ALZA Festival Announces “Created in NY” Campaign Finalists

Presented with MOME, Ahead of Its Inaugural Event October 16-18

One NYC-Based Vertical Storyteller to Receive Iconic “Made in NY” Award; Fans are Invited to Share their Support for Favorites Starting Today at nyc.gov/CreatedinNY

All Five Finalists to be Featured in “Created in NY” Showcase, Spotlighting NYC’s Vertical Filmmaker Community, at First-of-Its-Kind Festival Dedicated to Vertical Series and Microdramas

ALZA Festival, a first-of-its-kind festival dedicated to microdramas and vertical series, today announced five local vertical storytellers who are potential recipients of the iconic “Made in NY” award, to be revealed on the last day of the festival, running October 16-18 at AMC 19th St. East 6.  The showcase is part of a public engagement campaign supported by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME).

New Yorkers can go to nyc.gov/CreatedinNY and choose their favorite vertical storyteller to receive the award, which until now has been presented to established filmmakers and producers such as Darren Aronofsky, Celia Costas and Michelle Buteau. All five storytellers will premiere new content, produced independently of MOME, which will debut as part of the festival’s “Created in NY” showcase. The following “Made in NY” Award finalists will make their red carpet debut:  

• Melissa Becraft & Sarah Pribis – Investigator Investigator 
  • Two Broadway stars, moonlighting as New York City private eyes, are hired to track down their client’s missing fortune, only to realize the culprit is someone close to them…very close.
• Jesse Fisher & Sasha Herman- Watch Hill 
  • A spontaneous third-date quickly turns into a fight for survival when the main character’s charming date reveals a darker side.
• Kyle C. Mumford – Kyle Has Tourette’s
  • Inspired by real-life situations, this heartfelt comedic series follows an isolated young man with Tourette’s Syndrome trying to branch out and find a sense of normalcy in the big city.
• Christina Richardson – Besties 
  • Platonic best friends Rayven and Eric navigate love, friendship and blurred boundaries when Rayven sets out to finally get over her ex with a one-night stand, only for the plan to go hilariously and disastrously off course.
• Romel Rodriguez – The Super NYC
  •  The superintendent of a building in New York City must deal with his eccentric tenants.

About Investigator, Investigator Filmmakers, Melissa Becraft & Sarah Pribis 

Melissa Becraft is a dancer and content creator based in Brooklyn, New York. She started her career dancing for the NBA Brooklynettes where she became captain and choreographer for the team. Some of her performance credits include The VMAs with BLACKPINK, The Gilded Age, Marvelous Mrs Maisel, and HBO Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. She has also taken her dancing to her online platforms, reaching millions of people worldwide with her colorful choreography and joyful personality. She specializes in making videos based on movies, characters, and decades and has over 3 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. This platform has taken her around the world and given her the opportunity to make dance content for many brands including Disney, Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, and HBO.

Sarah Pribis is an actor, host, and content creator based in Brooklyn with more than 20 years of experience bringing stories to life across stage, screen, and digital platforms. From appearing in films and TV shows (FBI, Two Sentence Horror Stories), to performing on Broadway, to hosting for HQ Trivia and The Ellen Show, she blends her entertainment expertise with a creator’s instinct. Sarah uses her passion for creative storytelling to educate, empower, and inspire audiences, from the big screen to small. She co-created and stars in Investigator, Investigator, a Made in NY finalist in the ALZA Festival. IG/TT: @SarahPribis / http://www.sarahpribis.com

About Watch Hill Filmmakers, Jesse Fisher & Sasha Herman

Jesse Fisher is a filmmaker and media consultant with a BFA in Film & Television from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. His award-winning documentaries and narrative films have screened at festivals, galleries and museums worldwide. Jesse currently lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn (where many scenes in Watch Hill were filmed!).

Sasha Herman is a writer and filmmaker and the co-creator of Watch Hill. A graduate of NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where he concentrated in contemporary playwriting, Sasha spent a decade working on creative teams at agencies and startups while developing his work as a narrative filmmaker. He writes and directs with longtime collaborator Jesse Fisher; their feature screenplays and television pilots have been recognized by numerous script competitions. His work combines a playwright’s focus on character and structure with a career spent thinking about how audiences encounter stories. Sasha was born-and-raised on the Upper West Side, and currently lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

About Kyle Has Tourette’s Filmmaker, Kyle Mumford 

Based in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Kyle was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome and Dyslexia at a young age, and found a creative outlet through plays and movies. This led him to attend the School of Visual Arts, where his thesis film, HIS NAKED MIND, won Kyle the award for Best Director at SVA. Kyle has worked in editorial and locations departments for film & TV, and later became an assistant for writer/director Tom Gormican. His short films have screened at Palm Springs ShortFest, Florida FilmFest, and many others. His screenplays have placed seven times at Austin Film Festival and twice as a 2nd rounder in the Sundance Labs. In 2021, Kyle was accepted into the Actors Studio Playwright and Directors Unit. His plays, SHRIMP PUDDING, HANGMEN, CONTINENTAL DIVIDE, LOVE STORM GALACTICA, all premiered at the Chain Theatre One-Act Fest in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. Recently, his play, THE VICTIMS, was Screencraft’s 2025 StagePlay winner. IG: @kylecmumford / www.kylemumford.com

About Besties Filmmaker, Christina Richardson

Christina Richardson is an award-winning Director, Writer, Executive Producer, and Founder of C. Rich Media. Her work spans film, television, branded entertainment and emerging narrative formats. She created Besties in 2018 as an “ultra mini series” designed specifically for social media, years before vertical micro dramas became an established format. Following the series’ independent relaunch and organic audience growth, Besties partnered with FOX Creator Studios to produce Seasons 3 and 4. Richardson continues to build original IP while exploring new ways stories can be created, distributed and discovered by audiences. She is based in the Bronx. 

About The Super Filmmaker, Romel Rodriguez

Romel Rodriguez graduated from the Media and Digital Film program at the Bronx Community College and received his Bachelors in Film and TV production from the City College of NY. He then went on to work on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. At the age of 17 he taught himself how to write screenplays. His main goal was to tell the stories he wanted to tell and make people laugh as he believes laughter is the best medicine and making people smile is a joy. He also wanted to tell stories that shined a brighter light on proper representation of Latinos and African Americans which he continues to do with his work. Romel was raised and currently lives in the Bronx, NY. 

About the “Made in NY” Award

The “Made in NY” Award, created in 2006 by MOME, celebrates excellence in New York City’s creative community and recognizes the achievements of individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the City’s entertainment and digital media industries. Prior recipients of the “Made in NY” Award include Awkwafina, Alex Borstein, Michelle Buteau, Robert De Niro, Tina Fey, Caroline Hirsch, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Spike Lee, Audra McDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tracy Morgan, Nas, Rosie Perez, and Sesame Street. More information about the “Made in NY” Award is available on the MOME website here.

About the ALZA Festival

ALZA Festival, founded by Torres, the former COO for Tribeca Festival, along with cofounders Rita Vinnik, a former TikTok executive and Katie Korfhage, who previously served as Tribeca Festival’s Vice President of Development, aims to transform digital-native storytelling into curated, in-person cultural moments. It is designed specifically to meet the rise of microdramas and vertical series, connecting filmmakers, audiences, and brands in ways that extend far beyond the screen. Kicking off Friday, October 16, ALZA Festival’s three-day event will feature official premieres, competitive screenings, creator spotlights, industry conversations, masterclasses, networking events and immersive brand activations —bringing the most compelling voices in short-form storytelling into a shared, real-world experience. Selected projects will screen before audiences of industry leaders, platforms, brands, media, investors, and fellow creators while competing for ALZA Festival honors.