Born and raised in the small island of Dominica located in the West Indies, Casey Baron moved to Austin after graduating from Florida State University with a degree in English – Editing, Writing, and Media. While attending FSU, Casey worked for The Torchlight Program. During his time there, he was the Team Leader and Personal Assistant to film industry veteran Paul Cohen, the program’s Executive Director. Beyond that creative venture, Casey has also been an editor on a handful of literary magazines, including FSU’s The Kudzu Review and Miami Dade College’s AXIS Creative Arts Magazine.

Casey has been a part of the Austin Film Festival family for three years running; starting off as an intern before climbing the ladder to become the festival’s Shorts Programmer for its 25th anniversary. He’s excited to jump into his new role as the Senior Film Program Director, and continuing the organizational and personal mission of championing storytellers. When he’s not racing to find interesting stories, Casey spends his spare time watching basketball and soccer, listening to music, and playing with his dog Niobe.

Joe Choe joined the AFF team in 2019 as the Community Outreach Coordinator. In this role, Joe works with both the Development and Marketing departments, helping AFF with marketing needs, grants, and partnerships. Joe graduated from the University of Texas in 2009 with his Bachelor’s Degree in Radio, Television, and Film. After a brief stint in the video game industry, Joe worked with the small business community in Austin, working in both software and photography. In his previous roles, Joe worked with the Multi-Ethnic Chamber Alliance, and various other partners like the City of Austin, to plan and promote community events for local minority business owners. In his free time, Joe likes to write and plans to have his first fiction novel finished before 2020.