Lydia Hurlbut is CEO of the Filmmakers Academy. Founded in 2009, the business delivers outstanding professional education and mentorship to filmmakers worldwide. The business changed its name from Hurlbut Academy in November 2021. In 2014, Hurlbut created Shane’s Inner Circle, an online membership community committed to boosting member’s film expertise and productivity. With courses on lighting, lensing, composition and theory, the group learned about storytelling with emotion and leadership. The community expanded rapidly. It quickly evolved with Hurlbut’s design for its members’ rapid career growth, while leveraging learning and networking opportunities. It taught new technologies and techniques from the set of feature films, commercials and music videos. Hurlbut systematically changed the way people view filmmaking education. Her various projects — Hurlbut Visuals Blog (2009), the HV Bootcamp (2010), the Illumination Experience tour (2013) Shane’s Inner Circle (2014), the sold-out Oct. and Nov. workshops of 2016 — morphed into the Hurlbut Academy by 2018. Hurlbut earned her master’s degree in forensic nursing at the University of Virginia. From there, her career path journeyed through pediatric nursing and forensic science to life coaching and strategic marketing. She is passionate about wellness and techniques for optimizing health. Hurlbut has been married to her cinematographer husband for 33 years and is mother to Kyra and Myles. With a creative mind and unique skill set, enhanced by strong relationships in the film industry, Hurlbut continues to define the Filmmakers Academy as an innovator and trusted source. Both achievements reflect her passion for improving the lives of next-generation filmmakers.