11-11:45am

Panel: Importance of Allies

Learn from showrunners and executives how to create an inclusive environment so that everyone feels as though they have an important role to contribute.

Moderator: Dr. Maytha Alhassen (Writer, Ramy; Social justice artist, journalist, and historian)

Panelists: Alison Hoffman (President of Domestic Networks at Starz; Former key architect of award-winning marketing campaigns for Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead), Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead, The Shield, and Damien; Co-chair of the WGA’s Inclusion & Equity Group), Sascha Paladino (Mira, Royal Detective; Emmy-nominated writer and producer)

12:30-1:15pm

Lunch

A buffet lunch from the award-winning Plateia restaurant will be served outside on the Centennial Terrace.

1:20-1:50pm

Panel: Making Impact for Key Social Issues

Listen, get inspired and network with a group of people who know how to advocate and make impact using the power of storytelling. Hear what tactics and strategies leave the biggest imprint and what current challenges filmmakers and their impact partners face today.

Moderator: Maya Hernandez (Junior Fellow at CSS and a 4th year PhD student at UC Irvine; research focuses on how adolescents of diverse backgrounds leverage technologies to support mental health and wellbeing)

Panelists: Bonnie Abaunza (Humanitarian work, human rights, and social justice advocacy), Allison Begalman (CEO of YEA! Impact), Eric Esrailian (The Promise; Chief of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA), Nicole Hendrix (Emmy Award-winning Producer and Co-Founder of BRIC), Jess Ju (Director of Programs and Operations at CAPE), Alex Sewell (Social Impact, Inclusion & Culture at Bad Robot Productions)

2:00-2:45pm

Panel: Who Gets to Tell the Story?

The craft of writing, the skill of directing, and the expertise of production require the ability to conceive a story from many different POVs. This session will begin to unpack some of the issues that arise when writers, directors and producers grapple with creating stories that they themselves did not experience.

Moderator: Nancy Kanter (Netflix Executive Producer; Former EVP Content and Creative Strategy for Disney Channels)

Panelists: Darla Anderson (Producer at Netflix; former producer for Pixar, known for work on Coco, Toy Story 3, Monsters, Inc.), Marcela Aviles (Latinx cultural media consultant for Pixar, Coco; Producer and writer), Amee Dolleman (Producer, Executive Director of Original Movies for Disney Branded Television), Rashonda Joplin (Director of Scripted Development at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Formerly Collective Digital Studio and Development at Studio71), Kevin Lin (Talent and Literary Agent at CAA, Co-Head of Cultural Business Strategy at CAA), Dana Stevens (Fatherhood, The Woman King, The Nightingale)

2:00-2:45pm

Panel: Storytelling for the Gen Z and Gen Alpha Audience

Contrary to past popular belief, young people want to see the world as it is, with diverse characters dealing with real social issues. Hear from filmmakers who are portraying the full spectrum of the American youth experience by telling multicultural stories from an all-new perspective and in completely unexpected ways. 

Moderator: Gerald Higginbotham (Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, Senior fellow at CSS)

Panelists: Stephanie Allain (Founder of Homegrown Pictures; Dear White People, Beyond the Lights, Oscars 2020), Joy Gorman Wettels (Producer and Partner at Anonymous Content; Executive Producer of 13 Reasons Why), Erica Oyama (Co-Executive Producer of Never Have I Ever), Steve Tao (SVP Current Programming at CW; Executive on All American)

2:00-2:45pm

Panel: The Diverse Teen Voice

Hear directly from youth on what they care about, how they consume media, what stereotypes they are tired of seeing, and what ideas they have for improving content. 

Moderator: Kiesha Nix (Executive Director of the Lakers Youth Foundation)

Panelists: Gael Aitor (Creator and host of Teenager Therapy, the largest teen-hosted mental health podcast in the world), Daniel Marin (16-year-old non-binary, community-oriented risk-taker from South-East LA), Michael Mekonnen (18 year old rising star at the Brotherhood Crusade, participating in LA Chargers Bolt Academy), Sayuri Nagai (Youth Leadership Council Member at the Center for Scholars & Storytellers), Navia Robinson (Daytime Emmy Award-nominated actress and social justice advocate; Raven’s Home, Free Rein)

3:00-3:45pm

Panel: What’s Next?

In a world where science is needed more than ever to solve our most pressing problems, you won’t want to miss hearing from three UCLA Deans the inside scoop about the latest research happening in their divisions. UCLA is one of the top public universities in the world and a highly regarded research university.

Moderator: Dr. Yalda T. Uhls (Founder and Executive Director of CSS)

Panelists: Dr. Darnell Hunt (Dean of the Division of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at UCLA; Lead Author of Various Hollywood Reports on Media and Race), Dr. Tracy Johnson (Dean of UCLA Division of Life Sciences, Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence in the division of Life Sciences), Brian Kite (Interim Dean at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television)

3:45-4:00pm

Closing

Recap of the day with CSS founder, Dr. Yalda T. Uhls.