Our Team

Spencer Slovic - founder and lead strategist

After a string of jobs writing and producing top-performing videos at digital advertising companies, Spencer asked the question, "why aren't I seeing these types of ads in politics?" He's answering that question by pursuing the path himself and building out his team here at Mycorrhiza. After some glimmers of success in the 2020 campaign cycle, Mycorrhiza is in full force for 2022 and Spencer spends his full time working to support these campaigns. In his spare time he's an award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter, and has a feature film screenplay in development with a certain well-known production company. He has a degree in Film and Media Studies from Stanford University and is the Creative Director for Angélica Dueñas for Congress (CA-29).

Lance Hilderbrand - creative strategist

Born and raised on his ancestral homelands in the Pacific Northwest, Lance is a citizen of the Colville Confederated Tribes, and his two-spirit worldview powers his passion for the progressive fight. Prior to joining Mycorrhiza, Lance worked with climate, racial, & immigrant justice movements as a data specialist via the USC Equity Research Institute and the University Network for Human Rights. Outside of Mycorrhiza, Lance works to revitalize his endangered tribal language and is an aspiring jewelry designer. He holds a degree in Political Data Science from Stanford University.

Marjorie Hunt - creative strategist

Marjorie Hunt is a writer, filmmaker, photographer, and activist in Los Angeles. Her varied work experience includes serving food at a soup kitchen on the U.S.-Mexico border, investigating housing discrimination in Los Angeles, directing a feature documentary exploring the arts in Cuba, and managing creative strategy at a leading digital marketing startup. When not working with Mycorrhiza Digital, she is building a women-led conscious creative agency focused on supporting women- and POC-led businesses, and exploring the legacies of colonialism, imperialism, and racism in the Americas through her creative work.

Jean Balest - video director and editor

Jean Balest is a cum laude graduate of USC School of Cinematic Arts, writer, director and activist. Her work has been featured on Independent Film Channel (IFC), Apple Newsroom and has played at the Directed by Women Festival in Brooklyn, NY and Independent Filmmakers Showcase in Los Angeles, CA.

Jean's film, the documentary short LA BUENA MUERTE, was a mentorship project through Apple and Red Digital Cinema to highlight the democratization of film through technology. The

film premiered on Apple Newsroom January 18, 2018. La Buena Muerte is also currently streaming on Amazon Prime as part of the Fun Size Horror Shocktale Party, Epsiode 3.

Jean's past mentors have included Filmmakers Aaron Kaufman, Sam Martin and Phillipe Mora. Her biopic project about Leni Riefenstahl was announced on the Hollywood Bitchlist 2019, a tracking board of the top female centric content yet to be produced in Hollywood. Jean is an advocate for gender parity in the film industry. She has also taught film to at-risk youth through the non-profit organization Mobile Film Classroom as an advocate for media literacy.

During the 2020 election cycle, Jean supported Angelica Duenas for Congress, a Democratic candidate in California's Congressional District 29. Her work with Duenas was cut into a number

of political ads, namely California is Burning which was introduced by Joaquin Phoenix following his endorsement of Duenas during a Sunrise Movement Fundraiser.

Jean is currently working on a documentary about the history of displacement and genocide in The Caucasus.