Bio

Joelle Velez is an award-winning filmmaker, actor, and producer based in Chicago. 

A graduate of The Second City Film School, her first 2 films were selections at 20+ film festivals and received 4 awards collectively. 

Her latest film, CHOKE, has just begun its festival circuit and will premiere at Oscar-Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival at the historical TCL Chinese Theatre. 

Her feature script, Work: The Novela The Unauthorized Musical No One Asked For, landed her a nomination for the Chinonye Chukwu Emerging Write Award at the Athena Film Festival. The script was also named a Semi-Finalist at HollyShorts 2025 Screenwriting Competition, a Quarter Finalst at the Big Apple Film Festival Women's Spotlight, and a participant in the Athena Film Festival Writers' Lab.

Velez also placed as a Finalist for the Warner Brother Discovery Comedic Voices program and Oberlin Screenwriting Intensives.

Velez is a classically trained actress and performer. She studied Theater and Economics at Oberlin College, and grew up surrounded by the arts at a youth performing arts school. She also has training in improvisation, stand-up comedy, vocal performance, bass guitar, dance, and stage combat.

Prior to her creative pursuits, she was a venture capital investor, researcher, and business analyst. 

In 2025, Velez founded Sparkly Productins, an independent film production company dedicated to changing the world with... Sparkly Productions.