New York State Multicultural Creativity Summit

Earlier today, we partnered with Empire State Development and Ghetto Film School to hold the third-annual New York State Multicultural Creativity Summit, held at the Viacom headquarters in New York City.

Hosted and moderated by John Gibson, MPA’s Vice President for External and Multicultural Affairs, the event brought together film and television industry leaders for discussions on how diverse content creators can navigate the industry.

As Gail MacKinnon, our Senior Executive Vice President for Global Policy and Government Affairs, noted at today’s event, New York state in particular is home to many diverse communities and one of the key production hubs for the film and TV industry. Each year, the industry generates more than 100,000 jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity throughout the state.

ICYMI: We partnered with @EmpireStateDev and @ghettofilm to co-host the third-annual New York State Multicultural Creativity Summit earlier this week.

Many thanks to all of the speakers and attendees who helped make the event a success! #NYCreativity pic.twitter.com/T3ZchGBhEZ

— Motion Picture Association (@motionpictures) December 5, 2019

The event’s opening remarks were provided by:

• John Gibson, Vice President, External and Multicultural Affairs, MPA
• DeDe Lea, Executive Vice President, Viacom Global Government Relations
• Eric Gertler, Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-designate, Empire State Development
• Sharese Bullock-Bailey, Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer, Ghetto Film School

A list of the day’s panels and participants can be found below:

Panel 1: “Tales from the Trenches”

• Laura Benson, Executive Producer, The Blacklist
• Christine Moore, Executive Producer and Director, CBS’ upcoming drama series Tommy
• Patricia Bayley, Acting Director, New York State Governor’s Office of Motion Picture and Television Development (panel moderator)

Panel 2: “Building Your Marketing and Distribution Strategies”

• Jeanine Liburd, Chief Social Impact and Communications Officer, BET Networks
• Lucinda Martinez, Executive Vice President, Multicultural Marketing, Brand & Inclusion
  Strategy, WarnerMedia Entertainment
• Ellene V. Miles, Senior Vice President, Intersectional Marketing, Sony Pictures Entertainment
• Sharese Bullock-Bailey, Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer, Ghetto Film School (panel moderator)

Panel 3: “Multicultural Talent Development Initiatives at Studios/Networks”

• Robert Patla, Manager, Talent Development and Programming, HBO
• John Gibson, Vice President, External and Multicultural Affairs, MPA (panel moderator)

Panel 4: “Financing Your Production”

• Chiquita Banks, Senior Advisor, Production & Investment Planning, The Walt Disney Company
• Constance McFeeley, Director, NYS Film Tax Credit Program, Empire State Development
• Brian O’Leary, Senior Vice President, Tax, NBCUniversal
• Yoni Bokser, Director: Strategic Planning, Partnerships, & Programs Film, Technology, & New Media, Empire State Development (panel moderator)

1:1 Conversation: “Financing Your Production: A Filmmaker’s Success Story”

• Reggie Lochard, Producer/Writer/Actor
• John Gibson, Vice President, External and Multicultural Affairs, MPA

Featured photo: Motion Picture Association, Empire State Development, and the Ghetto Film School co-host the third-annual New York State Multicultural Creativity Summit, held at the SkySquare Conference Center at the Viacom headquarters in New York City, December 3, 2019. (Photo credit: DP Jolly)