Speakers

Lou "Buster" Brown is no stranger to the entertainment industry. In the studio since age

six, introduced to music by his uncle, legendary Motown writer/producer, Norman Whitfield (Heard It Through the Grapevine, Car Wash, Cloud Nine, and Papa Was a Rollin' Stone), Buster knew where his future was heading – to become a successful songwriter/producer and media executive.

Crafting Hits

One half of the award winning production duo, Buster & Shavoni, he began his career as a writer/producer crafting hits for secular acts at Motown and MCA Records. Soon afterwards Buster met and partnered with top gospel producer, Patrick Henderson and over the next several years, they wrote and produced award-winning gospel acts from BeBe and CeCe Winans to Lynette Hawkins.

Decision Makers

The Henderson partnership introduced Buster to the gospel industry. One key relationship was Sparrow Records' Marketing Chief, Vicki Mack. During the 1990's, Mack formed Gospo-Centric Records and recruited Buster for production help. Their collaboration thrived, and Buster produced several award-winning projects from label artists, Kirk Franklin & the Family, A-1 SWIFT, Full Gospel Baptist Mass Choir and many more. Buster was named VP of A&R for Mack's Interscope label, B-Rite Records. He produced and launched the Grammy Award-winning, three million seller, God's Property and the certified gold debut release Trin-i-tee 5:7.

In the Matrix

Buster has held firm to his calling. He and Shavoni produced award-winning projects for

Yolanda Adams, Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child and Neo-Soul artist, Lela James. Next in the matrix of multimedia productions came film. After contributions to feature films Gigli, starring Ben Afleck and Jennifer Lopez, Fighting Temptations with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyonce Knowles and Johnson Family Vacation featuring Cedric the Entertainer, the partners produced, and executive produced soundtracks for the Jeffrey Katzenberg DreamWorks animated feature, The Prince of Egypt and Songs from a Purpose Driven Life, the companion soundtrack to Rick Warrens bestseller, A Purpose Driven Life. With more than 30 million copies sold, it is the all-time, bestselling book in history, with the exception

of The Holy Bible.

Moving Forward

In 2007, Buster Struck out on his own, producing the 2007 Grammy-nominated CD, Bone-A-Fide from the industry's #1 Gospel/Inspirational rapper, T-Bone. He also created original music for the Paramount feature film, Freedom Writers starring Hilary Swank and the Sony/Screen Gems feature film, This Christmas starring Idris Elba, Delroy Lindo and R&B sensation, Chris Brown. Buster is one of the Producers/Executive Producers of the award

winning, best selling, Inspired By...The Bible Experience, a fully dramatized audio bible

featuring Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Samuel Jackson, Angela Bassett and over 400 notable African-Americans. The Bible Experience, the fastest-selling audio bible in history (approaching 1.5 million copies sold), is the 2006 Audie winner for "Audio Book of the Year," 2007 finalist for "Audio Book of the Year," and was nominated for an 2007 NAACP Image Award. In 2009, Buster was drafted by the team from the BET "gospel idol show" Sunday Best. His expertise provided the perfect complement, and he was enlisted to produce CD's for the Top 10 finalists as well as the winner of Sunday Best Season 2, Y'Anna Crawley.

In the summer of 2013, Buster wrapped production on a second audio bible - NIV LIVE!. This project features a new translation, the updated New International Version (2011 NIV) and is populated with an international, multi-denominational cast including Craig Groeschel, Chris Gorham and Patricia Heaton. Along with business partner, Ray Cody, Buster worked in conjunction with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum to bring talent and concept to Rock My Soul, a musical event celebrating the contributions of Gospel Music to Rock & Roll. In 2009 the hall honored Shirley Ceasar, in 2013 - Kirk Franklin, and in 2015 - the late great Andrae Crouch.

Restoration Media Group

Under the banner, Restoration Media Group, with a mission of "creating and acquiring faith/family content, that restores the quality of media, and those that consume it," Brown is poised to impact the world in the most positive way. One creative endeavor from this multi-media producer extraordinaire is Lamps of Light/LOL; a children's brand of toys, games, music, TV shows, animated feature films and technology platforms. Built from a blueprint incorporated by industry giants Disney and DreamWorks, LOL is poised to become the worldwide leader in faith/family children's content and products! Brown has developed several television shows, The Ephipany, Skin in the Game, and Talking Points. Documentaries in the works include The Black Elephant and Catch 22, all shows carrying the DNA of his brand of inspirational and family content with flavor and swag.

On the production front, Brown has brought his eye as a cinematographer/DP to the game, producing and shooting video content for various recording artists including the Morris Day music video for his 2021 single Headrush, Robert Glasper feat. Layla Hathaway performance for the 2021 NAACP Image Awards Jazz Lounge and a streaming performance from Darynn Dean for LA Jazz Society virtual concert series, to name a few.

Notable Achievements

Other notable achievements include writing and producing the theme songs for Bill Maher's HBO show, Real Time w/Bill Maher, On The Record with Bob Costas, and the Dr. Laura Show with Laura Schlessinger.

As an executive, many have sought out and benefited from the expertise and vision of Brown. He launched and co-owns Boneyard Records, home to the Grammy nominated Christian Rapper T-Bone, served as an contributor, executive & moderator on the Urban Task Force of GMA (Gospel Music Association), as well as serving NARAS (Grammy Organization) and NAACP on committees dedicated to the betterment and integrity of the arts.

Buster has parlayed his years of experience as a savvy producer, entrepreneur and

entertainment executive into his own unique brand of entertainment, a brand he coined, Urban Inspirational. The proliferation of that brand has resulted in Brown producing 3 Grammy Award winning projects, 3 Stellar Awards and 2 Dove Awards for Producer of the Year and the "Producer of the Year" honor from Bishop Blake's West Angeles COGIC Community Development Corporation, George Fraser's "Power Networking Award" and 2 Audie Awards for "Audio Book of the Year" for his work on The Bible Experience. Buster is committed to continue building his legacy as a groundbreaking multimedia trailblazer for the 21st century.

Blessed with talent, showered with gifts, praised with accolades, and honored with a variety of awards, Lou "Buster" Brown never forgets where his blessings come from; they come courtesy of the Most High Father... GOD! He not only takes time to reflect on God's word every day, but also stands on his faith that says, with God's plan, and purpose as his priority today, he will continue to succeed as he blazes the new trails of tomorrow!

Jamaican roots and a New York City upbringing enabled Len's love for music at an early age. Despite lacking any formal training, this passion remained through the culmination of his experiences in music journalism (Entertainment Tonight, etc.) and other outlets.

Now at the Recording Academy/GRAMMYs, Len aims to maintain that same focus when it comes to educating communities on the inner workings of the institution as well as being an agent of change for the music industry at large

David Hudson is an Emmy® Award-winning creative executive with more than two decades of experience in creating content for both television and digital platforms. 

Hudson is Head of Original Programming for the new Scripps Networks (ION, Bounce, Laff, Court TV, Court TV Mystery, Grit, Defy TV, TrueReal, Newsy), which includes oversight and creation of movies, scripted series, limited series, and specials. Prior to his current role, Hudson served as Senior Vice President for TBS and TNT, developing and overseeing late night (CONAN), reality, and special event programming (Screen Actors Guild Awards®). He has also produced alternative programming and specials for the likes of HBO, FOX, Paramount Studios, NBC, and TLC.

Hudson is a graduate of Emerson College in Boston and The John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management's Executive Leadership Development Program at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is credited with a Primetime Emmy® for Outstanding Variety Special and was named a Next Generation Leader by NAMIC in 2010.

Deji LaRay is a multi-talented actor, writer, and producer from Atlanta, Georgia, who is gearing up for the release of the new show he created, "Johnson." After realizing there was a stereotype against African American men not sharing emotions or expressing themselves, he knew the world needed a show that not only showcases the opposite but would also help close the divide between the understanding of men and women. The series follows four lifelong friends with the same last name who have found themselves growing apart and offers viewers the ability to find humor in the most current and controversial social issues from the Black man's perspective.

From a young age, LaRay always knew he wanted to be an artist. After performing on Broadway at just 13-years-old and ultimately graduating from high school, LaRay took his talents to Los Angeles, where he received a BA in Film and TV from Cal State Los Angeles, studying directing and filmmaking to hone his skillset. 

LaRay can be seen starring in seasons 2 and 3 of the Amazon Prime series  "Age of the Living Dead." He also spent six seasons on the Amazon series "Bosch," and appeared in three episodes during the first season of the OWN series "Greenleaf."

Outside of acting, LaRay is passionate about mentorship and aims to start his own nonprofit that will help mentor children in inner cities. He hopes to give kids the ability to get onto a path where they can see that the world is bigger than the neighborhood in front of them.

Brandon Bell is a panelist for the 2nd annual ACE Festival.

Former Director of White House photography Sharon Camille Farmer was born on June 10, 1951, in Washington, D.C. Farmer attended Ohio State University where she was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and served as vice president of the student government. As a student, Farmer also served as editor for the school newspaper, Our Choking Times, and protested school policies that interfered with black and white student relations.

In 1974, after graduating with her B.S. degree from Ohio State University, Farmer began a career as a freelance photographer. She went on to work for the Smithsonian Institution, the Washington Post, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, shooting news stories, political campaigns, cultural events, conferences, and portraits. Farmer also lectured extensively on photography and served on the faculty for American University, Mount Vernon College, and Indiana University. 

In 1993, Farmer was hired as a White House photographer and began traveling the world taking pictures of President Bill Clinton and the first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Among the many famous images she captured was the handshake between the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, and President and Mrs. Clinton witnessing the launch of the space shuttle Discovery with astronaut John Glenn. Then, in 1999, Farmer was promoted to Director of White House Photography and became the first African American and the first woman to hold this position. Later, in 2004, she was the campaign photographer for Senator John Kerry's presidential election campaign.

Farmer has presented many exhibits at museums and cultural institutions nationwide, including Art against AIDS, Gospel in the Projects, Twenty Years on the Mall, Washington, D.C. - Beijing Exchange, and Our Views of Struggle.

For more than 15 years, photojournalist Joshua Lott has traversed the ever-changing landscape of American news, covering some of the most important events of our time.

Lott's passion for photojournalism and social justice began in Rogers Park, one of Chicago's most ethnically and culturally diverse communities. His formative years were enriched by the city's tumultuous history and his own experiences with the Chicago Police Department and Cook County Sheriff's Office. These stories grew a deep determination to document inequality and racial injustice through the lens of a camera.

In the lead-up to the 2008 presidential election, he followed candidates in Iowa, South Carolina, Florida, and Wisconsin. 

After President Barack Obama was elected, Lott based himself in Phoenix, where he covered the historic immigration marches and the protests against Arizona's immigration law S.B. 1070.

As the nation turned its attention to Detroit in the wake of bankruptcy, Lott spent a year covering Motor City's fiscal crises, documenting the intersections of race, class, and loss.

Since 2014, Lott has followed the story of American uprisings against police violence. He covered the fallout after Michael Brown was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., then when Laquan McDonald was killed in Chicago by the CPD, and when Philando Castile was killed in St. Paul, Minn., during a traffic stop. He was dispatched to Minneapolis after George Floyd was killed by police there and continued to cover the summer of protest in Houston; Louisville; Kenosha, Wis.; and Portland, Ore.

Lott is a staff photojournalist for The Washington Post and a part of the Race and Identity team. Before joining The Post, he was a regular contributor to The New York Times, Reuters, Getty Images, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Agence France-Presse, The Marshall Project, Bloomberg, and The Washington Post. His work has been featured in publications around the world.

Michael M. Santiago (b. 1980) is a staff news photojournalist with Getty Images. He received his B.F.A. at San Francisco Art Institute and a Master's of Science degree from S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. His work has focused on issues ranging from health, race and identity, family relationships, youth empowerment, and more. Michael is a member of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staff that won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of the shooting deaths of 11 people and the wounding of seven others on Oct. 27 at the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The judges called the staff's work "immersive, compassionate coverage ... that captured the anguish and resilience of a community thrust into grief." 

He was the recipient of the 2015 Alexia Foundation student grant for his project "Stolen Land, Stolen Future" a body of work focusing on Black farmers of California. His project "250" a work revolving around the life of a man's struggle with obesity won the 2014 Forward Thinking Museum 1st quarter photography competition and his projects  "A Promise" and "Michael the Veteran" was selected as juried winners for Morpholio Projects Future Voices. He was also invited to attend the 2015 and 2017 New York Times portfolio reviews and was a student at the Eddie Adams Workshop XXVIII. His portfolio received an Award of excellence at the 70th College Photographer of the Year awards. He received a Grand Prize award in the Documentary/Photojournalism category at PDNedu 13th Annual Student Photography Competition and a winner in the 2016 PDN Photo Annual in the student category. He was named a 2017 Carnegie-Knight News21 fellow, the News21 conducted a national multimedia investigative reporting initiative focusing on water pollution and its impact on health in the U.S. Santiago served as cinematographer and producer on News21's first documentary "Troubled Water". The film has gone on to win an Edward R. Murrow award, final in the yearly Investigative Reporters and Editors awards, earn a second-place title in Best of The West, was honored for a Webby, a Pro-Am Student Award at the 2018 Online Journalism Awards and a 2018 Student Production Award at the Rocky Mountain Emmy.

His work has been published and featured in ProPublica, The New York Times, New York Times Lens Blog, VICE Australia, Slate, ESPN's The Undefeated, PBS Newshour, The San Francisco Chronicle, Scientific American, The Guardian, Buzzfeed News, AARP and the Huffington Post. He has assisted for publications such as National Geographic Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, Buzzfeed News, and Bloomberg News.  Michael was also 1 of 4 contributing photographers for WNET's "Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America". Michael is also a member of Diversify Photo. 

Michael is based in Brooklyn, NY 

Wes Lowery is a moderator for the 2nd annual ACE Festival.

Roxanne Gay is a moderator for the 2nd Annual ACE Festival.

Dawn Porter is a panelist for the 2nd annual ACE Festival.

DeNeen L. Brown is a panelist for the 2nd annual ACE Festival.

Roxanne Gay is a moderator for the 2nd Annual ACE Festival.

Aaron Edmonds is a VP of Production and Development at Lionsgate in the Motion

Picture Group. He is also an advisor for Film Independent's Project Involve Program.

Prior to working at Lionsgate, Aaron worked in development at Columbia Pictures. Additionally, he worked in television as a post-production coordinator and while living in New York working in creative services for HBO. Aaron holds a Master's from UCLA's Producers Program at the School of Theater, Film, and Television and a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in Political Science and Comparative Ethnic Studies.

Huriyyah is an award-winning writer, director, and producer whose projects have been invited to the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Institute, AFI Film Fest, Austin Film Festival, New Voices in Black Cinema, IFP Film Week and many others. She is both a Sundance Institute and Film Independent Creative Producing Fellow and a recipient of the 2020 Sundance Creative Producing Award for Farewell Amor. Award-winning and critically acclaimed, Farewell Amor premiered in competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, garnered 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was bought for distribution by IFC Films, Netflix and MUBI. Huriyyah is also a 2021 recipient of the FI + Netflix Amplifier Fellowship.

Huriyyah's directing credits include the cult-favorite sci-fi series, Keloid, which screened extensively throughout the U.S. and won Best Web Series at multiple film festivals including the American Black Film Festival. Her award-winning children's short, OutGrown, continues to screen at festivals and has won awards including Best Short Film.

As busy as Huriyyah is as a creative, she is also a co-founder of the Black TV & Film Collective, a 1400 member non-profit dedicated to developing and supporting the work of Black and African descent artists within television and film. Huriyyah holds a BS in Computer Science from Spelman College and an MBA from NYU.

Last but not least, she is the proud mama of an amazing seven-month-old.

After completing his M.A. in English (Teaching of Writing & Lit.) from George Mason University, Henry "Hank" Jones quit his job at a D.C. tax publication and drove to Los Angeles to pursue a career in scriptwriting. Hank worked on any indie project he could find until he was recommended for an assistant position on BET's The Game.

Over the next few years, Hankhustled as an assistant on shows like `blackish, BET's The New Edition Story, and Dear White People. These shows helped Hank sharpen his writing skills, thanks in part to amazing mentors like Yvette Lee Bowser, Kenya Barris and Jesse Collins. Hank went on to write eight episodes of the Netflix animated show Motown Magic, executive produced by Josh Wakely and Smokey Robinson, and two episodes of Family Reunion (Netflix). He has since staffed on The Neighborhood (CBS), starring Cedric the Entertainer, Grownish (Freeform), and is currently on Peacock's new drama Bel-Air. Hank is a 2018 Film Independent Project Involve Writing Fellow and Episodic Lab Fellow.

Angela C. Lee is the Associate Director of Artist Development at Film Independent

where she oversees the selection process and curriculum for the fiction Filmmaker Labs

program, including the Screenwriting, Directing, Episodic, and Producing Labs and the Fast Track Finance Market.

Angela is also a Spirit Award-nominated producer of Songs My Brothers Taught Me, the debut feature of Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and Directors' Fortnight at Cannes. She is currently in development on the fiction feature-length debuts for Oscar-nominated director Bing Liu, Grammy-nominated director Andrew Thomas Huang, and Philiane Phang. Angela is a 2018 Women at Sundance Fellow, and has previously been supported by the Berlinale, Film Independent, IFP, PGA Diversity Workshop, Sundance Institute Creative Producing Lab and Fellowship, and the Center for Asian American Media.

A native Chicagoan, Angela graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics.

Tammi Mac is a moderator for the 2nd Annual ACE Festival.

Gothix is a panelist for the 2nd Annual ACE Festival.

Daryle is a panelist for the 2nd Annual ACE Festival.

Dr. Ty has delivered dynamic keynotes, motivational talks, and lectures in Africa, Europe, Bermuda, Brazil, the Caribbean, Canada, and the United States. He has shared the stage with top motivational speakers like "ET The Hip Hop Preacher" and Jeremy Anderson, and served on panels with renowned scholars like Rich Milner of Vanderbilt University, Tyrone Howard of UCLA, and Jay Harris of ESPN. 

Notably, drawing on his expertise and passion for athletics, Dr. Ty has served as a consultant, panelist, or presenter for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the NFL, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), and numerous high school, collegiate and professional teams in the U.S., South Africa, and Bermuda. He has provided audits for athletic organizations and led nationally recognized studies, such as his 2015 NCAA grant-funded study on black male student-athletes at the University of Missouri. He has also presented his work at the Arkansas Minority Health Summit, the University of Wisconsin, and University of Pittsburgh Athletics. He has also spoken for numerous K-12 schools, colleges, athletic programs, teaching and leadership events, and community organizations. These include Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations, the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Mizzou Women's Soccer, the Bermuda Union of Teachers Convention, University of Western Cape (Cape Town, South Africa), and the Illinois Math and Science Academy.

Following in his father's footsteps as a filmmaker, Abdul Malik Abbott received his Bachelor's degree in Film at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. He got his start in the biz working in the sound dept. and earned his creative reputation first as a Music Video editor editing well over 250 music videos for major labels and recording artists. He eventually made his way up the ranks at the helm of music videos, directing all genres of music including many of now rap legend Jay-Z's first videos, including, "Ain't No..." and "Dead Presidents", both going to #1. Abdul also directed, co-wrote & edited the Platinum-selling, long-form music video starring Jay-Z entitled "Streets is Watching". It earned a #1 slot in Billboard. Specializing in narrative/story-telling structures with a lot of his music videos, Abdul was hired to direct the scripted hip-hop-infused gangster drama entitled "State Property" (Lionsgate) starring Beanie Sigel & Jay-Z. With its limited release, it had one of the highest per-screen averages during its initial release and went on to be one of the top-10 selling movies in home video sales. After moving to Los Angeles and joining the Directors Guild of America (DGA), Abdul continued to direct music videos as well as maintaining a career as an editor and Videographer for TV shows, docs, and new media projects.

Embracing his aspirations as a musician, Abdul co-created with his singer/songwriter partner Natalieq, an R&B/Soul music project called B.O.S.S. He produced 2 commercially available albums for B.O.S.S: "Tricky Kinda Love" and "Liquid Leather" and a solo album under his stage name DJ ABBY AB entitled "Balance Love Power", which was an album with several featured vocalists on it and a number of instrumental tunes all composed and performed by Abdul.

Recently Mr. Abbott directed & edited the award-winning short film which he also wrote entitled "Curse of War", and the spin-off music video from the film by his band B.O.S.S entitled: "Let it all go". Soon after, Abdul directed and edited the short, erotic, music-driven short fashion film "Balance of Power", which was awarded the "People's Telly Award" and "Best Experimental Film" at the Los Angeles Movie Awards and the Flickfair Film Festival. He also directed, produced, and edited the dark drama "The Ties That Bind" for Kids in the Spotlight organization. In 2020, the dark-comedy short film "The Audacity" which Abdul Produced, Wrote & Directed was released on Amazon direct. Recently Abdul produced & edited "AAFCA TV Honors" and "The AAFCA Awards" for the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA)

Websites:

www.abdulmalikabbott.com www.BOSSmusicNY.com

Director Salli Richardson-Whitfield is a 30-year industry veteran. Salli started off as an actress and had a successful career that spanned over two decades.  But in 2011, Salli directed two episodes of her TV series "Eureka' on the SyFy network and caught the directing bug.  It wasn't until five years later when her friend Ava DuVernay hired her two direct two episodes of her hit OWN series "Queen Sugar," that Salli knew that she'd belonged behind the camera and transitioned from acting to one of the top three most successful, female/women of color television directors in the field to date!  A feat she accomplished in three short years! 

Now entering her fourth year of directing, Whitfield signed a two-year overall deal with HBO in September 2020 to develop projects for the premiere cable network and to direct and exec produce a handful of major titles for the Warner Media-owned company.  One of those being "The Gilded Age."  Salli directed half of the episodes of the first season of Julian Fellowes' ("Downton Abbey") new HBO series and serves as one of the executive producers of the show.  The one-hour drama follows a wide-eyed young scion of a conservative family who embarks on a mission to infiltrate the wealthy neighboring clan dominated by ruthless railroad tycoon George Russell, his rakish son, Larry, and his ambitious wife, Bertha.  The show will premiere first quarter of 2022.

In addition to "The Gilded Age," Salli will be shooting the finale block of the new Adam McKay series about the Lakers, tentatively called the "Untitled Lakers Project" for HBO (TBD 2022).   

Salli also directed two episodes of the new Rosamund Pike series, "Wheel Of Time" (TBD 2021) for Amazon and Sony Television.

Salli is also developing her own series for television.

Past Credits as a director:

Ava DuVernay was one of the first to recognize Salli's skill as a director, offering Salli two back-to-back episodes of the first season of "Queen Sugar". Her now incredibly extensive directing resume includes such shows as Hulu's "Reprisal", Apple's "See", Netflix's "Altered Carbon," Starz's "American Gods" and "Survivor's Remorse," Showtime's  

"The Chi," ABC's "Scandal," and "Blackish," Fox's "Lethal Weapon," Freeform's "Shadowhunters," Netflix's "Dear White People," "Luke Cage" and "The Punisher," BET's "Rebel," SYFY'S "The Magicians" and "Eureka," The CW's "Blacklightening," "All American." 

In her spare time, Salli is a wife and mother who participates in countless charitable and philanthropic events, including The K.I.S. foundation.

For more information please contact, Shannon Barr at sbarr@pr-strategic.com

Brian Vincent Rhodes grew up as an acclaimed fine artist in Detroit, Michigan. An alumnus of the University of Michigan, Rhodes studied mechanical engineering and industrial design on an academic scholarship and afterward, designed for companies and organizations such as Chrysler, NASA, and Apple to name a few.

After winning a film competition while working at Apple Computers, Rhodes decided to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker by attending the Animation and Digital Arts program at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts.  Now, an alumnus of USC, Rhodes has won multiple international festival awards and was a BAFTA finalist for Mosquito: The Bite of Passage, which was been hailed as "the most advanced film in the history of USC" by faculty. Rhodes has sold a show to FX and has worked for Blue Sky Studios (Disney/20th Century Fox) as a co-director for an upcoming feature and storyboard artist on Spies in Disguise.  Rhodes also had lead creative roles on projects for Apple TV, Netflix, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Grammys. 

Brian Vincent Rhodes grew up as an acclaimed fine artist in Detroit, Michigan. An alumnus of the University of Michigan, Rhodes studied mechanical engineering and industrial design on an academic scholarship and afterward, designed for companies and organizations such as Chrysler, NASA, and Apple to name a few.  After winning a film competition while working at Apple Computers, Rhodes decided to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker by attending the Animation and Digital Arts program at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. 

Now, an alumnus of USC, Rhodes has won multiple international festival awards and was a BAFTA finalist for Mosquito: The Bite of Passage, which was been hailed as "the most advanced film in the history of USC" by faculty. Rhodes has sold a show to FX and has worked for Blue Sky Studios (Disney/20th Century Fox) as a co-director for an upcoming feature and storyboard artist on Spies in Disguise.  Rhodes also had lead creative roles on projects for Apple TV, Netflix, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Grammys. 

Frank E. Abney III is a writer, director, and animator that has worked at all three of the major animation studios – Disney, DreamWorks, and Pixar – animating blockbuster hits and award-winning films including Frozen, Big Hero 6, Kung Fu Panda 3, The Boss Baby, Coco, Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, and Soul where he was also part of the cultural trust. Most recently, Abney served as Executive Producer on the 2020 Academy Award-winning short Hair Love with Issa Rae for Sony Pictures Animation. 

Abney recently wrote and directed Netflix's Canvas, which was recently honored with the first NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Animated Short. He is currently directing a new animated feature for Netflix. Beyond his tremendous artistic talent, Abney is also a genuine leader in the animation industry as co-founder of the non-profit organization Rise Up Animation, which connects burgeoning BIPOC animators with established industry talent, fostering mentorships to empower emerging creators.

Jamal Ademola is a film director, visual artist, animator, and actor. Jamal poetically works across a wide range of disciplines – Live-action film, animation, video, drawing, painting, photography, and performance. Across media, he builds rich, prismatic worlds that examine displaced identities, love and relationships, cultural consciousness, and society. In his work, he seeks to investigate the mythical, the cosmic, the infinite, the indigenous, and the fantastical, through dreamworlds which explore the sacred power of the elevated feminine to construct a higher, more evolved society and way of being. As an actor, he appeared in "Imagine a Moon Colony" written and directed by Phillip Youmans as part of the HULU TV series "Your Attention Please". His films have screened internationally, from Lagos, Nigeria to New York. In 2021, He became an exhibiting artist in a three-person exhibition called "African Ancient Futures" at a whitespace creative gallery in Lagos, Nigeria curated by Ethel-Ruth Tawe. Commercially, he has helped create animated and mixed-media advertising spots and Installations for highly visible clients such as Google, Reebok, Apple, Skechers, and Northwell Health. "Fearless Leader", an animated commercial he co-directed with MJZ director Fredrik Bond which features a young black woman as a superhero defeating covid 19, won a Muse Award for creativity in 2020.

His work has been featured in I-D magazine, Vogue Italia, Creative Boom, Okay Africa, and Vice. He is currently based in Los Angeles and is writing and developing projects for film & television in hopes to facilitate healing.

Lance Darden is an Atlanta native, raised in a rich culture of art, music, and creativity. His passion for animation stems from his childhood where he grew up watching Disney movies,

Marvel cartoons and anime classics. Beginning his career in television as a character animator for Cartoon Network, he slowly made the transition into feature films where he continued to build an impressive resume as a visualization artist and supervisor. At TTF, Lance has contributed his creativity to blockbuster action films such as Spider-man: Homecoming, Black Panther, and Ant-Man and the Wasp!

Additionally, Lance has over 15 years of experience in the entertainment business. He is fun-loving, kind-hearted and patient yet simultaneously fervent, disciplined, and unwavering.

He believes in working hard and enjoys collaborating with others to produce the best possible outcome. His motto is to live life to the fullest and continue pushing the boundaries of the imagination!

Select Credits:

• Spider-Man: Homecoming
• Black Panther
• Ant-Man and the Wasp
• Gemini Man
• Jungle Cruise
• The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It (Supervisor)
• The Liberator (Supervisor)
• Under Armor "Only Way Is Through" Commercial (Supervisor)
• The Suicide Squad (Lead)
• Disney+'s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Lead)  
• Disney+'s Loki 

Matt Munn has worked as an animator in the feature film industry for over 17 years. After studying Computer Animation at Savannah College of Art and Design, he went on to work for a number of studios including Sony Pictures Imageworks, Dreamworks, and Blue Sky Studios. Some of the films on which he's animated include Open Season, Surf's Up, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, I Am Legend, Puss In Boots, Ice Age 4 and 5, Rio 2, Peanuts, Ferdinand, and Spies in Disguise. In addition to animating, Matt has also done some voice acting on a few projects. Most recently, Matt has directed a short film with Blue Sky Studios set to be released on Disney+ in early 2022. 

Marcus Stokes began his artistic career in the field of Architectural Design, in which he holds a Master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Drawn to the world of cinema, he soon transitioned into the digital realm as a computer graphics artist at George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). While at ILM, Stokes created groundbreaking visual effects for blockbuster films, including Star Wars Episode I, Minority Report, and The Mummy. He then moved to Los Angeles and supervised visual effects for The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, I Robot, and Serenity. 

Stokes officially began his directorial career when he joined the Director's Guild of America as a commercial director and created ads for clients including GMC, Nissan, and Walt Disney Pictures. Soon after, he realized his true passion in narrative filmmaking and began creating his own content. His very first film as writer/director, The Catalyst, was acquired by HBO and aired on their networks for two years. Stokes continued to develop his unique blend of storytelling and visual skills by working closely with veteran directors Tim Story and F. Gary Gray. This combination of talents is most evident in his VFX short film, The Signal, executive produced by Tim Story and starring Michael Ealy and Grace Phipps. 

Today, Stokes is focused on continuing his narrative filmmaking career. He successfully completed the directing programs at ABC, CBS, Fox, Sony, Warner Brothers, Ryan Murphy Television, and the DGA. He was also recently chosen as one of the Los Angeles Times' Diverse 100 for his cinematic and visual effects achievements. In September of 2017, he directed the CBS hit show Criminal Minds and quickly followed with episodes of Life in Pieces and Blindspot.

 

Messiah Jacobs has 20 years of experience in the business of production, primarily as a hands-on producer and dealmaker. A powerhouse of ideas and strategy, Jacobs has been integral in developing content celebrating Black culture. 

He has worked with the most successful names in the entertainment industry including Tiffany Haddish, Vivica A. Fox, Billy Dee Williams, Monica Calhoun, Robert Townsend and the Estate of Ol' Dirty Bastard.

Jacobs' leadership has landed multiple entertainment content deals. Among his recent work, he collaborated with Amazon Studios on a mini-documentary (2020) on Ol' Dirty Bastard, worked with Rhino/Warner Chappell Music on the 25th Anniversary Platinum Album release of Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, and worked on Showtime's Documentary of Wu-Tang: Of Mics and Men.

Jacobs earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Bernard M. Baruch College (CUNY) in his hometown of New York City. He is a proud member of both the Producers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America.

 

Scott Sudduth is a sixth generation native of Pasadena, California. Having grown

up the child of art-appreciating parents, he has been active in photography, visual

and the performing arts since the age of 5. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in

English from Morehouse College in 1993, Scott returned to Los Angeles to work

in the Motion Picture & Television industry.

Sudduth started his career as an intern on Class Act with Kid & Play and performing stunt work on the film South Central. Shortly after, he worked as a lighting technician and grip on many music videos and feature films. He then segued into work as a production assistant and production coordinator on numerous productions across the country. Independently, Scott has produced several short films and co-produced the feature She's Got a Plan.

Sudduth has been a member of the Directors Guild of America in good standing since

2008, and an active member of the DGA's African American Steering Committee.

He also has had the pleasure of serving for 10 years as Treasurer of the Sudduth

Holiday Foundation, an organization dedicated to the mentoring of youth in the

Southern California area. He also serves as the Advisory Committee Chair of

"The DEI Collective" at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, a multidisciplinary program that provides culturally responsive support, resources, and professional development for the next generation of historically underserved and underrepresented storytellers.

Brooks Brantly is an award-winning, classically trained actor, coach and martial artist with over 17 years of professional experience performing, writing, directing, and teaching for the stage and screen. Most recent credits include the Pulitzer Prize winning play SWEAT, The Golderbergs on ABC, and the comedy pilot Besties on the Free Form television network.

Immediately upon receiving his B.A. in drama from Morehouse College, Brantly became an established casting associate at the Tony Award winning Alliance Theatre in Atlanta Georgia. During his time there, he also became the very first recipient of the Kenny Lean Directing Fellowship. In 2011, Brooks moved on to earn his MFA in acting at the University of Connecticut where he also worked as a resident company member of Connecticut Repertory Theatre. While training, Brooks also had the opportunity to work as the teaching assistant. for both graduate and undergraduate stage combat courses. He also had the privilege of being one of the few actors to be invited to the Guthrie Experience training program to train under Ken Washington at the renowned Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. 

Brantly was nominated for an LA Ovation award for hit production FLY which went on to win the NAACP Theatre Award for Best Show. Brantly was cast in the 2017 ABC Diversity Showcase for which he received a holding contract from the network to move to Los Angeles for his first LA pilot season. From Broadway to Hollywood, Brantly has worn many hats, played many roles, and eagerly looks forward to seeing what else this journey has yet to reveal.

Tiffany Mayberry is a Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Professional with an extensive background in the television and film industry. She is the former Director, Enterprise Inclusion at WarnerMedia and Director, Employee Engagement at Warner Bros. Entertainment. Prior to her roles which collaborated with partners across

the company and enterprise for inclusive and equitable initiatives, Mayberry spent 15 years between Warner Bros. and HBO as an executive in television production Legal domestically and internationally.

Throughout her career in such positions, she has been a recipient of the NAMIC Leadership Program, graduate of the African-American Board Leadership Institute (AABLI), an Ambassador for Proctor & Gamble's My Black is Beautiful campaign, an active participant in her community, and devote volunteer.

In 2017, Mayberry became a founding Chair Member for the Downtown Women's Center Leadership Council and in 2021 moved from the Advisory Board to Board of Directors for the Geffen Playhouse, both organizations in which she is actively engaged. She is also a member of the 14th class of the Los Angeles African-American Women's Public Policy Institute (LAAAWPPI) and a recent graduate of CORO's Women in Leadership.

Mayberry received her Bachelor of Arts from University of California, Berkeley and later attended Columbia University School of Social Work. She currently resides in her native hometown of Los Angeles, California.

You can catch Rasheda as series regular Tracey Davis in the Will Packer produced show Bigger. Season 2 is currently streaming on the BET+ app. In addition to appearing in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Rasheda can also be seen in the Netflix feature film American Pie: Girls Rule. 

Rasheda was a staff writer on truTV's Talk Show The Game Show and Adam Ruins Everything and in 2019, she was a CBS Diversity Showcase selection. Her short film POV: Perception of Violence was admitted into the Short Film Corner at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and was accepted into the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival.

Charles Babb is a moderator for the 2nd Annual ACE Festival.

Eric T. Elder -Founder/Executive Producer, OW! (Online Worlds) Entertainment, Speaker, Educator, Video Game Career Coach

Eric started his career as a 2D animator at MTV on Beavis & Butt Head and then moved to LA to work on King of the Hill & The Simpsons. When not working as a professional animator he spent 15 years working with the Art Institutes as an Instructor and then founded the most successful Video Game production training programs in the system. 

He founded OW! (Online Worlds) Entertainment in 1997 to create virtual worlds for movie & TV properties.

For the past few years, he has been focused on the emerging AR/VR industry managing productions, designing pipeline models, game/experience design, strategic planning, and developing studio pitches for AR & VR based on major Hollywood IP.  

He has also been hard at work developing and producing Changa and the Jade Obelisk an animated sword & soul epic fantasy adventure.

His revolutionary Game Wizards video game training program, which has helped launch the careers of some of the top talent in AAA games today, turns 16 years old this year and he is gearing up to launch the next version of the program as an XR laboratory piloted at the Crenshaw Innovation Center.

Shana Bryant is a panelist for the 2nd Annual ACE Festival.

Joshua Parker is a father, son, and native North Carolinian trying to figure out LA and its Game Tech world.  Parker has been working in tech as a software engineer for 14  years, 10 of which have been in the gaming industry.  Parker's career has taken him all over the world working for Ubisoft (Ghost Recon, Farcry, The Division), a few startups, and now Riot games. 

Parker's passion for games comes from working with really talented people and making the "fun" in the game for players. Parker is a member of Iota Phi Theta fraternity Inc., whose motto is "Building a Tradition Not Resting Upon One", which speaks to why growing diverse representation is tech is so important to him.

Phil Jones is an up-and-coming advertising professional with a passion for guiding the industry's next generation. Since graduating from USC in 2013, he's worked with both small businesses and well-known brands like Sprite, AT&T, and HBO Max to help manage their social and digital media advertising efforts. In addition to his role as Sr. Manager of Marketing Solutions at WarnerMedia, he works with Nxt Lvl powered by Tec Leimert, serving as the program's instructor and equipping students from South LA with the necessary skills to start their careers in the industry.

Away from work, you can find him cheering on his hometown Denver Nuggets, planning his next adventure to see another modern wonder of the world, or finding the best restaurants LA has to offer. 

Whitney Woods is a senior Creative Strategist born and raised in Los Angeles. She attended Loyola University New Orleans where she studied Journalism, English, and launched some of the first social media marketing classes the university had to offer.

Since graduating, she's navigated her way around the social media marketing space doing social creative, strategy, analytics, and everything in between. In her current role at Ralph Creative, she leads up all of their Brand accounts doing creative strategy. Some of her present and previous clientele include brands like BET+, STARZ, Facebook Watch, Red Table Talk, Levi's, Sonos, Adidas, and FOX.

Launching his career as assistant to the Jonas Brothers, Benoni Tagoe quickly became a part of the band's day-to-day management team and through that experience developed a keen sense of entrepreneurship. Since then, Tagoe has produced content for both TV and New Media on platforms that have collectively garnered over 20 million views.

In his current dual role, Tagoe is the Head of Business Development for Issa Rae Productions (The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl and HBO's 'Insecure')and President of Raedio (Issa Rae's music initiative). Additionally, Tagoe has been profiled as a "Modern Man" in Black Enterprise magazine for his work with his management & consulting company, The Bizz Plan, which has worked with various media brands, including Uninterrupted (LeBron James' sports platform), beauty entrepreneur Peakmill, and financial expert Tonya Rapley. 

Montrel McKay currently serves as the President of Development & Production at Hoorae Media (fka Issa Rae Productions). In this role, McKay manages and oversees the content slate for the company in both television and feature film.

Prior to joining Hoorae, McKay served as Senior Vice President of Apex Entertainment Ventures, a subsidiary of Publics Groupe, the world's second-largest ad agency holding company. In that role, McKay oversaw Publicis Groupe's foray into original content investment across North America. McKay also served as Vice President of Development at Electus where he was responsible for developing digital, hybrid and traditional television programs. While at Electus, McKay developed series for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, and oversaw the development of over $20mm in original digital series.

McKay began his entertainment career at talent agency WME in their Global Finance and Distribution group (now Endeavor Content). While at WME, he helped to establish non-traditional content distribution strategies for the agency's clients and managed third-party partnerships across multiple content verticals. McKay is a graduate of Morehouse College and

Harvard Law School.

Rich is serving as the Head of Hoorae Digital. He is an Inglewood born producer who manages the development and production of content across Hoorae's digital footprint, including Patreon, social media, and the Issa Rae Presents YouTube channel, home of Awkward Black Girl.

Prior to this role, he contributed to digital productions under the Hoorae umbrella through editing, cinematography and directing. With a background in education and community organizing, he brings a passion for making this work accessible to our communities.

Talitha Watkins is President and Head of ColorCreative Management – a management and production company. ColorCreative was founded by Issa Rae and Deniese Davis with the mission of delivering women and people-of-color

creators best-in-class representation to build career-defining brands through ownership, commercial success, artistic fulfillment, and visibility amongst the multicultural community and industry at large.

Formerly a Motion Picture Agent and Cultural Executive at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Watkins is based in Los Angeles and represents producers, writers, directors, and actors. In addition, Watkins helps build out CAA's multicultural business and capabilities including the multicultural leadership event

CAAAmplify.

Previous to CAA, Watkins spent seven years as Vice President of Multicultural Marketing at Universal Pictures, where she

worked across all marketing divisions, including publicity, media, digital, creative, research, and partnerships, to maximize

the studio's outreach efforts to African American audiences. While at Universal, she worked on numerous films, including

the multicultural blockbusters FAST & FURIOUS 6, FURIOUS 7, and the record-breaking STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON. She was also instrumental in supporting the success of African American films, such as the box-office hits

THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY and RIDE ALONG.

Prior to Universal Pictures, Watkins was an Assistant General Manager with Telepictures Productions, Inc. and oversaw

operations, sales, and marketing for five female-focused digital properties in the Warner Bros. portfolio, including

Ellentv.com, Extratv.com, and TyraShow.com, as well as worked in a development capacity for Essence.com.

Watkins is a board member of the WIF, Saturday Morning, and Made in Her Image organizations.

Watkins received her B.B.A. in Marketing from the Fox School of Business at Temple University. She lives in Los Angeles

with her daughter, Selah.

Kyle Bowser serves as the Senior Vice President of the Hollywood Bureau. In this capacity, Mr. Bowser is responsible for advancing NAACP's Hollywood projects, relationships, and overseeing NAACP's Image Awards production.

For nearly three decades, Kyle Bowser has worked as an entertainment industry executive. His experience spans film, television, music, theater, radio, and digital media. This immersion within a vast sphere of media interests has provided Bowser with unique insight into the intersecting parameters of the arts, culture, business development, and emerging technologies.

Bowser's career began in theater management and concert promotion. His involvement in television began with NBC Business Affairs in New York City. He later moved to Los Angeles to join Fox, Inc., where he developed television programming of multiple genres and creatively managed primetime fare aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company. Bowser next served as Director of Creative Affairs for HBO Independent Productions, where he developed new programs and creatively supervised content licensed to primetime broadcast carriers. Throughout Bowser's storied career, his producing talents have been engaged by countless media companies, including NBC, Fox, HBO, Showtime, Starz, Comedy Central, Lifetime, Cooking Channel, PBS, iNDemand, Facebook, Warner Bros., Harper Collins, AEG, the NFL, and more.

A native of Philadelphia, PA, Kyle Bowser received his Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University in Radio/Television Communications and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Widener University School of Law. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bar Associations and supports the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association and the National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) – for whom he founded the annual Vision Awards and received its coveted Legacy Award.

Franklin Leonard is a film and television producer, cultural commentator, and entrepreneur. 

He is the founder and CEO of the Black List, the company that celebrates and supports great screenwriting and the writers who do it via film production, its annual survey of best-unproduced screenplays, online marketplace, live staged script readings, screenwriter labs, and film culture publications. 

More than 400 scripts from the annual Black List survey have been produced as feature films earning 250 Academy Award nominations and 50 wins including four of the last thirteen Best Pictures and eleven of the last twenty-four screenwriting Oscars. Franklin has worked in feature film development at Universal Pictures and the production companies of Will Smith, Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, and Leonardo DiCaprio. 

He has been a juror at the Sundance, Toronto, Guanajuato, and Mumbai Film Festivals and for the PEN Center Literary Awards. He's been one of Deadline.com Hollywood Disruptor, Hollywood Reporter's 35 Under 35, Black Enterprise magazine's "40 Emerging Leaders for Our Future," and Fast Company's "100 Most Creative People in Business." 

He was the recipient of the 2019 Writers Guild of America, East (WGAe) Evelyn Burkey award for elevating the honor and dignity of screenwriters. He is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 

He is a frequent conference and corporate speaker including keynote appearances at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Bloomberg, 99U, TBWA/Media Arts Lab, Warby Parker, Betterment, and the Chautauqua Institution. 

His TED talk has been viewed more than 1.6 million times.

• Music Industry over 25 Years
• Worked for EMI, Virgin, Universal, MusicWould Ent
• Marketing, Product Management, Sales, Management, DSP Relations
• Tour Manager for Kirk Franklin's "The King's Men Tour
• Currently Sr. Mgr of DSP Relations for SoundCloud x Repost
• Currently manages Motown Gospel Recording artist Brian Courtney Wilson

Months away from receiving her MA in Psychology, Darian Farrell decided to take a risk, switching career paths, to pursue her passion to work in creative sync for Film and TV. Through tenacity, and the power of networking she was able to finish her degree remotely, move cross country, and secure a position with Universal Music Enterprises on the licensing team. From there, she accepted a role on the creative sync team for Capitol Records, pitching priority artists like Halsey, Katy Perry, and Sam Smith for upcoming productions. During her time with Capitol, she secured various syncs for shows including, World of Dance, Council of Dads and Love Island. 

Today, she works on the Music team for Apple TV+ working directly with show runners, music supervisors and creative executives to execute the musical vision for Apple Originals.

Nikki Marshall is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and began her career with local heroes: Organized Noize and The Dungeon Family. She went on to run publishing companies for super producer, Dallas Austin. Writers within the company's repertoire contributed to hit singles including Kelis' "Bossy" during her time there. Nikki has also served as a licensing consultant for several networks and media brands. Past clients include Viacom, Essence Media, Turner Broadcasting and Verizon. She currently works in Sync for Warner Chappell Music Publishing. In her current position she develops and negotiates sync licenses for Film and Television.

Kyle Bowser serves as the Senior Vice President of the Hollywood Bureau. In this capacity, Mr. Bowser is responsible for advancing NAACP's Hollywood projects, relationships, and overseeing NAACP's Image Awards production.

For nearly three decades, Kyle Bowser has worked as an entertainment industry executive. His experience spans film, television, music, theater, radio, and digital media. This immersion within a vast sphere of media interests has provided Bowser with unique insight into the intersecting parameters of the arts, culture, business development, and emerging technologies.

Bowser's career began in theater management and concert promotion. His involvement in television began with NBC Business Affairs in New York City. He later moved to Los Angeles to join Fox, Inc., where he developed television programming of multiple genres and creatively managed primetime fare aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company. Bowser next served as Director of Creative Affairs for HBO Independent Productions, where he developed new programs and creatively supervised content licensed to primetime broadcast carriers. Throughout Bowser's storied career, his producing talents have been engaged by countless media companies, including NBC, Fox, HBO, Showtime, Starz, Comedy Central, Lifetime, Cooking Channel, PBS, iNDemand, Facebook, Warner Bros., Harper Collins, AEG, the NFL, and more.

A native of Philadelphia, PA, Kyle Bowser received his Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University in Radio/Television Communications and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Widener University School of Law. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bar Associations and supports the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association and the National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) – for whom he founded the annual Vision Awards and received its coveted Legacy Award.

JaNeika and JaSheika James have had an ongoing love affair with film and television

since childhood. It wasn't until college that the twin sisters decided to pursue careers in film and TV, both graduating with bachelor's degrees in Telecommunication from the University of Florida's College of Journalism. While sharing common goals to write for television, JaNeika and JaSheika have taken very different paths in achieving those goals.

Upon graduating from the University of Florida, JaSheika went on to work for the hit series, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and DEXTER, and later in post-production at ABC Studios. Her professional experience in the writers' room began on ABC's REVENGE, where she joined the writing staff in the third season.

Following JaNeika's master's studies at Syracuse University's Newhouse School of

Public Communication, she had the opportunity to interview Yvette Lee Bowser, Creator and Executive Producer of the hit FOX television series LIVING SINGLE. She began her career working for Mrs. Bowser on UPN's HALF & HALF. JaNeika went on to work under the producing team of Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan (SEINFELD, SCRUBS, WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER?) at ABC Studios, and later in Scripted Development at VH1.

JaNeika and JaSheika rose up the ranks from Staff Writers to Supervising Producers on Fox's groundbreaking hit series, EMPIRE. They also served as Co Executive Producers on Netflix's limited series, TRUE STORY, starring Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes, and HBO Max's GOSSIP GIRL, and are currently developing Showtime's MABEL, an origin series based on Tyler Perry's Madea, as Executive Producers alongside Tyler Perry and Tim Palen. The James Twins are committed to creating, developing, and writing projects that enlighten, inspire, and entertain audiences around the world.

Their debut book, LIVING DOUBLE, is a behind-the-scenes look at the competitive

world of writing for television, as well an inspiring account of two sisters determined to make their dream careers a reality – and to share life lessons with those who have big dreams, but are uncertain how to achieve them.

Taren grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduation, she spent the following years in Madison, Wisconsin working as an executive at Target Corporation and a college advisor at her alma mater until moving to Los Angeles, California in 2019. In LA, she interned at ABC Studios and Shondaland at the show, How to Get Away with Murder. After her internship, she worked for the NAACP Image Awards and in the drama development department at HBO Max. She has recently worked on an unreleased Apple TV Drama and currently works as a Showrunner's Assistant at NBC Universal. Taren is finishing up negotiations on her first YA dramedy which is in development at a world-renowned studio.

Amber Stevens West is a panelist for the 2nd Annual ACE Festival.

Andrea Bordeaux is a panelist for the 2nd Annual ACE Festival.

Candice Williams is a New York TV/media personality with over 10 years of industry experience.  In addition to hosting an internationally syndicated radio show on Sirius-XM, and providing multiple segments for local and national stations, Ms. Williams was one of the key figures in the 2013 VH1 docu-series "The Gossip Game." 

Since 2016, Ms. Williams has been working as an Entertainment Reporter at ABC News, where she covers diverse narratives and Black entertainment for national and syndicated affiliates.

Corbin Reid is a panelist for the 2nd Annual ACE Festival.

Cam'ron Moore is a Bay Area native and alum of North Carolina A&T State University, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He is currently a Story Editor on the CW show All American.

Dr. Kenjus Watsonis the Program Evaluation Director of SF BUILD and is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Health and Equity Research Lab in the Biology Department at San Francisco State University.

His research concerns the biopsychosocial impact of everyday anti-blackness and colonization (racial microaggressions) on Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, and the potential of abolition to bring about a re-Indigenization of Education. Kenjus also teaches courses on Educational Inequality, The History of Education, and Critical Race Theory in the Education Department and Black Studies Program at Occidental College.

Kenjus earned his BA in Psychology at Occidental College, his Masters in Education at Penn State University, and his PhD in Education with an emphasis in Race and Ethnic Studies at UCLA

Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis is a professor of psychology at Pepperdine University. She is a former psychology representative to the United Nations and a past president of the Society of the Psychology of Women.

She hosts the Homecoming podcast and has been a mental health expert on CNN, WE TV, Headline News, BET, OWN TV, and VH1.  Bryant-Davis directs the Culture and Trauma Research Lab and her expertise is in empowering people to survive, heal, and thrive.  She is a candidate for president elect of the American Psychological Association. 

An activist, spoken word artist, and ordained elder, Bryant-Davis is committed to liberation approaches to holistic wellness for all people. 

Allison Hunter is a Black journalist who has created more than 3000 hours of live broadcasts and managed staff in some of the nation's busiest newsrooms, including Chicago's WGN-TV and KTLA in Los Angeles.  

In her 30 year career, she's helped build editorial teams from the ground up, produced award-winning media, and taught journalism on the university level in rural Ohio.

Currently, Allison is fighting the power with the E.W. Scripps Company's resources where she works as a content manager.

Brooke Thomas is a journalist and television host. She has recently taken the entertainment journalism world by storm on both red carpets and in studio covering breaking stories, pop culture, and the Black community.  

Brooke is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communications where she earned a Bachelor of Art degree in journalism. She began her broadcasting career as an intern on Access Hollywood in Los Angeles, which helped lead her to her first job as a reporter at WDAZ in Devil's Lake, North Dakota. From there, she proved to be a stand-out in morning news programming in several markets – including Memphis, Tennessee and Lubbock, Texas – before serving as the co-anchor of CBS 3's Eyewitness News This Morning and Eyewitness News at Noon in Philadelphia. Most recently, she has hosted a number of shows for the award-winning online news platform, The Young Turks.

Currently, Brooke can be seen on Fox Soul's The Black Report every weekday at 4pm PT / 7pm ET. She has also served as guest host on other Fox Soul specials, including the live watch parties for the national party conventions and presidential debate.

Hard-hitting, inspiring, intelligent, honest, and direct — these are some of the words used to describe the style and approach of Emmy Award–winning broadcaster Ed Gordon. Known for his stellar interactions with newsmakers from the worlds of politics, entertainment, and sports, Gordon is the president of Ed Gordon Media, a multi-service production company.

In 2020, Gordon authored his first book, Conversation in Black where he interviewed over 40 leaders and influencers for a "virtual" conversation about the state of Black America. Gordon also hosted and executive produced Ed Gordon, an hour-long quarterly newsmagazine on Bounce TV. This program has featured many inspirational and moving interviews, such as an emotional interview with the Mothers of the Movement, a group of women whose children had been killed by senseless violence, and a look at the controversy surrounding the movie The Birth of a Nation (2016) and its star and director, Nate Parker. Other highlights include a profile of powerhouse Congresswoman Maxine Waters and exclusive interviews with comedian Steve Harvey, R&B singer Maxwell, and the cast of the mega-successful movie Girls Trip.

Additionally, Gordon hosted and executive-produced the nationally syndicated one-on-one program Conversations with Ed Gordon. The signature program allows Gordon to bring newsmakers and celebrities up close and personal with viewers. Over the years, guests have included Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, Kevin Hart, and Beyoncé, among many others. Previously, he has also been a contributing correspondent for the CBS news show 60 Minutes II, a contributor for NBC's Today Show and Dateline, the host of NPR's News and Notes with Ed Gordon, and the MSNBC anchor and host of the nationally syndicated television programs Our World and Weekly with Ed Gordon. He further distinguished himself during two stints at BET.

He's had many roles at the network, including host of BET Tonight, anchor of BET News, and creator of his signature one-on-one series Conversation with Ed Gordon. Gordon also anchored BET's coverage of the 2012 presidential election, Obama's second inauguration, Nelson Mandela's funeral from South Africa, and the fiftieth anniversary of the historic March on Washington.

But Gordon's reach doesn't stop there. Gordon is also featured on The Steve Harvey Morning Show, where he gives his perspective on current national headlines, and he records Right Now with Ed Gordon, which provides daily commentaries for radio stations across the country. He also hosts the nationally syndicated radio program, Weekend with Ed Gordon, a two-hour program featuring a mix of talk, information, entertainment, and music. It's been called "a fun, smart radio show for grown folks."

Aside from his own media ventures, Gordon continues to be at the fore- front of news. He conducted one-on-one interviews with President Barack Obama during his historic presidency. He has covered many of the world's most defining events throughout his career, from the historic 2008 US presidential election to the freedom of South Africa's Nelson Mandela to the beating of Rodney King to the upheavals in Haiti and Cuba. He's also provided comprehensive coverage and up-to-the-minute reports on many other domes- tic and international events, including the tragic 9/11 attacks on America.

Gordon's impressive interview portfolio also includes conversations with the following newsmakers: President Bill Clinton; Academy Award winners Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, and Halle Berry; Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan; actor Idris Elba; and the late musician Michael Jackson.

Some of Gordon's other notable works that have garnered the admiration and respect of viewers and colleagues include the infamous O. J. Simpson interview; an exclusive interview with pop superstar Janet Jackson about her secret marriage and painful divorce; no-holds-barred interviews with controversial senator Trent Lott and embattled singer R. Kelly; the critically acclaimed one-on-one interview with Tupac Shakur (often noted as the rapper's definitive interview); and a fiery interview during the 2017 NABJ national convention with White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman, made national headlines.

In addition to receiving an Emmy for his work, Gordon is the recipient of many other awards recognizing his talent and professionalism, including the NAACP Image Award and the prestigious Journalist of the Year Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.

Morris W. O'Kelly (Mo'Kelly) is a radio and television commentator specializing in politics and current affairs.  Presently, his daily radio commentary "Mo'Kelly's 2-Minute Warning" is syndicated nationally across the Black Information Network and iHeartRadio. He is also heard weekends as host of the 3-time award-winning, 10-time nominated program, "The Mo'Kelly Show" on the #1 news/talk station in America, KFI AM640 in Los Angeles.  

His program was featured on the TNT network program, "American Race" with basketball Hall of Fame member Charles Barkley.  Additionally, he is a featured weekly commentator regarding American politics for BBC Radio.  O'Kelly has also been seen offering analysis for CNN, MSNBC, HLN, FOX 11 Los Angeles, Good Morning America and Spectrum News SoCal.

Prior to forging his own media brand, O'Kelly helped guide the radio careers of entertainment personalities Jim Rome, Ryan Seacrest and Tavis Smiley.  O'Kelly's print work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Huffington Post and dozens of other news and entertainment outlets.

His community work includes annual involvement with the Los Angeles County Alliance for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Omega Psi Phi, Fraternity, Inc.

Alphonso B. David, an accomplished and nationally recognized LGBTQ civil rights lawyer and advocate, is the president of the Human Rights Campaign. Mr. David is the first civil rights lawyer and the first person of color to serve as president of HRC in the organization's nearly 40-year history.  

Mr. David has significant litigation and management experience in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. He has been at the forefront of the movement for LGBTQ equality for more than a decade and worked at both the state and national levels.  

In 2015, Mr. David was appointed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve as Counsel to the Governor. In this role, he has functioned as the Governor's chief counsel and principal legal advisor and managed all significant legal and policy deliberations affecting New York State, including evaluating proposed legislation; implementing laws and policies, and formulating the State's posture in both affirmative and defensive litigation. 

Prior to his appointment as the Governor's Chief Counsel, Mr. David served for four years in the Governor's cabinet as the Deputy Secretary and Counsel for Civil Rights, the first position of its kind in New York State. In this capacity, he was responsible for a full range of legal, policy, legislative and operational matters affecting civil rights and labor throughout the State. Mr. David also previously served as Special Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights for the Office of the New York State Attorney General, where he managed Assistant Attorneys General on a variety of civil rights investigations and affirmative litigation, including employment and housing discrimination, fair lending, immigration, reproductive rights, and anti-bias claims. Further, he previously served as Deputy Commissioner and Special Counselor at the New York State Division of Human Rights.  

Prior to working in the public sector, Mr. David served as a staff attorney at the Lambda Legal Defense and Educational Fund. At Lambda Legal, Mr. David litigated precedent-setting civil rights cases across the nation affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals as well as those living with HIV and AIDS. He handled both affirmative and defensive matters relating to marriage, parenting rights, discrimination in schools, and access to health care. In addition, Mr. David served as a litigation associate at the law firm Blank Rome LLP. He began his legal career as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Clifford Scott Green in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  

For the past decade, Mr. David has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law. He began his work in academia with Fordham University Law School and continued at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.  

He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and Temple University School of Law.  

From the board room to film and TV sets to Capitol Hill, Angelica Ross is a leading figure of success and strength, in the movement for Transgender and racial equality. A series regular on the ninth season of Ryan Murphy's FX hit American Horror Story: 1984, and confirmed to return for the currently untitled season ten, Angelica is blazing a trail, kicking open doors, and building her own table with ample open seats.

In 2020, Angelica became a face of Nicolas Ghesquière's pre-Fall campaign for Louis Vuitton — a campy homage to vintage sci-fi book covers.

Angelica's acting breakthrough came in the form of Ryan Murphy's Award-Winning FX hit, Pose — which follows NYC's Black and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming ballroom culture scene, in the '80s and early '90s. Making TV history, the show features the largest transgender cast ever for a scripted series. Vanity Fair raved that "Angelica Ross steals many of her scenes as 'Candy'" the brashest member of the 'House of Abundance.'

Since studying acting at Florida Atlantic University, Angelica has appeared across numerous mediums, including film, television, and theatre. One project, the Emmy-nominated (Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama) web series Her Story, received special recognition at the GLAAD Media Awards. A segment Angelica appeared in on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, was honored with a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Talk Show Episode. She's also appeared in Transparent (Amazon), Claws (TNT), Doubt (CBS), and Danger & Eggs (Amazon).

Miss Ross also works behind the camera! She executive produced and appeared in the Daytime Emmy-nominated web series King Ester ( 2019) and in the short film Missed Connections (2017), which went on to be an official selection at the Outfest LGBTQ Film Festival, the La Femme International Film Festival, and the Baltimore International Black Film Festival. 

Angelica Ross is the President of Miss Ross, Inc. and founder of TransTech Social Enterprises, a program that helps people lift themselves out of poverty through technical training, digital work creating a social impact, and bringing economic empowerment to marginalized communities.

A multi-hyphenate performer, creator, and recording artist, Dyllón Burnside currently stars as 'Ricky' in Ryan Murphy's and FX's ground-breaking and Emmy-nominated series, "Pose." 

Last year, Dyllón hosted the series "Prideland" for PBS. The series explored LGBTQ+ identity in the South and was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.

Dyllón first captivated audiences with his Broadway debut, starring as Anthony in 2014's Holler if Ya Hear Me, a hip-hop musical inspired by the music and lyrics of Tupac Shakur. He also appeared in NBC's "Peter Pan Live!" and the HBO series "High Maintenance," all while completing his final year at the prestigious CAP21 Conservatory for music theatre and The New School where he earned a bachelor's degree in Media Studies and Writing.

The Pensacola, Florida native began performing professionally at the age of twelve as a member of the Hip-Hop/R&B boy band 3D, which afforded him the opportunity to tour the country performing original music. Dyllón released his debut solo single last year and is currently working on new music. 

In addition to his performance work, Burnside is passionate about producing quality arts content that promotes social change and works with students at schools across the country about the importance of arts education as a means of personal empowerment and self-expression.

Aaron Rahsaan Thomas grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, developing a love for storytelling after completing a fifth-grade assignment to create his own original Greek myth from scratch. As time passed, Aaron developed his passion for storytelling visually and attended Morehouse College. Aaron would also matriculate through the University of Kansas, earning honors in English Literature, before moving to Los Angeles and attending the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts for graduate school. After graduating from USC, Aaron was selected for the prestigious CBS Writers Mentoring Program.

Aaron began his professional career as a writer's assistant on Soul Food: The Series and went on to work on the staff of such TV series as NBC's Friday Night Lights, for which he received a Peabody Award, as well as CBS procedurals, such as Numb3rs and CSI: NY. Aaron has also served as a Co-Executive Producer on TNT's SouthLAnd, Fox's Sleepy Hollow and Netflix's The Get Down.

Aaron has had two screenplays produced as feature films: Cover, directed by Bill Duke and Assassination Games, starring Jean Claude Van Damme. He has also directed an ESPN 30 for 30 film about the USC football team during the Pete Carroll era, entitled, Trojan War.

Aaron most recently has been the co-creator and executive producer of the procedural series reboot of S.W.A.T., which airs on Friday nights on CBS. Aaron is currently developing new projects.

Deric A. Hughes is a co-executive producer/writer for television, features, video/mobile games, and comic books. He is best known for his TV work on Syfy Channel's Warehouse 13, CW's Beauty & the Beast, The Flash, Arrow, and Legacies, and MTV's Scream: Season 3. 

From the moment Kirk A. Moore sat too close to the television set to watch NYPD Blue, he was hooked. The compelling, conflicted characters and intricate storytelling were addicting. Growing up in Houston, TX, the son of a police officer, Kirk was always attracted to crime and police dramas. It also made him a huge TV/film fan. 

His journey as a television writer and producer began while working as assistant. That opportunity would lead to jobs in reality television. Then he stopped everything to work for a psychic company. Hey. Don't judge him. It was a graveyard shift job, so he had time to write.

Moore is a 2014 NBC Writers on the Verge fellow and later began working on the acclaimed drama, American Crime for two seasons, where the series was nominated for Emmy, WGA, NAACP Image, and Black Reel awards. He later joined the writing staff of the wildly popular and controversial teen drama, 13 Reasons Why, where he worked for two seasons. Soon he became a writer/producer on Marvel's Runaway, Hulu's Looking for Alaska and Amazon's Jack Ryan. He's currently a Supervising Producer on ABC's legal drama For Life. 

Oh…Kirk also enjoys dogs, Southern cuisine (and posting pics and recipes on IG…it's serious!), basketball, Judge Judy and Real Housewives — Atlanta, Potomac, Beverly Hills only.

After growing up near China Lake Naval Weapons Center in the middle of the Mojave Desert, Niceole Levy escaped to the bright lights of Los Angeles.

While studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she realized her true love was writing stories, not playing them out. She worked as a police dispatcher to pay her way through USC undergrad and then completed the Master of Professional Writing program, also at USC.

An alum of the CBS Writers Mentoring Program and NBC's Writers on the Verge, Niceole has written on Ironside, Allegiance, The Mysteries of Laura, Shades of Blue, Cloak & Dagger, Fate (Netflix, 2020), and S.W.A.T. She also co-wrote a feature, The Banker, with

former Allegiance showrunner and director George Nolfi, available on AppleTV+.

Levy is currently a co-executive producer on Graymail, which will air on Netflix, and has several projects in development.

Raelle Tucker was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico and raised in Ibiza, Spain. She is an Emmy, Golden Globe, and GLAAD nominated writer, producer, and showrunner. 

Known for her work on Supernatural (2005-2007), HBO's True Blood (2008-2014), A&E's The Returned (2015), Netflix's Jessica Jones (2016-2017) and creating the Blumhouse-produced anthology series Sacred Lies (2018-2020) – seasons one and two now streaming on Peacock.  

Blair Miller is the Creative Director of Jonas Group, where she oversees the marketing strategy for artists such as Lanie Gardner (Republic Records) and Melanie Pfirrman (Curb Records). Some of her current responsibilities include artist/brand development, release plan strategy, influencer marketing, and music video production. Miller began her career as a Digital Marketing Manager at a Nashville-based social media agency before launching Jonas Group Media with Kevin Jonas Sr. 

A Canton, Ohio native, Charlene Bryant previously resided in Nashville, Tennessee, where she enrolled at Belmont University. Throughout her time at Belmont, she garnered internships with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group. Upon graduating, Charlene managed a live music venue. After two years of increased record attendance at the venue, she pivoted and began working on the record label side of the business. Her first role was on the Production/Distribution team at Universal Music Group. Subsequently, she went on to join the Commercial Partnerships team at Sony Music Entertainment, where she managed the relationships with various digital service providers (music streaming companies).

Charlene holds a Business Administration degree in Music Business from Belmont University. She also served as the Vice President of W.M.B.A. (Women's Music Business Association) in 2019, was a member of S.O.L.I.D. (Society Of Leaders In Development), and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame Troubadour Advisory Council. She was honored with the Nashville Business Journal's Women in Music City Award, two years in a row, in 2018 and 2019.

Charlene's educational background and years of experience working for the largest record labels, helped her establish a great understanding of both the needs of artists and the ever-changing landscape of the industry. In 2018 she decided to launch her own management company, Riveter Management, which is the current home of the young hip-hop star Trippie Redd.

In an industry that can be transactional and fast-paced, Charlene brings balance with her business acumen, results-oriented strategies, and value for authentic industry relationships. Her broad music industry experience makes Riveter Management a unique company that can understand and cater to the specific needs and trajectory of an artist. No matter where artists may be in their professional journey, Charlene's passion for developing and helping them succeed in their career drives the company's motto: If you dream it, we can do it.

This Jersey girl's love of music started at West Virginia University's college radio station  U92. Nicole was quickly put on-air and created a late-night show, The Urban Dinner, playing hip hop and R&B hits that continues at the university today.

After graduating from West Virginia University, Nicole started her career answering phones at WKTU 103.5 in NYC(an iHeartStation), taking on multiple responsibilities at the station. She was quickly promoted to mid-day producer setting up interviews with top talent and developing show ideas. Nicole was then offered a staff position and transitioned to the programming department where she developed her skills in music programming, concert organization, event management, and networking.

A few years later, Nicole was offered a position in the urban promotions department with Clive Davis record label J. /RCA Records. In this new position, Nicole organized budgets, developed radio promotion campaigns, and maintained relationships with programmers to gain airplay on artists such as Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Alicia Keys, and Jazmine Sullivan to name a few. In 2010, she made the decision to transition to network programming and helped launch the BET network Centric. 

Nicole was the Sr. Director of Music and Talent for Centric and the BE  Experience for 5+ years and has worked with AEG and top executives at BET on crafting the BET Experience weekend. In 2017, the BET Experience Weekend brought in over 165,000 people; a 10% increase over 2016 and is now known as the biggest event in history at LA Live.  

Nicole recently accepted a position at Pandora in industry relations and moved to LA.  In the short time, she has been with Pandora, Nicole has brought artists like SZA, Khalid, and Logic to the Pandora stage with events in LA and NYC. Nicole has a proven track record of delivering sought-after celebrity guests and being an out-of-the-box creative thinker who can spot emerging trends and talent while understanding audience desires. Her philosophy is "No excuses just results" and that's exactly what she provides.

Meet CEO of Molly Tan, Rachel Wims. The Forbes 30 under 30 nominee is responsible for some of the most successful marketing rollouts for the music industry's top rising artists, songwriters, and producers. Rachel Wims is a music executive, author, and global philanthropist who specializes in curating content, managing artists, developing brand and marketing initiatives, organizing tours, and more.

Rachel launched her professional career at the young age of 18, first interning for BET, then working under the Cactus Jack label as an assistant tour manager. During her time there she worked on several tours, and was a pivotal part of Sheck Wes' career. Currently Rachel Wims lives in LA where she is the President and CEO of her artist development agency, Molly Tan. Within Molly Tan's first month its revenue went from $0 to $30K, and obtained a very impressive roster.

She continues to show she is a force in the industry expanding beyond music building marketing strategies for top brands such as Triller, Beats by Dre, Apple Music, Soundcloud, Complex, NBA 2k, and Uninterrupted to name a few. Over the past year she has created and executed over 75 successful marketing plans for Hip-Hop rising stars Sheck Wes, Ski Mask, SOB x RBE, Trill Sammy, Dice SoHo, and Dougie F. Her accomplishments took her to new heights as she now reigned as the Head of Marketing and Publicity for YG's 4Hunnid Records, where she played a significant part in cultivating YG's partnership with SB Projects, and oversaw the careers of YG, Day Sulan, Mitch, and D3.

Rachel's impressive track record landed her spotlights in GALOREand HER agenda. She made such noise that she caught the attention of Global Pop Producer, Jkash, who immediately asked her to become the Director of Marketing for his joint label Sandlot/Kasher Records. There, Rachel sky rocketed into the industry of Pop, securing her first A&R placement with Maroon 5 and Popcaan for the "Nobody's Love" Remix, while also cultivating brand partnerships with the Joe Biden Campaign, Tesla, Helmut Lang, Coach, Morphie, Cheez Its, Starbursts, Yerba Mate, Voss, and more.

Currently, Rachel serves as the Head of Marketing at Legion, overseeing marketing for top Urban and Pop writers Nija Charles and Ant Clemons. Rachel has played a major role in restructuring and developing the marketing department. She took a huge lead in developing Ant's rollout for "Better Days" feat. Justin Timberlake, and was an integral part of developing Ant and Justin's performance at the Biden Inaugural.

The other role she occupies is as the President and CEO of her family's nonprofit organization the Victims' Rights Foundation. Her father, Gregory Wims used his political background and compassion to help the voiceless to start the foundation 25 years ago in Montgomery County, Maryland, and has since raised over one million dollars for victims of violent crimes and their loved ones.

As the President of the Victims' Rights Foundation, Rachel has led many community projects within the United States and abroad. At the age of 13 she was able to raise $10,000, to build an additional building onto the Senator Barack Obama Secondary School in Kogelo, Kenya, which bears her name. She has since continued her efforts to provide equal access to clean water and education for the citizens in Kenya. Growing up with two entrepreneurs for parents, one could say it was destiny for Rachel to own her own company one day. Her ceiling is far from near as she continues to impress us all each venture at a time.

Olivia Shaloup is a moderator for the 2nd annual ACE Festival.