Name: AfroAnimation Virtual Summit 2.0
Start: 2022-04-27 10:30:00 -0400
End: 2022-04-28 19:30:00 -0400

Description Sponsors Schedule Speakers Booths

Proudly supported by

Speakers

Rio Cyrus

Co-Chair and Head of Programming, AfroAnimation

Keith White

Founder and Co-Chair, AfroAnimation

Latifa Ouaou

EVP, Movies and Global Franchise, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Greg Little

Senior Vice President, Content at Mainframe Studios

Lori Beck

Senior Recruiter, Industrial Light & Magic

Samantha Brown

Senior Recruiter, Marvel Studios Animation

Erika Becerra

Recruitment and Outreach, Walt Disney Animation Studios

Lex Randleman

Director, Artistic Recruitment at Disney Television Animation

Shea Richburg

Co-CEO of Future Wise Group

Rob Richardson

CEO of Disrupt Art

Robert Frederick

CEO, Sirqul & Technical Adviser for ClixTv.com

Bruce Smith

Show Creator and Executive Producer, Disney Television Animation

Breana Williams (MODERATOR)

Production Coordinator, Disney Television Animation

Layron Dejarnette

Character Designer, Disney Television Animation

Charles Jones

Editor, Disney Television Animation

Jan Hirota

Producer, Disney Television Animation

Tanya Green

Head of Preschool at Mainframe Studios

Kelley Gardner

Vice President, Current Series Animation at Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Paige Johnstone

Production Department Manager at Pixar

Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt

Executive, Production and Developmnent, Marvel Studios

Ziki Nelson

Creator – Iwájú and Managing Director of Kugali Media

Marlon West

VFX Supervisor – Iwájú, Walt Disney Animation Studios

Andre Fenley

Supervising Sound Editor, Skywalker Sound

Alberto Martinez Arce

Senior Character Animator, Industrial Light & Magic

Karessa Bowens

Associate Experience Designer, ILMxLAB

April Rhee

Compositor, Industrial Light & Magic

Alex Spotswood

Producer, Lucasfilm Animation

Andre Kirk

Art Director, Lucasfilm Animation

Paul Zinnes

Digital Assets Director, Lucasfilm Animation

Justin Bruce Lee

Senior Storyboard Artist, Lucasfilm Animation

Sterling Sheehy

Senior Storyboard Artist, Lucasfilm Animation

Joel Aron

Director of Cinematography: Lighting and FX, Lucasfilm Animation

Keith Kellogg

Animation Director, Lucasfilm Animation

Camille Eden

VP, Recruiting and Talent Development, Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Shabrayia Cleaver

Associate Production Executive at DreamWorks Animation

Terrance Daye

Poet, Filmmaker, Director of Pritty: The Animation

Keith F. Miller Jr.

Award-Winning Educator, Executive Producer And Author, Pritty: The Animation

Liz Cook Mowe

Senior Director, Film at Kickstarter

Eastwood Wong

Art Director, Disney Television Animation

Marques Hardin

Co-founder @Artgence & Artgence3D

KyLee Evans

Writer, Walt Disney Television Animation

Jinko Gotoh

Vice-President, Women in Animation

John Kambites (MODERATOR)

Feature Producer at Netflix

Chekwube Okonkwo

Art Director, Magic Carpet Studios

Vanessa Sinden (MODERATOR)

Producer, TriggerFish Animamtion Studios

Chris Leahy

Director of Global Talent Acquisition at Sony Pictures Animation

Allison Parker

Manager, Talent Acquisition, Pixar

Adrian Bobb

VFX Artist/Director, Exocentric Productions

Adrian Rashad Driscoll

Filmmaker, Immersive Media Consultant

Morenike Dosu

Director - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Business Partner at DreamWorks Animation

Harold Hayes

Co- Founder and Creative Director at SunnyBoy Entertainment

Nea Simone

CEO, Bespoke Media Marketing || CEO, Melanated Studios || CEO, NFT Atlanta-Con

Ashleigh Hairston

Former Writer ("Craig of the Creek") and Story Editor ("Jessica's Big Little World")

Dashawn Mahone

Supervising Director ("Jessica's Big Little World")

Shawnee Gibbs

Shawnee´ Gibbs - Staff Writer ("Jessica's Big Little World")

Shawnelle Gibbs

Shawnelle Gibbs - Staff Writer ("Jessica's Big Little World")

Kwame Nyong'o (JUDGE)

Professor of Animation at Savannah College of Art in Design (SCAD), Georgia

Shawn Martinbrough (JUDGE)

Author, DC Comics, Marvel & How to Draw Noir Comics: The Art and Technique of Visual Storytelling

Rosa Falu-Carrion (JUDGE)

Award-Winning Writer

Trent Corey (MODERATOR)

Director at Disney Feature Animation

Stevi Carter (MODERATOR)

Director of Development Production, Animated Film at Netflix

Carl Reed

President, Lion Forge Animation

Justin Copeland

Director, Feature Animation at DreamWorks Animation

Chris Copeland

Director, Feature Animation at DreamWorks Animation

Fred Noland

Visual Storyteller

Victor Dandridge (MODERATOR)

Writer, Publisher, Graphic Designer, Educator

Dr. Lisa Coleman (MODERATOR)

Senior Vice President for Global Inclusion and Strategic Innovation, New York University

Ryan S. Smith (MODERATOR)

Manager, Global Diversity Recruitment and Programs - Lucasfilm

Joe Hughes

Sr. Talent Development Specialist, Warner Bros. Animation & Cartoon Network Studios

Fred Seibert

President and Founder, FredFilms

Connie Nartonis Thompson

Producer, Cinesite

Chaz Bottoms

Animation Director/Founder of CBA Studios; Story Artist, Netflix; Co-Director - Black 'n Animated.

Divya Gupta (MODERATOR)

President | CEO G.R.I.D.S. Consulting

Alexis Jackson

Talent Acquisition Manager at DreamWorks Animation

Tendayi Nyeke

Development Executive At Triggerfish Animation

Sonya Carey

CEO and Founder - Course Instructor / Developer, The Animation Lounge

Philip Solomon (MODERATOR)

Voice of Craig

Nompi Vilakazi

Managing Director of Buthano Pictures

Trevor Pryce

President NERU PROJECTS / WARNER

Awuradwoa Afful

Artist, Designer & Animator

Steph C

Illustrator & Vis Dev Artist

Luis Gadea

Character Designer & 2D Animator

Bryan Dimas (MODERATOR)

Co-Founder & Co-Director of LatinX in Animation

Jabari Cofer

Senior Animator, Sony Pictures Imageworks

Joe Darko

Animation Lead, Sony Pictures Imageworks

Emmanuel Jr. Gatera

Senior Animator, Sony Pictures Imageworks

Tyquane Wright

Look Development Artist, Sony Pictures Imageworks

Nicole Cornute-Sutton

Lead Texture Artist, Sony Pictures Imageworks

Ere Santos

Senior Animator, Sony Pictures Imageworks

Hosted by

AfroAnimation

AfroAnimation 4.0 is a 3-day in-person and virtual Summit in Burbank, California, that has grown to 6,000 creative and industry executive attendees as of 2023. AfroAnimation is a platform dedicated to empowering creatives, creating employment pathways and increasing diverse and women representation in the animation industry. We do this by connecting creators of color from around the globe, once a year to Hollywood and Canadian film and television companies to meet and discuss important topics relative to the vertical, gain new insights, recruit, screen indie films, network, award and celebrate.

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Booths

Walt Disney Animation

Combining masterful artistry and storytelling with groundbreaking technology

DreamWorks

Dream Big. Dream Together.

Warner Bros Animation

A leader in kids and family programming

Sony Pictures Animation

Sony Pictures Animation is the Academy Award®-winning front-end animation studio behind "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Marvel Studios

Meeting and building community at the intersection of Art and Technology

Pixar

A collaboration between Art & Technology

ILM & Lucasfilm Animation

We create. We inspire. We imagine. We innovate. We design. We dream.

WildBrain Studios

Proud home of wildly talented artists in 2D and CG animation!

Nickelodeon

We are a collective of creative people who dare to dream.

Cartoon Network Studios

The original and current home for bold, risk-taking animation auteurs and tastemakers

Walt Disney Television Animation

Disney Television Animation is a creative community of visual storytellers who celebrate and embrace the magic of Disney.

Cinesite

A site to behold

Toon Boom Animation

With over 25 years of incomparable experience, Toon Boom’s award-winning software is the global standard for animation and storyboarding.

Sony Pictures Imageworks

Sony Pictures Imageworks is an Academy Award®-winning visual effects and animation studio known for photoreal live-action visual effects, dynamic creature and character animation and full-CG features.