PROGRAM

Kick-Off Mixer
April 22nd 2026
day 1
April 23rd 2026
day 2
April 24th 2026
day 3
April 25th 2026
day 4
April 26th 2026
time
MAIN STAGE 1
location
3:30 pm to 7:00 pm

Early badge pick-up

Cambria Hotel

5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

AfroAnimation Pre Kick-Off Mixer & Networking

Cambria Hotel Rooftop Overlooking Burbank

THURS. APRIL 23RD - Registration and Doors Open at 8:30 am

time
MAIN STAGE 1
location
8:30 AM

Doors Open

Burbank

8:45 AM -
9:00 AM

Welcome/Recap - Rio Cyrus/Keith White

Rio
Keith

theater 8

9:00 AM -
9:50 AM

From Margin to Mainstream: A 70-Year Evolution of Black Trailblazers

Keith

theater 8

Burbank

10:00 AM -
10:50 AM

We Are All Tigers -  A Fireside chat with Jorge Guiterrez

Jorge

theater 8

Burbank

11:00 AM -
11:50 AM

Owning the Vision: How Creators Build and Scale IP

Eli
Samantha
Tanesha
Renard
Jason

theater 8

Burbank

12:00 PM -
12:50 PM

General Lunch

Invite-Only

1:00 PM -
1:50 PM

From Creating Characters to Running the Show

Juston
Aaron
Yavae
Mark
Tyler

theater 8

Burbank

2:00 PM -
2:50 PM

Masters of the Frame: Directors' Insights Behind Iconic Animation

Peter
Frank
Matthew
Tara
Tendayi

theater 8

Burbank

3:00 PM -
3:50 PM

Breaking In & Levelling Up:
How Voice Actors Make Real Money

Byron
Eli
Benni
Ezra
Mykal-Michelle

theater 8

Burbank

4:00 PM -
4:50 PM

Children's Shorts: SuperScientists: Origins;  Little Stories, Big Echoes: Beads of Hope;  L'Allunaggio del Lupo
General Shorts:  Na Makasi: Ancestral Awakening (The Discovery);  UBUNTU; Black Man, Black Man

theater 8

Burbank

5:15 PM -
7:90 PM

Creators and Storyteller's Networking Mixer - All Pass Holders

Burbank

5:20 PM

VIP Passholders-Only, Speakers & Sponsors Networking Mixer

FRIDAY, APRIL 24th  - Doors open for seats at 8:30 AM

time
MAIN STAGE 1
location
8:30 AM

Doors Open

Burbank

9:00 AM

Welcome/Recap - Rio Cyrus

Rio

theater 8

Burbank

9:15 AM -
9:45 AM

Keynote with Kibi Anderson

Talent Isn’t Enough; Why Most Creators Lose Their Shot

Kibi

theater 8

Burbank

10:00 AM -
10:50 AM

Black Boys at the Center: Reimagining Children’s Animation

Christopher
Chaz
Kareem
Senibo

theater 8

Burbank

11:00 AM -
11:50 AM

Ink, Identity & Impact: Women Creating Cultural Shifts in Animation

Adele
Shabrayia
Breana
Ashley

theater 8

Burbank

12:00 PM -
12:50 PM

General Lunch and Indie Producers Short Film Screening

Icon Awards Luncheon: Tiffany Navarro-Purkeypile, Shabrayia Cleaver and Rio Cyrus
VIP Passholders, Dreamworks and Laika Sponsors-Only

Tiffany
Rio
Shabrayia
1:00 PM -
1:50 PM

From Classroom to Studio:
Building the Stop Motion Pipeline

Amy

theater 8

Burbank

2:00 PM -
2:50 PM

Inside the Producer's Role: From Weather Hunters to Family Guy, Boondocks to Hair Love

Evan
Carl
Karen
John

theater 8

Burbank

3:00 PM -
3:50 PM

Growing Your Craft: Creating Careers, Portfolios, and Community with Disney

Lex
Matt
Stephanie

theater 8

Burbank

4:00 PM -
4:55 PM

Responsible AI: What Every Creator Needs to Know Now

Minh
Tiffani
Tree
Eric
Charles
Keith

theater 8

Burbank

5:15 PM -
7:30 PM

Creators and Storyteller's Networking Mixer

6:45 PM -
8:45 PM

FRWD Awads Reception *VIP Passholders & Sponsors-only and put LAIKA-only

SATURDAY APRIL 25th - Badge pick-up opens at the Cambria Hotel at 9:15 AM

time
1ST FLOOR WORKSHOPS
Suite 522
Suite 622
location
9:00 AM -
9:55 AM

Job Fair and Workshop Registration Opens: Coffee & Morning Network Mixer

VIP Passholders Lounge

Burbank

10:00 AM -
10:55 AM

Finding Your Voice: The Craft of Voice Acting with Krystal Homes & Johnathan Eric Bentley

Krystal
John

Own Your Work: IP Protection for Animators & Creators by Moorisha Bey-Taylor, Esq.

Moorisha
Baron

Alternative Film Distribution Playbook

Rish
Rio

Burbank

11:00 AM -
11:55 AM

From Idea to Script to Screen: Developing your Animation Idea with Khaila Amazan

Khaila
Rio

Clearing the Path: Legal Essentials for Animation

Karina

Film Tax Credits & Inside the California Film Commission

Shawn
Heather

Burbank

12:00 PM -
12:55 PM

Storyboard Competion & Throwdown: The Wacom Challenge

Qamdhyn

Lunch

Lunch

Burbank

1:00 PM -
1:55 PM

Storyboard Competion & Throwdown: The Wacom Challenge

Qamdhyn

Inside VFX: Building Worlds Beyond the Frame

Adrian
Rio

Breaking Into Streaming: The Matumbilas Journey to getting on Tubi

Denise

Burbank

2:00 PM -
2:55 PM

Frame by Frame: Stop Motion with LAIKA

Tiffany

AI in Animation: Tools for the Modern Creator

Minh

The Ins & Outs of Animation Editing with Calivin O’Neal

Calvin

Burbank

3:00 PM -
3:55 PM

24 Hours Animation Contest for Students showcase

Aubry

Laptop required for this workshop

Your First Job in Animation: Life as a Production Assistant Lesleigh Walker (King of the Hill), Illia Sargent -Barba (K-Pop: Demon Hunters)

Lesleigh
ILIA

Burbank

4:00 PM -
4:55 PM

Expanding Animation Beyond Entertainment
Brought by Wacom and Black Realities with Steven Christian

Steven

AI in Animation: Tools for the Modern Creator

Minh

Storytelling at Scale: Secret Level's AI-Native Approach

Christina

Burbank

5:00 PM -
7:30 PM

Creator's Network Mixer: All AAS2026 Passholders

Burbank

Sunday, April 26th Digital Graphic & Anime Lab badge pickup at 9:00 am

time
1ST FLOOR WORKSHOPS
Suite 522
Suite 622
location
09:00 AM -
09:55 AM

Open Registration
Coffee & Morning Network

Burbank

10:00 AM -
10:55 AM

Controlling Light on Dark Skin:
CG Lighting & Compositing Techniques

Karen

Proof of Concept: Pitching I Licensing & IP I Honest Producer by Danny De Lillo

Danny

VIP Passholders Lounge

Burbank

11:00 AM -
11:55 AM

Wacom Drawn Beyond Experiential Lab

The Art of Creating a Network and Net Worth

Michael
Phillip

VIP Passholders Lounge

Burbank

12:00 PM -
12:55 PM

Wacom Drawn Beyond Experiential Lab

The Power of the Studio: How creating a studio can leverage minimal resources by Ayinde Hall

Ayinde
1:00 PM -
1:55 PM

Wacom Drawing Beyond Experiential Lab

Voice Over Basics from Mic to Market

Jenelle

Burbank

2:00 PM -
3:00 PM

Houdini Jumpstart: 3D Artist Learn to Animate (Hand-n Workshop)

Required Laptop and 3-button Mouse

Debra

Fortnite Creative: Indie Opportunities for Game Developers

Eric

Burbank

3:15 PM -
4:00 PM

Cosplayers Networking and Competition
$200 for best Cosplay Attire

Burbank