12:00 PM

Afternoon Keynote

Montrel McKay, President – Development & Production, Hoorae (fka Issa Rae Productions)

12:15 PM

A24 Presents Black Women Filmmakers – The making of “Zola” with Writer/Director Janicza Bravo and Academy-Award Nominated Editor Joi McMillon

Join us for a conversation with the “Zola” Creative Team. Janicza Bravo (Director/Writer) and Joi McMillon (Editor) to discuss how the iconic series of viral tweets came to be “Zola” the cinematic film.Janicza Bravo Writer/Director

Janicza Bravo Writer/Director
Joi McMillon, Editor
Ryan Sides, VP Digital Strategy, Crooked Media (Moderator)

1:00 PM

The Power of HBCU Representation in Entertainment

Representation Matters! The panel will have notable HBCU alumni to celebrate their success and impact. The discussion will reflect on the importance of unity and authentic representation through their journey, challenges, and achievements.

Brittany Grooms VP of Feature Casting, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Brandon Lawrence, Agent, CAA
Stephen “Dr.” Love, Producer/CEO, Made With Love Media
Ashley McFarlin, VP Development, WEtv
Mikki Woodard, Head of Impact Investing, Diversity Inclusion & Culture at Bad Robot Productions

1:45 PM

NBC Universal Presents Careers in Sports Media

Interested in a career in sports media? Find out what it’s like to work in sports media by hearing from NBC Sports on-air talent, business executives and content creators. Our panelists will tell you how they started their careers and dish out career advice.

Crystal Fisher, Senior Director, Television & Streaming, NBCUniversal Media
Prince Grimes, Editor, NBC Sports Washington
Wes Hall, Host of the Washington Wizards Pre & Post Game Show, NBC Sports Washington (Moderator)
Corey Robinson, Reporter & Digital Correspondent, NBC Sports
Doug Smith, Host, “Beyond The Fairway”, NBC Sports

12:00 PM

Afternoon Keynote

Speaker TBD

12:15 PM

ICM Partners Present Black Agents in Hollywood

Talent agents represent top artists, creators, and leaders in the entertainment business. Becoming an agent is rewarding yet highly competitive. The panelists will share their journey, challenges, success stories and advice on what it takes to launch your career.

Mari Davies, Music Agent, ICM Partners
Rob Gibbs, Head of Contemporary Music, ICM Partners
Ava Greenfield, TV Literary Agent, ICM Partners
Travis Merriweather, Senior Political Strategist, ICM Partners (Moderator)
Yves Pierre, Music Agent, ICM Partners

1:00 PM

Equipping the Next Generation

Historically Black Colleges and Universities have an incredible legacy of preparing and equipping the next generation of great minds to lead and compete globally. The discussion will focus on insights, resources, access, and experiences needed to thrive as creatives, entrepreneurs, executives, and leaders in the entertainment industry.

Kristena Hatcher, VP People and Culture, Acceleration Community of Companies (Moderator)
Dr. Sharoni Little, Head, Global Inclusion Strategy, CAA
Nikki Love, VP Production & Development, WEtv and ALLBLK
Quashan Lockett, Global Head of Human Resources, On Location
Cecil White, Agent & Executive, WME Sports

1:45 PM

Netflix Presents Introduction to Post-Production

Post-Production is where the magic really happens, and all the pieces come together as a finished product. Asya will share her career journey and what goes into post-production including mixing the soundtrack and adding special effects.

Asya Mutazammil, Post Production Management, Original Films, Netflix

2:45 PM

Screening of “DREAMLAND: The Burning of Black Wall Street, a CNN Film

This film was executive produced by LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson, and Philip Byron for The SpringHill Company, and Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton for CNN Films. Directed and produced by Salima Koroma, the cinematic documentary celebrates the Black cultural renaissance that existed in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and investigates the 100-year-old race massacre that left an indelible, though hidden stain on American history. As present-day Tulsa seeks reconciliation and accountability for this century-old tragedy, Koroma’s film blends archival media, animation, narrated letters and diary entries, and contemporary interviews with a richly evocative original score. DREAMLAND also examines the findings of the current archeological search for mass graves.

Alexandra Hannibal, Director of Program Development, CNN
Schuyler Nickleberry, Associate Archives Coordinator, CNN (Moderator)

12:00 PM

Afternoon Keynote

Darnell Strom, Partner & Head of Culture & Leadership Division, United Talent Agency

12:15 PM

Endeavor Presents A Conversation with Director Travon Free

Travon Free is writer and director of “Two Distant Strangers” an Academy Award winning live action short film that tackles societal racism and policing in the black community.  In conversation Free will share insight into the making of this emotional film and his career journey in the entertainment Industry.

Travon Free, Writer/Director, “Two Distant Strangers”
Eric Pertilla, VP, TV Production & Development, Endeavor Content (Moderator)

1:00 PM

Pixar Presents SOUL Behind the Scenes

Mara MacMahon, Character Model Lead, will share the behind-the-scenes development of characters for Oscar nominated feature SOUL. She will also discuss the impact of bias in the creative process, and exploring its role in her work as an artist.

Mara MacMahon, Character Modeler & Rigger, Pixar

1:45 PM

Screening of “SUMMER OF SOUL(…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”

In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was never seen and largely forgotten–until now. “SUMMER OF SOUL” shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The feature includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more. SUMMER OF SOUL premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. It will stream on Hulu in conjunction with Disney General Entertainment’s Onyx Collective; Searchlight Pictures will release it theatrically.

Shawn Gee, President Live Nation Urban, Live Nation Entertainment
Joseph Patel, Producer
Leonard Washington, Chief Operating Officer, EICOP/HBCU in LA (Moderator)