WorkPride Panel: The Evolution of LGBTQ+ Representation in the Entertainment Industry

'You cannot be what you cannot see'

Representation of the LGBTQ+ community matters. For decades now, the LGBTQ+ has either been stereotyped or misrepresented in the media and entertainment industry.

Narratives that have been offered have come, far too often come from a heteronormative perspective.

It is important that stories told, come from voices with lived experience and understanding of the lives and issues to offer accurate representation.

This panel will briefly examine the historical context and discuss the importance of accurate and meaningful representation. Nothing should be done about us without us.

Speakers:

Josh Rivers

Creator and host
Busy Being Black

Josh Rivers is the creator and host of Busy Being Black, the podcast exploring how we live in the fullness of our queer Black lives. The show centres conversations with those who have learned - and are learning - to thrive at the intersection of their identities, and is a regular feature on LGBTQ and Black History Month lists on both Apple and Spotify. Josh volunteers his time as the head of communications for UK Black Pride, and was a founding member of Series Q, a network of mentorship, learning and support for LGBTQ entrepreneurs.

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David Levine

Content Producer/Strategist
The Walt Disney Company

David Levine is a content producer and creative leader in the global kids content marketplace with over 20 years experience in media and entertainment. He most recently served as Chief Content Officer at Moonbug Entertainment, a global entertainment company that develops and distributes fun and enriching content for children. He was responsible for driving Moonbug IP expansion by launching top-tier programs like CoComelon and Blippi to new formats, markets and platforms to support the company's continued growth. David served as Executive Producer on multiple titles distributed to Netflix, Amazon Kids+ and Youtube. Previously, Levine was VP, Kids Programming at The Walt Disney Company as an integral member of the senior leadership team that built the Disney Channel Brand and led all strategic and operational aspects of kids' programming across Disney Channels EMEA. Prior to joining Disney, Levine was VP of Business Affairs and Development at Ragdoll USA. He also served at The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company, supporting the billion-dollar Teletubbies franchise in the Americas. Levine was the founding Executive Sponsor of Pride UK&I, Disney's first international business resource group for LGBTQ+ and Ally employees. He has also been named to the UK's OUTstanding/Financial Times Top 100 LGBT+ Executives and was nominated by the British LGBT Awards as a 'Diversity Hero' and was the winner of the 2021 'Inspirational Leader' award.

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Ebone Bell

Editor and Keynote Speaker
Tagg Magazine

Eboné Bell is a business owner, speaker, and trailblazer who shines bright in the world of entrepreneurship, DEI, activism, and LGBTQ media. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Tagg Magazine. After seeing a lack of LGBTQ women represented in local publications, she decided to start a magazine and website to tell stories, provide resources, and create events. This year, Tagg Magazine celebrates ten years of telling thousands of stories, creating safe-spaces for queer women, and providing important resources for the LGBTQ community. Over the past four years, Tagg Magazine has been named “Top 25 LGBTQ-Owned Companies” by the Washington Business Journal. Eboné was recently featured in Forbes Magazine as an "Inspiring Black Entrepreneur Changing Our World." And that's exactly her mission: To create change and leave a stamp on this world. One of those stamps includes starting a student group for LGBTQ people of color while attending University of Maryland College Park. Eighteen years later the group is still going strong. She has produced such events as the annual Capital Queer Prom giving the older LGBTQ community a second-chance prom, Capital Pride Women’s Events, Pride in the Sky, and Put on the Gloves Fashion Show benefitting The Trevor Project, just to name a few. These events have raised over $50,000 for LGBTQ non-profit organizations. She continues her community work by serving on the board of the Equality Chamber Foundation, an organization providing financial awareness and economic opportunity to LGBTQ-owned businesses. In 2018, Eboné founded the Tagg Scholarship Fund—a scholarship created specifically for young, queer, women of color who can’t afford to attend school. In addition to running a queer women’s publication, she shares her knowledge and passion as a keynote speaker at conferences, schools, and events across the country.

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Cara Hart

Artist
XR11

Artist/Songwriter

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	Date & Time	Jun 22, 2022 09:00 EDT
	Location	Online