Hansen Bursic (he/him) is a communications and marketing specialist and award-winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Growing up in Pittsburgh and then moving to Philadelphia, he got his start working at statewide grassroots LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations battling some of the very first explicitly anti-trans policy and legislation in the state. His work culminated in leading a media campaign for Pennsylvania Values, an advocacy campaign to add sexuality, gender identity, and expression to Pennsylvania’s state nondiscrimination protections.
After moving to Los Angeles, Bursic worked at several arts and culture nonprofits before coming to SoCal Grantmakers, including the International Documentary Association (IDA) and Outfest. In 2023 he was named one of the Ford Foundation’s Rockwood Documentary Leadership Fellows and a Temple University 30 Under 30. His latest film, Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania, which tells the almost-lost history of legendary gatherings of hundreds of trans women in a small Pennsylvania town, has been touring the world at festivals including Frameline and NewFest. He is also the current Co-President of the Board of the NLGJA: LGBTQ+ Journalism Association’s Los Angeles Chapter.
