Speakers

An Academy Award® winner and true pioneer, Ramsey made history directing Rise of the Guardians and the cultural phenomenon Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. A legendary visionary in modern animation.

Jones is Executive Producer, Head Writer and Director of Black Dynamite and Co-Executive Producer of Adult Swim’s The Boondocks, the first Cartoon Network program to win a Peabody Award.

Gutierrez’s credits include directing and co-writing the Guillermo del Toro–produced animated feature The Book of Life (2014). Emmy Award–winning Nick series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny and more.

Lynne Southerland serves as executive producer of “Disney Jr. Ariel – The Little Mermaid,” an animated musical series inspired by “The Little Mermaid” that follows young mermaid princess Ariel as she embarks on fun-filled, action-packed adventures with her friends throughout their Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica.

The Academy Award®-winning producer of Hair Love, Toliver is a titan of the industry. Formerly the Vice President of Animation at Netflix and a leader at Sony and Fox, she has shaped global franchises from Rio and Ice Age to the next generation of diverse animated features.

An Emmy & Annie-nominated icon who collaborated with Stan Lee and George Lucas. His 40-year career spans Spider-Man: TAS, Static Shock, DuckTales, Scooby-Doo, Fraggle Rock, DC Comics’ Cyborg, Green Lantern and English scripts for Disney released Miyazaki’s Laputa: The Castle in the Sky and Kiki’s Delivery Service. A true titan of animation.

Adele “Supreme” Williams is a writer, artist, and actor born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. After spending 5 years curating solo exhibits and live paintings all over the U.S., Adele decided to harness her love of story and the unexpected by way of screenwriting.

A 12-year DreamWorks veteran, Kaidbey leads the Clearance department, bridging law and creativity. From the film Ali to major animated features, she is a master of the complex world of studio production.

A WGA Award winner and comedic powerhouse, Waite’s credits include Family Guy, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Inside Job. He has also contributed to The Onion, The New Yorker, and Mad Magazine.

Shabrayia started in live action, working on various shows and indie features, before transitioning to animation, where she worked her way up to Producer. Her animation film credits include Kung Fu Panda 3, Trolls, The Boss Baby, Abominable, and most recently, Dog Man.

Tendayi Nyeke is an award-winning creative executive and entrepreneur, globally recognized for her multi-genre work, including awards from the Children's Emmys, Annie Awards, and SAFTA. She is currently developing an animated feature film at Netflix Animation USA and producing the independent fantasy film Tribe with French/UK Academy Award-winning studio Passion Pictures.

Moorisha Bey-Taylor is an award-winning Entertainment and Intellectual Property attorney specializing in helping clients protect and monetize their creative assets through copyright, trademark, and licensing agreements.

Co-founder of Ole Greens Group and Creative Producer for PBS KIDS’ Work It Out Wombats!, Dr Edouard is a STEM education expert centering Black boys as imaginative problem solvers in global animation.

Honing his craft for 30 years, Bentley is the voice of Barret (FFVII Remake) and LeBron James (MultiVersus). His legendary career spans Marvel’s Nick Fury in Avengers Confidential, Naruto, Resident Evil, God of War, Call of Duty, and Iron Man Rises. A versatile icon across gaming, anime, and live-action.

Leader of the Annie Awards, Mintz is an acclaimed animator for Industrial Light & Magic and Disney. His film Nothing to Say won at 42 festivals, including Oscar-qualifying events. A true titan of the animation industry.

A 2022 Rising Star of Animation, Bordenave directed The Boys: Diabolical and Invincible Fight Girl. His Marvel/DC credits include X-Men '97, Young Justice, and Justice League. He is currently directing the new DC Super Powers.

A CalArts alumna and Director on Disney’s The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Tara Nicole is currently co-directing the feature Pierre the Pigeon-Hawk (EP’d by Snoop Dogg and Jennifer Hudson). A NYT Best Selling illustrator, she is a master of character-led representation.

Tiffany Purkeypile is the Lead Creative Recruiter at LAIKA, bringing 15 years of feature film CG animation and VFX experience with a background in talent acquisition and artist management. Her production management and story artist experience across CG and VFX pipelines enables her to identify and connect with talent to support LAIKA's growing VFX and Technology teams with attention to building spaces for underrepresented communities.

Jason B. Ryan is a TV/film producer with over 20 years of experience in the business. A self-taught screenwriter, Jason has written and developed features, series, and shorts in sci-fi, thriller, horror, comedy, and animation. Professionally, Jason has worked for live news networks and cable TV networks producing award-winning lifestyle shows, documentary series, movies, and other programming.

A 10-year veteran at the LAIKA, an Oscar®-nominated studio behind Coraline, Hurwitz leads talent acquisition and onboarding. She is the go-to expert for artists looking to break into the elite world of stop-motion.

A former Netflix Director of Preschool Animation and current NSF lead, Clark manages a multimillion-dollar STEM & media portfolio. A veteran researcher and producer, he has shaped the digital lives of children through Netflix, TV, and apps.

A titan of animation, Abney’s credits include Frozen, Spider-Verse, Toy Story 4, and Soul. He executive-produced the Oscar-winning Hair Love and directed the NAACP Image Award winner Canvas. A visionary leader defining modern cinema.

Tree is a multidisciplinary artist, musician, and storyteller whose work blends animation, music, fashion design, and visual art to build immersive narrative worlds. He is the founder of Brilliance Limited (BLMTD), a luxury art apparel brand, and the creator of the upcoming animated series The Other Side of Paradise.

A master of audio for Demon Slayer, Suzume, and Date Everything, Krystal specialises in sound design and recording at the iconic Bang Zoom! Studios. From hit anime to video games, she is a leading voice in modern professional sound.

A Division I athlete turned AR pioneer and filmmaker, Christian made history as Nevada’s first Black MD/PhD student. He blends neuroscience with tech and animation to champion diversity. A true trailblazer in art, medicine, and social impact.

A TED speaker and David Letterman Award winner, Dr. Bell is a former Skydance Animation executive. A leading expert in representation and children’s culture, he bridges the gap between academic theory and world-class media production.

An Academy & TV Academy member and former SMPTE President, Jenkins is a powerhouse executive in M&E and tech. He leads I2A2 in creating ethical AI and software solutions, serving as a visionary at the intersection of Hollywood and innovation.

A 30-year veteran of The Simpsons, Beavis & Butt-Head, and King of the Hill. An XR pioneer and educator, Elder now spearheads game development for 15 colleges and leads a new inter-campus esports league. A master of immersive storytelling.

Senibo is half Nigerian, half Irish American, and all Texan. Most recently, he has written for PAW PATROL, LYLA IN THE LOOP, MONSTERWHEELIES, HEY AJ, ARIEL, and the ME AND WINNIE THE POOH shorts, among others. Hailing from Houston, no one knew that deep inside his 6’6” frame was a kid who loved watching and writing cartoons.

After a 20-year career of news-style editing in New York City for companies such as MTV, Showtime, PBS, and A Current Affair, Mark was on vacation in Los Angeles. On a whim, he called Film Roman to see if they needed any editors — and they did.

Eli has worked on an incredible catalog of voice-acting projects, like Need For Speed: Takedown, No More Room in Hell 2, Starship Troopers, Immortals of Aveum, Star Wars: The Order.

Led by his passion for filmmaking, Calvin left film school at Columbia College Chicago and began working as an assistant animation editor at the award-winning Moonbot Studios (Shreveport, LA) in 2009. Prior to joining Moonbot full time, he gained some experience in the edit room and on the set of James Gunn’s “Super” as a post production assistant.

Ilia Sargent-Barba is a writer, creative producer, and animation professional working across feature animation, VFX, and independent productions. She most recently served as a Production Assistant at Sony Pictures Animation on K-Pop: Demon Hunters, where she supported story, editorial, visual development, and script teams while helping coordinate production across departments.

Shawn Wu is a DEIA Program Associate for the California Film Commission’s Tax Credit Program. He is a former Animation Development Executive with experience at Nickelodeon, where he was the Lieutenant of the Content Pillar of Paramount’s Kids & Family Inclusivity Council. He began his career as an NBC Page.

Leah Medrano was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom as the Deputy Director at the California Film Commission. In this role, Leah combines her extensive production office experience with 20+ years of expertise in government relations. She is responsible for overseeing the state’s Film and TV Tax Credit Program, ensuring these initiatives support the state's thriving film and television industry.

Chaz Bottoms is an animation director/writer and storyboard artist currently living in Los Angeles, CA and has a love for combining animation with culture while exploring the boundaries of storytelling. He has worked as a character designer and storyboard artist for Nickelodeon Animation (WonderPets) and Netflix Animation (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory), as well as Segment Director for AppleTV's Yo Gabba Gabba.

Baron Ojogho (pronounced “Oh-Joe”) is an entertainment and sports attorney at Davis Wright Tremaine, where he advises clients across film, television, animation, and live productions. His work focuses on the legal and business issues that arise as creative projects move from development through production and distribution, including rights acquisition, licensing, and production legal.

Tanesha Graham is a strategic operations and communications leader with more than a decade of experience working at the intersection of entertainment, technology, and storytelling. Her work spans the gaming, animation, and media industries, where she has helped guide high-impact initiatives, shape industry conversations, and bridge the gap between creative vision and business strategy.

Minh Do is an entrepreneur, filmmaker, and educator working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, storytelling, and culture. He is the co-founder of Machine Cinema, a global community and creative platform exploring how generative AI is transforming filmmaking and visual storytelling.

Sam Goff is an independent Talent Manager who supports writers, directors, story artists, and visual development artists across animation. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television, she began her career in production at DreamWorks Animation before becoming an early career recruiter with Netflix’s Outreach & Engagement department.

Lesleigh is a Production Assistant based in Southern California who has worked in Television Animation for over 5 years. She has worked on many award-winning shows including DreamWorks' Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, and The Mighty Ones. Lesleigh currently works in Production Management on King of the Hill at 20th Television Animation.

My name is Aaron Cobb and I’m a visual development artist/character designer who has been working in the animation industry for the past six years. In that time, I’ve worked at studios such as Floyd County Productions, Titmouse, Wild Canary, and Lucasfilm Animation. My roles have ranged from BG paint and BG design to character design and, most recently, visual development.

Kibi Anderson is an Emmy Award–winning storyteller, executive advisor, and founder of Life Editor Inc., a leadership advisory firm that helps organizations strengthen communication, trust, and decision-making. She also serves as Co-Board President of the Black TV & Film Collective (BTFC), a national community supporting Black creators across television and film.

LA native and writer/director Juston Gordon-Montgomery was raised on a mix of sitcoms, hood dramas, and Saturday morning cartoons. He’s inspired by stories with a focus on cultural specificity and an element of genre and comedy. He graduated from Otis College of Art and Design with a major in Digital Media and has since worked in television and feature animation for companies like Disney, Warner Bros., and more

A multidisciplinary artist for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Warner Bros., Sanae’s work is celebrated for its warmth and humor. From Sesame Street to independent print, she specializes in finding the beauty and humanity within every story.