With the election of a US President whose father is Kenyan and the upcoming FIFA World Cup to be hosted in South Africa, there is a revitalized interest in Africa. However, most people in the world have never seen pictures of an African city, rarely hear about progressive economic leaps in the countries and the most common images from Africa are less than flattering. This panel will discuss the role the media can play in the rebranding of the continent and explore opportunities for entrepreneurship in this creative industry.
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FEMI AGBAYEWA Director of Production, Real Livin Films Femi Agbayewa’s film odyssey began in 2000 with the autobiographical short Pieces of a Man. Born in Ibadan, Nigeria, writer and director, Mr. Agbayewa later wrote and directed God’s Own Country, a progressive African Diaspora film about a one man, one chance to succeed in America. The film was named a special presenter at the Pop Montreal film/music festival. God’s Own Country was also a featured short at the Toronto International Film Festival wrap party and has received numerous write-ups in mainstream and African press alike. It also has the distinction of being the first African film to release a mixtape/soundtrack featuring US-based artists alongside Africa-based artists. Presently, Mr. Agbayewa has finished writing and directing Brooklyn Shakara, a hilarious romantic short comedy about a young Nigerian couple in New York city attempting to get married against their parents’ wishes. Mr. Agbayewa was recently interviewed by the BBC to discuss up-and-coming Nigerian filmmakers. Mr. Agbayewa is currently in development on several projects including a feature film set in Sub-Saharan Africa that he will write and direct. The film will also be shot on location in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2010. Mr. Agbayewa is a graduate of Concordia University with a Communications M.A.
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HELEN JENNINGS Editor, ARISE Magazine Helen Jennings is the Editor of ARISE Magazine, the global glossy dedicated to celebrating African achievement in fashion, music, culture and politics. A media first, it provides an unashamedly positive portrayal of Africans and the Diaspora and their contribution to contemporary society. ARISE launched at Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week in February 2009 with the debut ARISE African Fashion Collective show at Bryant Park (now in its third season), and it is currently sold in more than 20 countries including Nigeria, South Africa, USA and the UK. Ms. Jennings has been at the helm of ARISE since its inception, instigating numerous editorial exclusives such as a cover story with Alicia Keys, a fashion shoot with Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek and Liya Kebede, a reportage on Senegalese wresting, and interviews with, among others, Don Cheadle, Jay-Z, Mandla Mandela, President Malam Bacai Sanhá, Grace Jones, Spike Lee and Sean Paul. Ms. Jennings is based in London. She studied at Kings College London and has more than 10 years of journalistic experience in both writing and styling for several worldwide titles including i-D (UK), The Face (UK), Time Out (UK), The National (Abu Dhabi), Neo2 (Italy), Touch (UK), Metro (UK), The Fader (US), Trace (US) and Oyster (Australia).
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ROSALIND McLYMONT Editor-in-Chief, The Network Journal Rosalind McLymont is Executive Editor of The Network Journal; author of Africa: Strictly Business, The Steady March to Prosperity and Middle Ground (set in the Democratic Republic of Congo); and a partner in McLymont, Kunda & Co., a business development firm serving clients in the US, Africa and Caribbean. She provided entrepreneurship training in Africa and Russia through the UNDP’s Africa Bureau and the Alliance of Russian and American Women; she was an adviser to the Institute on African Affairs; and she served as an executive board member of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation. She taught English and French in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and she is a past fellow of the European Community Visitors Program. A recipient of numerous journalism and community leadership awards, Ms. McLymont has an M.A. from New York University, a B.A. from The City College of New York, and a Certificate in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Madrid. |
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MARK WALTON Executive Vice President of Sponsorship and Corporate Development, The Africa Channel Mark Walton is Executive Vice President for Sponsorship and Corporate Development at The Africa Channel, an independent television network with high-quality African entertainment and information programming. Mr. Walton is responsible for advertising sales and sponsorship as well as with developing relationships with the African business and diplomatic communities. Prior to this, Mr. Walton was CEO of Onyx Media Group, a global TV syndication company, he co-founded. Mr. Walton spent 10 years with the CBS TV Network holding various management positions in sales and marketing. He was the head of marketing for independent film distributor KJM3 who successfully distributed Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust. Mr. Walton is an adjunct instructor at Fordham’s Graduate School of Business and serves on the Boards of Sister Cities International and the Yale School of Management. He holds a BS in journalism from Boston University and received a Master’s from the Yale School of Management. |
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Panel Moderator LOLA OGUNNAIKE Entertainment Correspondent, CNN American Morning |