DEBUT Films: Docs Presented by P&G’s Widen The Screen
Oct 8
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
5:00PM – 9:00PM
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DEBUT is Blackweek’s culture festival and showcase, dedicated to spotlighting what’s new and next in film. In 2025, BLACKWEEK will feature several film screenings of independent filmmakers, featuring shorts, documentaries and feature-length films.
DEBUT Films is proudly presented by P&G’s Widen The Screen — a content creation, talent development, and partnership platform that celebrates creativity and enables Black creators to share the full richness of the Black experience. Through sustained action and investment, P&G is working to broaden the spectrum of the images we see, the voices we hear, and the stories we tell.
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
5:00PM – 9:00PM
She’s a Career Woman: Being an Executive in 2025
Oct 8
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
3:30PM – 4:15PM
Stage
Impact stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
Speakers & Moderators
Hemoglobinopathies Commercialization Head, Novo Nordisk
Head of Monetization, Zip
Global Innovation & Brand Comms Lead, Aveeno Body
Global Vice President Marketing, UGG
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The modern career woman isn’t a title—it’s a movement. She is asked to be visionary and vulnerable, strategist and caretaker, relentless and resilient—all at once. And unlike her male counterparts, she is expected to climb higher while carrying heavier loads: battling bias, navigating inequity, and constantly proving what should already be assumed.
Yet today’s female leaders are proving that true impact isn’t born from compromise—it’s born from redefinition. They are dismantling outdated rules of ambition, showing that purpose and power can coexist. They are transforming boardrooms, brands, and communities by turning ambition into access, values into velocity, and personal purpose into collective progress.
This panel is both celebration and charge: a conversation with women who aren’t just facing greater challenges, but are rewriting the very meaning of leadership in spite of them.
This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Havas. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
3:30PM – 4:15PM
Stage
Impact stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
Game Changers: How Health Brands are Winning Big in Sports
Oct 8
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
4:15PM – 5:00PM
Stage
Premier stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
Speakers & Moderators
Chief Brand Officer, WNBA New York Liberty
SVP, Sports, Ketchum
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A look at the burgeoning trend of health brands stepping into the sports arena, one of the most powerful stages to break stigma and inspire change. From bold Super Bowl ads, to athletes as influencers, to grassroots partnerships with local athletic organizations, we’ll explore how the industry is harnessing the passion of sports to advance public health and spark conversations during cultural tentpole moments. With the Super Bowl and the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, we’ll look ahead at what’s next: how health brands are pushing boundaries to leave it all on the field.
This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Ketchum. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
4:15PM – 5:00PM
Stage
Premier stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
The Next-Gen Effect: Redefining Inclusive Storytelling
Oct 8
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
4:15PM – 5:00PM
Stage
Impact stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
Speakers & Moderators
Associate Creative Director, VML
Associate Director of Creative Operations, Blavity Inc.
Director of Talent & Learning Development, North America, VML
Global Chief Client Inclusion & Culture Officer
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In today’s rapidly shifting landscape, creativity isn’t confined to job titles. At VML, inclusive storytelling is shaped by voices across disciplines — from campaign creators to the builders of ideas, systems, and strategies who are actively opening pathways for talent. This discussion will explore how to authentically reflect underrepresented voices, navigate the evolving role of AI, and design opportunities that empower the next generation. Attendees will leave inspired to view creativity as a shared responsibility and a powerful driver of innovation and growth, with tangible insights into how leaders embed inclusivity into their work and collaborate to shape a more representative, future-ready industry.
This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by VML. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
4:15PM – 5:00PM
Stage
Impact stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
Is Culture the New Total Market?
Oct 8
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
10:00AM – 10:45AM
Stage
Premier stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
Speakers & Moderators

Coltrane Curtis
Founder and Managing Partner at Team Epiphany
Founder, CHÉ Creative
Nothing found.
Coming soon.
This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Shipt. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
10:00AM – 10:45AM
Stage
Premier stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
AI: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
Oct 8
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
3:30PM – 4:15PM
Stage
Breakthrough stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
Speakers & Moderators
Nothing found.
The new era of AI is upon us! It is important to understand what’s Good – all the new things that we will be able to do — productivity for businesses, innovation and facilitation for easier use by consumers. The Bad could displace people and be problematic if not well regulated. The Ugly could be a scenario of computers taking over the world and humans no longer in charge. This pivotal AI trifecta of the Good, Bad and the Ugly, will demonstrate the consequential knowledge required to lead, make better decisions and gain a winning edge
This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Shipt. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
3:30PM – 4:15PM
Stage
Breakthrough stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
Invisible Beauty
Oct 8
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
7:00PM – 9:00PM
Director & Host
Nothing found.
Coming soon.
This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Shipt. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
7:00PM – 9:00PM
Stage
Premier stage
Where I Became
Oct 8
Details
Date
Tue, Oct 8
Time
5:00PM – 7:00PM
Director & Host

TBD
Nothing found.
Coming soon.
This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Shipt. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.
Details
Date
Tue, Oct 8
Time
5:00PM – 7:00PM
Stage
Premier stage
From the Continent to Culture: The Women Redefining Africa’s Voice in Advertising & Marketing
Oct 8
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
3:30PM – 4:15PM
Stage
Premier stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
Speakers & Moderators
Co-founder, Afropolitan
Head of Special Projects, Afrofuture and Founder of Harlem to Homeland
Founder & CEO, Next Narrative Africa
Founder & CEO, Hanahana Beauty
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Across global advertising, marketing, media, and culture, Africa’s influence is undeniable. From the global rise of Afrobeats and the trendsetting power of African creators on social media, to the athletic dominance of African talent in sports and the infusion of African design, textures, and aesthetics into fashion, beauty, and brand storytelling—Africa is a cultural force reshaping the world.
At the heart of this influence are women across the Diaspora quietly leading strategy, shaping narratives, and driving cultural relevance for some of today’s most impactful brands. Yet, despite their vision and contributions, they remain largely invisible in global industry data and recognition.
This panel brings the Ad-frican Women’s Collective center stage: a newly formed global network of women in advertising, marketing, and business who believe the progression of African culture and influence rests in the powerful, visionary hands of women leaders and entrepreneurs across the continent and Diaspora. Five founding members of the collective will share why this platform was created and why it matters in today’s global and cultural climate.
This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Shipt. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
3:30PM – 4:15PM
Stage
Premier stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
How Black Creators are Unlocking Brand Growth Globally: Unveiling Trends and Insights
Oct 8
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
12:00PM – 12:45PM
Stage
Salon stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013
Speakers & Moderators
Global Chief Diversity & Social Impact Officer at Interpublic
Head of Revenue & Strategic Growth, The Shade Room
EVP, Growth Analytics, Mediabrands
Beauty Editor-at-Large at Cosmopolitan Magazine, Award-winning Storyteller & Brand Consultant
EVP, Growth Analytics, Mediabrands
Wendi Dunlap, EVP, Business Intelligence & Audience Science, MediaHub WW
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Black creators aren’t just shaping culture. They’re shaping the future of brand growth. Drawing from insights in MAGNA and The Shade Room’s Cultural Capital report, this conversation reveals how authentic storytelling, cultural authority, and global influence from Black creators are rewriting the rules of engagement between audiences and brands.
This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by IPG and presented in partnership with The Shade Room. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.
Details
Date
Wed, Oct 8
Time
12:00PM – 12:45PM
Stage
Salon stage
Address
Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013






























