Events
Self-Promotion Without Selling Out
Shubert, 6th FloorJoin us for a dynamic conversation on how to tell—and sell—your story with authenticity and impact.
Cultural Currency: Tapping Into the African American Audience to Understand Its Invaluable Impact
Majestic, 6th FloorSponsored by TV One. In this dynamic and informative session, Urban One introduces Cultural ROI Report, an in-depth, large-scale research study it commissioned that was designed to quantify African American impact via influence in popular culture and consumption patterns across the U.S.
NAMIC Welcome Reception: Celebrating 45 Years of NAMIC & the 2025 Cablefax Voices of Impact List
Astor Ballroom, 7th FloorPresented in partnership with Cablefax; Sponsored by: NCTA The Internet & Television Association
NAMIC Zen Den (Meditation Room)
Royale, 6th FloorCoffee and Connections (open to all conference attendees)
5th Floor FoyerRegistration Open
6th Floor Registration BoothUnapologetically Breaking Barriers: A Journey to Leadership, Inclusion, and Success
Lyceum, 5th FloorIn this powerful and inspiring workshop, our speaker draws from real-world leadership journeys to explore what it truly means to lead with resilience.
Unlocking Hidden Value in TV Scripts: Using NLP to Decode Content’s Impact
Julliard, 5th FloorThis session explores how Natural Language Processing (NLP)—a subset of AI—can unlock powerful insights from television scripts, transforming how networks and producers evaluate content, predict audience reactions, and drive programming strategy.
Purpose × Platform: Designing Campaigns That Resonate and Scale
Julliard, 5th FloorJoin a dynamic panel of marketing innovators, creative change-makers, and audience architects for a bold conversation on building purpose-driven campaigns that resonate.
You Don’t Owe Happiness
Lyceum, 5th FloorIn this transformative session, Sean Ilenrey challenges the outdated belief that leaders are responsible for employee happiness, instead advocating for value-centric leadership rooted in purpose, growth, and mutual accountability.
Annual Awards Luncheon, Sponsored by Charter Communications
Westside Ballroom, 5th Floor2025 Mickey Leland Award Recipient
Tamron HallTwo-time Emmy® Award-winning Journalist, Television Talk Show Host, and New York Times Best-selling Author
2025 Luminaries
Jeff MezaEVP, Head of Branded Entertainment & Integrated Marketing, Urban One
LaKendra MoxieVP, Technical Operations and Service Delivery, Cox Communications
Chima OgbuokiriSVP, Growth & Partner Marketing Strategy, AMC Networks
Anju ShungluGroup VP, Business Planning, Customer Operations, Charter Communications
2025 Next Generation Leaders
Samy Ben AissaVP, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance & Development, Charter Communications
Alex GonzalezArea VP, Field Operations, Charter Communications
Lamarr GordonVP, Information Technology, Charter Communications
Donovan ReadeVP, Network Operations, Charter Communications
Ryan RichardsVP, Audience and Content Development, Spectrum News
Sara SalmabadiVP, Commission Operations, Charter Communications
Miranda ThorpeVP, Charlotte Office and Production Management, ESPN
Fang XuVP, Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience, A+E Global Media
2025 Excellence in Mentorship Honorees
Pamala StewardDirector, Distribution Operations, A+E Global Media
Douglas V. HollowayPresident, Homewood Media and UKW Media
Michelle AugusteVP, Global Media Insights, NBA
Opening Keynote: Culture as Currency (Featuring: Detavio Samuels, CEO, Offscript Worldwide)
Culture is not a marketing strategy. It is the most powerful business asset of our time. As CEO of REVOLT, Detavio Samuels has put that belief into practice at one of media's most culturally driven companies.
Panel Discussion – The Culture Shift: How Content, Community & Connectivity Are Changing Everything
The rules of media, entertainment, technology, and sports are not just changing, they are being rewritten in real time by the communities that consume them, the creators who produce them, and the platforms that distribute them.
Breakout Session 1 – Your Voice, Your Culture: Building a Podcast that Moves People
Podcasting has become one of the most powerful cultural mediums of our time, and the barrier to entry has never been lower. But in a crowded landscape, the shows that break through are not necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets or the most famous hosts.
Breakout Session 2 – AI Meets Culture: Who Controls the Narrative?
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how stories are told, who gets to tell them, and whose cultures are being used to train the systems doing the telling.
Fireside Chat: Culture Doesn’t Follow Trends – It Creates Them
Every major shift in media, entertainment, technology, and sports can be traced back to a cultural moment that the industry didn't see coming until it was already here.
Breakout Session 3 – Built To Climb: Claiming Your Voice, Power, and Path
Success is not a straight climb—it’s an internal transformation. Leadership is built through resilience, self-trust, and intentional growth, not titles or permission.
Breakout Session 4 – The Cultural Advantage: How to Lead Up Without Losing Your Seat
For mid-level professionals navigating largely homogeneous leadership structures in media, entertainment, technology, and sports, cultural intelligence is often the sharpest tool in the room. The problem is knowing how to use it without it being used against you.
Panel Discussion – Beyond the Game: How Culture Is Reshaping Careers in Sports & Entertainment
This session is for professionals who are curious about what a career pivot into sports and entertainment actually looks like, and what it takes to make the move.
Closing Session: Culture Next – What We Build Together
In this closing session three voices from across our industries will share one thing; a moment, a lesson, a conviction, about why culture and community are not soft ideas but the hardest and most essential work any of us will ever do.
