WarnerMedia will be presenting imaginative and immersive experiences through a virtual WarnerMedia Lounge at the Sundance Film Festival starting today, Thursday, January 28th, 2021. Their virtual experiences will feature interactive elements such as watch parties, thought-provoking conversations, organic interactive networking, chat rooms and bespoke hospitality events, as well as inclusive programming that reflects WarnerMedia’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Below is a sample of the corporate panels featuring topics around Equity & Inclusion:
3pm CT on Friday, January 29th: “Who Tells the Story”
As the industry and society at large become more aware of the value that diversity brings to us all, new conversations have sprouted around both access and representation. In this new frontier, cultural competency and responsibility have become interwoven within the creative process itself. Questions that are being raised include when, where and how these objectives can be met. What is the responsibility of both diverse and non-diverse filmmakers when it comes to representing diverse communities? Who has that responsibility and why? Gil Robertson, co-founder & CEO, African American Film Critics Association, will host a conversation with Angel Manuel Soto (“Charm City Kings“), Christina Kim (“Kung Fu”), Mickey Down (“Industry”), Nkechi Okoro Carroll (“All American”) and Shaka King (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) to discuss these questions and more.
1pm CT on Saturday, January 30th: “ARRAY Crew – A Mission and an Opportunity”
WarnerMedia is a founding partner of ARRAY Crew, award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s new initiative to support systemic changes in the below-the-line hiring practices of the film and television industry. Launching in February, ARRAY Crew aims to connect underrepresented crew members to hiring managers who practice inclusive outreach. Join DuVernay plus Karen Horne (SVP, Equity & Inclusion, WarnerMedia), Tilane Jones (President, ARRAY), Regina Miller (Executive Director, ARRAY Alliance) and Tammy Garnes (Director of Education & Understanding, ARRAY) for a conversation about ARRAY’s game-changing effort to foster more opportunity and inclusion in Hollywood.
1pm CT on Sunday, January 31st: “Learning Out Loud: Cultivating an Equity Mindset and Creating Safe Spaces”
WarnerMedia is leading the charge in creating strategies to boost equity and amplify underrepresented voices. Through its signature Equity Mindset for Creative Leaders series and other key workforce and pipeline initiatives, the industry’s top brass are engaging in meaningful conversations on equity, inclusion and culture in an effort to build a safe, supportive and accessible environment for content creators. Join Sarah Aubrey, HBO Max Head of Original Content, along with Karen Horne, Samata Narra and MyKhanh Shelton from WarnerMedia’s Equity & Inclusion leadership team for a powerful dialogue on the state of race in Hollywood and where we go from here.
To register or to learn more information, visit the official site of the Warner Media Lodge.