Lucas Raagas - Academy Manager

Lucas Raagas (He/Him) is the Academy Manager at The Loop Lab. He is a proud Cambridge native and couldn’t be more grateful to be working in the community that raised him. As a graduate from Emerson College, his knowledge of media technology is deeply tied to his passion for storytelling. He has worked professionally in the audio world with several different titles for as long as he can remember, and wants to bring that experience and knowledge to the classrooms of our Academy. The mission of The Loop Lab deeply resonates with Lucas as he believes that the stories we hear, watch, read and share are the key to a more equitable world. Anyone can do this, but all anyone ever needed was an opportunity and for someone to believe in them.

Marlon Orozco - Senior INstructor

Marlon Orozco (He/Him) has been working in multimedia youth development programs for about 20 years and has focused his work on creative media arts, storytelling and technology. Currently, he is working as the Senior Instructor at The Loop Lab in Cambridge, MA, teaching audio, photography and video production to young adults. His passion for media arts and youth development led him to be the Director of the Teen Media Program and the Do It Your Damn Self-youth film festival at the Community Art Center in Cambridge MA.

Matthew Feener - Instructor: HIgh School Programming

Matthew Feener (He/Him) graduated from Mass Art in 2010 with a BFA in Film/Video. He worked at Raw Art Works in Lynn, where he found a passion for teaching. He then worked at Transformative Culture Project (formerly Press Pass TV) as the Production Manager. Finally, he now works at The Loop Lab as the High School Programming Instructor. He is driven to get skills into the hands of those who need their stories told and who have not traditionally had the support to do so.

Miranda Yung - Media Arts Instructor

Miranda Yung (she/her) is a multi-talented visual artist and MFA film scholar with a dedicated passion for inspiring hope and healing through the magic of storytelling. Possessing production experience in commercial, music video, documentary, and narrative fiction film - Miranda aspires to become a creative leader in producing, writing and directing culturally-responsible media for the good of humanity.

Deirdre MOrales - Supervising Producer

Deirdre Morales (She/Her) is the Supervising Producer at the Loop Lab. She has a award-winning career in Children’s media, a work history in L.A., and is passionate about bringing her media and content-creation talents to the apprentices through our award-winning studio! You can learn more at the studio’s website!

Troy Ellerbee- Managing Director

Troy Ellerbee (he/him) was born in Boston, MA and raised in Cambridge, MA. Troy’s mission is to empower others to reach their full potential both professionally, personally and to assist small businesses/organizations with their goals and objectives for healthy growth. He has extensive leadership, organizational operations, and project management experience.

Troy retired from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Bus Maintenance Division after 23 years of service and was the Director of Bus Maintenance & Engineering. He was awarded a Governor’s Citation for performance excellence. He also served as the Chief of Operations for Pentecostal Tabernacle for 25 years, where Troy continues to serve as a minister.

Kiara Cole - Administrative Manager

Kiara Cole (she/her) was born in West Bengal, India and raised in northern Vermont. After graduating from Emerson College, she worked in archival documentary film and television in Los Angeles before returning to the east coast. Kiara was drawn to The Loop Lab because it offers the opportunity to support other young people of color and foster their creative aspirations, adding to the representation on and off screen. On the other side, we also help build a larger community within Cambridge & Boston through the Studio’s various productions. Outside of office hours, she can be found dancing, in discussion with the transracial adoption community, and hanging with cats.

Michael Levine - Director of Grants & Budget Management

Michael (he/him) has extensive experience working with nonprofits, government, and philanthropic organizations.  He has held leadership, key staff, and board roles in support of many human and social service agencies. He is very passionate about equity advancing work and continues to support civil and human rights organizations.  Michael received his MPA from American University in Washington, D.C.

Yummi Wang - Development Fellow

Born and raised in Shanghai, China, Yummi Wang (she/her) moved to the U.S. in search of diverse life experiences. After graduating from college in China, she pursued an M.A. in Sociology from Columbia University and later earned an M.S. in Arts Administration from Boston University. With a deep empathy for the human experience and a strong appreciation for the arts, Yummi began her journey to empower people through artistic development, broadening their life dimensions. She feathered her nest through an internship at the Boston Center for the Arts, and landed at The Loop Lab, where she now serves as a full-time Development Fellow.

Manuela Victorelli - Executive Assistant

Manuela Victorelli (she/her) grew up in the landscapes of upcountry Brazil, where her journey through the world of storytelling began. She found a new home in Boston while earning her bachelor’s degree in film and television from Boston University. With a stint in production management and screenplay writing in Los Angeles under her belt, she found her true calling at The Loop Lab, where her fervent belief in the transformative power of words, whether written or visual, fuels her passion for inclusivity within the media industry. When not immersed in cinematic enchantment or lost in the pages of a novel, you'll find her championing the importance of every voice being heard and celebrated.

Chris Hope - Founder/Executive director

Chris Hope (He/Him) is the founder and executive director of The Loop Lab. Hope graduated from Tufts University, and then received his Masters at Harvard Divinity School. He now serves on the board of advisors for MassHire, is on the board of AVIXA, and is a Creative Community Fellow for the National Arts Strategies. 

Hope is also a adjunct professor at the Boston University College of Communications, and runs his own DEI and staffing company, Equity Intelligence Consulting. You can learn more at his website!