Ian Skorodin
CEO BARCID FOUNDATION
Ian Skorodin (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and began his directing career with an award winning feature film, entitled Tushka, based on the murder of a Native American activist’s family. After premiering at Sundance, TUSHKA went on to win Best Feature at the Arizona International Film Festival.
Skorodin moved into television writing and staffed on a Paul Feig comedy series and ran an all Native American writers room that produced a comedy about the urban Native experience. Skorodin is currently overseeing a second all Native American writers room about the Indian Health Service.
Skorodin has also directed and produced the satirical stop motion animation series Crazy Ind’n. After a successful festival run, Crazy Ind’n found distribution on APTN and DishNetwork. Skorodin formed a partnership with Comcast Xfinity and wrote, directed and produced several digital series and short films. This included Wave, a critically acclaimed comedy about a burnt out production sound man and the dark drama, Jew In Choctaw Country, that explores the criminal element in 1970’s Oklahoma.
Skorodin’s other television projects include WALKING ON TURTLE ISLAND, starring Tantoo Cardinal and Saginaw Grant, an episodic pilot that premiered at the Ashland International Film Festival.
In addition to his creative work, Skorodin founded the Barcid Foundation to address the lack of Native American representation in entertainment. In 2007, Skorodin created the LA SKINS FEST, a Native American film festival based in Los Angeles, housed at the Chinese Theater and screens over 70 Native American films each year.
The festival is accompanied by a week-long series of events that include an annual industry pitch fest that hosts Native American writers and creative executives from numerous studios, television networks and production companies. In addition, the festival offers a unique actors program that provides audition workshops with casting directors from renowned studios and hosts comedy showcases for Native American actors through the Los Angeles based Comedy Central Stage.
In 2016, Skorodin created the intensive 5-week Native American TV Writers Lab. This program provides expert tutelage for Native American writers seeking additional resources and has assisted over a dozen Native American writers staff on current series. In 2018, he expanded the writers program and launched the Native American Feature Film Writers Lab that has Native American writers develop and complete a feature length screenplay in 10 weeks.
In 2019, Skorodin launched the Native American Animation Lab that gives Native Americans the opportunity to advance their careers and gain exposure from the animation industry. In early 2020, he created the Native American Showrunner Program which provides mentorship over a 9 month period for Native American writers who have professional experience and need additional guidance to further their careers.
Since 2009, Skorodin has overseen the Native Youth Multimedia Workshop. Skorodin has traveled to dozens of reservations throughout the US to provide a week-long workshop that has Native American youth produce short documentaries about their tribe, language and culture. In 2019, Skorodin expanded the program and now offers an animation workshop for Native youth that focuses on software, artistry, and career development. Skorodin is currently overseeing post-production on his fifth documentary. This one pertaining to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe's struggle and resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic.
