Founder and Board Chair
Filmmaker Russell Brown’s body of work includes five narrative features, two full-length documentaries, and a number of well-regarded narrative and documentary shorts. His feature films have opened theatrically in select cities to favorable reviews after playing at more than 270 festivals around the world. Brown’s work has garnered national and international awards for directing, writing, acting and editing. His diverse filmography includes Loren & Rose, Search Engines, The Blue Tooth Virgin, Annie and the Gypsy, Karen Black: On Acting, Conversation with a Cigarette, Mama Laura’s Boys, The 44 Scarves of Liza Minnelli, Above the Arroyo: A Dream of the Stairs of Los Angeles, Reality USA, and The Kaleidoscope Guy at the Market. Russell is a member of the Writer’s Guild of America and is a Film Independent Producing Fellow. His films are held as part of the collection at the UCLA Film and Television archive.
Brown serves as the Vice-chair at the MaddocksBrown Foundation, where he has spearheaded collaborations with the LA Philharmonic, the USC School of Poetry, Harvard-Westlake High School and the Da Camera Society. The Foundation focuses on higher education, the environment, the arts, human wellness, and animal welfare including Love On 4 Paws through which Russell provided support to hospital patients across Los Angeles as a certified animal therapist. He was awarded a commendation from the City of Los Angeles for his work with the Boys and Girls Club of Venice.
As Founder and Board Chair of FORT: LA, Russell brings a lifelong passion for celebrating the city of Los Angeles and its many diverse communities and cultures.