Black Justice Award from the Moriah Fund.

Connect:
https://www.yardgirlproductions.com/
https://www.instagram.com/yardgirlproductions/