Center for Communication Presents The 8th Annual Media Career Summit in Partnership with BRIC

David Francois is a former BRIC Brooklyn Free Speech community producer. In 2016 David received the coveted Most Valuable Producer at the BRIC Brooklyn Free Speech B Free Awards. David has risen in the ranks of multiple key production roles as a freelancer with BRIC TV from 2016 - 2022. David’s recent notable accolades: Four time New York Emmy nominated Cinematographer/ Audio Engineer in 2022 & 2023.

Deron Johnston spearheads the integration of BRIC’s platforms and programming, aligning them with the institution’s overarching mission to support creatives, while serving the greater community. As a key member of the executive leadership team. he is responsible for overseeing the creative direction of BRIC’s  media and non-media programming inclusive of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, BRIC JazzFest, Contemporary Art, Adult Media Education, Youth Education, Community Engagement, BRIClab Residencies, BRIC TV, Studio BK, and Brooklyn Free Speech. With his extensive background as a nonprofit executive and accomplished musician/producer collaborating with a range of artists such as SZA, El Da Sensei and Tame One, Johnston brings a unique blend of expertise to this new role.

Prior to joining BRIC, Johntson served as Director of Community Development, Strategy & Innovation at the Center for Justice Innovation, where he demonstrated exceptional skill in managing fundraising efforts while championing the interests of underrepresented communities. Throughout his career, Johnston has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to community development, earning prestigious awards such as the Spark Prize for Brooklyn Nonprofits, JP Morgan Chase Advancing Cities, the Center for Active Design: Excellence Award.

Johnston’s vast experience in serving marginalized communities has also led him to oversee city-wide initiatives aimed at enhancing public safety and economic mobility for thousands of Brooklynites and beyond. His work includes providing technical assistance in community organizing to various stakeholders, including community-based organizations, foundations, elected officials, and nationwide city/state/federal agencies. Additionally, he has led place-based projects that revitalize neglected neighborhoods, fostering their stability, beauty, and growth. 

Alia Jones-Harvey is the Associate Commissioner of Education, Workforce & Policy for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment (MOME). She joined the office in 2015 as director of education & workforce development. By successfully building partnerships with employers, unions, non-profit organizations, schools, and City agencies, Jones-Harvey has launched educational and training programs that have served over 20,000 New Yorkers across film, tv, music, theater, publishing, and advertising.  Jones-Harvey also oversees Creative Sector Programs, a division of MOME that produces or sponsors many festivals, industry and community events across the five boroughs, publishes industry studies, and manages mayoral industry councils. In addition, Jones-Harvey leads the campaign in digital games to develop an equity-centered talent pipeline, engage employers, establish strategic partnerships, and grow the industry in New York City. 

Jones-Harvey is an Olivier Award-winning and 6-time Tony Award-nominated Theatre Producer credited with producing 10 plays and 11 musicals on Broadway and London's West End with a focus on diverse talent, company, management, and investment.

Arielle Chambers, a Forbes Under 30 Honoree, is a multi-media journalist, host, and women's sports and culture amplifier. Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina and currently based in New York City, Chambers utilizes storytelling to amplify the voices of women and magnify their excellence. Intentionally staying on the women's side of things, Chambers seeks to show girls and women world-wide, that their potential is
limitless.
Chambers stands as an independent mixed-media journalist driving the success of ESPN’s Andscape and founded HighlightHER, now BR WOMENS SPORTS, an explosively growing women's sports platform. She consistently delivers a blend of news, highlights, user-generated content, and engaging interviews featuring renowned female athletes, all centered around the world of women's sports.
As a direct result of her work, Chambers has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 (Sports, 2021), Sports Illustrated's 100 Influential Women in Sports (2022), Dawn Staley Excellence in Broadcasting Award (2022), The CCNYC Creative Class (2022), For(bes) the Culture's 50 Champions (2021), The Athletic's 40 Under 40: Rising Stars in Women's Basketball (2021), Footlocker's Sole List (2021) and Yahoo's Changemakers (2021). Chambers also released a special edition ball with Wilson Basketball in collaboration with the WNBA, which pays homage to Chambers’ upbringing and ideology.
Beyond her reporting and commentary, Ari Chambers is known for her advocacy work. She has been a vocal advocate for social justice, gender equality, and racial equity in sports. Her efforts have not only sparked important conversations but have also led to meaningful change within the sports industry.
In a field where breaking boundaries and making an impact is paramount, Ari Chambers stands out as a beacon of change, ensuring that the world of sports and sports journalism becomes more inclusive and reflective of the diverse voices and stories that make sports such a powerful cultural force.

Carri is Co-founder of Culture House Media, a women owned, premium film and TV production services and immersive experiences company. Culture House specializes in storytelling at the intersection of pop culture and politics, the forces that shape society, politics, and identity.  Television series from Culture House include Ladies First: A story of Women in Hip Hop, a Netflix worldwide Top Ten series, Black Twitter: A People's History and  The Hair Talesfor Hulu and  Growing Up for Disney+.  Culture House films includeThe Agreement, a documentary following the creation of the UN's sustainable development goals, and the Everybody's Fight films series.

Carri is the co-host of Twigg & Jenkins a politics and culture podcast that debuted in August of 2024 and had over 2.5M streams within the first 6 months.  

Carri spent 15 years in politics, most recently in the Obama White House as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Public Engagement for then Vice President Biden.  

David Rosenblum is a senior media executive with a track record of leading high performing teams and executing best-in class advertising campaigns.

David is currently VP of Global Media at Mattel where he is responsible for a key part of evolving Mattel’s demand creation strategies.  He leads global paid media strategy and execution for Mattel’s portfolio of brands including, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher Price, and Uno.  

David’s career includes leading teams on both the client and agency side of the media business.  Prior to Mattel, he worked at OMD, Starcom, Disney, Spin Master, and Electronic Arts.

Irene Phan is a Senior Vice President at The MBS Group / Borden Studios NYC. In her role, she manages and operates Borden Studios, a ground-up, purpose-built film and television studio, in a prime Long Island City location, and minutes from Manhattan. She has led the company’s global operation and finance activities with a focus on continuously improving its studio and equipment operations throughout the global platform. She has also assisted with the expansion of The MBS Group’s international business, asset acquisitions and financial system transitions.

In addition, Irene founded and spearheads the Illumination Training program, which advances diversity, equity, and inclusion in the entertainment industry by providing historically underrepresented groups with the hands-on training needed to secure jobs in the sector. Since June 2021, and under Irene’s inspiring leadership, Illumination Training has enrolled more than 1,600 students and engaged over 210 instructors at film and television studios across Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, New Orleans, Calgary, Vancouver, London and Ireland —and has created more than 160 jobs, internships or other placements.  

Irene has an in-depth understanding of all aspects of the industry, including what it takes to obtain living-wage, below-the-line crew positions. With that uncanny insight, she ensures that the Illumination Training program uniquely delivers. Training is intensive and comprehensive. It is one of the first training programs that takes place in the studio. Real equipment is used, and real working sets are simulated. Instructors, who are members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), are gurus and have film credits of their own.

Max Robins is a veteran journalist, media analyst and producer with extensive editorial experience in a variety of sectors in the industry.  Before joining the Center for Communication in 2014, Max was the Vice President/Executive Director of the Paley Center for Media. Prior to this, Max was the editor-in-chief of “TV industry bible," Broadcasting & Cable. Before joining B&C,  Max was senior editor and columnist at TV Guide. Prior to TV Guide, he was TV editor and columnist at Variety.

Max’s work has appeared in myriad publications, including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and New York. He has commented on media-related issues for many major news outlets, including NBC, CBS, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC and NPR. You can follow Max on Twitter at @jmaxrobins.

Ramón Escobar is senior vice president of talent recruitment and development for CNN Worldwide. He is responsible for the recruitment of all on and off-air talent for CNN U.S., CNN International, CNN en Español and HLN. He also advances the internal development of all anchors, correspondents, contributors and producers. Escobar is based out of New York City and has held his position of vice president of talent recruitment and development since 2012. He also served as the vice president of diversity and inclusion for CNN Worldwide from January 2017 to June 2019 and continues to play a vital role in diversity and inclusion efforts for WarnerMedia News and Sports, the parent company of CNN.

He came to CNN after several years spent at Telemundo, most recently as executive vice president of network news, overseeing the entire news division including all international news bureaus and the development of on-air talent. While at Telemundo his other roles included senior executive vice president of entertainment and senior vice president of news and creative services.

Escobar spent two years as an executive at Sucherman Consulting Group in New York where he acted as vice president and worked with clients including ABC News, Discovery Networks, BBC America and Telemundo.

Previously, Escobar served in a management position as vice president at MSNBC in charge of all live news programming. He was also Vice President & News Director of NBC’s owned and operated station in Miami, WTVJ and got his start in television as a producer at Univision’s owned and operated station in New York, WXTV.

In addition to his executive work, Escobar has served as a mentor, teaching several classes as a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. He is also a lifetime member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

Escobar earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and is a graduate of the Institute of Political Journalism at Georgetown University.

Rana Campbell is a multifaceted storyteller, podcaster, and media personality known for her work in marketing, personal branding, and entrepreneurship. Rana is a Princeton University graduate and has spent her career working in marketing and brand partnerships. She currently works as a Senior Brand Partnerships/ Integrated Marketing manager at Paramount Brand Studio- Paramount's in-house branded content studio. Her day- to- day includes pitching multiplatform brand deals for Paramount’s networks to some of your favorite brands like Cash App, Subway, LEGO, Universal Studios, Marriott, Kraft and more.

 Rana also is the founder of Dreams In Drive podcast - which she launched in 2016. DID is a podcast and platform where she interviews successful individuals who have turned their dreams into reality. Through her podcast, Campbell explores their journeys, challenges, and insights to inspire others pursuing their own dreams and entrepreneurial ventures.  The show has over 420 episodes and some notable guests include Jenifer Lewis, Yolanda Adams, Morgan Debaun, Spectacular, Craig Robinson …and more. 

Beyond DID, Rana is a proud first-generation Jamaican American and mother to two young children. Her motto? Your story matters. Anything is impossible!

Reema Elghossain is a proud Lebanese-American and lifelong Jersey Girl with a passion for celebrating people and creating lasting relationships. On her journey, she has gained experience working in higher education, talent & leadership development, diversity, equity, and inclusion, programming & partnerships in the creative industry. Her passion is to empower, engage, and equip others to believe in the possibilities. She led the 4A's Foundation, guiding and supporting the advertising industry with DE&I and talent initiatives, transforming programs like MAIP and VANGUARD. She now works at Netflix focusing on creating space for underrepresented emerging talent.

Ronak Patel is Senior Vice President, General Manager of the Lifestyle Group at Hearst Magazines.Ronak oversees brand-level consumer strategies that drive innovation, revenue growth and profitability across the company’s Lifestyle Group of brands in the U.S.: Cosmopolitan, Country Living, Delish, Good Housekeeping, House Beautiful, Prevention, Redbook, Seventeen, The Pioneer Woman, HGTV & Food Network Magazines, and Woman’s Day. Previously, she was at Ziff Davis, where she rose to General Manager of the Consumer Tech portfolio of brands. While serving as GM, she led global teams across all facets of the business and was responsible for growing audience and revenue streams. Prior to that, she was the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Trusted Media Brands, where she led research, data strategy, ad operations and marketing. Ronak has held numerous senior level positions, including vice president of client solutions across the brands at Time Inc. (now known as Dotdash Meredith) and Vice President of Marketing at Afterpay.

Seema leads Mattel’s U.S.-based Early Talent Leadership and Internship programs. With eight years at Mattel, she brings deep expertise in stakeholder engagement, full-cycle recruitment, program management, and the design and execution of recruitment strategies.Her work spans multiple business groups, and she also oversees employer branding across the university recruitment landscape. A seasoned talent strategy professional, Seema is passionate about helping students explore, launch, and grow their careers—while building meaningful relationships along the way. Outside of the office, Seema enjoys cooking, reading, and soaking up the beautiful Los Angeles weather.