Robyn Hussa

Robyn Hussa has won awards as a performer, director and documentary and educational film producer. Robyn and her husband, Tim, run White Elephant Enterprises, a full-service production company based in California where they have co-Directed many award-winning projects. Most notably, the co-Directed the critically-acclaimed "Highland Video Village" public art installation, funded through a $1M grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies for Seeing Spartanburg In A New Light project. Developed over the course of 1.5 years working directly with residents of a challenged community to teach documentary storytelling and community journalism techniques, the results of "Video Village" directly led to residents taking political action to receive education to improve their neighborhood.

As co-producer of the documentary, The Walking Hospital, Robyn helped her husband Tim travel to remote regions of Nepal to tell the story of Chinese medicine specialists serving the people of Nepal. The Walking Hospital: Road to Lomanthang and The Walking Hospital: Kathmandu were exhibited at the Rubin Museum of Art in NYC in 2009 and again in 2011 as part of the Nursing Nepal installation. The Walking Hospital: Lomanthang was featured at the 2012 Napa Valley Film Festival.

In 2006 Robyn began focusing her work on using documentary film to improve mental health through multiple public health projects and research collaborations. It was during this time that she co-Directed Speaking out About ED and Beneath the Floorboards alongside over 25 experts in psychiatry and eating disorders.

Prior to this work, Hussa co-founded the award-winning Transport Group Theatre Company in NYC, now in its 20th year, and recipient of the 2007 Drama Desk award for breadth of vision and challenging productions.

Hussa and Farrell have collaborated on creative projects spanning over 30 years and are grateful for their growing list of long term, inter-disciplinary partners. Hussa earned her Bachelor's degree in drama with a single subject teaching credential in english from San Diego State University and a Master's in Fine Arts from University of Virginia, one of only eight performers selected for a 3-year scholarship. As a performer, Hussa has appeared in various regional and New York City theatre productions including her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy in the critically acclaimed revival of First Lady Suite (with an all-star cast that included Audra McDonald), and in The Audience, both of which received Drama Desk award nominations. As a writer, Hussa served as adaptor of Normal the Musical, in which she performed and directed over 200 productions, including the Edinburgh Fringe festival. Outside of her work at Transport Group, Hussa served as producer for iPeer, a groundbreaking production featured at the Henrik Ibsen Festival in Oslo, Norway and appeared in Off-Broadway productions for The Lark Theatre, Soho Rep, Inverse Theatre, Arielle Tepper Summer Play Festival, Lincoln Center Director's Lab and others.

Hussa serves as PI / co-Investigator on Sharpen's multiple research projects and grants, in collaboration with over a dozen doctoral level researchers in psychology, psychiatry, osteopathic medicine and education. In addition, Robyn is an E-RYT yoga instructor and Continuing Education Provider for Yoga Alliance (YACEP), is certified in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and a certified trainer for NAMI NH CONNECT Suicide Postvention program. She is the recipient of the 2017 Women of Distinction from SC Girl Scouts - Mountains to Midlands alongside Rep. Rita Allison, and the 2010 Champion in Women's Health award from First Lady of Wisconsin, Ms. Sue Ann Thompson. She and her husband Tim received the 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award from the City of Spartanburg and the 2017 InnoVISION award from South Carolina Research Authority.