The Television Academy Foundation today announced that in partnership with Kia Motors America, it will present its annual "Faculty Seminar: The Conference" for college media educators nationwide, presented virtually Monday - Wednesday, Oct. 26-28, 2020. Registration is now open for the three-day event at TelevisionAcademy.com/faculty-seminar/registration.
With the impact of COVID-19 and the urgent demand for diverse storytelling, this year's virtual conference will feature discussions on creativity in times of crisis, evolving production practices to ensure safety, and initiatives for creating a more inclusive media industry.
The immersive faculty seminar includes a keynote conversation with Tina Perry, president of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and Television Academy Foundation board member, moderated by Carla Gardini, executive vice president of Harpo Films. Panel discussions include "The Ins and Outs of Live Television Production" with directors Linda Mendoza (Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah), Don Mischer (9/11 Remembered: The Day We Came Together; The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards) and Jonathan X (43rd NAACP Image Awards); and "The Art of Casting: Little America" presented by AppleTV+ featuring program creator and executive producer Lee Eisenberg, casting director Adam Caldwell, and actor Haaz Sleiman (The Son).
Additional panel discussions will include "From Script to Screen" and "Creativity in a Time of Crisis" with writer Kristen Bartlett (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) that looks at changes in production practices resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional speakers to be announced at a later date.
The conference will also include one of the Television Academy Foundation's signature Power of TV events, which will focus on the representation of homelessness on television—a philanthropic priority of KIA Motors America, which donated a total of $2 million earlier this year to multiple nonprofit partners fighting youth homelessness.
"We recognize the important role college educators play in shaping the next generation of storytellers and media creators," said Madeline Di Nonno, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. "Current events have created an unprecedented time in television's history; and this year's virtual conference format allows the Foundation to service an even greater number of faculty members, giving them the most up-to-date industry information to enrich curriculum, and in turn, better prepare their students for the ever-changing media job market."
Faculty Seminar: The Conference will take place Oct. 26-28, 2020. To register, visit TelevisionAcademy.com/faculty-seminar/registration, $100 per person. Scholarships are available upon request.
KIA Motors America is the presenting sponsor of the 2020 Faculty Seminar: The Conference.
About the Television Academy Foundation
Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future. Through renowned educational and outreach programs, such as The Interviews: An Oral History of Television Project, College Television Awards and Student Internship Program, the Foundation seeks to widen the circle of voices our industry represents and to create more opportunity for television to reflect all of society. For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.
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Jane Sparango
jane@breakwhitelight.com
310.339.1214
breakwhitelight for the Television Academy
For the complete press release, click here.