AFS Executive Chosen for Distinguished Three-Year Fellowship with the University of Maryland DeVos Institute of Arts Management

Holly Herrick, AFS’s Head of Film and Creative Media, is One of Seven International Leaders Chosen for the Fellowship

June 3, AUSTIN, TX— The Austin Film Society announces that Holly Herrick, AFS Head of Film and Creative Media, will take part in the Global Arts Management Fellowship at the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland. This three-year executive training program convenes annually in Washington, D.C. Fellows meet each summer for several weeks of focused training, mentorship and networking with all active Fellowship cohorts. Once completed, Herrick will join over 200 Fellowship alumni who form a respected and visible leadership community in arts organizations around the world.

“The Fellowship is designed for individuals who have dedicated themselves to arts administration,” said the DeVos Institute of Arts Management in a press release. “Intensive training in strategic planning, leadership, fundraising, marketing, board governance, human resources and financial planning is coupled with peer learning, networking and time for personal reflection. It is designed as both a catalyst for leaders at critical points in their careers, as well as a high-touch, long-term investment in a generation of leaders who will support one another, and their fields of service, for a lifetime.”

Luminaries from across artistic disciplines around the world apply for the opportunity to take part in the Global Arts Management Fellowship, and only 4% of applicants are chosen. This year’s new cohort includes Fellows from England, Germany and Austria as well as the United States, and this summer’s sessions will include Fellows from previous years’ cohorts, returning from Singapore, Canada, Colombia, Ukraine and Australia.

AFS CEO Rebecca Campbell said, “AFS knows what an inspiring leader and colleague we have in Holly Herrick, so it’s wonderful to get external validation of her talents.” She continued, “This honor not only recognizes her visionary leadership skills but also recognizes the Austin Film Society as a significant arts organization in a global context. I am thrilled that Holly has been awarded this prestigious three-year fellowship that will accelerate her leadership capacity at AFS.”

In addition to Holly Herrick, the 2024–2026 Fellowship Cohort includes Andrew Hurst, Chief Executive at One Dance UK (Birmingham, England); David Mack, Managing Director of the African American Art & Culture Complex (San Francisco, USA); Fiona Stevens, Executive Director of Concerto Köln (Köln, Germany); Mari Robles, Executive Director of Headland Center for the Arts (Sausalito, USA); Martina Laab, Producing & Artistic Director of ORF Radiokulturhaus (Vienna, Austria); and Robbie Jacobs, Executive Director of the Children’s Chorus of Washington (Washington, D.C., USA).

More information about the 2026 Fellowship Cohort of the Devos Institute’s Arts Management Intensive can be found at devosinstitute.umd.edu.

About Holly Herrick
Holly Herrick is a seasoned executive in the nonprofit film sector. As Head of Film and Creative Media at the Austin Film Society (AFS), she has played a key role in the organization’s expansion since 2012, leading program development, marketing and communications and strategic planning alongside AFS CEO Rebecca Campbell. Strongly rooted in the art of film, Holly is passionate about AFS’s mission to empower the community to “Make, Watch, and Love Film and Creative Media.” She has led the administration of nearly $2M in grant funds to Texas filmmakers and established successful talent development programs that have launched film careers. In 2017, AFS opened the AFS Cinema, Austin’s first and only nonprofit art house cinema.

Herrick’s background is in film festival programming and independent film production. She serves on the advisory board of SXSW Film & TV and has contributed programming to major international events including AFS retrospectives at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival (2018), the Centre Pompidou in Paris (as part of their 2019 Richard Linklater exhibit) and the Premiers Plans Festival in Angers, France (2015–2018). She has held programming leadership roles at the Sarasota Film Festival, the Hamptons International Film Festival and the Newport International Film Festival. Active in the film community, she has served as a juror, moderator and panelist with festivals and industry convenings including the Film Independent Spirit Awards, SXSW festival and conference, Sundance Film Festival, Arthouse Convergence, IndieMemphis Film Festival, Denver International Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, aGLIFF, School of Visual Arts NYC and The Gotham (NYC). She was a recipient of the 2023 Sarasota Film Festival Award, honored along with Tom Hall for foundational contributions to the festival at its 25th anniversary. She also served on the steering committee of the City of Austin’s Building Austin’s Creative Capacity Project. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from New College of Florida and completed additional studies at Sorbonne Paris III and New York University.

About Austin Film Society
Founded in 1985 by filmmaker Richard Linklater, AFS creates life-changing opportunities for filmmakers, catalyzes Austin and Texas as a creative hub, and brings the community together around great film. AFS is committed to racial equity and inclusion, with an objective to deliver programs that actively dismantle the structural racism, sexism and other bias in the screen industries. AFS supports filmmakers from all backgrounds towards career leaps, encouraging exceptional artistic projects with grants and support services. AFS operates Austin Studios, a 20-acre production facility, to attract and grow the creative media ecosystem. Austin Public, a space for our city’s diverse mediamakers to train and collaborate, provides many points of access to filmmaking and film careers. The AFS Cinema is an ambitiously programmed repertory and first run arthouse with broad community engagement. By hosting premieres, local and international industry events, and the Texas Film Awards, AFS shines the national spotlight on Texas filmmakers while connecting Austin and Texas to the wider film community. AFS is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

MEDIA CONTACT
Will Stefanski
Will@austinfilm.org