Emily Sheskin

Emily Sheskin is an award winning film and commercial director who tells stories full of optimism and resilience, without glossing over life’s challenges. She takes great pride in seeing her short films featured in The New York Times, National Geographic, The Atlantic, and even pirated on TikTok (though she’d prefer credit).


As a commercial director she strives to work with clients to tell meaningful stories that resonate with audiences of all ages. There is nothing she loves more than bringing out people’s authentic reactions, which you can see in her Disney and Niantic work. She enjoys crafting narratives around people you want to root for, even when hard topics are being discussed.


Her first feature film, JessZilla, premiered in 2023 at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival where it was in competition. It went on to play at notable festivals around the world (IDFA, DOC NYC, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival) and won awards with Slamdance, Fargo Film Festival, Rhode Island Film Festival, Ridgefield Film Festival, and the Atlanta Film Festival. It was also selected alongside 18 other features as part of the 2025 American Film Showcase. You can learn more at the film’s website.


Emily is currently diving into the world of speed puzzling, with a short Livestreams with GrandmaPuzzles and a feature, Puzzle People (in development). Even though she’s found her niche in nonfiction content, she still enjoys working with actors both commercially and independently.


She holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and is a member of New York Women in Film & Television, Film Fatales, and IFP. She is currently 1/2 of the duo behind Chicken Wing Pictures. Feel free to say hi at emily@chickenwingpictures[dot]com.

Format: Unscripted Features

Genre: Documentary, Coming of Age, Sports, Women, Youth

Location: New York, United States

Slamdance's Indie Awards: Spotlight Award

Best Picture, Best Documentary, Best Director - Fargo Film Festival

2023 Special Jury Mention: Documentary Feature - Atlanta Film Festival

Outstanding Documentary Feature - Ridgefield Film Festival

Best Cinematography - Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival