IMP is a full-service agency working in the independent film and public media space for a range of clients including PBS stations, independent filmmakers and other content producers.
IMP is a professional collaborative consisting of two agency partners, a full-time associate, and a team of talented specialists we bring together in support of each project to focus the right talent on the right job.
Our People
DENNIS PALMIERI
COFOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER
dennis@impactmediapartners.com
Dennis has over 20 years experience in media and communications, specializing in the intersection of media, community, and public affairs. Dennis has worked for nearly 10 years in public media, serving as Managing Director of Communications at ITVS, where he led all promotional efforts for the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens. Dennis also created ITVS’s groundbreaking Community Cinema® program, and OVEE®, an innovative online engagement platform for public media funded by CPB.
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Dennis has over 20 years experience in media and communications, specializing in the intersection of media, community, and public affairs. Dennis has worked for nearly 10 years in public media, serving as Managing Director of Communications at ITVS, where he led all promotional efforts for the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens. Dennis also created ITVS’s groundbreaking Community Cinema® program, and OVEE®, an innovative online engagement platform for public media funded by CPB.
Dennis spearheaded several high-profile projects to raise visibility for public media on Capitol Hill, and oversaw some of the system’s most successful community engagement campaigns, including Hip-Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes, the Emmy-winning A Lion in the House FRONTLINE’s Country Boys, Women and Girls Lead, among others. Dennis also served on PBS’s Digital Advisory Council, and has presented to numerous media conferences and symposia.
Beyond his decade in public media, Dennis led communications and public affairs efforts for Amnesty International in the western U.S. for over five years, and served as communications lead at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and Common Sense Media.
SARAH BRISSENDEN-SMITH
PARTNER AND DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTS
sarah@impactmediapartners.com
Sara brings to IMP more than twenty years of experience in community development, engagement, youth development, and education. A natural relationship builder, Sara has extensive experience working with a variety of local and national organizations to address health disparities, improve opportunities in education and housing, and engage community leaders. Sara’s work in media engagement spans nearly a decade, with work at the Independent Television Service (ITVS), GirlSource, Juma Ventures and the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC).
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Sara brings to IMP more than twenty years of experience in community development, engagement, youth development, and education. A natural relationship builder, Sara has extensive experience working with a variety of local and national organizations to address health disparities, improve opportunities in education and housing and engage community leaders to create social impact.
Prior to joining IMP, Sara’s work as Director of Neighborhood Revitalization for Habitat for Humanity engaged long-time residents in vulnerable neighborhoods to address social and economic inequities in neighborhoods hit hardest by gentrification.
Sara’s work in media engagement spans nearly a decade, with work at the Independent Television Service (ITVS) managing Community Cinema, the largest engagement program in public television. As a Program Manager and Director, Sara developed innovative curriculum and programming to empower youth, young adults and mothers through workforce development programs with GirlSource, Juma Ventures and the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC).
Sara holds a BA from Santa Clara University in Sociology with an emphasis in Ethnic Studies. Sara is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and an avid traveler.
CAITS MEISSNER
ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
caits@impactmediapartners.com
Caits Meissner has worked with Impact Media Partners since 2017. She brings over 15 years of experience in community arts, education, and cultural programming, with a focus on narrative-driven initiatives and community-centered media engagement. At IMP, she contributes to the development of programs and partnerships that align storytelling, social impact, and public engagement.
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Caits Meissner has worked with Impact Media Partners since 2017 and brings over 15 years of experience across community arts, education, and cultural programming. Her work focuses on narrative development, collaborative program design, and supporting organizations working at the intersection of media, culture, and social change.
Meissner has served as an integral team member in developing programs for organizations including Tribeca Film Institute, The Bronx Academy of Letters, Urban Arts Partnership, Facing History & Ourselves, and Lower Eastside Girls Club, and has taught, consulted, and co-created extensively across a wide range of communities.
Previously, Meissner served as Director of Prison and Justice Writing at PEN America, where she edited The Sentences That Create Us, Crafting A Writer’s In Prison (Haymarket Books, 2022). The project was supported by the Mellon Foundation, which funded the distribution of 75,000 copies to readers in prisons across the United States.
An active multidisciplinary artist and writer, Meissner holds an MFA in Creative Writing from City College of New York, where she received the Jerome Lowell DeJur Prize in Creative Writing, an Educational Enrichment Award, and the Teacher-Writer Award. She is deeply invested in the role of imagination and creativity in social and cultural change.
Our Process
Our process is organic and flexible.
We combine proven research and design methods with ground-up innovation to create responsive solutions. From independent filmmakers to podcasters, nonprofits to television networks, we treat our clients as partners—collaborating to shape a plan of action, budget, and timeline tailored to your needs.
With deep experience in public and independent media and strong relationships across the PBS system, community-based organizations, and education sectors, IMP is strategically positioned to manage projects, design and execute impact strategies, support fundraising, and secure distribution in the public media space.
We specialize in building relationships and developing strategies that drive success across a wide range of programs and projects.