Muted on Arrival


Sponsored by

Oct 8


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

10:00AM- 10:45AM

Stage

Salon stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Co-Founder & CEO, SPILL

Speaker

Senior Director of Digital Content & Strategy, Color of Change

Speaker

Journalist & Creative Producer

Speaker

Founder, The Ajayi Effect

Moderator

Nothing found.

This session confronts one of the most insidious dynamics affecting Black visibility in the digital age: algorithmic suppression. It’s not just about “shadowbans” or engagement drop-offs. It’s about what happens when Black professionals, creators, and thought leaders are rendered invisible by systems that reward neutrality, whiteness, and sanitized messaging over truth, urgency, and cultural clarity.

We’ll move beyond diagnosing the problem to offering a tangible Toolkit for Digital Liberation — equipping Black creators with actionable strategies for reciprocity, community-building, and equity.

Panelist Perspectives

  • Alphonzo Terrell: A platform builder’s lens on reclaiming infrastructure, disrupting extractive models, and “building your own” as a form of resistance and visioning.
  • Charles Amuzie: A digital advocacy perspective on public policy, civic engagement, and scalable community solutions to counter systemic erasure.
  • Chereese Sheen: Grounded insights on lived suppression, the economics of platform exit, and community-centered innovation — adding narrative texture to the Toolkit for Digital Liberation.

The Big Idea
This session moves beyond grievance and into design. Suppression isn’t just a tech glitch — it’s a power issue with measurable costs: lost partnerships, erased labor, cultural distortion, and economic harm. Together we’ll dissect the issue and co-create a roadmap for moving from muted to mobilized.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Razorfish. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


What if Lions Were Black?


Sponsored by

Oct 8


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

1:00PM – 1:45PM

Stage

Premier stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

CEO, Cannes Lion

Speaker

CAO, HAVAS LYNX

Moderator

Diversity Media Strategy & Investment, General Motors

Speaker

Mike Tresvant

TBD

Speaker

Nothing found.

Creative excellence has the power to shape culture—but who gets recognized, and who gets left out? In this candid conversation, Cannes Lions CEO Simon Cook and Havas’ André Gray unpack the urgent need for greater representation of diverse creatives in the awards circuit. Together, they’ll explore how the industry can reimagine recognition, expand access, and ensure that the brilliance of Black and underrepresented talent is celebrated on the world’s biggest creative stage.

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.


Empire Strikes Back — How Will Media Agencies Survive in the Age of AI?


Sponsored by

Oct 8


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

11:15AM – 12:00PM

Stage

Premier stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

CEO, WPP Media, Canada

Speaker

Diversity Media Strategy & Investment, General Motors

Speaker

Mike Tresvant

TBD

Speaker

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.


Moving Beyond CPMs: Building Media Brands in the Age of AI


Sponsored by

Oct 8


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

11:00AM – 11:45AM

Stage

Premier stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

VP, Global Marketing & Media Innovation, P&G

Speaker

CEO, North America, Footballco

Speaker

Executive Vice President, Complex NTWRK

Speaker

Chief Development & Strategy Officer, VOX Media

Moderator

VP, Global Marketing & Media Innovation, P&G

Moderator

Chief Development & Strategy Officer, VOX Media

Speaker

Nothing found.

As artificial intelligence reshapes the media landscape, traditional publishers face both disruption and opportunity. In this panel, industry leaders discuss how AI will transform audience engagement, content creation, and monetization—pushing brands to move beyond CPMs and toward deeper, more sustainable models. Shyra Smart, Jason Wagenheim, and Mike Tresvant share insights on what it will take for media companies to not only survive, but thrive, in an AI-driven future.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Complex. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


Taking the Plunge – Putting Your Brand in Influencers' Hands


Sponsored by

Oct 8


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

1:00PM – 1:45PM

Stage

Impact stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Chief Marketing Officer, Primo Brands

Speaker

Founder, Kitchen Table

Moderator

Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of aWLCo

Speaker

Nothing found.

Before Ashton Hall began dunking his face in Saratoga Water, the brand—like many in the crowded beverage market—was an afterthought. Today, it’s a case study in how unconventional influencer partnerships can breathe new life into legacy products. In this talk, Primo Brands CMO Kherri Holland Tillman explores how Saratoga has benefited from putting its brand in the hands of creators, what risks and rewards come with leaning on influencer-driven storytelling, and whether this alternative approach could redefine the future of brand building.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Doordash. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


Will AI Kill Culture


Sponsored by

Oct 8


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

10:15AM – 11:10AM

Stage

Impact stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

CEO, adQuadrant

Speaker

Founder & CEO, Sole AI | Author, Artificial Integrity

Speaker

Yvette Baez

Head of Industry, Healthcare, Google

Speaker

Global Chief Experience Design Officer, VML

Moderator

Nothing found.

As artificial intelligence becomes the lens through which we create, consume, and communicate, what happens to the cultural nuances that make us human? In this riveting talk, we will examine how data bias in large language models risks flattening diverse voices, erasing context, and diluting the richness of global cultures. How it challenges us to confront who controls the data, whose stories are centered, and what’s at stake if algorithms become the gatekeepers of culture. With clarity and urgency, calls for building AI that preserves—not erases—the depth and diversity of humanity.

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.


"It's Because You're Black"


Sponsored by

Oct 8


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

2:30PM – 3:15PM

Stage

Impact stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Global Chief Creative Officer, gotham

Speaker

Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of aWLCo

Speaker

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.


Invisible Beauty – My Fight for the Fashion Industry


Sponsored by

Oct 8


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

11:15AM – 12:00PM

Stage

Breakthrough stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Fashion Industry Icon

Speaker

Award-winning Journalist & Brand Strategist

Moderator

Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of aWLCo

Speaker

Nothing found.

Fashion trailblazer Bethann Hardison has long challenged the industry to confront exclusion and embrace diversity. From breaking barriers as a model to mentoring generations of talent, her purpose is powerfully captured in her acclaimed documentary Invisible Beauty. In this conversation with e.l.f. Cosmetics CMO Kory Marchisotto, Hardison reflects on her journey, the progress made, and the work still ahead. Together, they’ll explore how fashion and beauty brands can champion representation authentically—and why true inclusion is not just a social imperative, but a creative and commercial one.

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.


Welcome to the Meno-Economy


Sponsored by

Oct 8


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

11:15AM – 12:00PM

Stage

Breakthrough stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Author

Moderator

Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of aWLCo

Speaker

Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of aWLCo

Speaker

Nothing found.

For too long, menopause has been treated as a taboo—a silent passage every woman experiences but few openly discuss. Actress and entrepreneur Naomi Watts takes the stage to shine a spotlight on the “Meno Economy,” where women over 50 in America hold a staggering $15 trillion in spending power. What unites this powerful demographic is a universal life stage too often dismissed, minimized, or hidden. In this groundbreaking talk, Watts explores how normalizing menopause can unlock not only women’s health and dignity but also enormous cultural and economic opportunity. It’s time to bring menopause out of the shadows—and into the marketplace, the media, and the mainstream.

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.


"F Around and Find Out", Does Boycotting Work


Sponsored by

Oct 8


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

10:15AM – 11:00AM

Stage

Breakthrough stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Bestselling Author

Speaker

CEO, Brand Strategist

Moderator

Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of aWLCo

Speaker

Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of aWLCo

Speaker

Nothing found.

When brands retreat from their diversity commitments, communities take notice—and take action. In this fearless talk, activist and Until Freedom founder Tamika Mallory unpacks the power of boycotts in today’s climate, where Black consumers are mobilizing to hold corporations accountable and remind them of the undeniable strength of their dollar. With clarity and conviction, Mallory explores the history, impact, and future of economic resistance, asking whether boycotting is just a momentary disruption—or a long-term strategy to force real change.

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.