Adrena Ifill has over 18 years experience in marketing, public relations and documentary video production. In 2002, she founded DoubleBack Productions, LLC (www.doublebackproductions.com) due in part to the inspiration and enthusiasm for history passed down to Adrena by her parents. DoubleBack Productions, LLC manages and consults with cultural and history projects utilizing the benefits of technology to restore and preserve less widely known events in the history of the African Diaspora. Its mission is to inform, preserve and provoke discourse across the globe.
As a filmmaker, Adrena produced and directed a historical documentary chronicling the life and achievements of Congressman Robert Smalls, formerly enslaved in South Carolina, who served in the US Congress for five terms during the Reconstruction era. This documentary, Congressman Robert Smalls: A Patriot’s Journey from Slavery to Capitol Hill, is one of the few productions that uncover the dynamics of the role of African Americans in the history of American political leadership. The documentary won the best documentary award from the Arizona Black Film Showcase in 2007.
Adrena’s documentary credits include Frontline: The Wall Street Fix; 2003 National Visionary Leadership Project Gala and Summit and 2004 National Visionary Leadership Summit. She produced various documentary shorts of African American leaders including activist Dick Gregory, actor Ossie Davis, artist Elizabeth Catlett, and folk singer Odetta.
As a consultant, Adrena managed the creation of Avoice (www.avoiceonline.org), the virtual library project of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. She directs its development, strategic partnerships and digitization. It is the first and most comprehensive virtual library on African American political and legislative contributions. Containing the archives of the Congressional Black Caucus, it is the only online repository for materials relating to all Black members of Congress from the 19th century to the present.
In her marketing career, Adrena managed multi-million dollar accounts for consumer products such as health/beauty aids and dog food. She also managed the national merchandising campaign for Take Our Daughter to Work® Day (www.daughtersandsonstowork.org) and was publicist for several musical artists.
Able to coordinate multiple projects, Adrena has produced several convention awards banquets and live events. She served as the Associate Producer of the National Visionary Leadership Project (www.visionaryproject.com). In addition, fortunate to be a part of history, Adrena directed the operations of a national anti-apartheid organization during the period of Nelson Mandela’s release and presidency.
A graduate of the competitive Documentary Center of George Washington University in Washington, DC, Adrena also holds an MBA from Howard University and BA from Williams College in Massachusetts. She is a former board member of the Humanities Council of Washington, DC and the Black Collective for DC History. In addition, she serves on the Alumnae Board of Holton-Arms School in Maryland.
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