Drake Shannon is a writer and director drawn to deeply human stories from all walks of life, with a particular interest in the experiences, memories, and choices that shape who we become. His films have screened at festivals across the United States and internationally, earning Best Picture honors at the Prague, St. Petersburg, Voices, and Tahoe film festivals.
Through Beyond Retirement, Shannon turns his attention to an often overlooked chapter of the American experience, traveling across the country to listen to people over 80 reflect on the lives they built, the paths that brought them here, and the meaning and purpose they continue to find after retirement. His approach is rooted in curiosity and empathy, with the belief that extraordinary stories can be found in every community and that a life does not need to be famous to be worth preserving.
Joanna Koss is a filmmaker and producer drawn to remarkable people, untold stories, and the moments that reveal who we really are. A first-generation American, Joanna grew up between cultures and has spent much of her life traveling, developing a natural curiosity about people and the different ways we build meaningful lives.
Fluent in English and Polish and conversational in French and Spanish, she brings an open, global perspective to her work and an ability to connect with people from all walks of life. With a background spanning film, psychology, and the arts, Joanna is particularly interested in stories that explore resilience, identity, memory, and the unexpected turns a life can take. Her work has taken her from independent narrative films to documentary storytelling, always with the same philosophy: the best stories begin by listening.
SUGGESTION — this frame is a red-carpet photograph. Consider a plainer portrait for the site and keeping this one for a press or awards page.
Born in Miami, Florida and raised in Park City, Utah, Nicco Quiñones began working at a local television station at just eleven years old. The son of journalist and What Would You Do? host John Quiñones, Nicco was immersed early in the intersection of journalism and storytelling. While in high school, he interned for Spike Lee in Brooklyn before studying filmmaking at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
As a director and producer, Nicco has worked across documentaries, television and branded content, developing a cinematic style grounded in intimacy, access and empathy. After spending a year in Uvalde, Texas documenting the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School shooting, he received an Emmy Award for It Happened Here: A Year in Uvalde. Nicco’s work is driven by a deep curiosity about the people and systems shaping the modern world, combining cinematic storytelling with a journalist’s instinct for truth, nuance and authenticity.
TO SUPPLY — a portrait and a short biography, if Judyth would like one on the page. Until then this is a credit line.
