Alumna Manages Production for Oscar-Winning Documentary

Marki Yaccino’s journey from pupil to producer

When Marki Yaccino (Media Production, ‘17) graduated from Belmont, hungry for action and headed to New York City, she knew that someday she’d be working on films that made a difference. Now, nine years and one Oscar award later, she’s done it.

Great Expectations 

Yaccino got started in New York through the Belmont East program, which let her live in the city for her final semester and take coursework online while completing an internship. This was where she made connections that earned her work once she graduated and helped her acclimate to a new environment. 

“Because of Belmont East I was able to assistant edit for a few months as a freelancer before finding the production roles I was looking for,” she remembered. “Eventually, I found work on really big projects like commercials for Gap and Bumble.” 

After graduating, larger projects like these began to accumulate in her portfolio and Yaccino moved closer and closer to doing the work she was passionate about. Soon, she connected with Smartypants Pictures who brought her on as a production manager. For Yaccino, this is where the story gets good. 

“Working with Smartypants was my first peek into documentary filmmaking, which is so fun. You get to meet real people with amazing, interesting stories, spending a week or longer in their universe and being part of their life. That's what makes docs so special,” she said. 

Her first documentary project was a short film titled “Stranger at the Gate,” which was directed by Joshua Seftel and received an Oscar nomination in 2022. Following the story of a former Marine with P.T.S.D who was planning an act of mass violence against the Muslim community, the film explores his study of the faith and ultimate conversion. 

Road to the Academy Awards 

The success of this film led Yaccino to the role of co-production manager on another Smartypants documentary directed by Seftel — “All the Empty Rooms.” Produced for Netflix, this film was her biggest to date and put her in charge of a production team that travelled across the country for filming. 

“All the Empty Rooms” is the story of CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp’s project to document the empty bedrooms of children lost to gun violence in schools. Reviews of the film called it “incredibly poignant, breathtaking and sobering,” “devastating,” “necessary,” and “one of the best short films in years.” In March, the project received an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. 

“It's very powerful and digestible for such a heartbreaking subject,” shared Yaccino. “Smartypants did an amazing job letting the kids’ stories be the film’s centerpiece." 

Given the sensitive nature of the project, production was handled gently. Filmmaking teams were kept to a minimum inside the victims’ homes, and Yaccino managed her production responsibilities remotely. “Running point from New York was a very different experience,” she said. “The team took the weight of the story very seriously, and we went to great lengths to be as minimally invasive as possible. To me, the film exists to give a voice to the kids who don't have one anymore.” 

Story continues below.

The Belmont Connection 

Coming off the heels of “All the Empty Rooms,” Yaccino is now exploring feature filmmaking through a project created with friends she made at Belmont. 

The upcoming film, “Molting”, is a family drama anchored by three sisters’ conflict over what to do with their late mother’s summer cottage. Written and directed by her freshman year roommate Kendra Baude, Yaccino is co-producing the film with fellow alumna Ryan Byrd. 

"I had such a fantastic experience of community at Belmont, making lifelong friends and creative partners,” she said. “It’s been so special to continue working with them over the years. Belmont made it very clear that the people you meet are going to be the people that you want to lean on in your career — and I definitely see that happening today.”

From her early days in New York to her current success as an established freelancer, Yaccino’s journey has been hard earned through patience and dedication to her craft. Bolstered by the creative community she formed at Belmont, she continues to make meaningful work, stay inspired and pursue the stories she cares about.