Writer, Director, Producer, Narrator
Kiowa Grandchild

When not spinning corporate “stories” for Fortune 1000 clients or innovative start-ups, Donna thrives on storytelling through documentaries as an independent producer. She is an award-winning and nominated producer/writer on several documentaries and specials. Her documentaries have been seen on Showtime, PBS and film festivals around the world.

Donna's most recent success was as producer and writer for the independently produced documentary, The Butch Mystique winner of San Francisco’s Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Best Short Audience Award.  The Butch Mystique exposes the rules, thoughts, passions, and concerns of African American butch-stud identified lesbians.  Women from varying backgrounds – mothers, activists, artists – share raw, powerful and intimate thoughts on being outside the norm, being powerful butch identified women, and being themselves.  

Vanishing Link is the story of Donna’s spiritual return to the Kiowa Way, the life path of her Plains Indian tribe. Vanishing Link chronicles her quest to preserve the stories of the Kiowa tribe through the voices of the Kiowa Elders, the teachers of the Kiowa Way.
Donna learned the Kiowa culture in the traditional way, from her grandfather and his sisters. Their shared stories, songs and art instilled within her a burning desire to share the Kiowa culture and spiritual insights. That desire never left Donna even while she lived and worked in the American mainstream, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Donna supplemented her inside perspective of the Kiowas with years of reading and researching all that has been written of the Kiowas. Donna has invested numerous personal hours and funds to aid in the preservation of the Kiowa history through interviewing and videotaping Elders in the tribe. She has videotaped Elders sharing stories, songs and crafts on camera for the first time. The process of educating others about the way of the Kiowas has transformed Donna to the student once again. Through developing Vanishing Link, Donna has learned the value and importance of "the journey.”