S8 E71 - Cat Jimenez & Smita Sharma
Tune into our episode featuring Cat Jimenez who is a Host Community member at Las Fotos Project. Along with one of the winner's of the annual Foto Awards, Smita Sharma. Smita is a photo journalist based in Delhi who has documented victims of gender-based violence, sexual crimes and human trafficking in the Global South through long-form visual narratives. She is also a TED fellow and an IWMG reporting Fellow and recipient of Amnesty International Medaa award for photo journalism and One World Media Award for her short film “Rebel with a Cause”. She is currently working on a photo book documenting cross border minor sex trafficking between India and Bangladesh and it will be used as an educational material to be distributed in school and university libraries, NGOs and with law enforcement agencies.
Las Fotos Project is a community-based nonprofit organization that inspires teenage girls through photography, mentorship, and self-expression. Founded in 2010 by by Los Angeles-based photographer Eric V. Ibarra after seeing a need for teenage girls throughout Los Angeles to have a skill that could help build their confidence and self-esteem. They Offer year-round programming, and provide girls with access to professional cameras, quality instruction and workshops that encourage them to explore their identity, build leadership and advocacy skills, and strengthen their social and emotional well-being. They are about to have their 3rd Annual Foto Awards which will be virtual again this year. And 100% of the proceeds goes back into their programming which for now focuses on the Central, South, and East Los Angeles regions of Los Angeles.
Cat Jimenez has worked at the intersection of photography, technology and culture as producer, programmer and curator for over 15 years. She currently serves as the Executive Producer of the Brand team at Lucid Motors and prior to her current post, held the role of Executive Producer for Imprint Projects, a creative agency. She is also the former Executive Director of the Lucie Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to honor masters photographers, discover and cultivate emerging photographic talent and promote the appreciation of photography worldwide. Her passion is very obviously to help our photography community thrive and grow in all ways possible.