Carla Hay

The Critics Choice Association’s Documentary Branch is the most talented and dedicated group of documentary film and TV critics in the world. I don’t make this statement lightly. We are the only major critics group that devotes as much time as we do to watching and reviewing documentaries, not just for the influential Critics Choice Documentary Awards but also in our own lives. I’m thrilled to be a part of this team. Thank you for making it exceptional.

If elected co-president of the CCA Documentary Branch, my top priority would be to make it a more rewarding experience for CCA and our outstanding Documentary Branch team—not just during awards season, but also throughout the year. A great deal of this initiative will be in strengthening our relationships with teams inside and outside the CCA. The Documentary Branch co-presidents would be equal and accessible leaders.

Here are three of my high-priority ideas that I would like to put into action:

—Recruit more members of the CCA to join the Documentary Branch. For example, there are many CCA members who would like to be part of the nominating committee for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. Let’s do more outreach and have them join us, which will help us in our workload.

—Work with the CCA Film Festival Committee to increase visibility of the CCA Documentary Branch at film festivals and similar events. For example, DOC NYC (which I have attended and covered every year since it began) takes place during the same week as the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. I have ideas for mutually beneficial opportunities for DOC NYC and the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. I’ve already shared some of these ideas with Joey Berlin and other CCA leaders. I can also share those ideas with you at your request.

—Promote CCA Documentary Branch members as documentary experts for more career opportunities. As a member of the CCA Membership Empowerment team, I would want the CCA Documentary Branch to work with the CCA Membership Empowerment team on these initiatives.

Watching and reviewing documentaries should not feel like schoolwork. I’m done with schoolwork in my life, but I’m always open to learning new things. Feel free to read my CCA bio (https://members.criticschoice.com/members/chay/) if you want more details about my work experience and education.

I happen to have a very useful MBA in entertainment and marketing, but I’m living my passion as an entertainment journalist instead of being a corporate banker or stockbroker. All of us as CCA members are living our truths in our passion for movies and television. I don’t like to be stereotyped. And I promise that I will not stereotype you.

I value people as individuals. I believe in celebrating an individual’s uniqueness. That’s why I always welcome comments, questions, and other feedback. (Feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any feedback.) Our strength comes from learning from each other. And I want to make our hard work as fun as possible.