The mission of deadCenter Film is to inspire, promote, and celebrate creativity and community through film.

INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR + DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Victor Caballero is a multi-award-winning filmmaker and actor based in Oklahoma, known for his grounded, emotionally authentic storytelling. With over 20 years of experience in the film and media industry, his work spans writing, acting, producing, and directing. He has appeared in films such as Missing You, Absolution, God’s Not Dead: We the People, Malicious Motives, and the upcoming Transgressions, along with numerous commercial campaigns. His latest film, Until We Weren’t, which he wrote, produced, and directed, further highlights his voice as a storyteller. He also brings a background in broadcast, including time as a reporter for Telemundo Oklahoma City.

Beyond filmmaking, Victor is deeply committed to education and workforce development. He serves on the Advisory Committee for the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Creative Media Marketplace at the University of Oklahoma. As co-founder of Oklahoma Latin American Film and former co-founder of the OKCine Latino Film Institute, he has led hands-on filmmaking programs since 2017, guiding students through every stage of production and helping launch emerging filmmakers across Oklahoma.

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING

Sunrise Tippeconnie has worked in film and television production for over twenty years, working for directors such as Martin Scorsese, David Lowery, Sterlin Harjo, Erica Tremblay, Peshawn Bread, Paul Harrill, Michael Winterbottom, Nick Cassavetes, David Slade, and Yen Tan.

Tippeconnie also develops, produces and directs fictional work with filmmaker David Burkhart. Tippeconnie’s Indigenous focused works have shown world wide, including the Heard Museum, imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival, and the National Museum of the American Indian.

Tippeconnie has programmed shorts and features for film festivals, including NextFrame Film Festival, Native Crossroads Film Festival. Tippeconnie is currently the Director of Programming at deadCenter Film and is a co-host on the Reel Indigenous Podcast.

EDUCATION + FESTIVAL COORDINATOR

Jamie Loy is a deadCenter Film Education + Festival Coordinator, Oklahoma Filmmaker and Actor. Her recent credits include Eddie, Sometimes I Believe in Ghosts, and Transgressions . Jamie has worked alongside veteran actors such as Zahn McClarnon, Raoul Trujillo, and Kimberly Guerrero.

Apart from her experience in front of the camera; Jamie has significant experience behind the camera in jobs such as Producer, Writer, and Set Dresser among others. She graduated from OCCC’s Digital Cinema Production Program in May of 2026. Jamie’s passion for film comes through in her work in front of and behind the camera.

GRANTS COORDINATOR

Steffie has had a multifaceted professional life woven together by a liberal arts degree and a love of words. A former teacher, editor, and communications director who is now semi-retired, she works part-time as a development coordinator for deadCenter and writes and copyedits for a handful of freelance clients. She lives in Yukon.

SENIOR FEATURES PROGRAMMER

Kevin has served as a features programmer for the past sixteen years, helping deadCenter curate a slate of films that represent the best of independent film. He helped build the festival into being recognized as one of only 27 festivals in the US with Oscar-qualifying designation in all three short film categories. Kevin is also a filmmaker and directed the films “This Christmas” and “Rainbow Around the Sun.” Kevin edits the opening bumpers for the deadCenter Film Festival and selects the local band whose song is featured each year.

During the day, Kevin works as the Creative Director at LifeChurch.tv and comes home to his daughters and his wife, Holly.

FEATURES PROGRAMMER

Camila Chaves Rojas is a film programmer with five years experience at the deadCenter Film Festival. Born in Colombia, and raised in Oklahoma she earned a BA in Film and Media Studies from the University of Oklahoma. Her international experience, including a film distribution internship at a Berlin Film Festival and European Film Market, has shaped her global perspective on cinema.

Dedicated to championing diverse voices in independent filmmaking, Camila is committed to fostering a vibrant film community in Oklahoma. Beyond her work at deadCenter, she actively contributes to the arts and culture scene as a board member of the Garde at Oklahoma Contemporary and a real estate marketer and photographer.

SHORTS PROGRAMMER

Paris Burris is a Chickasaw and Choctaw filmmaker and programmer in Oklahoma City. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma in 2016, she spent some years in the field telling stories of harsh realities. But she soon realized her true passion as a storyteller was in telling stories of fictional realities. Now, she makes independent films with her friends, and is an unabashed cinephile who loves discovering and sharing underseen films. She also runs Femme Film, a film series that screens movies made by femmes for free to the Oklahoma community.

HEAD OF PRIDE PROGRAMMING

Laron M. Chapman is an actor, screenwriter, director, and producer from Oklahoma with a BA in Film and Media Studies and a background in journalism and film production.

A passionate screenwriter/filmmaker, his work spans from reality TV featured on the Food Network, FOX, and Discovery Channel, to the Oklahoma-filmed Academy Award-nominated film August: Osage County starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and other stars in the Hollywood film scene.

As a queer, African-American filmmaker, his films explore issues relating to race, identity, and sexuality in a topical and entertaining fashion. Chapman made his directorial debut in 2017 with his now multi-award nominated feature film, “You People.”

SHORTS PROGRAMMER

Julia came to the film scene through a fascination with the history and materiality of film. She received her BA in Film Studies from Oklahoma City University and her MA in Preservation & Presentation of the Moving Image from the University of Amsterdam. This education placed her in many kinds of classrooms: film sets, cinemas, archives, labs, and more. She brought this varied experience to Rodeo Cinema as board member in 2023 and board president in 2024 and to Oklahoma City University's Film Department as adjunct instructor in 2025. She has written and presented on topics ranging from Soviet-era children’s cinema to the works of Maya Deren to restorations of science fiction media.

Beyond her work in film spaces, Julia serves as grants manager at the Kirkpatrick Family Fund and enjoys traveling, playing saxophone, and solving crossword puzzles.