Most RSAC and Black Hat conference attendees go to network and learn about emerging threats. But Danielle Lewan, Clint Howard II, and 11 long-time chief information security officers (CISOs) arrive with cameras rolling and a different agenda: turning their breach-response stories into compelling television.
Last year, Lewan launched Red Mirror Studios, an independent film studio dedicated to cybersecurity, alongside Howard, co-founder and chief creative officer. She founded the studio after working to produce a different docuseries, CISO: The Worst Job I Ever Wanted, while director of global marketing at Nagomi Security in 2025.
Now, as Red Mirror Studios founder and CEO, Lewan will release an 11-episode limited series called Declassified, in which 11 cybersecurity experts from enterprise, government, and critical infrastructure organizations will share their stories on screen. Declassified was filmed in March during the RSAC Conference in San Francisco, and the first episode aired on July 28, days before Black Hat USA 2026 kicked off in Las Vegas.
The series aims to promote candid conversations for CISOs dealing with high-pressure breaches, internal failures, and personal struggles. While the studio provides a place for CISOs to share vulnerable stories, the series also raises security awareness for individuals who encounter cyberattacks daily, whether they receive breach notifications or work in affected organizations. Cyberattacks make headlines, but transparency is often limited. By sharing real experiences, the series aims to help people understand why security fundamentals, like strong passwords, matter.
Meet the Directors
Risk is a constant in cybersecurity, particularly for CISOs who spend their careers managing it, mitigating it, or falling victim to it. Lewan knows the word well because it has defined her film journey, too.
When Lewan and Howard's first project, CISO: The Worst Job I Ever Wanted, didn't go quite as they expected, they realized that if they wanted to change cybersecurity through stories, they had to take an independent route, Lewan tells Dark Reading. Producing a docuseries as a vendor had expectations that did not align with how they wanted to move forward. Corporate politics clashed with their vision for a docuseries. For example, the lead venture capitalists (VCs) funding CISO: The Worst Job I Ever Wanted wanted to omit certain CISOs and change the title after Lewan had completed market research and validation. They feared it would deter CISOs from entering the role, she explains.