About

Danielle Rose, 29, is an award winning documentary filmmaker. She is also a photographer, traveler, journalist, native brooklynite, human rights advocate and teacher. 

She received her undergraduate degree at Sarah Lawrence College where she focused on writing, psychology and the fine arts. She then spent her “junior year abroad” at Columbia University. Returning to Sarah Lawrence for the dream of a senior year, she pursued studies in anthropology, sociology and documentary film, namely Film Production, Journalism and Documentary Filmmaking. In that last year she started her first documentary “In Our Backyard” a documentary investigating human trafficking in Brooklyn.

“In Our Backyard” went on to win Best Documentary and the Audience Choice Award in The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival and Best Documentary in the Big Apple Film Festival.  The film was also awarded the “Silver Spotlight Award”.  “In Our Backyard” has had over 30 screenings where Danielle has spoken on panels with Survivors, Detectives, Representatives of NYPD, the NYC Public Advocate, Politicians and many more.  The film has been screened at The United Nations, The NYPD Intelligence Bureau, Maimonides Medical Center, The Brooklyn Public Library main branch, The Brooklyn Historical Society, art galleries, many schools, and diverse places of worship. She has been interviewed by BRIC Arts Media, NY1 (twice) and Salon regarding the film. The film has also been used to help pass new legislation in New York State and continues to be an education tool across the country. 

While in the midst of finishing “In Our Backyard” along with crowd funding for it Danielle started her Masters Degree at the Columbia School of Journalism, selected for the specialization in documentary film.  She produced her masters thesis documentary called “Little Ellis Island” on an Indian immigrant, Mahesh, who found purpose in helping just released detainees from the Buffalo Federal Detention Center.  They are dropped off at the Citgo gas station he manages.  When they arrived everyday he transformed into a social worker, their first encounter, free in the United States. He arranged travel, provided free food and anything else he could assist with before they continued into their new chapter of life. She received The Joyce A. de Groot Memorial Fund, The Patsy Pulitzer Preston Fund, The Michael & Ramelle Pulitzer Fund and a Columbia Journalism School Finishing Grant for the documentary short. The film sold to CBS and The New York Post. 

Since finishing her MS she has taught at Pratt Institute twice a semester for the past five years. She is very passionate about kids and their ability to tell stories. She has created the curriculum for documentary and photography programs and taught classes at three middle schools in the Bronx, Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

A year ago Danielle started her own production company In Our Backyard Productions.  She has produced and directed four films under the company and is in the middle of editing one of them.  She travelled to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and documented artists and their destroyed work along with their new efforts and passion to heal through art. The documentary “Arte Sana” was used for relief funding.  She has followed a human statue for a year and a half documenting his struggles as a street performer in New York City along with his struggle with mental health issues.  Danielle also produced a film on a mother “Elizabeth.” who tells her son their harrowing migration story crossing the Mexico/ United States border. Although her story happened 20 years ago the film feels it could have happened yesterday.  The fourth film she is currently editing is called “Just Plain Bill”. The documentary follows Bill Warren who chooses to call Washington Square Park his permanent home. He believes humans should live outside.  He lives a very eventful life, loved and revered by many, he is one of the most captivating and unusual residents of New York City.  The company has also done one commissioned documentary that focused on the need for mental health care for seniors in New York City. She created the company to make documentaries on character based films that discuss issues around the world that might be in plain sight but are hidden “In Our Backyard”(s)

Danielle is an avid traveler.  Many say she doesn't travel to relax but relaxes to photograph while traveling.

Danielle is proud her closeness with her family and friends, the kindergarden (Gan) she rebuilt for refugees children in Israel, the victims saved by her documentary “In Our Backyard”, the places she has travelled and adventures she has been on and the peoples who share the stories she gets to tell… and also that New York State Volleyball championship her team won in High School.