Breakout Sessions

MULTI-TRACK SHOWCASES

Industry experts share innovative ideas, processes, or perspectives in an intimate way with the audience who are free to choose which topic/area they find most interesting.

TRACK 1: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
TRACK 2: MENTORING & NETWORKING
TRACK 3: COMMUNITY
TRACK 4: DIVERSITY, EQUALITY & INCLUSION

TRACK 1: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

11:15 – 11:45 a.m.
How To Navigate Your Career In a World of COVID, Contraction and Consolidation
The long-range economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis are continuing to evolve as the entertainment industry adjusts to the new normal. So what are the near-term hiring plans for most employers? How do you navigate your career at such a challenging time? We’ll hear from top executive recruiters on how to evaluate your position with whatever new cards have been dealt and set yourself up for an exciting future.
Moderator: Valerie Hull, Associate, CEO and Board Services, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Heidrick & Struggles
Panelists:
Fran Pomorantz, Founder, The Pomorantz Group
Bill Simon, Global Sector Leader, Media & Entertainment, Korn Ferry
 

11:45 a.m – 12:15 p.m.
Research and Insights: Managing the Human and Business Impact of COVID-19
Consumers’ attitudes, behaviors and purchasing habits are changing during the pandemic and experts are saying that many of these changes will become the new normal. In just the past three months we’ve seen how consumers are using more digital channels than ever before to help with issues around isolation, spending more through e-commerce AND shopping more locally, and, of course, working remotely. Join this panel of research and insight specialists from studios and networks as they share new behaviors and insights from the last year.
Moderator: Nina Skorus-Neely, Secretary, WiTH Foundation, and Vice President, Business Technologies & Workplace Solutions-Consumer Products, WB Technology
Panelists:
Dawn Holliday, Director, Consumer Insights & Strategy, Walt Disney Studios
Tania Missad, Research & Insights for Consumer Products, Warner Bros.
Nicol Turner Lee, Director, The Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) and Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
 

TRACK 2: MENTORING & NETWORKING

11:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Reverse Mentoring To Drive New Thinking and More Equitable Workplaces
One great way to create an equitable workplace is to introduce a reverse mentoring program — where a person at the front of their career offers their perspective to more established professionals. This can open conversations around gender, age, social trends, and professional backgrounds to inspire community and a strong culture. In this session, we’ll dig into how Capital Music Group (Universal Music) is bringing “accelerator practices” to their business, infusing their companies with new ideas and in turn connecting their artists to new tech and new ways to reach the audience.
Moderator: Stefanie Kleinsmith, Human-focused Technologist
Panelists:
Ching-Ching Chen, Vice President of Content Partnerships & Strategy, Capital Music Group
Patty Newby, Project Manager, Gener8tor
Adrienne Palm, Director of gBETA Musictech
 

11:45 – 12:15 p.m.
The Ripple Effect: Choosing Technology as a Career Path
This session gathers the principal technologists and creatives behind ETC@USC’S (Entertainment Technology Center at USC) latest innovation project: “The Ripple Effect.” What challenges did these amazing women overcome on their career path as technologists? What biases do they see in the technologies that they utilize?
Moderator: Guy Finley, Executive Director, WiTH and President, MESA
Panelists:
Wendy Aylsworth, Chief Executive Officer, Walden Pond
Kathryn Brillhart, Cinematographer & Director
Brooke Noska, VFX Producer & Co-VFX Supervisor, The Orville
 

TRACK 3: COMMUNITY

11:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Leveling the Playing Field: Getting More Women in Tech
In this session we will hear from the five non-profit organizations that WITH is currently supporting: STEM Advantage, PepUp Tech, CodeTalk, STEAM:CODERS and DIY Girls, whose missions center around introducing underserved and underrepresented communities to the technology sector, many of them girls and entry level women. By creating programs that teach coding, and other science, math and technology applications, we’ll hear how the right education and opportunities can advance equity and drive more diversity in technology roles and ultimately drive to more tech careers in Hollywood.
Intro: Nadya Ichinomiya, Chairwoman, WiTH Foundation and Executive Director, Head of Agile Center of Excellence, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Moderator: April Schneider, Chairwoman, WITH Community Engagement and Executive Director IT, TV Distribution, Sony Pictures
Panelists:
Charmayne Mills Ealy, Director of Operations, Steamcoders
Cindy McKenzie, Chief Information Officer, Deluxe Entertainment Services Group; Board of Directors, Stem Advantage
Sharon Plunkett, Director, St. Joseph Center, CodeTalk
Leticia Rodriguez, Executive Director, DIY Girls
Selina Suarez, Chief Executive Officer, PepUp Tech
 

11:45 – 12:15 p.m.
How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter
In the current COVID-era, where all business models are being turned upside down in entertainment, the typical “heroic” leadership of “I know so I’m going to tell you what to do” is bankrupt. We need leaders who are great at asking questions and can disrupt themselves, create leadership in every team member and foster entrepreneurship in every employee. This workshop session leans into the qualities that make great leaders legendary!
Alyssa Gallagher, Leadership Author & Speaker
 

TRACK 4: DIVERSITY, EQUALITY & INCLUSION

11:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Tackling Bias (AI and human) in the Recruitment Process
AI holds the greatest promise for eliminating bias in hiring for two primary reasons. It can eliminate unconscious human bias, and it can assess the entire pipeline of candidates rather than forcing time-constrained humans to implement biased processes to shrink the pipeline from the start. We’ll hear from a panel of People Officers and Human Resource leaders in how they’re evolving their tool sets to tackle the new normal.
Moderator: Jessica Fernandez, Board Member, WiTH Foundation and Head of Security & Technology Communications, Amazon Studios
Panelists:
Edie Givens, Senior Vice President, People and Organization, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Talia Robinson, Senior Vice President Human Resources, ViacomCBS
Dolores Tersigni, Founder and President, Ellavate
 

11:45 – 12:15 p.m.
Empowering Leadership through Technology
Across the globe, COVID-19 has thrown society for a curveball that many of us were not prepared for. While you or someone you know have undoubtedly been affected by the pandemic, it has also created opportunities for leaders to make positive changes within their organizations. Additionally, it has increased the demand for a different type of leadership and led to the discovery of new ways we conduct our business. This session discusses how these challenging times have changed the way she manages and discusses some of the technology she’s implemented, in-house and for clients, to help keep their objectives on track.
Vanita Patel, Vice President, IBM Sales, Converge
 

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