PUBLISHING MARYA SPENCE Literary Agent Janklow & Nesbit Associates Marya got her B.A. at Harvard and her MFA at NYU, where she taught undergraduate creative writing. She spent her 20’s waitressing in NYC and working/interning at The New Yorker, PAPER, Travel & Leisure, Vanity Fair, Publishers Weekly, and more. As a literary agent, Marya represents a diverse range in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Her writers have been on the New York Times Bestseller List, collaborated with Beyoncé, featured in Valentino campaigns, and been awarded or honored by such distinctions as the NAACP Image Award, the African American Literary Award, the PEN Ackerley Prize, Center For Fiction First Novel Prize, the San Francisco Public Library Award, the LA Times Book Prize, an NPR Best Book, an Oprah Magazine Best Book, the Michener Copernicus Fellowship, the Wallace Stegner Fellowship, the Windham-Campbell Prize, and more. WEBSITE VIEW ALL MENTORS

FILM/TV BRUCE COHEN Producer Bruce Cohen Productions Bruce Cohen is an Oscar and Tony-winning, Emmy-nominated producer of film, television, theater and live events. He won an Academy Award for Best Picture for AMERICAN BEAUTY and earned additional Best Picture nominations for MILK and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. He was Emmy nominated for producing the 83RD ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS, and executive produced PUSHING DAISIES and BROADWAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE for First Lady Michelle Obama. He produced both the feature film and Broadway musical versions of BIG FISH, won the Tony for Best Play in 2020 for co-producing Matthew Lopez’ THE INHERITANCE, and was Tony nominated for co-producing Jeremy O. Harris’ SLAVE PLAY. His next feature film, which will be in theaters this fall from Netflix, is RUSTIN, directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Colman Domingo as Bayard Rustin. Bruce is producing with Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company. Cohen is a graduate of Yale University and started his film career as the DGA Trainee on Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. He lives in New York City with his husband and daughter. VIEW ALL MENTORS

LINDA G. KNOWLTON Filmmaker "As a filmmaker, I am profoundly curious and compelled by where the personal and political meet. I am interested in big changes and how we can all not only flourish in those changes and challenges, but grow as human beings. I am inspired by people who act and strive, without any guarantee of success. And not because they are superheroes. And not because they always succeed, because sometimes they don't. It's the striving, it's the vision. As a mentor I am inspired to support my mentee with *their* striving and *their* vision for the story they are burning to tell." Linda Goldstein Knowlton is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, working in documentary and scripted feature films, as well as television. For her most recent film, she directed and produced the feature-length documentary WE ARE THE RADICAL MONARCHS, premiered at SXSW in 2019, won several audience awards, and had its national television debut in 2020 on POV/PBS. The film chronicles a group of young girls of color at the front lines of social justice. Set in Oakland, the film shows the journey of the group as they earn badges for completing units including being an LGBTQ ally, Black Lives Matter, and Disability Justice. Goldstein Knowlton directed and produced one of the six, Emmy-nominated documentaries for the PBS MAKERS: WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA series. The film, WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD, includes interviews with Jane Fonda, Shonda Rhimes, Lena Dunham, Ava Duvernay, Glenn Close, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Alfre Woodard, HUNGER GAMES producer Nina Jacobson, among many other notable women. Goldstein Knowlton produced the award-winning documentary, CODE BLACK, which was the basis for the CBS one-hour drama. She directed and produced SOMEWHERE BETWEEN, winner of the Audience Award at the Hot Docs Film Festival, which was released theatrically in over 80 cities across the US. For her directorial debut, she co-directed THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SESAME STREET, which debuted at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival in competition and aired nationally on PBS. Goldstein Knowlton started her career producing scripted feature films, including the award-winning WHALE RIDER and THE SHIPPING NEWS. "I was a 2022 UHP mentee. My mentor was documentary filmmaker Linda Goldstein Knowlton. I had such a great experience having Linda as my mentor throughout the year that at the end of last year I invited her to be an executive producer on my feature documentary in production, I OF THE WATER. She accepted! The project was then selected for the Hot Docs Forum, which took place last week. Linda agreed to be part of my pitch team for the project and came to Toronto with me. We ended up taking the top pitch prize! I'm so grateful to Unlock Her Potential for bringing Linda and me together and giving us the opportunity to get to know one another. She has helped me hone the way I present my projects, and it has made a huge difference in the industry response. Thank you to UHP for providing this platform for mentorship and collaboration!" — Kimberlee "Linda's advice to improve the way I pitch myself was crucial in improving our DocPitch video, and now we're seeing a ton of support worldwide for our film. She helped boost my confidence to give voice to the storyteller within me. I can't thank her enough!" — Pallavi FILM/TV VIEW ALL MENTORS

JOURNALISM BILL ADDISON Restaurant Critic | Writer Los Angeles Times Bill Addison is the James Beard Award-winning restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times. Previously he was national critic for Eater, for which he traveled constantly to document every facet of America’s ever-evolving dining culture. He has also been a food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, restaurant critic at the Dallas Morning News, and food editor at Atlanta magazine. He grew up in Maryland (making it home every summer for a crab feast is still a priority) and went to college for acting and singing in Boston. INSTAGRAM TWITTER VIEW ALL MENTORS

PUBLISHING PREETI CHHIBBER Author | Speaker | Writer "I'm here to work with up & coming kid lit writers. Whether you're someone early on in the process and want help with story building and manuscript polishing, or someone ready to start querying agents, I can help guide you through those processes. I can also help talk through what the best way to actually work is, including: time management, what questions you can ask yourself, or how to focus your attention when working on multiple projects." Preeti Chhibber is an author, speaker, and freelancer. She's written for SYFY, Polygon, and Elle, among others. In 2022, she made her Marvel comics debut in WOMEN OF MARVEL #1 with a brand-new Black Cat story. This year will also see the release of Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma, the first in an original upper-middle grade Peter Parker trilogy from Marvel Press. Find her co-hosting the podcasts Desi Geek Girls and Tar Valon or Bust. She’s appeared on panels at NYCC, SDCC, and on screen on SYFY. You probably recognize her from one of several BuzzFeed “look at these tweets” lists. WEBSITE VIEW ALL MENTORS

Mentorship for Women of Color - Creating Community, Coalition, and Citizenry. In order to qualify for the program, you must be a woman of color, 18 years or older, residing in the US (including Puerto Rico) and have an active LinkedIn profile. MENTORSHIP FOR WOMEN OF COLOR CREATING COMMUNITY, COALITION, AND CITIZENRY. PRESS OUR STORY Research has revealed that very few women of color get mentored. Even worse, many don’t even think to seek mentors. That’s how systemic racism + patriarchy work hand in hand. IT’S TIME TO CHANGE THAT. It’s time to equip women of color to ascend to the C-suite, run the shows, direct the films, and take over. It’s time to break up the boys’ club that has kept the gates closed off to us for too long. OUR FOUNDER SOPHIA CHANG Sophia Chang is a life and career guide, author, and screenwriter who is developing numerous TV properties, including a scripted series based on her Audible memoir “The Baddest Bitch In The Room.” You can listen to the prologue here . Her memoir was released in print on 9/8/20. She was also the subject of an episode of the Hulu series “Defining Moments.” Sophia created Unlock Her Potential, a program that provides mentorship for women of color. Sophia Chang is the music business matriarchitect who managed Ol’ Dirty Bastard (RIP), RZA, GZA, D’Angelo, Raphael Saadiq, Q Tip, and A Tribe Called Quest as well as working with Paul Simon. She did marketing at Atlantic, A&R at Jive, A&R Admin at Universal, as well as serving as General Manager of RZA’s Razor Sharp Records, Cinematic Music Group, and Joey Bada$$’ Pro Era Records. She trained with and managed a Shaolin Monk, who became her partner and father of her children. She produced runway shows for Vivienne Tam and "Project Runway All Stars," was an account executive at a digital agency, and did business development at a cannabis company.

FILM/TV ALLEN HUGHES Executive Producer | Director Award-winning filmmaker Allen Hughes’ major leap into the entertainment industry came with his and twin brother Albert’s jolting debut as the 20 year-old creators/directors of Menace II Society. His other films with Albert include Dead Presidents, From Hell, The Book of Eli and the documentary American Pimp. Hughes’ most recent project was the critically acclaimed four-part HBO documentary series The Defiant Ones, the stories of Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. The series was nominated for five Emmys®, a Peabody® Award, and won the Grammy Award for Best Music Film, the IDA Documentary Award for Best Limited Series, and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie or Special. The series was also nominated for the NAACP for Outstanding Documentary (Television), a Critics’ Choice Documentary Award, and an ACE Eddie Award. Hughes is the director and executive producer of FX’s Dear Mama, the first definitive, comprehensive five-part documentary series on the late hip hop icon Tupac Shakur and his mother Afeni Shakur, who was an activist, with the full cooperation of his estate, including access to all of his music and poetry. The series debut scored FX’s most watched premiere for an unscripted series ever, and currently holds a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. Hughes is the executive producer of Netflix’s Arnold, the upcoming three-part documentary series which will chronicle Arnold Schwarzenegger’s journey from the countryside of Austria to the highest echelons of the American dream. The series is produced by Hughes’ production company Defiant Ones Media Group. VIEW ALL MENTORS

FILM/TV ANNE WOODWARD Manager Authentic Talent & Literary Anne Woodward has 20 years’ experience in the entertainment business shepherding the careers of actors, writers, and directors. She began her career in casting, later segueing into management and production. Born in Northern California, Anne dismayed her parents by moving to Southern California after college graduation and getting a job in TV and Film casting. Those formative years working with casting directors taught her how each actor can be unique to a part. Being in the room after the casting sessions taught her how different visions came together and how good representation could make or break someone’s career. After three years in casting, Anne took a position at Industry Entertainment as a talent assistant. She was eventually promoted to Manager, working on the teams of A-List actors, writers, and directors. In 2001 she joined the newly-formed Catch 23 Entertainment, where she continued to grow her own business. In 2014, Anne joined Authentic Talent with a well-respected client list, including many who have been with Anne since her early days in the management business. In addition to representation, Anne has produced two of her clients’ short films and served as Executive Producer on Brie Larson’s directorial debut, “Unicorn Store.” She presently serves as the co-head of Authentic’s Los Angeles office. VIEW ALL MENTORS

SOCIAL IMPACT & ADVOCACY, C-SUITE ANDREA HAILEY CEO Vote.org Andrea Hailey is the CEO of Vote.org , the nation’s largest nonpartisan digital voter engagement organization. Andrea led Vote.org to record-breaking growth during the 2020 General Election and the Georgia runoff elections, helping more than 4.4 million people register to vote and more than 3.3 million request mail-in ballots, and leading a 50-state get-out-the-vote operation which made over half a billion voter contacts across the country. Andrea and Vote.org’s work in 2020 has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and Bloomberg. With nearly two decades of experience in voter engagement operations and campaigns, Andrea is a recognized expert on civic engagement, and a staunch defender and promoter of democracy. Prior to joining Vote.org, she served as the founder of Civic Engagement Fund, an incubator for grassroots nonprofit organizations focused on voter empowerment and engagement. She has advised and supported the efforts of presidential and congressional candidates, ballot initiatives, and historic landmarks, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Andrea launched her career on Capitol Hill in the office of Representative Patrick Kennedy. In addition to leading Vote.org, Andrea sits on the boards of NARAL and Bend The Arc, serves on the Leadership Council of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and is a member of the Society of Fellows for the Aspen Institute. VIEW ALL MENTORS

SOCIAL IMPACT & ADVOCACY, C-SUITE ANUSHKA RATNAYAKE Founder myAgro Social entrepreneur Anushka Ratnayake has built a solution that’s transforming the lives of farmers in Africa. After years of working on microfinance solutions on the African continent at Kiva.org and One Acre Fund, she launched myAgro, a simple mobile app that offers educational tools and a platform that allows farmers to save money, little by little, for seeds and fertilizer. Since launching in 2011, myAgro has helped over 200,000 farmers dramatically increase their crop yields. Farmers are known to harvest up to 100% more food after joining the app, using climate-resilient materials and methodologies they learn about through the platform. With current operations in Mali and Senegal, plans are in place to reach one million farmers by 2026 across multiple countries in West Africa. Anushka is recognized globally as a leader in financial inclusion, digital payments and social entrepreneurship. She's a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a Skoll Awardee for Social Entrepreneurship. Ways I can help: I'm excited to offer support in various ways to my mentee: Scaling and fundraising for a nonprofit or social enterprise Using technology to scale your impact or organization more efficiently Leading organizational change Navigating your leadership changes as your organization grows Building a solid board and managing tricky board relationships Managing remote teams successfully Building strong senior leadership teams Planning ahead for growth Serving low-income consumers Expanding into emerging and frontier markets Measuring and evaluating social and economic impact VIEW ALL MENTORS

PUBLISHING, C-SUITE ELYSE CHENEY Founder | Agent The Cheney Agency "I can help you put forward your best self when it comes to the publishing arena. We can discuss the set of skills you will need to advance in a variety of positions in the industry from agent, editor, and publicist to writer. I can help identify the spots where you might need work and we can talk about how you might build your strength in that area or reroute so that you are playing to your strengths. I can give you a birds eye view of the industry, how it works behind the scenes, what sells, what doesn’t and why. We can shape your path forward together." Born in Brooklyn, Elyse Cheney attended the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in English with an additional focus on art history. She has been a literary agent since 1996 when she began at Sanford J. Greenburger Literary Associates. While there, she represented groundbreaking titles like A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers and The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah. In early 2006, she opened The Cheney Agency, known for serious nonfiction including such notable titles as The World as It Is and After the Fall by Ben Rhodes, She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, A Very Stable Genius and I Alone Can Fix It by Carol Leonnig and Phil Rucker, Doing Justice by Preet Bharara, Zero Fail by Carol Leonnig, National Book Award winner The Future Is History by Masha Gessen, New York Times bestseller Zealot by Reza Aslan, Pulitzer Prize winning biography Malcolm X by Manning Marable, and more. In 2013, she was named one of the most powerful women in New York by the New York Daily News . VIEW ALL MENTORS

MUSIC, C-SUITE TROY CARTER Founder & CEO Q&A Troy Carter is the founder and CEO of Q&A, a technology and media company focused on powering the business of music via distribution, services, and data analytics. Formerly, Troy was the founder and CEO of Atom Factory, where he rose to prominence, nurturing the careers of global superstars, including Lady Gaga and John Legend. He most recently served at Spotify as its Global Head of Creator Services, overseeing the company’s growth strategy for artists and record labels. In 2017, Troy was also named Entertainment Advisor to the Prince Estate. His interest in the intersection of technology and culture resulted in the formation of AF Square Investments. Early investments include Uber, Lyft, Dropbox, Spotify, Warby Parker, theSkimm, Blavity, Gimlet Media, Thrive Market, PlayVs, and FazeClan. Troy currently serves as a trustee for The Aspen Institute, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and CalArts. VIEW ALL MENTORS

FILM/TV KATHRYN TYUS-ADAIR Senior Vice President of Original Programming Starz Kathryn Tyus-Adair is Senior Vice President of Original Programming at Starz where she has recently championed, developed and overseen production of series: BMF, BLINDSPOTTING, RUN THE WORLD, THE SERPENT QUEEN, STEP UP and VIDA. She has also developed and served as a production executive on OUTLANDER, POWER and THE SPANISH PRINCESS. Before joining STARZ, Kathryn oversaw TV and film development and production for industry icons Robert Redford, Halle Berry and Don Cheadle. With Cheadle, she was a producer of the Bill Murray film ST. VINCENT, as well as an executive on Showtime’s HOUSE OF LIES and on the Sony Pictures Classics’ Irish film THE GUARD, starring Brendan Gleeson. Kathryn’s earlier television work included series development for SESAME STREET producers Children’s Television Workshop. She later championed acclaimed Showtime series SOUL FOOD and the films BARBERSHOP and MEN OF HONOR for writer/director George Tillman’s State Street Pictures. Prior to joining Starz, Kathryn segued to the buyer side of the business as a Drama Development executive for NBCUniversal’s UTV Studios, selling and developing series across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. VIEW ALL MENTORS

SOCIAL IMPACT & ADVOCACY, C-SUITE CARRIE GOLDBERG Founder of Victims’ Rights Law Firm C.A. GOLDBERG, PLLC Carrie is the founder of Victims’ Rights law firm, C. A. Goldberg, PLLC which does groundbreaking work nationally fighting for targets of sexual violence, online and off. Carrie has been central in legislative reform for revenge porn, sextortion, and civil statute of limitations for sex offenses. The firm has removed hundreds of abusive social media accounts and over 40,000 naked images off the internet published without her clients’ consent, and represented fifteen individuals sued for defamation for outing sexual predators. Landmark cases include Herrick V Grindr and K.M. v City of New York which is the highest known recovery in a Title IX case in NYC. Recently the firm has opened a class action practice, pursuing mass torts against tech companies for the dissemination of child sexual abuse imagery. Her work for victims is featured in the documentary Netizens and profiled in The New Yorker, Elle, Wired, Glamour and more. She is the author of “Nobody’s Victim: Fighting Psychos, Stalkers, Pervs & Trolls” a 2019 NYT Editor’s Choice. WEBSITE TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK LINKEDIN MAILING LIST VIEW ALL MENTORS

MARKETING JESSIE WEINSTEIN Senior Manager of Celebrity Relations and Talent Producer BSE Global "I will help you learn how to form & cultivate meaningful relationships in order to successfully integrate into marketing plans and initiatives within the entertainment space." Jessie is the Senior Manager of Celebrity Relations and Talent Producer at BSE Global. In this role, she oversees all talent partnerships for the Brooklyn Nets, NY Liberty and Barclays Center. Jessie creates and implements talent strategies across the BSE Global properties to increase brand awareness through talent engagement. Prior to joining BSE Global, she was the Artist Relations Manager on the Culture Marketing team for Red Bull New York. Jessie began her career in the music industry, primarily focusing on booking events both on the agency side as well as in house at NYC’s legendary SOB’s in downtown Manhattan. She then transitioned to public relations where she was an Account Executive at PMK*BNC, working on brands such as Converse, Budweiser and American Express Music. Following this move, she went on to open the Freehand Hotel in NYC as their Director of Events and Culture Marketing. VIEW ALL MENTORS

FILM/TV DAVAH AVENA Screenwriter | Producer Davah Avena is the industry’s first and only Can-exican (Canadian-Mexican) television writer/producer. Not only can she break story and write kickass scripts, she can also tap her own maple tree and make a killer margarita. After graduating from USC Film School and the National Hispanic Television Writers’ program, Davah landed her first network gig writing for MEDIUM for NBC. Two years later, when she left MEDIUM (the politically correct way of saying she was fired) she went on to sell pilot scripts to ABC FAMILY and NICKELODEON. She also had a Blind Pilot Deal with SONY. Davah’s pilots most often reflect her youth growing up working in the family business and her love of magic realism. Davah’s mission is to write and produce television that explores the rich, fascinating and hilarious lives of women and people of color which is so rarely seen on television. While she loves to bring the drama, she can’t help but see the humorous side of life, so she thrives in the one-hour dramedy world. After several years of selling pilots, she staffed on the critically acclaimed EAST LOS HIGH for HULU. She then went on to solidify her career in one-hour dramedies by writing and producing such hits as DEVIOUS MAIDS for LIFETIME, GRAND HOTEL for ABC, ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST for NBC, and most recently NETFLIX’S breakout hit, FIREFLY LANE. VIEW ALL MENTORS

SOCIAL IMPACT & ADVOCACY DIANA RHOTEN Managing Director Purpose Venture Group Diana Rhoten is a design and innovation strategist specializing in human-centered design and systems-level change. Over her 20-year career, Rhoten has designed organizations for change across business, government, and philanthropy. Diana is currently the Managing Director of Purpose Venture group, which is a full-service strategy consulting firm that exclusively advises ventures advancing the health of our climate and our social compact. Before joining PVG, Diana was Managing Director at IDEO, where she led the NY studio and Purposeful Brands portfolio. Prior to consulting, Diana was CSO at Amplify, a subsidiary of News Corp Inc., where she focused on the venture’s post-acquisition integration and expansion. In addition to her “edtech” executive experience, Diana has extensive entrepreneurial expertise as co-founder of Startl, the first start-up accelerator for digital learning innovation. Earlier in her career, Diana also designed and advised different commercial and non-commercial R&D entities on the power of interdisciplinary collaboration to generate breakthroughs in climate science / tech. As a side hustle, Diana is (still) developing her first illustrated book series called Gangsters of Love. Diana graduated from Brown, Harvard, and Stanford Universities as well as the Freestyle Love Supreme Academy. "I feel perfectly matched with my mentor, Diana Rhoten. We have overlaps in perspective about life and the world that make strategizing about work and longterm goals easy and exciting! She's incredibly honest and transparent about her experience and reflects back to me what she sees in me." — Grace VIEW ALL MENTORS

FILM/TV CELIA AU Actress | Filmmaker Celia Au is well known for playing a variety of characters across Netflix's Wu Assassins, Comedy Central's Nora from Queens, and AMC's Lodge 49. Au believes the power of storytelling is to change perception and her producerial slate is centered around uplifting AAPI voices. She is an alumni of Berlinale Talents and her current projects include an untitled cooking show in co-production with Hearst Media Productions, a TV show and 3 feature films in development. She recently produced a Music Video Don't Give Up by artist Calistar and directed by Ron Yuan. Her films were nominated at the SoHo International film, Asian on Films and her VR project premiered at Cucalorus film festival. In addition to acting and producing, Au has been an outspoken activist in the AAPI community and has spoken at engagements with Goldman Sachs, IPG group, AEG Studios, Wash the Hate, Act to Change, and others. in 2020-2022 Celia was named the "Ambassador of Hope" at the Rise Above the Storm Gala. VIEW ALL MENTORS

MUSIC, C-SUITE BEKA TISCHKER Manager | Publisher Wide Eyed Entertainment Turns out Wide Eyed Entertainment is the perfect name for Beka Tischker’s artist/producer/ songwriter management and publishing company, which she co-founded with her husband Benjamin, and now represents such clients as Julia Michaels, Becky G and mega-producer Edgar Barrera, among many others. The Tulsa, OK-born daughter of a midwestern Methodist preacher from Kansas – her dad attended England’s Cambridge University on a prestigious scholarship – tries to remain open to creative and strategic possibilities with innocence, wonder and passion, backed by more than two decades of hard-earned experience. Growing up in Iowa, Beka learned to play saxophone and piano, while singing in Church. “Music was just in my blood from a very young age,” the mother of two children aged 13 and two explains. She developed commercial ears by listening to Top 40 hits on the car radio and would insist to her mother that she’d one day work alongside the musical artists she’d see at concerts as a teenager. Turned on to Nashville by a friend, Beka found a home at Belmont University and its famed music business program. During her time at Belmont, she interned all over Music City, eventually leading to a position at the local office of Desmond Child’s publishing company Deston Songs, during her last semester. With Child celebrating his series of hits with Ricky Martin, including “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” Beka got an early glimpse at the power of a Latin music genre she would explore more fully at her own Wide Eyed Entertainment. A subsequent job at Garth Brooks manager Bob Doyle’s publishing company Major Bob Music had her traveling back and forth to New York, landing a job in 2004 at BMI, then A&R gigs at both Columbia Records and indie powerhouse Razor & Tie, establishing the latter’s Nashville-based, and very successful, publishing company, eventually acquired by Concord Music Group. “I learned early on, I was not meant for major labels,” she says of her entrepreneurial spirit. “I’ve always preferred working for independent companies that had a degree of muscle, which enabled me to figure stuff out on my own. I don’t like being forced into a single lane. I enjoy the flexibility of working with people and projects I love and can be passionate about.” Beka soon moved to Los Angeles to work at songwriter/ producer management company Advanced Alternative Media (AAM). It was while at AAM that she was brought in to help grow publishing company Prescription Songs. Over the next several years, Beka built the company into one of the most successful publishers operating today, working with collaborators like Katy Perry and Benny Blanco and overseeing a string of super smashes such as The Weeknd’s “Starboy” [feat. Daft Punk], Meghan Trainor’s “No,” The Chainsmokers’ “Don’t Let Me Down” [feat. Daya], Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball,” and countless others. “I was empowered to build a company I was proud of, but it only stoked my desire to do it on my own,” says Beka about her seven years at Prescription Songs. “I’m a good multi-tasker. I have a constant tickertape of lists running through my brain. I’ve worked with some amazing, strong people, and feel I’ve really grown as an executive.” She met her French husband Benjamin 18 years ago while at BMI and the two have now been married 15 years. While Beka organizes the business strategy and operations, she lets Ben follow his artistic muse. Balancing work and family is very important to both. “We actually fight a lot less now that we work together,” she laughs. “Ben is a true creative in every sense of the word., a real artist whisperer. He lives on a different planet. Only Ben can do what Ben does. He gets these crazy ideas and we make it possible for him to see them through.” Wide Eyed Entertainment is a family affair as well – Beka first started managing Julia Michaels while she was still at AAM, while Ben has been working with emerging Latin star Becky G since she was 14 years old. “Julia [Michaels] and I have always had a special bond,” says Beka of the hit songwriter turned artist. “I knew that she was incredible and brilliant as a writer. Her songs resonated with people from six to 60. But when I heard ‘Issues,’ it was so true to what she was. It was an artist-identifying song.” Wide Eyed Entertainment, now a full-scale management and publishing company, signed a joint venture deal in 2018 with Josh Abraham and Scott Cutler’s Pulse Music Group, where their roster includes Texas-born producer/songwriter Gregory “ALDAE” Hein, with five co-writes on Justin Bieber’s recent hit Justice album, and Sarah “Solly” Solovay, who is one of the writers on Jason Derulo’s smash, “Take You Dancing.” Other Wide Eyed clients include Elena Rose, a Venezuelan singer/songwriter who has become the most in demand Latin female songwriter in the business, Jada Kingdom, a Jamaican dancehall artist signed to Republic Records; five-piece Latin girl group Angel22, boasting members from Puerto Rico, Colombia, Brazil, and Cuba, along with a 20-year client who predates the company, songwriter/producer Nate Campany who co-wrote hits such as LP “Lost on You” and “Scared to Be Lonely” by Martin Garrix ft Dua Lipa. “This is a real family, literally and figuratively,” insists Beka. “It’s a very close group of people who are all very passionate about the music, and that’s how we like it. “I’ve always been attracted to artists who were also writers. It’s an indescribable feeling that they are so authentic, nobody else can sing their song but them. You can tell a Julia Michaels song even if someone else is singing it.” As a woman who has worked hard to get to her current post as one of the music industry’s most successful executives, Beka is intent on giving back by taking under her wing other young women – and men – who are looking to find their own paths in a business she once never knew even existed. “Mentoring young women is very important to me,” she says. “Helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses. I’ve always been supportive of other women, but I also hire the best person for the job, regardless of gender. “Progress is slow, but women are starting to understand there is more than one seat at the table. You can pull up a chair, without kicking out the legs of someone else to claim it. It’s about women stepping up and leading by example. Hopefully, the future will be better for my daughter, and for her daughter.” VIEW ALL MENTORS

CULINARY, C-SUITE JIM LAHEY Artisan Baker | Owner | Founder Sullivan Street Bakery "I can provide guidance on how to start a food-centered business, and insights into the entire spectrum on the food industry, ranging from retail to wholesale. I can also provide support in identifying what you need to do to be recognized, and to build a food brand. I will not teach you bread-making. I will not hire you or find you a job." Jim Lahey is an artisan baker, owner and founder of the Sullivan Street Bakery, in NYC and Miami. He is the creator of the no-knead baking method and author of “My Bread”, “My Pizza”and “The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook”. Jim has received two James Beard awards, for outstanding baker and “who’s who“ in food and wine in America. He lives in NYC with his wife Maya, his children, and his rescue dog Polly. VIEW ALL MENTORS

GBENGA AKINNAGBE Activist | Actor | Entrepreneur Liberated People "From activism to entrepreneurship, storytelling is our greatest tool. Communicating a message to humans is an endeavor as old as humanity itself. Whether it's an audience of one or a million, together we'll learn to identify whom we're connecting with, how they may receive information that penetrates their hearts and minds, and how we can best become those storytelling vessels." Activist, actor and entrepreneur are just a few traits to describe the multi-faceted rising star Gbenga Akinnagbe. Perhaps best known for his career defining turn as “Chris Partlow” in “The Wire,” Gbenga can currently be seen in the FX drama series THE OLD MAN from Fox 21 Television Studios in association with The Littlefield Company. He plays the series regular role of ‘Julian,' a highly trained special ops contractor sent to hunt down Chase, portrayed by Jeff Bridges. Written by Jon Steinberg & Robert Levine, the series also stars John Lithgow, Amy Brenneman, Alia Shawkat. He will next be seen in the features THE THICKET opposite Juliette Lewis and Peter Dinklage based on the critically acclaimed novel from Joe R. Lansdale, FAST CHARLIE from director Phillip Noyce, and BLACK FLIES opposite Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan, heading to Cannes this year. Gbenga’s most recent TV credits saw him in a major arc on season 3 of Starz’s hit series POWER BOOK II: GHOST as ‘Ron Samuel Jenkins,’ and recurring on Hulu’s WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA as ‘Mook.’ He was also seen in Amazon’s anthology series MODERN LOVE opposite Zoe Chao. Gbenga previously reunited with “The Wire” creator David Simon as a series regular in the HBO series “The Deuce” opposite James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Set in NYC during the 1970s and 1980s porn and prostitution scene, Gbenga played “Larry Brown,” an intense and demanding pimp who physically intimidates his stable of women but also has moments that betray a conflicted, underlying humanity. On the big screen, Gbenga’s recent credits include MGM’s THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR opposite Yara Shahini based on the NY Times bestselling novel; STARBRIGHT with Elisabeth Rohm and John Rhys-Davies; ALL THE DEVIL’S MEN opposite Milo Gibson and William Fichtner; HEART BABY with Jackson Rathbone; the comedy EGG opposite Christina Hendricks, Anna Camp, and Alysia Reiner; Kathryn Bigelow’s crime drama DETROIT with John Boyega; and Amazon Studios’ CROWN HEIGHTS, which premiered at Sundance. The son of two Nigerian parents, Gbenga Akinnagbe (pronounced Ben-gah Ah-kin-nah begh) was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland and after a rough upbringing, credits his love of wrestling to help carve his path as an actor. Wrestling got him to Bucknell University where he graduated with a double major of English and Political Science and then worked for the federal government. Gbenga soon became curious about acting and started researching the craft and then landed a job as an extra on the HBO series “The Wire.” That extra gig led to Gbenga later being cast in the recurring role of “Chris Partlow” where he ultimately became a series regular for the last two seasons. Soon after “The Wire,” Gbenga landed starring and recurring roles on such hit shows as “24: Live Another Day,” “Barbershop,” “The Following,” “Nurse Jackie,” and “The Good Wife.” No stranger to the stage, Gbenga performed in The Public Theatre’s Merry Wives, which aired on PBS, The Oedipus Plays at the Shakespeare Theatre and Romeo & Juliet in Washington DC, View From 151st Street for Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Labryinth Theater Company off-Broadway, and earned acclaim for his turn in the one man show The Thin Place. His recent Broadway debut in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, adapted by Aaron Sorkin and produced by Lincoln Center and legendary producer Scott Rudin, earned him rave reviews and won a Theatre World Award for his performance as the accused ‘Tom Robinson’ opposite Jeff Daniels, directed by Bartlett Sher, in this re-imagined adaptation of Harper Lee’s classic novel. Gbenga has appeared in numerous films including THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123, LOTTERY TICKET, HEART, BABY!, INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE and as the producer and lead of KNUCKLEHEAD, which went on to win numerous awards in the film festival circuit. He also produced the indie film NEWLYWEEDS, which was sold at Sundance 2013. Off screen, Gbenga has numerous projects in development as a writer and director. He made his directorial debut with the independent pilot DC NOIR based on material from George Pellecanos (The Wire, The Deuce). The pilot premiered at the 2019 TriBeCa Film Festival. Gbenga was also a writer on the popular Crackle series, THE UNKNOWN. He is currently at work on a memoir, and has multiple projects as a producer. Gbenga has his own lifestyle brand, Liberated People, which has created powerful online movements like #OurSonTrayvon with various celebrities wearing hoodies and a percentage of sales going to the Trayvon Martin Foundation, an organization to end gun violence, and #PatriarchyIsABitch, where they donate a portion of sales to Black Women’s Blueprint, which recognizes the contributions of feminist freedom fighters. In addition, Gbenga can add interior designer to his credits as the founder of Enitan Vintage where he redesigns vintage and antique furniture in the same Dutch wax-resist fabrics that are a fashion staple in West Africa, which allows the consumer to “sit on a story.” Instagram: @GbengaAkinnagbe X: @GbengaAkinnagbe Instagram: @liberatedpeople Facebook: @LiberatedPeople Instagram: @enitan_vintage FILM/TV VIEW ALL MENTORS

JOURNALISM SWAY CALLOWAY Journalist | Radio Personality SiriusXM Sway Calloway is an American journalist, radio personality, executive producer and former rapper. He has been hosting Sway in the Morning with Heather B and Tracy G on Eminem’s Shade 45 Channel on SiriusXM since 2011. He also co-hosts the nationally syndicated radio show The Wake Up Show with his longtime Bay Area partner King Tech. Sway was an on-air reporter and host for MTV News and occasional non-news hosting, including numerous red carpet MTV award pre-shows, and reports on major events. Previously, Sway hosted morning drive in San Francisco (106-KMEL Sway in the Breakfast Club) and New York (WQHT-FM Renegade Radio). Sway was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2020. VIEW ALL MENTORS

STEM, C-SUITE RENATE NYBORG Founder & CEO Amorai "I am looking for passion, a hidden gem, someone who is ready to change lives. If you have a BIG idea and don’t know how to bring it to life, I can probably be a sounding board. I can teach you how to use Tech for Good, about building a rocket ship / global business, products that change the world, and subscriptions (my favourite business model) and the member economy. If you’re technical, I can teach you how to work with business/marketing/policy teams. If you’ve never written a line of code, I can teach you how to talk to technical/product/engineering teams. We could talk about. how to turn what makes you different into what makes you successful, get a start when you don’t have the right connections, degree or CV, or navigate being the only person in the room of a different gender, country or continent." From a gadget obsessed teen to founding her own company, Renate has spent decades immersing herself in every aspect of mobile and consumer technology. Renate Nyborg is the former Chief Executive Officer of Tinder, the world’s most popular app for meeting new people. Prior to her appointment as CEO, Renate was leading Tinder's European business. Her career has spanned the creation and leadership of the International Product & Marketing group at meditation app Headspace, as well as leading the app store subscription business in Europe for Apple. In her twenties she founded an app development company named Pleo and also ran Mobile globally for Edelman. Renate is of Norwegian and Dutch origin and has worked in London, Silicon Valley, Stockholm, Paris and Switzerland. She is a Philosophy graduate of Cambridge University. She loves her piano and music, as well as hiking or skiing around the Alps. VIEW ALL MENTORS

FILM/TV JERRY HENRY Cinematographer | Director Jerry Henry is a LA-based Director/DP who received his MFA degree from UCLA's prestigious Production Program with an emphasis on Documentary and Cinematography. His award-winning short documentary "I Promise Africa" premiered in over 100 film festivals worldwide and won many prestigious awards, among them a Directors Guild of America Student Award. Jerry’s visual talents can be seen in the Oscar nominated documentary "Exit Through The Gift Shop" directed by Banksy, and Peabody Award winning documentary "American Revolutionary" by director Grace Lee. He lent his visual talents to help shoot the Grammy Award winning HBO doc series titled "The Defiant Ones" which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Dre. and Jimmy Iovine. Jerry contributed cinematography on the Oscar Nominated documentary short film "St. Louis Superman" by directors Smriti Mundra and Sami Khan. His most recent work is the Documentary/ Narrative hybrid adaptation of the Ta-Nehisi Coates book "Between the World and Me" directed by Kamilah Forbes for HBO Max and "High on the Hog" Season 1 directed by Roger Ross Williams for Netflix. He is recently lensed the documentary series "The 1619 Project" with the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones for Hulu/ ABC/ Disney+ and Season 2 of High on The Hog. VIEW ALL MENTORS

FILM/TV ALICE GU Director | Cinematographer | Photographer Alice Gu is an award-winning director and director of photography. A Los Angeles native, Alice began her career as a director of photography, working with renowned directors Werner Herzog, Stacy Peralta, and Rory Kennedy, among others. Her commercial clients for print and live action include TBWA/ Chiat Day, Media Arts Lab, Deutsche, Edelman, Berlin Cameron, Cole & Weber, Pereira & O’Dell, Doremus, Publicis, Beats by Dre, Laird Hamilton, ESPN, FIFA, NFL, NHL, NBA, the WSL, and Apple. Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, a documentary film directed by Academy Award-nominated director, Rory Kennedy, and lensed by Alice Gu. THE DONUT KING is Alice’s feature directorial debut and was slated to premiere in the canceled 2020 SXSW film festival. Despite the cancellation, the film won the Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Documentary Storytelling, as well as the Best Documentary awards from the Sun Valley Film Festival, Bentonville Film Festival, Urbanworld Film Festival and Best Emerging Director at the 43rd Asian American International Film Festival. A feature-length documentary about the rise and fall of a Cambodian refugee turned donut tycoon, “The Donut King” is executive produced by Academy Award-winners Ridley Scott and Freida Lee Mock. Alice’s follow-up feature, REALLY GOOD REJECTS, premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival. The film was produced by Academy-Award winning producers David Dinerstein and Robert Fyvolent. A loving look inside the magic of music, the film features prominent musicians such as Jackson Browne, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Aaron Dessner of The National, and Phoebe Bridgers, among others. Alice was recently selected as a 2022 fellow of the prestigious Concordia Studios Fellowship, which was founded by Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim. While developing several documentaries, Alice is also transitioning into the narrative space, developing a feature project with Scott Free Productions. WEBSITE LINKEDIN INSTAGRAM "My mentoring experience with Alice has been amazing this year. Alice has introduced me to books, funding opportunities, and educational resources in our time together, as well as personal growth resources which also pour back into my career. I am honored to be able to work with her, especially considering I am a fan of her work, and I’m so grateful to the UP community and her as a person for the ways in which I have grown during this 2023 session." — Allyson VIEW ALL MENTORS