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THE PRIDE IN UNITY TEAM
Damond Collier, Executive Director
Damond grew up in a fatherless home environment and lived through the battlegrounds of detention camp, youth authority and penitentiary systems. After surviving these elements and his close encounters with death, Damond met Bo Taylor and joined Unity One. Damond has become an established Intervention Prevention Specialist where he utilizes a recording studio to work with at risk youth and has his own record label. In addition,
Damond Collier has been involved with Unity One since 1994 graduating from it’s Impact Sessions as a teenager. Before Darren Bo Taylors untimely passing, Bo introduced Damond to Coach Pete Carrol, Head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and coach Cornell Ward. Bo, Pete, and Cornell inspired Damond to utilize what he learned in the streets to develop something better for people like him. After graduating from P.C.I.T.I’s first graduating class, Damond developed workshops for at-risk youth/young adults through music,arts, and entertainment, helped to establish the Beverly Hills Gators youth football organization, and eventually utilized the Pride In Unity theology to create “Baby Gangsta The Movie.” A movie in which he successfully formed an alliance between crips and bloods to promote unity, create self sufficiency, and establish Pride in Unity theology.
Rene' Villar-Rios, Director of Cinematography
born in Chile, son of revolutionary parents, his mother a social worker and his father a musician. In Sept 11,1973 after the military coup in Chile, his mother was arrested for activism. Shortly after René and his family were able to escape and seek refuge in Sweden. There René had to grow up as “the other” from early years. His parents struggle in the new land and living in the refugee projects was anything else than affluent. But Rene found a passion early on, a passion for helping people in struggle. Early on Rene knew he was interested in arts, photography, and wanted to tell stories, meet people, document life and the streets. He chooses as an 11 year old kid to follow his passion full hearted and become a master at his skills as a filmmaker and visionary. In 1995 Rene was accepted to the prestigious school of art photography and film in Sweden. He finished his Bachelor of Arts with honors and an exhibition of his work at MOMA, Sweden, 1999. He then follow up his studies with a year at ICP, international center of photography in New York City, and specialize in documentary style photography. Here Rene shot visual stories for New York Times and National Geographic. In 2000, René, was accepted to the master program at AFI, and graduated in 2002 with his thesis film, Billy The Kid, being accepted to Sundance film festival. After graduation René Villar has worked professionally as a Director, Cinematographer and photographer. He has directed over 200 national and international commercials for TV, cinema and web, and collaborated successfully on award winning projects with clients such as Nike, Chase Bank, McDonalds, Vans, Coca-Cola and numerous more. René has also written several scripts that are in different stage of development. He had the honor to co-direct and shoot BabyGangsta the movie, and then the dark comedy, Silver Service, a Swedish feature film that is in post. He recently Did the Director of Photography for a feature film about the children in cages, Amaraica, and is nominated for best cinematography in Nice Film Festival as well as Madrid Film Festival 2020. René has a genuine passion for his community and is excited to give back to the youth. He has experience teaching film and photography from Sweden as well of UCLA, where he gave workshops in 2018 and 2019. When René isn’t working, he loves to skateboard, the beach, music and mostly to hang out with his kids and friends, but even in the most relaxed moment René’’s always looking for that magic moment, the perfect picture!
Philliphe Brown, Music/Sound Project Coordinator
Philliphe Brown was raised in Central District of Seattle, WA. Being around musical instruments since the age of 2, it was only a matter of time before he was playing them. Through out school he learned to play many different instruments and by middle school was touring with a jazz band and M.C/Hosting his own production ‘The Philliphe and Friends Talent Showcase, a motivation show that went to Boys and Girls
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Regina Warren, Accounting/Business Project Coordinator
Regina is a Portland, OR native that got involved with Pride In Unity in 2017. She has over 15 years as an Accountant. Her first involvement with making a change in others lives was as a teenager when she volunteered at an Adult Foster Care Homes to work closely with the elderly . she has worked with various large companies such as Adidas America, Vestas Wind Technology, Daimler Trucks NW, PCRI non profit also owns
Cornell Ward, Consultant
Cornell Ward spent most of his youth involved with activities that led to the demise of his community. Thus, his athletic talents, ease for sports and coaching, has given him a vehicle to send over 700 youth to Division I, Division I AA, Division II, Division III, and NAIA schools around the country.
Cornell Ward worked from 1994-2005 as Kedren's Family Service Center & Head Start volunteer resource coordinator. In Los Angeles County, Kedren operated 26 facilities offering educational programs for children 3 to 5 years of age and basic learning skills such as the alphabet and the identification of geometric shapes. Cornell Ward developed Kedren's annual "Family Fun Day" event where more than 2,000 people converged in Watts. The event featured free food and rides, including a carousel and a train. "We’d have a ton of fun" said Cornell Ward. In addition, he worked effortlessly on the team to generate resources for the facilities to teach classes in English, Spanish, Cambodian, Japanese and Armenian as well as offer adult and youth continuing education, literacy and computer courses, career development, tutoring, after-school athletics and college preparatory classe