Maggie Contreras

Maggie Contreras is a director and producer behind films tackling a wide range of topics, from comics to solar energy, as well as numerous network promos, and non-fiction series. Jonathan Scott's Power Trip (PBS Independent Lens 2020) is the titular HGTV celebrity and activist's journey across the USA to examine the antiquated utility monopoly system and how solar holds the key to energy freedom. In 2017 Gilbert premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was distributed by Gravitas Ventures with exclusive SVOD on Hulu. Her digital series have been seen on AMC, NFL Network and in 2020, Big Rad Wolf, the American Apparel story for Quibi. Her first foray into the non- fiction world was as a publicity consultant, helping to shape the campaigns for nearly twenty documentaries including Academy Award nominees Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Invisible War and Oscar-winner 20 Feet From Stardom. In addition to commercials, she most recently directed a film about the intersection of comedy and social justice which will be a permanent installation in The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. Still curious...? Maggie grew up with a foot in two distinctly different worlds. Her paternal grandparents are Mexican immigrants who walked to Tucson, Arizona where Maggie was born and raised. She spent every summer growing up and eventually moved with her family to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where her mother is from. As writer/producer, Maggie sold a scripted series in the UK, co-written with Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. She trained at Boston University and The London Dramatic Academy and holds a B.A. from The George Washington University. After formal training in London, she entered the TV-film world as a performer and has made appearances in numerous television shows and films. She is an interfaith activist and was a part of President Obama's Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge where she worked with college students to promote understanding and collaboration between diverse communities in an effort to contribute to the common good. She was a competitive equestrian, is a classically trained singer and actor, loves bugs and has definitive opinions on The Muppets as a whole and as individuals.