2026 APPLICATIONS OPEN AUGUST 1, 2025 - VIEW ALL MENTORS
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- JESS TEUTONICO
SOCIAL IMPACT & ADVOCACY, C-SUITE JESS TEUTONICO Executive Director, Social Impact Advisor We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) As Executive Director of We Are Family Foundation (WAFF), founded by legendary music producer and multi-Grammy winner, Nile Rodgers, Jess Teutonico helps lead one of the world's most influential global networks of youth - social entrepreneurs, activists and creatives from 100+ countries who are working to solve systemic social and racial inequities and injustice. She's also a social impact advisor and helped on the campaign for the adoption of The International Day of Happiness by the United Nations 193 member nations by consensus with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Al Bayati, the Ambassador to Iraq, and Kweku and Ndaba Mandela. She has consulted for TED Conferences, The Global Creative Leadership Summit, and in her former life, she was a Director of Special Events at Vogue Magazine and produced fashion shows for Tom Ford, Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci, among others. Jess has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, Forbes, CBS Radio, Refinery 29 and Paper Magazine named her a “Do-Gooder of the Year” and has spoken across various global platforms including the United Nations, The World Economic Forum, Harvard, Yale, INK, Les Napoleons and UNFINISHED, among others. She has sat on the braintrust of Unlock Her Potential since its inception. INSTAGRAM LINKEDIN VIEW ALL MENTORS
- JAIMIE LEE
FILM/TV JAIMIE LEE Drama Development Executive Amazon Studio As a mentor, I will guide you through challenging situations, help you establish a foundation for creative development, and boost networking skills, particularly those with creative executive or producing aspirations. I will not be able to submit scripts officially for consideration but can provide personal feedback for writers. Jaimie Lee is a Drama Development Executive at Amazon Studios. Currently, she is overseeing shows such as Donald Glover’s upcoming series Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Prior to joining Amazon in 2022, Jaimie held development positions at SISTER, Apple TV+ and FX Networks, where she worked on shows like FARGO, AMERICAN CRIME STORY and PACHINKO. Jaimie initially intended on going to med school while at UCLA, but with a science degree in hand, decided to pursue storytelling and started her entertainment career in the mailroom at WME. Pronouns: She/her VIEW ALL MENTORS
- MARCIE CLEARY
FILM/TV MARCIE CLEARY Partner Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Sel Marcie Cleary is a partner to the Entertainment Group at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, structuring and negotiating transactions for clients in the film, television, digital, and book publishing industries. Her clients include actors, on-air personalities, writers, directors, and authors. Cleary has significant experience representing comedians in connection with deals for stand-up specials, television and digital series, motion pictures, and recorded albums. Cleary also is one of the podcast industry’s go-to lawyers. She represents a number of successful podcast creators, hosts, on-air talent, and producers, as well as underlying rights holders. Cleary is recognized by Variety in its 2021 and 2020 Legal Impact Report. She was previously recognized in the Up Next List of Variety’s 2018 Legal Impact Report. She is recognized by Best Lawyers in America in the 2021 edition of “Ones to Watch” for entertainment and sports law. Business Insider includes her in their list of the 13 leading attorneys who work with digital creators and influencers. She has also been recognized in Super Lawyers magazine as a “Rising Star” in the entertainment & sports field. Cleary is a graduate of New York University (BA) and Yale Law School (JD). INSTAGRAM WEBSITE VIEW ALL MENTORS
- IJEOMA OLUO
PUBLISHING IJEOMA OLUO Writer | Speaker | Internet Yeller Ijeoma Oluo is a writer, speaker and internet yeller. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race and most recently, Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America . Her work on race has been featured in The Guardian, The New York Times and The Washington Post, among many other publications. She was named to the 2021 TIME 100 Next list and has twice been named to the Root 100. She received the 2018 Feminist Humanist Award and the 2020 Harvard Humanist of the Year Award from the American Humanist Association. She lives in Seattle, Washington. WEBSITE VIEW ALL MENTORS
- KEITH ANTONE
FILM/TV KEITH ANTONE Actor | Comedian | Writer | Producer Keith Antone is an actor, comedian, writer, and producer. As an actor, he has had success in theatre, in over 30 shows, even working for Nickelodeon and Tarell Alvin McCraney in CHOIR BOY. His television and commercial credits include CRIMINAL MINDS, TRAINING DAY and iPhone. As a producer, he created a short film, THEY GO. with his writing partner. Antone has also seen success as a writer, staffing on Netflix's hit show GENTEFIED. "My mentor is Keith Antone and I've had really great meetings with him throughout the year. Every meeting I learn something new. He is a multihyphenate like myself and it has been so helpful hearing his insight on the writing process, acting process, and balancing both. He has also recommended me for a writing competition and invited me to come to audit his audition class. He has been such a great resource for all my questions that come up and is very supportive." — Paige VIEW ALL MENTORS
- DOUG FRISBIE
MARKETING DOUG FRISBIE Vice President of Global Business Marketing Snap Doug Frisbie is the Vice President of Global Business Marketing at Snap. His team inspires & educates advertisers, agencies, and small businesses around the world about how they can engage Snapchat’s 500 million monthly active users. Prior to joining Snap, Frisbie spent 11 years at Facebook, where he most recently led business marketing in North America. He also led the company’s small business and vertical marketing during his tenure at the company. Frisbie previously held several marketing roles at Toyota Motor North America and Leo Burnett. He graduated with a B.A. from Northwestern University and an M.B.A from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Frisbie lives in Lafayette, California, with his wife, Jennie, and son, Wilson. LINKEDIN VIEW ALL MENTORS
- SOPHIA CHANG
FILM/TV SOPHIA CHANG Storyteller The Baddest Bitch in the Room "As a mentor, I will teach you to develop your negotiation skills, to have the hard conversations, to advocate for yourself, and find your true value. In short, I will set you on the path to becoming the Baddest Bitch In The Room." Sophia Chang is a screenwriter and author who is developing numerous TV properties, including a scripted series based on her Audible memoir “ The Baddest Bitch In The Room .” Her memoir will be 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. AUDIBLE - Prologue of Memoir HUFFPOST - Opinion Piece on AAPI Hate "I learned tangible skills around contract negotiation and communicating with my management, but more than that, it was being around a force like Sophia that left its deepest impression. I had access and support from someone who is a model of advocacy, community, impact, and badassery — and because of that became more of who I want to be in this industry/world." — Nancy "My mentorship with Sophia changed not only my career, but the way I operate in this world. In our time together she not only helped me develop hard skill sets in personal branding, pitching, and team management but she also gave me tools to cultivate my confidence, advocate for myself, and to dream big as hell." — Kausar VIEW ALL MENTORS
- CHELSEY LORA
FILM/TV CHELSEY LORA Screenwriter Chelsey Lora is a screenwriter who works in TV and film. She was most recently the number 2 and Co-Executive Producer on THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY at Hulu. Her credits include Hulu’s WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA, Starz’s VIDA, and OWN’s GREENLEAF. She’s currently developing a television show for Chernin and a biopic feature for Warner Brothers. Chelsey’s story is fascinating. First developing an interest in writing while working as a court administrator on the midnight shift in a Florida county jail, she’s also been an amateur boxer, a bouncer at a bar, a legal secretary, a local newspaper reporter, and a preschool teacher. "Three months into mentorship, I got a staff writer job on TRUE LIES. Chelsey was there both in celebrating my wins as well as walking me through the challenges I faced as a lower level writer in my second writers room. She was always there to answer any questions I had about the industry. Since the program ended, we have become friends and continue to support each other in all our endeavors. I wouldn't have made this helpful connection and friend without Unlock Her Potential. It was a great experience!" — Minoti VIEW ALL MENTORS
- RAKHEE JETHWA
FILM/TV RAKHEE JETHWA Producer | Director Rakhee Jethwa is an Award-winning producer and director. She has developed and produced documentary and branded content across the globe for HBO Max, CNN, HULU, National Geographic, Red Bull, MTV and more. Her work has taken her to Texas prisons, slums in Nairobi and Gujarat, the Amazon rainforest and many places in between. She is most drawn to stories about the human spirit and what drives us, particularly within marginalized communities. Most recently she produced episodes for Take Out with Lisa Ling, United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell and Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi. In the early 1970s, Rakhee’s family became refugees after they were expelled from Uganda by dictator Idi Amin. It was in England that her parents rebuilt their lives and eventually moved to the Washington D.C. area, where Rakhee was born and raised. Though her roots are Indian, her identity is a confluence of several cultures which has given her a unique lens from which to see and interact in the world. Rakhee recently directed and edited a short documentary called Ragpickers , about a group of women in India who collect and sell recyclable waste to support their families. She is currently based in Brooklyn, where she’s practicing her cooking skills and developing a project about her family’s volatile and unusual past. Her hope is that by using story as a tool to center minority and marginalized voices, we may reveal a fuller and more expansive picture of who we are. "Rakhee has been such a great mentor for me at this point in my early career as she has patiently taken me through various explorations of viable and potential next steps in this incredibly wide-reaching industry. I now have a better understanding of specific skills to improve on for the path I plan to go down, but also transferable skills in case of a pivot to something else related. As a working producer, I most appreciate the confidence Rakhee has instilled in me to go forth and claim my place in this industry!” — Nadira J VIEW ALL MENTORS
- CRISTINA CHAVEZ
MUSIC CRISTINA CHAVEZ Vice President of A&R Universal Music Publishing Group Transparency encourages creativity. As a respected music executive and trusted partner, Cristina Chavez has catalyzed the success and evolution of various GRAMMY® Award-winning multiplatinum producers and songwriters, ranging from Needlz and Bongo to Drew “Chiller” Gavin. Guiding careers as VP, A&R at UMPG, she consistently empowers talent to flourish and thrive at the highest level by leading with confidence and clarity. “I’m always transparent with my clients, first and foremost,” she exclaims. “They definitely know what’s on my mind. I’m very dependable as well. If I say I’m going to do something, I always get it done—and I make sure it happens in a positive way.” Growing up in The Bay Area, she immediately gravitated towards music during her childhood. Studying favorite artists, she obsessed over Toni Braxton’s voice and Babyface’s lyricism. While attending California State University Chico, she also split her time between internships at 106 KMEL and BET, grinding towards an eventual career in music. She turned the internship at BET into her first formal job as Talent Coordinator at 106 & Park in New York. She powered BET’s influential Music Matters brand, booking the likes of Kendrick Lamar, H.E.R., J. Cole, Big Sean, Miguel, Jazmine Sullivan, and more for gigs, appearances, and interviews at gestational phases of their respective careers. Not to mention, she oversaw the Music Matters presence at SXSW, A3C, and MegaFest, working with superstars such as Pharrell, Meek Mill, and T.I. 2016 saw her accept an executive position at ASCAP where she orchestrated initiatives with Women Behind The Music and She Is The Music, hosted panels, and secured talent a la Tierra Whack, Rico Nasty and many more for high-profile activations. In 2020, she joined the team at Hallwood Media as Senior Vice President of A&R and Management at Hallwood Media. Under her watch, Chiller wrote The Game’s internet-breaking 2022 epic “Eazy” [feat. Kanye West], while she also shepherded and ignited projects for Needlz [Cardi B, Drake, Bruno Mars] and Dimitri McDowell [Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign]. Independently, she notably manages Bongo whose robust credits include Jazmine Sullivan’s “Girl Like Me” [feat. H.E.R.], Big Sean’s “Stay Down,” Cordae’s “Bad Idea” [feat. Chance the Rapper], G Herbo’s “Man Now,” Ty Dolla $ign’s “Ex” [feat. YG], and many more. At the same time, she sets an example for the next generation through her diligence and commitment. “I want to let young executives, especially girls, know you achieve every dream you have, if you put your mind to it,” she states. “It really is my life. I’m trying to contribute to the culture of music in some capacity. Whether it’s a song that speaks for the youth or putting a writer and producer together to make a connection around a great song, I want to add to this incredible world.” Beyond her role as a manager and executive, she has notably featured on panels for Joining Forces, a day-long summit hosted by Women In Music, ASCAP EXPO, and more. Thus far, her career has been chronicled by Variety and many more. VIEW ALL MENTORS
- SAMANTHA MILITANTE
FILM/TV SAMANTHA MILITANTE Director of Current Series FX Networks Samantha Militante is a director of current series at FX Networks, where she works on comedy, drama, and docuseries across all of FX Networks. Currently, she is overseeing ATLANTA, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, SNOWFALL, MAYANS, & RESERVATION DOGS. In addition, she helped develop and launch the initial FX docuseries slate, including shows like CHILDREN OF THE UNDERGROUND, HIP HOP UNCOVERED, THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL OF ALL, and HYSTERICAL. Before joining FX, Militante began her career in the mailroom at Gersh and went on to work for multiple agents within the motion picture literary department. "I am incredibly grateful to have Samantha Militante as my mentor. From the start, she has actively supported my aspirations of being a TV writer, both in affirmation and in action. As an executive, she has given me invaluable insights from the development process to navigating the TV industry (and life!) as a woman of color, and has provided me with resources that have tremendously helped my writing craft. Her wisdom and talent is matched by her kindness and generosity, which altogether have helped me build greater confidence in myself, my work, and the path I’ve set on. Thank you, Sam!!" — Chloe VIEW ALL MENTORS
- NEAL SHAPIRO
FILM/TV, C-SUITE NEAL SHAPIRO President | CEO WNET Neal Shapiro is an award-winning producer and media executive with a 35-year career spanning print, broadcast, cable and online media. As CEO of The WNET Group, he oversees the operations of the country’s largest public media company including New York’s THIRTEEN – America’s flagship PBS station – WLIW21, THIRTEEN PBSKids, NJ PBS; WLIW-FM, Long Island’s only NPR station and ALL ARTS, the arts and culture media provider. Since 2007, Shapiro has revitalized programming for all three stations, emphasizing arts and culture offerings, local programming and community engagement and setting new fundraising records. In 2018, Shapiro brought a new late-night program to PBS in partnership with CNN. Amanpour and Company features internationally renowned anchor Christiane Amanpour with contributors Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, and Hari Sreenivasan. In 2019, he launched ALL ARTS, an award-winning broadcast channel, app and website dedicated to arts and culture. Before joining WNET, Shapiro was President of NBC News, leading its top-rated news programs, including Today, NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press and Dateline NBC. Prior to NBC, Shapiro spent 13 years at ABC News. He has won numerous awards, including 32 Emmys, 31 Edward R. Murrow Awards and 3 Columbia DuPont awards. Shapiro serves on the Boards of American Public Television (APT), TEGNA, the East Coast Peabody Board of Directors, The Edward R. Murrow Center, and his Alma Mater, Tufts University. He lives in NYC with his wife, Juju Chang, co-anchor of ABC News Nightline, and their three sports-obsessed sons. VIEW ALL MENTORS
- LINDA GOLDSTEIN KNOWLTON
FILM/TV LINDA GOLDSTEIN KNOWLTON Filmmaker 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 VIEW ALL MENTORS
- MARYA SPENCE
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
- BRUCE COHEN
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 | Unlock Her Potential
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
- BILL ADDISON
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
- PREETI CHHIBBER
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
- OUR STORY | Unlock Her Potential
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.
- ALLEN HUGHES
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
- ANNE WOODWARD
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
- ANDREA HAILEY
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
- ANUSHKA RATNAYAKE
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
- ELYSE CHENEY
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
- TROY CARTER
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





























