Rachel Watanabe-Batton

Rachel Watanabe-Batton is founder of Contradiction and Struggle, a production and consulting company dedicated to telling authentic stories that reframe historical and cultural narratives. Watanabe-Batton is Chair of Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) and co-founder of Women Independent Producers (WIP). She serves on the Board of Directors of New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and Board of Representatives of the Producers Guild of America East (PGA). She has been honored with the MADE IN NY Award by Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner Cynthia Lopez for her contributions as Chair of PGA East Diversity (2008-2018) and founding co-chair of PGA Women's Impact Network (2014-2018). Watanabe-Batton graduated from the High School of Music and Art in New York and has a B.A. from Harvard University in Visual and Environmental Studies and Sociology. After university, she moved westward and got a temporary job at Danny Glover's Carrie P