Xavier Cousens [email protected] / (908) 591-0429 / xaviercousens.com

JOURNALISM / FILM EXPERIENCE The Wall Street Journal | News Assistant June 2019 - PRESENT ● Work with Pulitzer prize winning reporter Amy Dockser Marcus and Health and Science Bureau Chief Stefanie Ilgenfritz to write stories about DNA testing and heritage

Midnight Family (1091 Media fka The Orchard) | Social Media Coordinator Oct. 2019 - Nov. 2019 ● Worked with director Luke Lorentzen and producer Kellen Quinn to boost their presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for their 2020 Oscar shortlisted feature documentary about a private family run ambulance in Mexico City

Fictionless | Editor May 2019 ● Created sizzle reel for in house use based on feature documentary about experimental treatment to cure cancer for Oscar winning filmmaker Ross Kauffman

The Great Hack () | Ar chival Researcher Mar. 2018 – May 2019 ● Spearheaded research and archival collection of 3,000+ documents, photos, and videos for BAFTA Nominated, Oscar-shortlisted feature documentary, which premiered at 2019 by directors Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer ● Worked from pre to post-production and Netflix delivery on this verité documentary following the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook scandal ● Assisted in field production alongside directors Jehane Noujaim & Karim Amer ● Mentored college interns

The Vow (W.T.) (HBO) | Pr oduction Assistant Mar. 2018 – May 2019 ● Assisted in research and field production on HBO Documentary series about the controversial NXIVM group directed by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer

Afterward (1091 Media fka The Orchard) | Festival Coordinator Sept. 2018 – PRESENT ● Winner of 2019 Social Impact Award at the Greenwich International Film Festival and produced by Jack Riccobono, Abigail E. Disney, Adam Schlesinger, and directed by Ofra Bloch ● Seen as a victim in Germany and a perpetrator in Palestine, the film follows the director as she confronts the narratives of the Holocaust & the Nakba ● Researched, applied, and headed screening logistics and outreach with organizations like the UN, The Utah Film Center, DOC NYC, CIFF, San Francisco JFF, Sarasota FF, and Santa Barbara IFF

HUSTLE (working title & edit) | Dir ector June 2018 - PRESENT ● Shot, produced, & edited short documentary about a man who spends his nights incarcerated and his days as a messenger in NYC ● Received $1,000 grant from National Academy of Arts and Sciences

Jigsaw Productions | Intern May 2018 – Aug. 2018 ● Gathered and logged 500+ documents, photos, and videos for Untitled feature documentary produced by Javier Botero and directed by about Russia and the US election

OTHER EXPERIENCE Sites of Memory, Accra, Ghana | Ethnographic Researcher June – Aug. 2016 ● Received Lee Iacocca grant to spend summer visiting slave castles and forts across Ghanian coast to study and interview locals on the lasting effects of the transatlantic slave trade

Meknés Detention Center, Meknés, Morocco | V olunteer Jan. – April 2016 ● Worked with children ranging from 12-18 in a juvenile detention center

SKILLS Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, Photoshop, After Effects (some exp.), Avid (some exp.), Various Cameras

EDUCATION University | MA in Journalism (News & Documentary) Sept. 2017— Dec. 2018 Lehigh University | BA in Anthropology Aug. 2013 —May 2017