Conversation with Jessica Lopez - June 25 @ 2:30PM PST

Tery Lopez is the Director of Inclusion and Equity at the Writers Guild of America West. Previously, she was conference director for the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (www.NALIP.org). Ms. Lopez began her career in the film industry as an assistant to producers, Moctesuma Esparza, and Robert Katz (Selena, Gettysburg, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge). Later, she worked as part of Moctesuma Esparza’s, Maya Pictures development team,producing 13 episodes of the Sí TV comedy series, Circumsized Cinema. She also worked as a post-production coordinator for the HBO film, Walkout, and was co-producer of the feature film Innocent Voices, which was Mexico's official entry to the 2005 Academy Awards. Tery received her B.A. in Telecommunications and Film from the California State University at Los Angeles and sits on the advisory board for the Latino Communications Institute at Cal State Fullerton.

Emerging Content Creator Workshop - June 25 @ 12:45pm PST

Early in her career she co-founded Womyn Image Makers (WIM), a queer Latina-identified film collective based out of Los Angeles. While with WIM, she directed short films including Pura Lengua and Viernes Girl. Her work earned her a slot on FILMMAKER MAGAZINE'S 25 Faces to Watch. Guerrero wrote and directed Mosquita Y Mari, her debut narrative feature film, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Mosquita Y Mari went on to travel top-tier film festivals including San Francisco, Melbourne, Goteburg, and Guadalajara while garnering multiple awards including Best First Narrative Feature at Outfest. Mosquita y Mari was nominated for the Cassavetes Spirit Award and a GLAAD Media Award. In 2017, Guerrero directed her first episode of television on Ava Duvernay's critically acclaimed drama, Queen Sugar. Since she has directed on Greenleaf, Gentefied, Little America, 13 Reasons Why, and Duvernay's latest, Cherish The Day.

Intro to GTDI and Opportunities in Film - June 25 @ 4:00pm PST

TV Animation 101 – Developing for Kids 6-11 and Preschool - June 30 @ 2:30pm PST

Rosemary Palacios leads the day-to-day execution of the Universal Animation Writers Program. She is also involved in the live-action writing program, Universal Directors Initiative and Universal Composers Initiative. Rosemary serves as the team’s liaison with external organizations such as the American Black Film Festival, Easterseals Disability Film Challenge and ReelAbilities. Prior to joining Universal, Rosemary was the Senior Manager of Preschool Production and Development at Nickelodeon. In that position she was the development executive and executive-in-charge on properties such as Corn & Peg, Shimmer and Shine, and Abby Hatcher Fuzzly Catcher. A native Texan, Rosemary earned a bachelor’s of science degree in Radio-Television from the University of Texas, and a Master of Arts from Columbia University where she studied Instructional Technology and Media.

Intro to GTDI and Opportunities in Film - June 25 @ 4:00pm PST

Emerlynn Lampitoc joined Universal Filmed Entertainment Group’s (UFEG) Global Talent Development & Inclusion department at its inception in 2017. Reporting directly to the Head of Inclusion – Talent & Content, she works closely on the development and implementation of strategies to increase both creative and workforce inclusion within Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation, Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes. She also oversees the day-to-day execution of the department’s creative pipeline efforts which include the Universal Writers Program, Universal Animation Writers Program, Universal Directors Initiative and the Universal Composers Initiative. Additionally, she co-leads the studio’s Executive Inclusion Initiative which facilitates female and diverse talent introductions to NBCUniversal’s Executive Search and Talent Acquisitions teams, as well as hiring managers throughout UFEG. Lampitoc serves as a liaison for the department’s external relationships with such groups as AFI and Sundance FilmTwo and is key in driving all outreach efforts. Prior to joining Universal, she was Manager of Creative Talent Development & Inclusion for Disney ABC Television where she was instrumental in staffing writers and securing episodic directing assignments for female and diverse talent on ABC, Freeform, and Disney Channel. Lampitoc’s varied background also includes unscripted television development and production; studio drama development positions at 20th Century Fox and Paramount; and publicity positions at NBC and ABC. Raised in Honolulu, HI, Lampitoc received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and a minor in Creative Writing from Whitworth University in Spokane, WA.

Intro to GTDI and Opportunities in Film - June 25 @ 4:00pm PST

TV Animation 101 – Developing for Kids 6-11 and Preschool - June 30 @ 2:30pm PST

Since joining GTDI in 2019, Michael Pogarian leads the Universal Composers Initiative and is also involved with the Universal Directors Initiative, Universal Writers Program and the Universal Animation Writers Program. Previously, he was an Associate Creative Producer at Fullscreen, co-creating and overseeing the AT&T Hello Lab Mentorship Program, that brought together entertainment industry leaders including Lena Waithe and Taika Waititi with emerging filmmakers from diverse backgrounds to create their signature work. In the first two years of the program he developed, produced and distributed ten short films that premiered on DirecTV Now and were accepted to notable international film festivals including SXSW, Outfest, and the Calgary Film Festival. Before Fullscreen, Pogarian worked in unscripted development and production at Magical Elves (Project Runway, Top Chef) and Zodiak USA (Celebrity Wife Swap). In 2012, Pogarian graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Television Production at Boston University.

Emerging Content Creator Workshop - June 25 @ 12:45pm PST

Rebecca Murga is a Chicago-born, Latinx WGA writer who works in Los Angeles as a filmmaker. She produces and directs films, commercials, documentaries and branded content. Past clients include ABC, CBS, CBS Sports, Mundo FOX, MLB, NBA, Comcast, ESPN, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, Walgreens, and A&E Networks. Rebecca served as a U.S. Army Captain and has deployed to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan as one of the first women attached to Special Operations. She is currently the Director of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW), a hands-on training program committed to increasing the number of women and gender non-binary artists working professionally as narrative screen directors, and is also currently one of the eight creators in the Dan Lin / Rideback TV incubator produced by Rideback Television. Rebecca completed the Disney / ABC Directing Program, directed the ANNUAL LOS ANGELES ABC TALENT SHOWCASE, completed the inaugural class of the Ryan Murphy Television HALF Foundation Director Mentorship Program.

Twitter: @RebeccaMurga

Conversation with Steven Canals - June 25 @ 5:30pm PST

Marc Malkin is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces on the red carpet. An award-winning and Emmy-nominated journalist with more than two decades of experience working across broadcast, print and digital media, Marc began his career in celebrity journalism at Premiere magazine and went on to write, report and edit for the New York Daily News, Us Weekly and New York magazine. Before joining Variety, he served as an on-air correspondent at E! News, and was a supervising producer at the Insider. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband, Fabian, and their two dogs, Jeb and Paca.

Emerging Content Creator Workshop - June 25 @ 12:45pm PST

Carla Renata aka The Curvy Film Critic is a graduate of Howard University and named one of 2018’s Underrepresented Critics of Color by the Los Angeles Times. Her reviews have been featured at Variety, NAACP’s The Crisis Magazine, EUR Web, AAFCA.com, Ebony.com, NPR.org, her own site The Curvy Film Critic, ET Live! Maltin on Movies, RogerEbert.com, FOX 11-LA, as well as Shadow and Act. Being a proud member of AAFCA (African American Film Critics Association), Carla hosted an evening of The Black Experience on Film for Turner Classic Movies. Other memberships include HCA (Hollywood Critics Association), (OAFFC) The Online Association of Female Film Critics, AWIJ (Alliance of Women Journalists), Tomatometer approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes and a member of (BFCA) Broadcast Film Critics Association. The Curvy Critic with Carla Renata (produced by Keven Undergaro, Maria Menounos and Derrial Christon) streams LIVE every Sunday 5pm PST at Black Hollywood Live via YouTube, Spotify and a Apple Music featuring reviews, news and interviews with stars in front and behind the camera.

Conversation with Steven Canals - June 25 @ 5:30pm PST

STEVEN CANALS is the Emmy®-nominated and Peabody Award-winning co-creator, executive producer, director and writer of FX’s groundbreaking drama series, POSE, which will return for a third season. For the show's recent second season, Canals made his TV directorial debut with the episode titled "Revelations," which he also wrote. He was recently featured on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter's Pride Issue and named to their list of 2020's "50 Most Powerful LGBTQ Players in Hollywood."

Twitter & IG @StevenCanals

Emerging Content Creator Workshop - June 25 @ 12:45pm PST

Susana Zepeda Cagan is the Vice President of Talent Relations and Development for Turner Classic Movies. In this role, she leads all talent recruitment and development for TCM as well as oversee all talent relations responsibilities including brand-related talent management and appearances, talent ideation for all programming and brand initiatives, and creating new business opportunities for the brands built around talent.

TWITTER: @ZZZEPEDA