Program

PROGRAM

time

MAIN STAGE 1

location

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

AfroAnimaiton Pre Kick-Off Mixer & Networking

Cambria Hotel Rooftop Overlooking Burbank

THURS. APRIL 23RD - Doors open for seats at 8:20 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

9:00 AM -
9:50 AM

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

Keith

Burbank

10:00 AM -
10:50 AM

We Are All Tigers - A Fireside chat with Jorge Guiterrez

Jorge

Burbank

11:00 AM -
11:50 AM

Owning the Vision: How Creators Build and Scale IP

Eli

Samantha

Tanesha

Renard

Jason

Burbank

12:00 PM -
12:50 PM

Lunch

Icon Awards Luncheon: Lynne Southerland and Shabrayia Cleaver

TBD

1:00 PM -
1:50 PM

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

Adele

Lynne

Shabrayia

Breana

Ashley

Burbank

2:00 PM -
2:50 PM

Masters of the Frame: Director’s Insights Behind Iconic Animation

Peter

Frank

Matthew

Tara

Tendayi

Burbank

3:00 PM -
3:50 PM

Indie Short Animation Film Screening

Burbank

4:00 PM -
4:50 PM

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

Byron

Eli

Benni

Burbank

5:15 PM

Creators and Storyteller's Networking Mixer

Burbank

5:25 PM

VIP Passholders-Only, Speakers & Sponsors Networking Mixer

TBD

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

Burbank

9:15 AM -
9:45 AM

Keynote with Kibi Anderson

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

Kibi

Burbank

10:00 AM -
10:50 AM

Black Boys at the Center: Reimagining Children’s Animation

Chris

Chaz

Kareem

Senibo

Burbank

11:00 AM -
11:50 AM

From Creating Characters to Running the Show

Juston

Aaron

Yavae

Mark

Burbank

12:00 PM -
12:50 PM

Lunch

Burbank

1:00 PM -
1:50 PM

From Classroom to Studio:
Building the Stop Motion Pipeline

Amy

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

Burbank

3:00 PM -
3:50 PM

Meet the Disney Recruiters

Burbank

4:00 PM -
4:55 PM

Responsible AI: What Every Creator Needs to Know Now

Minh

Renard

Tree

Eric

Charles

Burbank

5:15 PM -
7:30 PM

Creators and Storyteller's Networking Mixer

TBD

6:45 PM -
8:45 PM

FRWD Awards Reception

TBD

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

time

1ST FLOOR WORKSHOPS

Suite 300

Suite 400

location

9:00 AM -
9:55 AM

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

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

TBD

Burbank

11:00 AM -
11:55 AM

Learn How to Write for Animation

Clearing the Path: Legal Essentials for Animation

Kari

Film Tax Credits & Inside the California Film Commission

Shawn

Burbank

12:00 PM -
12:55 PM

Storyboard Competion & Throwdown: The Wacom Challenge

Lunch

Lunch

Burbank

1:00 PM -
1:55 PM

Storyboard Competion & Throwdown: The Wacom Challenge

Inside VFX: Building Worlds Beyond the Frame

Adrian

TBD

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

Aubrey

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

The Ultimate Proof of Concept: Creating Comics and Building Worlds

Burbank

5:00 PM -
7:30 PM

Creator's Network Mixer: All AAS2026 Passholders

Burbank