Speakers

Brittani Ojogho-Fields

Corporate Counsel
Amazon MGM Studios

Trisha Ananiades

SVP, Business & Legal Affairs
BBC Studios

Brittani Ojogho-Fields

Corporate Counsel
Amazon MGM Studios

Brittani Ojogho-Fields currently serves as Corporate Counsel for Amazon MGM Studios, where she supports the development of US television series, overseeing the drafting and negotiation of talent and rights agreements and conducting of chain-of-title analyses.

Prior to joining Amazon MGM Studios, Brittani served as Corporate Counsel for Prime Video, where she assisted in the structuring, negotiation, and drafting of content licensing agreements for Prime Video and Kids+ and oversaw legal support for Prime Video’s licensing and distribution of content in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa, including multi-slate productions and co-productions. She also advised Prime Video with respect to international expansion, and its legal and regulatory compliance in the areas of Data Privacy and Accessibility.Prior to joining Amazon MGM Studios, Brittani served as Corporate Counsel for Prime Video, where she assisted in the structuring, negotiation, and drafting of content licensing agreements for Prime Video and Kids+ and oversaw legal support for Prime Video’s licensing and distribution of content in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa, including multi-slate productions and co-productions. She also advised Prime Video with respect to international expansion, and its legal and regulatory compliance in the areas of Data Privacy and Accessibility.

Before beginning her career in the entertainment industry, Brittani was a law firm associate in the Seattle office of K&L Gates LLP and the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster LLP, where she supported companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 multi-national companies in IP/technology transactions and data privacy compliance.

Brittani holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Howard University and a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.

Trisha Ananiades

SVP, Business & Legal Affairs
BBC Studios

Trisha Ananiades is a Senior Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs for BBC Studios, where she negotiates deals and drafts agreements for both scripted and unscripted programming produced by the studio and intended for exhibition on linear and SVOD TV. She routinely counsels creative, casting, and production executives on deal structure and business strategy and collaborates with colleagues in production and finance to solve production or contractual issues. Prior to her time at BBC Studios, Trisha worked in business and/or legal affairs at NBC Universal, The Walt Disney Company, and DreamWorks Animation. She began her legal career as a corporate transactions associate at the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

Trisha earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Sociology from UCLA, where she also earned a Master’s in Education. Prior to attending Harvard, Trisha was a high school teacher and worked for non-profit organizations in education. She resides in Southern California.

Tami Quintero

Head of Talent Acquisition
Lionsgate

Cheryl Cunliffe

VP, Human Resources
STARZ

Tami Quintero

Head of Talent Acquisition
Lionsgate

Tami is the Head of Talent Acquisition at Lionsgate, where she leads the organization's recruitment strategy, overseeing early careers through executive search across Lionsgate's Corporate, TV, and Motion Picture Groups.

Tami's tenure at Lionsgate has been marked by significant achievements, including a notable increase in diverse hires and the implementation of innovative and inclusive recruitment strategies. Additionally, Tami oversees Lionsgate's corporate branding efforts, spearheading campaigns that have enhanced the company's visibility and shaped its unique identity in the industry.

With 20 years of experience in entertainment spanning various HR functions, including roles at Warner Bros. Records, Twentieth Century Fox, and The Walt Disney Company, Tami brings a wealth of expertise to her current position. Her professional and academic background, which includes a Masters in Psychology from Pepperdine University, underpins her holistic and people-centric approach to talent acquisition.

Cheryl Cunliffe

VP, Human Resources
STARZ

Cheryl Cunliffe is VP of Human Resources at STARZ. In her current role, Cheryl specializes as a HR Business Partner where she ensures that HR strategy is aligned to business strategy and success is measured by both employees and the business thriving. Day-to-day, she partners and coaches with leaders on workforce planning, performance management, career development, and culture and is the main point of contact for employee questions and concerns. With 20 years of experience, Cheryl has worked in various roles across the HR function at Pop TV, Twentieth Century Fox, MGM, and E! Entertainment.

Bianca Nepales

VP, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Lionsgate/STARZ

Bill Duffy

Head of Basketball
WME Sports

Bianca Nepales

VP, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Lionsgate/STARZ

Bianca Nepales is the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Lionsgate where she partners with the company’s leadership team to effect organizational changes that pursue and embrace diverse talent and perspectives across the global entertainment company. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Bianca started her career as a special education teacher in South Los Angeles.

Bill Duffy

Head of Basketball
WME Sports

Bill Duffy as Head of Basketball with WME Sports and former Chairman & CEO of BDA Sports Management, which was founded over 35 years ago, is one of the most successful and respected agents in professional sports. He represents more than 40 NBA players and over than 100 professional basketball players internationally.

He was a standout basketball player at Santa Clara University after starting his career at the University of Minnesota. He was selected in the 5th round of the 1982 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets and in 2003 was inducted into SCU’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Jon Olivero

Director of Communications
William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Jon Olivero

Director of Communications
William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Jon Olivero serves as WME’s Director of Communications, overseeing communications and public relations strategy for all WME Sports’ clients. In his role, he works directly with athletes to help highlight the best of their on- and off-court achievements, while positioning them across media outlets including ESPN, The Athletic, New York Times, GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue. His work with athletes spans from Olympic and action sports to collegiate sports as well as the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and PGA and LPGA Tours.

Olivero previously worked with the Walt Disney Company, where he helped lead communications and manage strategy for a variety of Disney properties including for the Marvel, and Star Wars franchises.

He began his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and across eight NBA seasons with the team worked in public relations and community relations, creating media opportunities for players and executives, with a focus on enhancing the already-well-established Lakers brand.

Olivero graduated from the University of Southern California, where he earned a degree in Public Relations. He lives in Redondo Beach with his wife Brandi.

Emily French Thomas

Recruiter, Early Careers
Creative Artists Agency

Emily French Thomas

Recruiter, Early Careers
Creative Artists Agency

Emily is a recruiter on the early career team at CAA, and has the pleasure of working with candidates who are finding their path in entertainment, media and sports representation. Prior to joining CAA, Emily worked in higher education, overseeing admissions recruiting for MBAs and Executive MBAs at Columbia Business School. She has a BFA from NYU, and an MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia. Emily lives with her adorable family in Los Angeles, CA.

Lindsay Wagner

Chief Diversity Officer
United Talent Agency

Ugo Obioha

Agent, Motion Picture Lit
United Talent Agency

Lindsay Wagner

Chief Diversity Officer
United Talent Agency

Lindsay Wagner serves as the first-ever Chief Diversity Officer at United Talent Agency (UTA), a leading global talent, entertainment and sports company. She is responsible for driving strategy for the company’s DE&I initiatives, including raising pay for entry-level positions, to unconscious bias training to promoting senior agents of color to the UTA Board and Partnership, among others. Prior to joining UTA, Wagner served as SVP and Head of DE&I, North America at Ketchum. During her time at the global communications consulting firm, she developed and executed a community-centered DE&I strategy and structure. Prior to her time at Ketchum, Wagner worked for nearly eight years as an Account Manager at Brandware Public Relations. Wagner continues to serve as a jury member for The ADCOLOR Awards, which celebrates and promotes professionals of color in creative industries. She is also a strategic advisor for Kindred Space LA which supports Black maternal health; and an advisory board member for The Lantern Network, which offers programs designed to inspire the next generation of Black leaders.

Ugo Obioha

Agent, Motion Picture Lit
United Talent Agency

Ugo Obioha joined UTA’s Motion Picture Literary Department in 2022 as an Agent. Born and semi-raised in Nigeria, Ugo has spent a majority of her professional career as an attorney, trying a variety of legal matters including consumer protection rights, breaches of contract, and divorces for many high-profile clients. Despite legal advocacy being her first vocation, Ugo’s passion for entertainment, media and the arts drove her to empower and assist friends and colleagues in pursuing their creative endeavors along the way. Since joining UTA, she continues her advocacy in representing talented writers, directors, and producers for feature films.

Isaiah Telewoda

Agent, Culture & Commerce
United Talent Agency

Allyson Chung

Agent, TV Lit
United Talent Agency

Isaiah Telewoda

Agent, Culture & Commerce
United Talent Agency

Isaiah Telewoda is a proud graduate of Boston College, where he majored in biology. Prior to his career in entertainment, Isaiah worked in the healthcare industry as an obstetrics & gynecology office administrator, before making his way to UTA. Isaiah began his entertainment career in the mailroom of UTA’s NY office before being promoted to Agent in the Culture & Commerce department where he works with thought leaders like Malala Yousafzai, Alexis Ohanian, Michaela Coel and many more.

Allyson Chung

Agent, TV Lit
United Talent Agency

Allyson Chung is an agent in the Television Literary department at UTA, where she represents television writers and directors, showrunners, and writer-producers. Allyson joined UTA in 2018, first working as a Client Social Impact executive in the UTA Foundation and transitioned to agent in 2021. She got her start in the entertainment business in the mailroom at WME, then worked extensively in the entertainment buying space conducting talent research and marketing consulting for brands like Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, and Citigroup. Allyson graduated from Wesleyan University where she majored in American Studies with a concentration in Media & Popular Culture.

Lindsay LaBennett

Vice President, Inclusion & Impact
Wasserman

Lindsay LaBennett

Vice President, Inclusion & Impact
Wasserman

A Baltimore area native, Lindsay LaBennett graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina A&T State University, obtaining a bachelor’s in Journalism and Mass Communication – with a focus in Public Relations and a masters in Sports Management at Ohio University. She is a 15+ year veteran of the sports industry.

After graduation, Lindsay began her career in Daytona Beach, Florida as an Account Executive in the Diversity Affairs department for America’s premier racing league, NASCAR. Lindsay led the charge in managing the NASCAR HBCU College Tour, NASCAR Diversity Internship Program and NASCAR’s Supplier Diversity Initiative. Another important role she maintained was the liaison between NASCAR and several civil rights organizations include NAACP, National Urban League, Council de La Raza and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Lindsay transitioned her career from the league side to the agency side, landing a position with Octagon, one of these most recognized sports marketing agencies in the world. Based in their Charlotte office, she managed sponsorship elements for Sprint within the sport of NASCAR and the NFL. After her tenure at Octagon, Lindsay joined Wasserman – where she continued to manage aspects of client relationships across Nationwide Insurance and their NASCAR, VCU Men’s Basketball and Ohio State University Football team relationships. Over the last ten years, Lindsay has managed, negotiated and executed deals between Fortune 500 brands (Nationwide Insurance, Microsoft, Verizon, X-Box, Surface, and Lenovo) and the NFL, all 32 professional football teams and over 20 player deals. In addition to managing the league, team, and talent deals, Lindsay focused on driving multi-cultural efforts, including diversity recruiting and cultural competency as a founding member of Wasserman’s Diversity and Inclusion Council.

In 2021, Lindsay was appointed to the new role of Senior Director of Inclusion, Equality and Diversity where she will act as advisor to the Executive Leadership Team and have primary responsibility and accountability on Diversity & Inclusion issues across both business units of Talent and Brands & Properties. Since she has taken responsibility of the company’s DE&I efforts, Lindsay has led the execution of over 25 panels, programming for ten employee resource groups, dedicated training and development programs addressing issues such as microaggressions and confronting anti-Semitism and establishing a company-wide inclusive business practice goal. She is a passionate leader who is dedicated to doing the real work to improve the quality of life and access to opportunities for all marginalized groups. Lindsay was recently promoted to Vice President, beginning to center her work in consultation for clients and evolving the companies’ inclusive business practices.

Lisa Marie Boykin

Director, Business & Legal Affairs, Live Action Film
Netflix

Kyle Bowser

Senior Vice President,
NAACP Hollywood Bureau

Kyle Bowser

Senior Vice President, NAACP Hollywood Bureau
Wasserman

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.

Lisa Marie Boykin

Director, Business & Legal Affairs, Live Action Film
Netflix

Lisa Marie Boykin joined Netflix in 2018 and is a business affairs attorney with the Live Action Film team. She’s responsible for negotiating the deals for the actors, writers, producers and directors on Netflix’s original films. Prior to joining Netflix, Lisa worked at The Walt Disney Company, Paramount Pictures and PBS. She started her career as a corporate attorney at the Wall Street law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. Lisa holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame and a JD from NYU School of Law. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Eden Andu

AVP of People
Wasserman

Ryan Lucas

Agent, Talent
United Talent Agency

Ryan Lucas

Agent, Talent
United Talent Agency

Ryan Lucas is an agent in the Talent department at leading global talent, entertainment and sports company UTA. Lucas has built an impressive client roster which includes Yvonne Orji, Courtney B. Vance, Michaela Jae Rodriguez, Sean Hayes, Charmaine Bingwa, Leah Harvey, Jude Hill, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Janicza Bravo, Jayme Lawson, Myles Frost, Bob the Drag Queen, Josiah Cross, Markella Kavenagh and more. Lucas joined UTA in 2015 in the mailroom and has since risen through the ranks. Lucas grew up in Chicago and graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Theatre Arts, Performing Arts Management & Business.

Eden Andu

AVP of People
Wasserman

Eden Andu, a SoCal native, boasts nearly two decades of experience in the sports, entertainment, media, advertising, and marketing industries. As an HR Business Partner at Wasserman, she blends a passion for strategic leadership and equity advocacy. Specializing in business partnering, people and performance management, thought leadership, and fostering inclusive cultures, Eden excels in guiding managers to become stronger and more inclusive leaders. Beyond work, she enjoys concerts (especially Ed Sheeran's), sports documentaries, marathon running, and sipping dirty chai lattes.

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