Bela Bajaria

Bela Bajaria was named Head of Global TV in 2020, overseeing English language and local language scripted and unscripted series around the world. Bajaria leads the team for all of television, responsible for hit series including Bridgerton, The Queen’s Gambit and Cobra Kai.

Previously, she oversaw local language originals, original series across Europe, the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, India, Asia, and Latin America as Vice President of Local Language Originals. In this role, she managed the teams behind shows such as La Casa de Papel (Spain), The Witcher (Poland), Lupin(France), Dark Desire (Mexico), Sacred Games (India), Kingdom (Korea), Blood & Water (South Africa), and Sintonia (Brazil).

Bajaria joined Netflix in November 2016 to oversee Netflix's push into unscripted programming including the critically acclaimed Queer Eye, Nailed It!, and Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, as well as talk series with David Letterman and Hasan Minhaj.  Bajaria also oversaw some scripted originals such as the hit series Never Have I Ever andYOU, and led the team responsible for working with studios to co-produce and co-license series internationally with Netflix, including Star Trek: Discovery (CBS), Bodyguard (BBC), Riverdale, and Good Girls (Universal Television).  

Previously, Bajaria was President of Universal Television, where she made history as the first woman of color to oversee a studio. There she shepherded creative programming including the Emmy-nominated Netflix comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as well as hit primetime broadcast series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project, Bates Motel, Grimm and Chicago Fire. Earlier, she held two key posts simultaneously: Senior Vice President, Cable Programming for CBS TV Studios, and Senior Vice President of Movies and Miniseries for the CBS network. 

Bajaria has been honored by THR’s Women in Entertainment list and Variety’s LA Women’s Impact Report. She was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in 2020 and 2021. And in 2021, she was honored by the Asia Society as one of their Entertainment Game Changers of the Year. She currently serves on the Los Angeles Board of Governors for the Paley Center and the Board of Los Angeles’ Saban Community Clinic; she was honored with its Lenny Somberg Award in 2018.  She also serves on the Board of Trustees for Meridian International Center. She was previously the President of the Hollywood Radio & Television Society and served on the boards of Women in Film and the executive board of the Television Academy. She is involved in a variety of philanthropic endeavors, including SAHARA, a non-profit organization that serves victims of domestic violence. Bajaria has been honored by the “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Los Angeles, The March of Dimes Foundation, and was given the Industry Leadership Award from the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. Bajaria resides in Los Angeles with her husband and three children.

Joi Brown

Joi Brown is the Head of Strategic Partnerships at ICM Partners. In her role, she helps connect ICM Partners clients to brands using her extensive connections and expertise in the branding world. Prior to ICM, Joi spent 21 years at Atlantic Records most recently as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Partnerships. During her career, Joi has worked strategically with some of the world’s leading brands such as Beats By Dre, Jack Daniels, L’oreal, MasterCard, Hilton, Reebok, LVMH, Verizon, Google, Microsoft; as well as some of the biggest names in music including; Cardi B, Bruno Mars, Charli XcX, Janelle Monae, Brandy, Sean Paul, Gucci Mane, Bazzi, Kehlani, Tank, Lizzo, Missy Elliott, Rico Nasty, Rita Ora and Wiz Khalifa to name a few.

Joi is also the Founder and CEO of Culture Creators, a highly influential organization that connects global cultural pioneers with the new generation of diverse creators of culture. The organization prides itself on amplifying the voices of glass ceiling breakers and addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in every industry with its programming while creating a talent pipeline of HBCU and students of color. Culture Creators also celebrates the leaders and young innovators in every industry. The flagship “Innovators and Leaders” Awards brunch has been featured in Billboard, Forbes, Variety, VIBE, The Hollywood Reporter, Essence, Page Six, and People. The awards have honored Kevin Liles, Tiffany Haddish, Valeisha Butterfield-Jones, Angela Rye, Phyllis Newhouse, Marlon Nichols, Shawn Gee, Brickson Diamond, Charlamagne Tha God, Marsai Martin, Kenya Barris, James Lopez to Sylvia Rhone, Byron Allen, Swizz Beatz, and more. Culture Creators works with corporations to assist in creating strategies for the recruitment and retention of people of color. As well as provide a global platform for thought and servant leadership, equity in hiring and retention practices, and comprehensive programs across all industries to ensure substantive influence,  economic growth, and inclusion of all people. 

Joi is a proud mother of twin teenage daughters, Sydney and Kennedy, a Howard alum and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She also sits on the Board of Directors for Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that is dedicated to building a world where kids can live rich, purposeful lives by ensuring that all public school children have the opportunity to unlock their passion for music.

Andy Campion

Andy Campion leads NIKE’s global technology and digital transformation, demand and supply management, manufacturing, distribution and logistics, sustainability, workplace design and connectivity, and procurement. From 2015 through 2020, Campion served as Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President, NIKE, Inc. He originally joined NIKE in 2007.

Campion joined NIKE from The Walt Disney Company where he held leadership roles in strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, financial planning and analysis, operations planning, investor relations and tax from 1996 to 2007.

Campion currently serves on the Starbucks Corporation Board of Directors, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games Board of Directors, the SpringHill Company Board of Directors, and the UCLA Anderson School of Management Board of Advisors.

Campion earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics at UCLA and MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. He also earned a Juris Doctor (JD) and Master’s Degree in the Laws in Taxation (LLM) from the University of San Diego.

Maverick Carter

Maverick Carter, an entrepreneur and CEO, has significantly impacted the sports and media landscape and helped usher in a new era of athlete empowerment. As LeBron James’ longtime business partner and CEO of The SpringHill Company, Carter has channeled his passionate curiosity and determination to uplift others into building brands that develop authentic, award-winning content spanning several platforms, all with a common thread of empowering others. The SpringHill Company owns notable brands including athlete empowerment brand UNINTERRUPTED and its More Than movement, the trailblazing hit show for leading cultural conversations, The Shop, and their blockbuster family film, Space Jam: A New Legacy. In 2021, The SpringHill Company assembled a transformational investment group including RedBird Capital, Fenway Sports Group, Nike, and Epic Games, with the strategic investment valuing the company at $725 million. 

With an extensive background in marketing and business development, Carter was instrumental in building LRMR Ventures and in securing James’ lifetime deal with Nike, the first in the company’s history. Building on a long-time partnership with Fenway Sports Group, Carter became a partner in the historic company in 2021. Carter also provides strategic insights to leading companies and several nonprofit organizations, serving on the Board of Directors for Live Nation Entertainment and Equinox Group as well as the Advisory Council for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Walmart’s Opportunity Leadership Council and the LeBron James Family Foundation that is committed to creating generational change in his hometown of Akron.

Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson is the CEO and Founder of WON WORLDWIDE, a venture revenue advisory firm that builds revenue strategies and executions for sports media and entertainment buisnesses.  Most notably, WON has just help to launch the ALLIANCE OF AMERICAN FOOTBALL new professional Spring football league on CBS Sports, Turner Sports and NFL Network.

Prior to that, Eric worked at ESPN for 18 years as the executive vice president of Global Advertising Revenue & Sales Operations. In this role, Johnson leads the U.S. and international multimedia ad sales team efforts.  He is responsible for all sales activity across all of ESPN’s businesses, including the ESPN television networks, ESPN Print and Digital Media, X Games, ESPN Syndication Events, ESPN Audio, ESPN Deportes, and espnW.  Outside of the U.S., he works directly with ESPN’s sales offices in Buenos Aires, San Paulo, London, Singapore, Sydney and Miami, Fla., to drive revenue for ESPN’s international properties.

In 2008, he was named #25 on the Mediaweek 50, a list of “the most indispensable executives shaping the future of media,” and was CABLE-FAX’s 2010 VP & Above Sales Person of the Year (Honorable Mention).  Additionally, under his leadership, ESPN’s multimedia sales teams have been honored by a 2012 Jack Myers survey that ranked ESPN’s #1 among TV sales organizations (tied with ABC).  This follows a recognition in 2008 from min (Media Industry Newsletter), which named Johnson’s team the “Multiplatform Sales Team of the Year.”

Currently, Johnson sits on the Board of Directors for IAB and MPA. He is also on the Advisory Board for VIDEONOMICS. Johnson’s tenure at ESPN began in 1999, where he served as an account executive for West Coast account television sales. In 2003, as a vice president of national ad sales, he took over management of the West Coast television sales team and served as senior vice president of multimedia sales, overseeing offices in Burbank and San Francisco, Calif. from 2006-2007.

Prior to joining ESPN, Johnson worked at TIME magazine in Los Angeles, following a term of service on the advertising agency side of the business.  From 1992-1999, Johnson worked as a media planning/strategist executive at Deustch LA, Grey Advertising, and Foote, Cone & Belding. Johnson graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1991 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.

Ridhima Ahuja Kahn

Ridhima Ahuja Kahn is the VP of Business Development at Dapper Labs. Her focus is helping build meaningful partnerships with social media platforms and the world’s top IPs as they look to build blockchain-based experiences. Prior to Dapper Labs, she was a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) where she focused on sports, social, media & entertainment, collectibles (digital & physical), hospitality/travel and food. She has also spent time on the investment teams at the Hewlett Foundation ($12b) & Grosvenor Capital Management ($46b).
Kahn holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Miranda Kwok

Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Miranda Kwok is an award-winning screenwriter, producer and actress. She began her writing career as a staff writer on “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” has developed television series for the American, Italian and Chinese markets, worked as a writer on immersive multimedia experiences and spent four years as a writer/producer on “The 100,” ultimately serving as supervising producer.

After Warner Bros. acquired the rights to the Argentinian format “La Chica Que Limpia,” Kwok penned the script and developed the series, now titled THE CLEANING LADY, for U.S. television.

Adele Lim

Adele is a writer-producer whose credits include Crazy Rich Asians (Warner Bros) and Raya and the Last Dragon (Disney Animation Studios). A Malaysian native of Chinese descent, she came to the States at 19 and graduated from Emerson College, Boston. She has written and produced primetime TV dramas, including One Tree Hill (The CW), Private Practice (ABC) and Lethal Weapon (FOX), and was the co-showrunner and Executive Producer of Starcrossed (The CW).

Additionally, she mentors emerging writers through the WGA (Writers Guild of America) and CAPE (Coalition of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in Entertainment) to promote equity
and representation in entertainment. Most recently she made her directorial debut on an untitled feature film for Lionsgate Films and Point Grey productions, scheduled for release in the fall of
2022.

Beverly Macy

Beverly Macy teaches The Business of Media, Entertainment & Sports at UCLA Anderson School of Management and Brand Management at UCLA Extension. She is currently writing a book on NFTs and is the co-author of The Power of Real-Time Social Media Marketing, published by McGraw Hill. She is a keynote speaker and a thought-leader in digital business transformation and emerging technology innovation. Beverly spent over a decade at Xerox Corporation in global sales and marketing and began her career in software development. Today, Beverly helps companies plan and execute their digital transformation journey as a Strategic Advisor. Her current clients have included Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Boeing, Disney, Amgen, Weber Shandwick, and Toyota.

Arielle Moyal

Arielle Moyal is a highly accomplished marketing professional who has been instrumental in guiding the careers of hundreds of athletes over her 16+ year career working in sports. Her new marketing agency, Moyal Enterprises, will release on March 1st, and will be where athletes, agencies, teams and sports brands can find what they need to bridge strategy and execution for unique solutions. 

Most recently, Arielle served as the Vice President of Basketball & Baseball Marketing, Public Relations & Digital Strategy, for REP1 Sports, a full-service athlete representation firm. Her duties also included assisting the CEO with REP1 corporate initiatives and being the guider of the agency to over 300+ professional athletes across baseball, basketball and collegiate NIL, which included Patrick Beverley, Luis Severino, Dee Strange - Gordon, Tre & Tyus Jones, Ronald Acuna Jr., Rafael Devers, Eloy Jimenez, Evan Turner, Jose Reyes, PJ Washington Jr., Starling Marte, Giovanny Urshela, Jarred Vanderbilt, Devin Williams, Anthony Santander and more.

Arielle is committed to assisting athletes with securing top of the market endorsement deals, gaining exposure and providing social media training. Exceptionally strategic and a creative thinker, Arielle understands how to effectively craft and market an athlete’s brand in a positive way. Her focus is to design and negotiate both endemic and non-endemic corporate deals, while providing clients with overall marketing and branding support services. Arielle provides clients with success and overall prosperity in sports and life.

Prior to REP1, Arielle gained extensive experience as the marketing lead at BDA Sports Management and a key member of the Player Personnel / Athlete Enrichment department for the Sacramento Kings. Earlier, Arielle spent nine years working for UCLA Athletics as staff for a variety of sports teams, the last five as part of the core staff for the historic UCLA Men’s Basketball.

Some of her notable projects include Call of Duty, Essentia Water LLC, Spotify, Starbucks, Complex, Intel, Bleacher Report, BODYARMOR, New Era, UNINTERRUPTED, EA Sports, Sony, ISlide, Hugo Boss, and others.

Arielle is relentlessly committed to servicing athlete clients, making sure their lives are in order and aiding in their personal growth. Having built a strong reputation as someone whose integrity and dedication is unrivaled, she firmly establishes the trust of those around her. With a distinguished track record of success, her diverse background and communications skills are a huge asset to every client she has.

Growing up, Arielle spent her days on the soccer pitch, developing into a competitive tactician. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Pre- Med & Political Science and from Cal State University, Long Beach where she received her Master of Arts in Sports Management, graduating top of her class.

A former soccer player, Arielle is an avid sports fan and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband Matthew.

Amobi Okugo

Amobi Okugo, a first generation Nigerian-American, is professional soccer player, entrepreneur, media host, and philanthropist who has been recognized as a Forbes 30 under 30 recipient. He was drafted in the first round of the 2010 MLS super draft, and has since played over 200 competitive games for teams including Philadelphia, Orlando, Kansas City, Portland, and Austin. Okugo founded of A Frugal Athlete, a financial education platform that promotes prudent financial practices and smart career decisions amongst professional athletes, student athletes, and anyone aiming to leverage their opportunities to build financial stability and longevity. Okugo is also the founder of the Ok U Go Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Black and brown youth to unearth their talents and strengthen their future through education, athletic, and social programs. In his spare time, Okugo enjoys hiking, reading, flying his drone, hosting trivia nights and TV show watch parties, and spending time with family and friends.

Coming Soon

During his 20-year career, Bill has established himself as a respected expert in athlete marketing and personal brand management. His work with icons such as Clayton Kershaw, Yao Ming, Steve Nash and Christian Yelich has in many ways helped set the standard for athlete marketing.

By helping clients build, maintain and protect their brands, Bill’s approach increases client marketability, raises brand awareness and increases long-term revenue. Bill believes the key to effective talent marketing is the formulation of a long-term player brand strategy, which includes a substantial commitment to community involvement, media relations and social media plans, and the pursuit of appropriate corporate partners.

Bill previously served as Chief Marketing Officer at BDA Sports Management and as SVP of Athlete Marketing at Excel Sports Management, where notable clients included Blake Griffin, Danica Patrick, Derek Jeter and Kevin Love. Bill currently serves as president of the newly launched August Icon Marketing, and serves clients that include: Clayton Kershaw, Christian Yelich, Patrice Bergeron, Mitch Marner, Taylor Hall, Aaron Nola and many more. During his career, Bill has aligned his clients with numerous global brands, including: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Gatorade, Vitamin Water, Visa, American Express, Apple, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Guinness, Bridgestone, Raymond Weil, Tag Heuer and many more.

Bill earned his MBA, with an emphasis in Marketing and Entertainment Studies, at UCLA’s Anderson School of Business. He earned his Bachelors of Arts in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University.

DJ Scratch

DJ Scratch was introduced to EPMD by Jam Master Jay at the Run's House Tour after DJ K LA Boss left EPMD. Impressed by his skills, the two designated DJ Scratch as their official D.J. by their second album Unfinished Business in 1989. His presence was felt with his powerful cutting and scratching techniques that are heard on various tracks. Aside from scratching, on Business As Usual, he produced the track "Funky Piano", "Rampage" and in 1991 worked on a remix for "I'm Mad" off the "Rampage" 12" single.

In 1992 Scratch produced "Scratch Bring It Back, Pt. 2 (Mic Doc)" and briefly worked with DJ Magic Mike after EPMD broke up. Soon Scratch made a name for himself as a producer for Busta Rhymes and the Flipmode Squad off Busta's debut album in 1996. By 2003 DJ Scratch became a well distinguished and revered hip-hop producer after working with 50 Cent, LL Cool J, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, DMX, The Roots, Q-Tip and other notable acts.

Scratch was the Resident DJ for three nationally aired TV Shows: Hip Hop Hold Em', Fox 5's Uptown Comedy Club and B.E.T.'s Rap City: The Basement. Scratch's film credits include Juice, The Original 50 Cent, Backstage, Fly By Night, Rhyme & Reason and Spike Lee's film Bamboozled. In addition, Coca-Cola commissioned Scratch to produce & feature in their first DJ commercial, "3 DJs".

In 2016, DJ Scratch helped fill in for A Tribe Called Quest's DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad on their final album We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service due to Ali producing the soundtrack for the Luke Cage TV series with Adrian Younge at the time.

Lauren Sesselmann

Lauren Sesselmann is an American-born Canadian soccer defender, former forward and Olympic bronze medalist who recently retired from her 15+ year professional soccer playing career. 

Lauren was raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin and starred in both soccer and basketball at Notre Dame Academy. She won multiple letters in sports, including helping her high school to an undefeated season and a Wisconsin state championship in girls' basketball in 2001. Regardless of her basketball skills, Lauren chose to pursue soccer and played collegiately at Purdue University from 2001 through 2005, studying advertising and marketing. At Purdue, Lauren set six records in points, goals, assists, game-winning goals, multiple-goal games, and shots on goal registered. She was also named First Team All-Big Ten in 2003 and 2005, and a two-time All-American. 

Following her time at Purdue, Lauren played locally for F.C. Indiana, based in Greater Lafayette. Then, on January 16, 2009, Sesselmann was drafted by the Chicago Red Stars with the 44th overall pick in the 2009 WPS Draft, beginning a long career in the highest levels of women's soccer. Traded later that 2009 season to the Sky Blue, Lauren won the league championship. 

Lauren was a member of the Canadaian national team from 2011 to 2015. She won her first cap on September 17, 2011 as a starter at left back against the US, playing the full 90 minutes. And while Lauren has many accomplishments under her belt, some of her proudest were helping Team Canada win a gold medal in the 2011 Pan American Games, where she started four of five matches, a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics, where she started all six matches, and representing Canada in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. 

Currently, Lauren is a business-woman, podcast host, model, actress, sports agent, entrepreneur and trainer. She is a mentor, trainer and camp coach for amateur athletes, and the host of the NFL podcast, About The Game. Lauren has graced the cover of a number of magazines, has been in numerous TV shows and movies, and has a film, Little Angels, coming out this year. Lauren also advises up and coming soccer players on their career decisions, as well as provides on-air hosting for soccer channel, 110 Football. 

Mental health is also extremely important to Lauren. She now advocates for athletes who are transitioning, for people who need support in their mental health struggles, and for general kindness and wellbeing to others. Lauren is outspoken about the pressures of playing on main stages and why athletes need to prioritize their mental health as well as their physical health. 

Growing up with two brothers, Lauren is extremely close to her family. She is the oldest of 36 grandchildren, all of whom love sports and root for the Greenbay Packers. Lauren currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter @lsesselmann.

Sanjay Sood

Professor of Marketing Sanjay Sood, who holds both an MBA from Kellogg and a Ph.D. from Stanford, says that incorporating real-world experience can dramatically improve the classroom experience. That’s why for the last decade he has been teaching his classes with C-suite industry executives from MGM, P&G and Google, assigning live projects with real companies — like NBC, Universal Studios and the TED brand — and taking his students on field trips to startups, major corporations and ad agencies.

“The co-teaching model of having faculty paired with seasoned executives in the classroom for the entire 10 weeks is a differentiator for Anderson,” says Sood. “We’re one of the few business schools that emphasizes a joint classroom model of practitioners with faculty for the entire quarter. It provides extra depth to the content as well as a unique combination of academic rigor plus managerial relevance.”

Sood’s academic research focuses on two areas, brand management and behavioral decision making. “As a doctoral student I was excited by the relatively new field of branding in consumer behavior and also was fortunate to be exposed to some of the pioneers of choice architecture,” he says. “The faculty at Anderson are adept at bringing research into the classroom and I have tried to follow that lead. Academic frameworks in branding can be applied across industries, and behavioral decision making is becoming increasingly relevant to senior managers and policymakers.”  

Sood helped develop what is now UCLA Anderson’s  Center for Media, Entertainment & Sports, at a time when Dean Judy Olian established entertainment and media as a strategic priority for the school. Currently, between 10 and 15 percent of Anderson classes enter media and entertainment careers. In his classes, Sood looks at movies as brands going in the same direction as other products: Whereas Hollywood used to launch a new brand weekly, the trend now is toward brand franchises.

Using psychological principles in his research, Sood examines how firms can best build, manage and leverage strong brand names. This includes investigating what brand names mean to consumers, how to manage brand portfolios, how to use brand naming strategies to launch new products and how to protect brand names from becoming diluted over time and across geographical boundaries.

Chen Tang

Chen Ying Tang (born 18 July 1988) has an international background that instilled in him early a lifelong love and curiosity for different cultures, peoples, and experiences. As a Chinese citizen and US Permanent Resident, and fluent in both Mandarin and English, he has been able to bridge a gap between both Hollywood and China during his career.

He has acted in numerous films and television series, most recently as "Yao" in the much-anticipated Disney live-action remake of Mulan (2020) directed by Niki Caro, and as the main cast member "Hong" of the Bruce Lee inspired Cinemax show Warrior (2019) from Jonathan Tropper and Justin Lin. Other recurring credits include Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013), Bosch (2014), Grey's Anatomy (2005), and Being Mary Jane (2013),
among others.

Born in Kobe, Japan, and spending his childhood in Guangxi, China, Chen Tang belongs to the ethnic minority Zhuang group from Southern China. His parents were trained as medical
doctors in China, and among the first government-sponsored international students to leave the Mainland during the re-opening of China in the 1980s. His parents lived in Japan for
almost six years, during which Chen was raised by his grandmother back in China while they pursued their doctorates there. After immigrating to the United States, Chen's family
settled in the Deep South in Memphis, Tennessee. Not knowing anything different, his first accent in English was a natural Southern accent, which for some reason always surprises
people to hear. Though he always stayed connected to his Chinese roots, and often revisited China, he still feels very much rooted to the Southern culture he grew up in.

Chen has great respect for the men and women in the armed forces, no matter the country. Coming from a military family (his grandfather and several relatives serving in the Chinese People's Liberation Army), he once had aspirations of being a soldier. But soon falling in love with acting instead, he went off to Boston, and then later New York City to pursue his craft. Sporadic work began to come his way on the New York stage, in television, and
independent films, and he eventually made the move to Los Angeles to pursue his passion in front of the camera. Perhaps due to his varied travels and background, Chen has consistently been noted for a "rare, chameleon-like ability to transform" in his work,
resulting in many roles that appear, sound, and feel very distinct from each other.

Coming Soon

Jay Tucker

Jay Tucker is a marketer, educator, and technology leader with more than 20 years of experience in the technology, academic, and entertainment sectors. At UCLA’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment and Sports (MEMES), Tucker is responsible for the center’s vision, thought leadership, educational offerings, and major events. In his role, he has built courses, partnerships, and conferences focused on technology and innovation within the entertainment sector.

In 2018, Jay launched a partnered initiative with Howard University that provides internships, tuition, and housing support to Howard students that enroll in UCLA’s summer courses focused on the business of entertainment and sports. Jay also drove the launch of a new online course that covers the sports business with an emphasis on providing athletes with a better understanding of the economic opportunities available to them. 

Jay is also a seasoned technology leader, and he is passionate about helping executives and entrepreneurs embrace disruption, drive innovation, and build powerful solutions. He has taught courses on technology management, digital media, and media literacy to professionals at corporations and nonprofit organizations. He also serves as an advisor to early stage ventures and nonprofit organizations.

Nancy Yoon

Nancy Yoon is the Founder of “Asians in LA,” a social network of Asian American influencers for GOOD from politics, entertainment, nonprofit and community leaders and a PR media agency for the Asian American community in Southern California. Currently working on Entertainment PR for IW Group Agency, the biggest Asian American agency and most awarded multicultural agency in the nation (Crazy Rich Asians, McDonald’s x BTS).

She is also a digital storyteller, actor, TV host, speaker, and connector for the Asian American community with numerous years of experience working in entertainment, PR, marketing, international and talent relations, media & communications, nonprofits, and finance. As an Asian American influencer, community leader, and AAPI publicist and diversity advocate, she is helping to push for diversity and inclusion for minorities including Asian Americans and women in entertainment, corporations, and boards. Recently, she was the AAPI publicist for A24's Oscar winning movie Minari, winning the Best Supporting Actress award for Youn Yuh-jung and the first Korean performer to ever win an Academy Award.

In entertainment, she worked for the Walt Disney Company in Corporate Operations Planning and later at the Disney Channel in Talent Development & Casting producing music specials and TV shows with diverse celebrities such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Destiny’s Child, and N’Sync. At Fox Family, she was the Director of Marketing producing music specials and managing over 60 television shows. In front of the camera, Nancy has acted in numerous commercials, and top television shows including CSI Las Vegas, and Days of our Lives. Her talent extends to media & communications including hosting for the STARZ network and representing major corporate clients worldwide such as Adidas and Philips.

She managed partnerships with celebrities, politicians, dignitaries, and high net worth individuals (HNWI) working with amfAR, Clinton Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, and Fuller Theological Seminary. Nancy lived in Europe for several years with her husband, Thomas, where she headed International Relations for Life Ball, one of the largest AIDS charity in the world working with the Clinton Global Initiative, UNAIDS, UNODC, and managing European marketing for three countries at LG Electronics.

Nancy is a member and judge of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (EMMYS), Tiffany Circle board, Philanthropy Committee, Chair of Entertainment Committee of the American Red Cross, Advisory Council UN Women GLA, Deacon at Bel Air Church, Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Glass Leadership Institute, ADL-AsianJewish Initiative, ADL Regional Board Nominating Committee, founding member of ADL’s LA for Good (partnering with over 100 community and non profit organizations), PBS SoCal Asian American Community Council, Board Member of WICT (Women in Cable Telecommunications), Member of Council of Korean Americans (CKA), Korean American Leaders in Hollywood and L.A. Mayor Garcetti’s Film and TV Task Force. She and her Austrian husband co-founded Europeans in LA, the largest social network of Europeans in Los Angeles and Asians in LA a social network for the Asian American community. They both live in Los Angeles.

Naz Aletaha

Naz Aletaha was named the Global Head of LoL Esports in October 2021 following an eight-year stint as the Head of Global Esports Partnerships & Business Development at Riot Games In her new role, Aletaha will create and execute the vision, strategy, and roadmap for LoL Esports, providing oversight of its 12 regional leagues and three international events: the League of Legends World Championship, Mid-Season Invitational, and All-Star Event.

Additionally, Naz is serving as an Executive Producer for the upcoming Paramount+ scripted comedy series, Players, produced by CBS Studios in association with Funny or Die, about a fictional team in the LCS, LoL Esports’ North American league, which will be available on the streaming platform in 2022. Since joining Riot in 2012, Naz has catalyzed the evolution of esports from a niche competition into the fastest growing global sport, drawing interest and investment from traditional sports and entertainment industries as well as those closely aligned with esports. Naz, a 2019 recipient of SBJ’s “Game Changers” honor, has pioneered landmark sponsorship agreements with some of the most valuable world-class brands including Louis Vuitton, Unilever, Red Bull, MasterCard, Spotify, Bose, Cisco, State Farm, and Mercedes-Benz.

As the preeminent business development executive in esports, Naz has broken gender and cultural norms during her meteoric rise. Through her tireless work and the partnerships she has forged between esports and the corporate business world, she has proven that esports has arrived on a global scale with groundbreaking sponsorships at a scope and scale never before seen in the industry. A first-generation daughter of Persian-Iranian immigrants, Nazanin faced high career expectations and aspirations from an early age. She excelled through her Business and Finance studies at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and subsequently applied her passion for entertainment and gaming to her career, first at Sony Motion Pictures, then at Activision Blizzard, and finally to Riot Games. Naz has an unmatched track record for business development, partnership execution, and revenue generation in esports. Partnerships she has brokered have driven the sport from a fledgling industry to global, non-endemic markets and audiences, transforming League of Legends into the largest esport in the world with events like the annual LoL World Championship becoming behemoth global sporting events in their own right.

Unlike others in the space, she wasn’t willing to compromise on the value of League of Legends Esports, holding to high standards for partnerships when other esports leagues were willing to simply sign endemic and non-endemic partners at low figures. Her passion for games and sports pushed her to establish the foundational connective tissue between sports and video games, leading to explosive esports growth as teams and brands from traditional sports began entering the space. As the individual responsible for the commercial legitimization of League of Legends esports, Naz has overseen the partnership vision that has scaled across 13 regional leagues, three global events, and nearly 100 teams around the world, resulting in the establishment of the world’s most compelling new sport.

Paula Williams Madison

Paula Williams Madison is Chair and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC, a Los Angeles-based media  consultancy company with global reach and 88 Madison Media Inc., her media production company.  

In 2011, Madison retired from NBCUniversal where she was Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity  Officer and a company officer of GE, the then-owner of NBCUniversal. She also was President and General  Manager of NBC4 Los Angeles and Los Angeles Regional GM for NBCU’s Telemundo TV stations, and Vice  President and News Director of NBC4 New York. Under Madison’s watch, the station earned numerous  Emmy, Golden Mike and Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. As news director, her leadership garnered  a 1996 Peabody Award for NBC4 New York’s investigation, “A License to Kill.” 

Paula, whose Chinese name is Lowe Xiao Na (罗笑娜) is the granddaughter of a Hakka Chinese man who  emigrated as a teen from Lowe Swee Hap (Luo Ruihe) in Shenzhen, China, in 1905 to Kingston, Jamaica.  He  returned  to  China  in  1933  with  most  of  his  family.  His  life  and  history  are  the  subject  of  her  documentary  and  book.  Madison  is  executive  producer,  and  subject  of,  “Finding  Samuel  Lowe:  From  Harlem to China”, a compelling documentary that chronicles her journey to her maternal grandfather’s  homeland in China and the reconnection of her family with his 300 descendants. HarperCollins published  a memoir  of  the  journey,  “Finding  Samuel  Lowe  China,  Jamaica, Harlem”  in  April  2015  and  Shenzhen  Publishing (Shenzhen, China) reissued the book in 2016 in Chinese. She’s executive producer of the Finding  Samuel Lowe Project and developing a TV series for Amazon TV and Legendary Studios based on her book.  

A highly sought-after public speaker, Madison received numerous honors and awards: named one of the  “75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise Magazine in 2005, and  included in the Hollywood Reporter’s “Power 100”. In 2013, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed  Madison to the Los Angeles Police Commission, where she served as Vice President until 2015. 

Madison is the former Owner/CEO of the Los Angeles Sparks WNBA basketball team. She also serves on  the Boards of the Los Angeles Chinese American Museum, the Center for Asian American Media, the  Board of Visitors at the School of Global Journalism & Communication at Morgan State University, the  Black Filmmaker Foundation and the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. She’s Chair of The  Nell Williams Family Foundation. She also served as a director of National Cinemedia, an in-theater  advertising company.  

Madison is an honorary member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., a predominantly African- American  sorority whose members boast more than 300,000 college-educated women. Madison graduated from  Vassar College and served 10 years as a Vassar Trustee (to the College); and four years as President of the  Board of Directors of the Alumnae/I Association of Vassar College.