Deborah Svoboda

Deborah Svoboda is a video producer and founder of Out of the Shadows Media, a business she started in 2018. She began her career in 2011, with more focused work starting in 2014, bringing over a decade of experience in the field. Coming from a journalism background, she handles projects from conception to final cut, including filming, editing, and interviewing. Prior to starting her own business, she worked at K2D, a PBS affiliate, and as a photographer at the San Francisco Chronicle. She graduated with a journalism degree in multimedia journalism from San Francisco State University in 2014 and completed a 6-month post-production course with the Bay Area Video Coalition. Svoboda won an Emmy Award for a short piece on opioid addiction and homelessness in San Francisco's Tenderloin district. Her primary focus is creating change by telling stories that nonprofits are uplifting, with an emphasis on marginalized communities. She is a member of Women in Film San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, the Bay Area Video Coalition, and the San Francisco Filmmaker Collaborative. Svoboda attributes her success to persistence through highs and lows, and values integrity highly in her work and personal life. She advises young women entering the industry to be persistent, find their true north, and recognize that emotional connection is as powerful as technical skills.