The BRIC Foundation, dedicated to increasing representation in the entertainment and gaming industries, today announced the official lineup for its 4th annual BRIC Summit, to be held February 11-12, 2022. Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, musician and co-founder of KidNation, an interactive platform for children to enjoy kid-centric, educational entertainment, will deliver the opening keynote address.

The BRIC Summit will be packed with engaging speakers and solutions-driven workshops for industry professionals and up-and-coming talent, providing access and education from experts in the field representing the world’s most iconic entertainment brands. Click here for more information and to register for the event.

For the first time, the Summit will feature an executive workshop specifically focused on the topic of “The Future of Inclusive Hiring.” This invite-only, C-Suite workshop session led by Netflix’s Darnell Moore, Julie Ann Crommett and other D&I Experts will cover the many challenges facing entertainment leaders today. Such a combination of panels and small breakout room brainstorming sessions will offer an environment where leaders can look at the research and speak with experts in an effort to create more tailored solutions. The group will discuss how to be proactive as leaders and create inclusive company cultures through hiring, content, and workplace practices.

“The past several years have been traumatic and divisive” said Alison Mann, Co-Founder and CEO of BRIC Foundation and Talent Manager and Co-President of Fourth Wall Animation. “In order to find unity amongst one another, we will need to take a moment to do some “deep listening”, to find empathy and understanding, and allow for dialogue and self-realization instead of being reactionary. I am excited for this year’s summit, where we’ll discuss cultural shifts and talk about cancel culture. While these conversations can be tough, they are necessary, and my hope is we have some key takeaways to finding our way back to connecting and understanding each other, allowing for healing and growth”.

Industry Day: Friday, February 11 (INVITE ONLY)

Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, musician and co-founder of KidNation, an interactive platform for children to enjoy kid-centric, educational entertainment, will deliver the opening keynote address. Attendees will hear research from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative on the state of our industry. Additional speakers include ESPN’s Marsha Cooke, Aldis Hodge (Black Adam), and New York Times Best Selling Author, Lindsey Pollack. There will also be a special invite-only C-suite session for senior leaders from studios to gain additional insights while attending a workshop with their peers.
Other Speakers Include: Darnell Moore (Netflix), Julie Ann Crommett (Collective Moxie), Karen Horne (Warner Media), Karen Toliver (Sony Pictures Animation), Hoai Scott (NBC Universal), Suzanne Marques (CBS), Filmmaker Shruti Ganguly, Dipanjan Chatterjee (Forrester), Rabia Abedin (DreamWorks Animation), Kim Williams (Disney), Activist Dan Kovalik, Change Management Expert Sara Martin, DEIA Expert Emi Kamemoto, Noah Prince (White Men as Full Diversity Partners), Jinko Gotoh (WIA), Arnon Manor (VES), Steven Issacs (Epic Games), Allison Frenzel (CA Dept of Education)

The day will focus on answering four key questions:

BREAK: The Rules: The status quo no longer works. What can you and your company do to stay continuously activated for social justice and civic engagement?

REINVENT: The Workforce: Redefining the workforce and best practices for hiring and retaining the 22nd Century Employee in a Post-COVID world.

IMPACT: Through Authenticity: Authentic storytelling is here to stay. What does successful authenticity look like in every creative department?

CHANGE: Cancel Culture to Reform Culture?: Can we and should we shift cancel culture to reform culture? How can we determine what gets canceled and what happens after the moment of reckoning- can we educate and repair?

Education Day: Saturday, February 12 (FREE TO THE PUBLIC)

Educators, Parents, and Professionals in early stages of their career will find a variety of helpful workshops including a BRIC Creative Academy session, an Art Jam, a Careers in Animation panel, and Portfolio Reviews from some of the leading Animation, Visual Effects and Gaming Studios. Additional programming includes Grant Writing 101 for Teachers, Careers in VFX, Careers in Games, and a Film Festival Submission Panel led by Larry Laboe from New Filmmakers LA.

“Research shows that the more representation there is behind the screen, the more authentic representation you see on screen. In order to improve the talent pipeline to allow for more underserved creators to enter creative industries, we need to double down on education and create new access points. We hope our programming for educators and students will become an invaluable asset that will inspire them to pursue careers in entertainment, gaming and more,” added Nicole Hendrix, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the BRIC Foundation.

2022 BRIC Summit Sponsors include (in alphabetical order): ArtCenter College of Design, Artstation, ASIFA-Hollywood, Bento Box Entertainment, DreamWorks Animation, Easterseals, Fourth Wall Management, FOX, Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Hello Sunshine, Illumination, LatinX in Animation (LXIA). Nickelodeon, Six Point Harness, Skydance Animation, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 32, Visual Effects Society (VES), Wacom, Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Warner Media, West Studio, Weta Digital and Women in Animation.

ABOUT THE BRIC FOUNDATION
The BRIC Foundation was founded in 2018 and is overseen by entertainment industry heavyweights Alison Mann, Talent Manager and Co-President of Fourth Wall Animation, and Producers Nicole Hendrix. In addition to hosting its annual Summit, the Foundation also runs the Creative Academy and Career Readiness Programs, partnering with Studios and Companies to give High School students real world experience and educating them on various career tracks in the entertainment and tech space.

For more information on BRIC, visit https://bricfoundation.org and follow @bricfound on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.