Women in Entertainment (WIE) hosted its sixth annual summit on June 22, 2022 at the iconic Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California. WIE returned for the first time since 2019 with a revamped itinerary that gathered some of the most iconic and creative minds in television, film and media for a series of inspirational fireside chats and educational panel discussions.
Founded by Renee Rossi (Relativity Ventures) and Gretchen McCourt, WIE combines experienced leaders in the entertainment and marketing worlds to address a range of pivotal and timely issues that affect women. This year, panel topics included how creatives kept a beloved story relevant to up-and-coming audiences, how media companies expanded their offerings to meet the needs of today’s consumers, how to negotiate deals within the IP and talent rights space and much more.
“Our mission is and always has been to share knowledge from incredible women who have built successful businesses in the world of entertainment and media,” said Renee Rossi. “We came back stronger than ever this year—combining a group of vastly dynamic speakers and panel topics to curate an event that helped aspiring professionals grow and evolve their careers.”
2022 Summit speakers included:
- Erika Anderson, West Coast Director, The Slate Group;
- Casey Kriley, Co-CEO of Magical Elves (Top Chef, Nailed It);
- Anjali Midha, CEO & Co-Founder of Diesel Labs;
- Teri Weiss, Executive VP, Television Development, Dreamworks Animation;
- Anastasia Puglisi, Senior Vice President at Wolf Entertainment (FBI: Most Wanted, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit);
- Dana Block, Senior Vice President of Digital Entertainment and Consumer Technology at Metro Public Relations;
- Alexandra Moore, Global Strategic Initiatives Leader at Amazon Music;
- Jess Kessler, Head of Content & Creator Marketing at Audible;
- Jennifer Brunsweiger, Senior Director of Content Marketing at Shutterstock;
- Kaitlyn Powell, VP of Talent at Bright;
- Lisa Guerrero, Investigative Journalist at Inside Edition;
- Jeanne Mau, Senior Vice President, TV Programming Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at NBCUniversal;
- Iram Parveen Bilal, Filmmaker (I’ll Meet You There);
- Zakiyyah Alexander, Executive Producer/Showrunner (grown-ish, Hunters);
- Megan Townsend, Director of Entertainment Research & Analysis at GLAAD;
- Monica Trasandes, Director of Spanish Language and Latinx Media & Representation at GLAAD;
- Linda Grasso, Editor in Chief of Ventura Blvd;
- Alexandra Shipp, Actress (Barbie, tick, tick…BOOM!);
- Charmaine Degrate, Writer & Producer (The 100);
- Susan Cartsonis, Partner & Film Producer at Resonate Entertainment (Feel The Beat, Carrie Pilby);
- Amanda Spain, Vice President of Longform Acquisitions at MSNBC Films;
- Tiauna Jackson, Founder & CEO of the Jackson Agency;
- John Mass, President of Content Partners, LLC;
- Tomii Crump, Head of Unscripted Talent & Casting at NBCUniversal;
- Jenna Gates, Talent Agent at United Talent Agency;
- Hilary Zaitz Michael, Literary Packaging Agent at WME;
- Julie Candelaria, Producer & Principal at All About the 360, Inc.;
- Karen Pittman, Actress, (And Just Like That);
- Paul Feig, Actor & Filmmaker (The School for Good and Evil, Minx, Bridesmaids, A Simple Favor)
Summit sponsors
The 2022 Summit was sponsored by NBCUniversal Television & Streaming, Universal Studio Group, Metro Public Relations, Kendra Scott, hair stylist Azi Aishling, Sugar House Macarons, Whisps, Drink Vina, CORE Foods, and Tito’s.
About Women in Entertainment
Women in Entertainment (501c3) brings together forward-thinkers from all areas of the entertainment industry to find creative answers to a variety of challenges.
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