Entertainment and Media
Steve Aoki DJ, producer, entrepreneur
Grammy-nominated Aoki counts Dim Mak Records as one of his entrepreneurial ventures. Counting nearly billion music streams to his name, Aoki has performed at nearly every top festival around the world, including Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, Lollapalooza, Fuji Rock Festival, Tomorrowland and the Electric Daisy Carnival.
Alia Bhatt Actor, producer, entrepreneur
Bhatt made her acting debut in ’s “Sangharsh” and landed her first leading role in Karan Johar’s “Student of the Year.” Bhatt made her mark on India’s film industry starring in hits such as “Highway,” “States” and “Dear Zindagi.” Up next, Bhatt will star in “Jigra,” which is produced by Johar’s Dharma Prods.
Luciane Buchanan Actor
Buchanan is a New Zealand-tongan actor who played Rose Larkin in Netflix’s “The Night Agent.” She has also appeared in other series such as “The New Legends of Monkey,” “Sweet Tooth” and the Apple TV+ series “Mr. Corman.” Buchanan’s latest lead role as Queen Ka’ahumanu in Apple TV+’S upcoming series “Chief of War.”
Ginger Chan Chief marketing officer WME
Chan is part of the Endeavor network where she oversees marketing efforts on the corporate front, including event presence and awards season marketing. Before joining Endeavor, Chan was senior vice president of national publicity and account management at Allied Global Marketing, where she oversaw accounts for such media giants as Paramount Pictures, Hulu and Netflix.
Rosalind Chao Jess Hong Zine Tseng Benedict Wong Actors Alexander Woo Executive Producer, Co-creator “3 Body Problem”
Woo teamed up with “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to create the Netflix adaptation of “ Body Problem,” in which Wong, Hong, Tsieng and Chao star in the ensemble cast members. The sci-fi series broaches existential questions as it explores the connection between extraterrestrials and the decision one woman made during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Charli XCX Musical Artist
Charli XCX is a world-renowned popstar and composer hailing from Cambridge, England. Since collaborating on smash hits like Icona Pop’s “I Love It” in
and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” in ¥, she has had a meteoric rise through the music industry. Most recently, her single “Speed Drive” featured on the soundtrack to Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.”
Albert Kim Showrunner Gordon Cormier Dallas Liu Actors “Avatar: The Last Airbender”
Kim served as showrunner, executive producer and developer for the Netflix live-action adaptation of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” He previously served as executive producer and showrunner for Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow,” and was a writer and co-executive producer for “Nikita” on the CW. At age ¥, Cormier has a long resume, capped with the hit series “The Last Airbender.” “Airbender” co-star Liu has previously appeared in “Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “PEN§,” among other projects.
Maya Erskine Actor
Erskine co-created and starred in the hit Hulu comedy series “PEN” with Anna Konkle. She co-stars with Donald Glover in the Prime Video series “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” which has earned critical and audience praise. She also lends her voice to the animated action series “Blue Eyed Samurai.”
Parris Goebel Choreographer, Creative Director
Dancer, choreographer, director and founder of the Palace Dance Studio, Goebel has worked with world-class talent such as Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez. She won a Primetime Emmy for her work on Rihanna’s “Savage X Fenty Vol. ” and was nominated for an MTV Music award for her work as director on the Bieber music video “Sorry.
Lee Jung-jae Actor, filmmaker
South Korean actor and filmmaker Lee led the ensemble cast of blockbuster Netflix hit “Squid Game,” and has won many awards over the course of his -year career, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Primetime Emmy and a Critics’ Choice Award for actor in a drama series.
Anand Kini Exec VP, Corporate Strategy Comcast CFO Nbcuniversal
At Comcast, Kini works to help drive its global growth strategy, while at NBCUniversal, he oversees the finance and strategy across the company, including the media, studio and theme park divisions. Before joining Nbcuniversal in , Kini was senior VP of finance at Comcast Cable.
Rachel Kondo Executive Producer/co-creator Hiroyuki Sanada Anna Sawai Actors “Shōgun”
Kondo created the acclaimed FX historical epic “Shōgun” alongside Justin Marks. Series star Sanada has been acting and performing for decades; he can also be seen in “Ring” and “The Last Samurai,” among other projects. Series lead Sawai has been busy with not only “Shōgun” but also Apple TV+ series “Pachinko” and “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.”
Jung Kook Musical artist
A songwriter and member of superstar group BTS, Jung Kook in July released his first solo single, “Seven,” featuring Latto, that debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot and Spotify’s Top Song Global charts. His first solo album, “Golden,” debuted in November.
Anita Lee Chief programming officer Toronto Intl. Film Festival
With years of media industry experience, Lee guides strategic initiatives for TIFF and the TIFF Lightbox. Lee was previously the executive producer and studio head of NFB Ontario, where she shaped the programmatic vision of Canada’s award-winning public agency.
Howard Lee President Discovery Channel Networks & TLC
Lee oversees all creative and business operations for Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel and Travel Channel. He proudly leads the network’s initiatives focused on diversity and inclusion.
Hayao Miyazaki Director, Studio Ghibli co-founder
Miyazaki has established himself as an animation legend. With a decadeslong career and dedicated fanbase, his films, including “Howl’s Moving Castle” and Oscar-winning “Spirited Away,” have impacted generations of audiences. His most recent film, ’s “The Boy and the Heron,” won the animated feature Oscar.
Alex Norström Co-president & chief business officer Spotify
Norström joined Spotify in and has previously served the company as its chief freemium business officer, vice president of growth and vice president of subscriptions. Norström oversees the subscriber and advertising businesses and all licensed, distributed and owned content on the platform across music, podcasts and audiobooks.
Eiichiro Oda Exec producer Steven Maeda Creator Mackenyu Actor “One Piece”
Mackenyu recently starred as Roronoa Zoro in the Netflix live-action adaptation of “One Piece,” and can also be seen in “Knights of the Zodiac” and “Dragons of Wonderhatch.” Maeda’s credits include “Miami Medical,” “Lie to Me” and “Lost,” while manga artist Oda created the original “One Piece,” the best-selling manga in history.
Grant Ogburn Global chief growth officer UM
As the chief growth officer at UM Worldwide, Ogburn is dedicated to transforming ideas into impactful brand movements, while also amplifying diverse voices in marketing and creativity and is promoting a love for learning within his teams.
David Park Partner & television agent UTA
Park represents series creators, showrunners, filmmakers, writer-producers, actors and producers, with a client roster that includes a variety of Asian Pacific Islander talent, like Ke Huy Quan, John Cho and Chloe Kim.
Dev Patel Actor, director, producer & writer
Patel has been a prominent presence onscreen since his teenage years, starring in Oscar-winner “Slumdog Millionaire” and the cult favorite TV show “Skins.” The actor has since shown off his range in films like “Lion,” “The Green Knight” and “Hotel Mumbai,” among other projects. “Monkey Man,” released earlier this year, marked his directorial debut.
Bella Poarch Musician
Poarch is a digital creator and musical artist, most known for her lip-syncing videos on Tiktok. Boasting ¡. million followers on the platform and .¢ million on Instagram, her video lip-syncing to Millie B’s “M to the B” is the most liked Tiktok of all time. Poarch’s debut song “Build a Bitch” charted at No. ¢ on the Billboard Hot .
Rosemary Palacios Director of talent outreach, inclusion and creative development Yinan Shentu Puppeteer Bobby Pontillas Animation director, Sesame Street TJ Muppet Sesame Street
Palacios makes sure the Workshop’s company-wide diversity, equity and inclusion strategy is implemented into all areas of show development and production, including ideation, scripting, creator and voice-over talent, and visual development. As part of that role, she also worked very closely to bring authentic representation to the development of TJ, “Sesame Street’s” first Filipino American Muppet. Pontillas is an Oscar-nominated animation director who is passionate about bringing Filipino American stories to animation. He has been an animator, designer and art director on such films as “Frozen,” “Big Hero ” and “Moana,” and designed TJ. Yinan began his career at the Jim Henson Co. in its puppetry intensive training program in . He trained at programs with Disney and Sesame Workshop, where he was selected for Sesame’s Mentorship program, designed to train future puppeteers. TJ is a second-generation Filipino-american boy and a proud kuya (older brother) to his baby sister. He’s a natural entertainer for her, and always makes her laugh with a funny voice, song or dance.
Arjun Pulijal Artist advocate & former president Capitol Music Group
Pulijal recently stepped down as president of Capitol, where he oversaw all areas of artist development including creative, marketing and operations. Pulijal joined the company in ¡ as director of marketing and was promoted to vice president in ¤ and senior vice president, head of marketing in . His roster of artists includes Paul Mccartney, Sam Smith, Maggie Rogers and ABBA.
Keanu Reeves Actor
With a long list of features, the very in-demand Reeves is a certified action and sci-fi icon, with starring roles in such blockbusters as “The Matrix” franchise and “John Wick.” He’s exhibited his comedic chops in the “Bill and Ted” franchise and is in talks to star in Cannes Palme d’or winning filmmaker Ruben Ostland’s next film, “The Entertainment System Is Down.”
SAG-AFTRA
The Screen Actors Guild-american Federation of Television and Radio Artists represents over ¢, actors and other talent all over the country. Last summer, SAG-AFTRA went on went on strike for almost five months, ending in a historic win for guild members in areas such as artificial intelligence and healthcare.
Carla Serrano Global chief strategy officer Publicis Groupe CEO Publicis New York Susie Nam CEO Publicis Creative U.S.
Nam oversees Publicis’ agency brands, including Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Fallon, BBH, Team One, the Community, and Turner Duckworth. She is known for her ability to design agency systems and cultures that yield breakthrough ideas and employ bestin-class talent. As chief strategy officer, Serrano led the launch of Working With Cancer, a multi-company initiative that is removing the stigma of cancer from the workplace, and she drives key initiatives, including Marcel, a global AI connectivity platform that enables a stronger sense of community and supports employees’ development journeys.
Peter Sohn Director Brenda Hsueh Writer Leah Lewis Actor “Elemental”
“Elemental,” which scored an Oscar nomination for animated feature, was co-written by Hsueh, who will make her feature directorial debut with “Match,” a live-action sci-fi romantic dramedy. Lewis voiced the spunky Ember in “Elemental,” while Sohn has worked on such features as “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles” and “Wall-e,” and made his feature directorial debut with “The Good Dinosaur.”
Celine Song Writer-director Greta Lee & Teo Yoo Actors “Past Lives”
Playwright-filmmaker Song’s debut feature, “Past Lives,” earned a best picture Oscar nomination, while Lee received a Golden Globe nomination for her starring role in the film. Yoo will next be seen in Season of “The Recruit” and South Korean feature “Dirty Money.”
Stray Kids Musical artists
Formed in , Stray Kids is JYP Entertainment’s multi-talented boy band made up of eight members. One of the band’s well-known songs is “LALALALA,” which charted on the Billboard Hot , making Stray Kids the second male K-pop group to do so.
Jazz Tangcay Senior artisans editor Variety
Tangcay tirelessly covers all below the line artisans in film and TV. When she’s not finding new ways to expand the artisans world, she’s finding stories that need to be highlighted — such as the pay equity fight for costume designers. An award-winning journalist, Tangcay enjoys shining a spotlight on diverse stories in underrepresented communities.
Viet Thanh Nguyen Author Park Chan-wook Director, co-showrunner Hoa Xuande Actor “The Sympathizer”
South Korean auteur Park is a regular at film festivals such as Cannes and in global arthouse cinemas, with such projects as “Decision to Leave” and “Oldboy.” Nguyen’s novel “The Sympathizer” won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and is the basis for the hit Max series, in which Xuande stars at spy the Captain.
Lulu Wang Showrunner, director Sarayu Blue Actor Ji-young Yoo Actor “Expats”
Blue and Ji Young Yoo limn critical roles in Wang’s emotional Prime Video limited series “Expats,” starring alongside Nicole Kidman. Yoo can be seen in “Smoking Tigers” and has “Freaky Tales” with Pedro Pascal on deck. Blue can be seen in hit series “Never Have I Ever.” Wang earned acclaim with her ¢ feature “The Farewell”; her series “Expats,” based on the novel by Janet Y.K. Lee, focuses on a group of American expatriates whose paths cross in Hong Kong.
Ren Watabe Mari Yamamoto Anna Sawai Actors “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters”
Sawai, Watabe and Yamamoto star in the Apple TV+ series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” which set in a world where Godzilla and other monsters dwell under the Earth but when they surface, it’s catastrophic. Season is on tap.
Sawai can also be seen in “Shōgun” while Yamamoto’s credits include “Pachinko” and the upcoming film “Rental Family” with Brendan Fraser. The series marks Watabe’s TV debut. A former model, he quit that career to be a part-time cook. While working in the kitchen, he auditioned for “Monarch” and won the part.
Writers Guild of America
The WGA represents thousands of storytellers across the United States, fighting for their creative and economic rights. Last May, the WGA went on a historic five-month strike, effectively shutting down Hollywood. When it ended in September, the WGA walked away with a huge win for its members, earning both protection from AI and streaming residuals for top performing content.
Takashi Yamazaki Director, writer, VFX supervisor
Yamazaki led the VFX team that won the visual effects Oscar for “Godzilla Minus One,” the first Japanese production crew ever to receive an Academy Award nomination and win in that category. “Godzilla Minus One” also became the third-highest grossing foreign-language feature in the U.S. box office history, with $ million in .
Janet Yang President Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Yang is a longtime television and film producer, whose credits include “The Joy Luck Club,” “The Weight of Water,” “Shanghai Calling,” “High Crimes,” and “Over the Moon.” She oversees the Academy at a tumultuous time in the film business, post-strikes and post-pandemic, but has seen the growth of Academy membership globally and Oscar broadcast ratings rise. She was a Variety Power of Women honoree.
Calvin Yee Partner Egon Zehnder
Yee is the head of global media and entertainment and partner at global management and leadership consultancy Egon Zehnder. A member of the firm’s U.S. Diversity and Inclusion Council, he advises clients on team and organization effectiveness and leadership development. Yee began his career in civil rights enforcement and community relations.