Bringing Equity to Entertainment

Insights on how to create an equitable and inclusive working environment
Strategies for standardizing and measuring inclusion efforts
Tips on how to prioritize the well-being of everyone on-set

Brickson Diamond
Panelist
CEO, Big Answers & Chair, Blackhouse Foundation

Lisa Gelobter
Moderator
CEO & Founder, tEQuitable

Julie Ann Crommett has been working in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion space for over a decade leading disruptive, systemic change across media and tech. She was most recently Vice President of Multicultural Audience Engagement at The Walt Disney Studios spearheading efforts to diversify talent in front of and behind the camera, connect creative projects more closely to the communities they touch, and build a more inclusive culture within the Studios. Her team contributed to many projects including SOUL, COCO, BLACK PANTHER, and ALADDIN. Julie Ann was also instrumental in Disney's library review process leading to a revised content advisory and proactive resources for families to discuss negative stereotypes in media. Previously she was Google’s Entertainment Industry Educator in Chief leading their efforts to shift and diversify on-screen perceptions of computer science through storytelling (a position she created) as well as having led Google’s DEI efforts in Latin America. Before that she worked at NBCUniversal managing behind-the-camera diversity programs including Writers on the Verge and the Directing Fellowship. Julie Ann has been recognized by The Hollywood Reporter’s 35 under 35, the IMAGEN Foundation’s Influential Latinos in Entertainment list and as an ADCOLOR Innovator. Outside Disney, she serves on the boards for Hispanic Federation, NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers), and Women in Animation. A proud Puerto Rican and Cuban American, Julie Ann was raised in Atlanta, GA and earned her BA in English at Harvard University.

Alicin Reidy Willamson Alicin Reidy Williamson, Senior Vice President, Chief Inclusion Officer leads all diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across Endeavor. Prior to joining Endeavor, Reidy Williamson was with The Raben Group, a national public policy and communications strategy firm, where she led the firm’s New York office as well as its diversity, equity and inclusion practice as Managing Principal. Williamson built her career fostering public affairs and corporate social responsibilities initiatives. She served as a Senior VP at MTV Networks and Viacom where she created the company’s Corporate Responsibility and Public Affairs department and helped build the Office of Global Inclusion to increase company visibility in diverse communities and aid diversity recruitment efforts. Williamson also partnered with Viacom Government Affairs building coalition between advocacy groups and corporate relations in support of the company’s legislative agenda and oversaw employee engagement. As a program director and Senior Program Officer at The Fund for the City of New York, Williamson provided technical assistance and capacity building to city agencies and nonprofit youth serving organizations. Williamson has been recognized with a commendation from the City of New York for women’s leadership, induction to the YWCA Academy of Women Leaders, and a “Woman of Influence” award from Essence Magazine and several recognitions from the cable and telecommunications industry. Williamson serves on the board executive committees of the New York Urban League, Food Research and Action Center and as board chair of All Souls School. She previously was on the board of NAMIC and the USO.

Brickson Diamond is CEO of Big Answers, LLC, which consults on diversity and inclusion strategy for clients in entertainment, technology, asset management and philanthropy, generating new partnerships and leveraging impactful connections. He previously served for five years as COO of The Executive Leadership Council, the preeminent member organization of Black executives in the Fortune 1000. Brickson began his career and spent 15 years as a marketing and client services executive with The Capital Group Companies, a $2 trillion global asset management firm. He is a founding board member and chair of The Blackhouse Foundation, which provides pathways for Black multi-platform content creators into career opportunities within film, television, digital and emerging platforms. Brickson is a trustee of Brown University, the Middlesex School and Tides. He serves on the investment committee of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands and is an advisor to VC Include, a platform was created to accelerate investment into diverse emerging managers and Smashcut, an online education platform for the visual arts. Brickson is a graduate of Brown University and the Harvard Business School.

Lisa Gelobter has a deep and proven track record in software, having worked for 25 years in the industry and on products that have been used by billions of people. She has worked on several pioneering Internet technologies, including Shockwave, Hulu, and the ascent of online video. Lisa’s experience ranges from small, entrepreneurial startups to large, established organizations. Most recently, she worked at the White House, in the U.S. Digital Service, serving as the Chief Digital Service Officer for the Department of Education. Previously, Lisa acted as the Chief Digital Officer for BET Networks and was a member of the senior management team for the launch of Hulu. She has an expansive background in strategy development, business operations, user-centered design, product management, and engineering. Lisa brings consumer focus and transformative practice to bear in technology, media, and the social sector. Lisa was named one of Inc’s 2019 Top 100 Female Founders and she is also proud to be a Black Woman with a degree in Computer Science. Go STEM!