Join Diverse Representation for a virtual roundtable of African-American executives in the television and film industries. Panelists will discuss their career paths and best practices for navigating the entertainment industry. They will also discuss the current opportunity landscape for creators of color.
June 11, 2020
5:00 pm PDT/8:00 pm EDT
After moving to Los Angeles one day after graduating from Harvard University, Dionne began her career at MTV, casting multiple seasons of the hit show Dismissed followed by Becoming and Wanna Come In. She went on to cast music videos for Usher, Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Alicia Keys and more, before shifting her focus to production, working on projects ranging from HGTV’s Designed to Sell to David LaChapelle’s film RIZE. After a brief stint at Jamie Foxx’s production company Foxx-King, Dionne eventually landed at OWN where she was a part of the programming and development team that launched the network. She spent the next 3 years learning the ins and outs of development before leaving to join Jesse Collins Entertainment in 2012.
At JCE, Dionne rose through the ranks on tentpoles & specials including BET Honors, ABFF Honors, Dear Mama, BET Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, Soul Train Awards, Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration, UNCF: An Evening of Stars & Rip the Runway. In 2015, noticing an opportunity to grow the business, she built JCE’s development department from the ground up, expanding the company’s slate & scope. Today, as VP of development, Dionne is responsible for identifying, developing and producing both unscripted & scripted content. In her current role, Dionne helped to bring the hit mini-series The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story to life on BET, along with the series American Soul now in its 2nd season. She also developed and executive produced Hip Hop Squares on VH1 and Nashville Squares on CMT. Most recently, she developed and co-executive produced the critically-acclaimed Netflix hit series Rhythm + Flow.Â
Dionne is a 4-time NAACP Image Award winner, an executive member of Women In Film, and a member of the Paley Media Council. She currently serves on the board of the non-profit Minds Matter in Los Angeles whose mission is to help high-performing, low-income students achieve their dreams of a college education.
Jason Samuels is a senior consultant/executive producer at ViacomCBS. At ViacomCBS, Jason has produced several award-winning original documentaries for Black Entertainment Television - including Killer Curves: Bodies to Die For, Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement and Through the Fire: The Legacy of Barack Obama directed by Stanley Nelson.
Earlier this year, Jason served as the executive producer of the BET news specials Covid-19: Black America's Fight anchored by Gayle King, the BET Black Economic Alliance Presidential Candidates Forum, and the American Injustice town hall on criminal justice reform – both hosted by Soledad O’Brien.
Jason has worked as a long-form producer at CNN, NBC News, ABC News, HBO Real Sports, and ESPN and most recently produced with Kevin Durant, Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang-Bongiovi the independent feature-length documentary "A Kid From Coney Island" which premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and is now available on iTunes.
Jason is also a director of graduate studies and associate professor of journalism at New York University.
Heather Washington is Director of Development/Co-Producer at Will Packer Productions. In this role, she is responsible for identifying material, filmmakers and talent for feature film development and production. Recent films she has helped develop and produce include GIRLS TRIP, BREAKING IN, NIGHT SCHOOL, WHAT MEN WANT, LITTLE and THE PHOTOGRAPH. From 2013 to 2017, Washington managed the Universal Pictures Emerging Writers Fellowship, a program designed to identify and cultivate new and unique voices with a passion for storytelling. From 2010 to 2013, she honed her filmmaking skills in the Universal Pictures Leadership Program, a studio executive training program. Previously, Washington practiced entertainment and corporate law in Atlanta, GA. Washington is a graduate of Howard University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their two children.
Brandon R. Williams is the General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of World Group, Inc. World Group, Inc. is the parent/holding company of Steve Harvey's business and entertainment empire. Prior to agreeing to join Steve Harvey’s business and entertainment empire, Brandon was a corporate lawyer and Partner at one of the largest law firms in the world, Alston & Bird, LLP. Brandon is from Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Morehouse College (Mathematics, B.S. ’99) and attended Emory University Law School (J.D. ’02).
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Diverse Representation is focused on increasing the exposure and hiring of African-American agents, managers, publicists, attorneys and executives working in the entertainment industry. In addition to providing the first ever comprehensive database of African-American agents, attorneys, managers and publicists, we also host various events throughout the country. Click here for more information.
