Effie T. Brown is an award-winning film, television, and digital producer, the CEO and majority owner of Gamechanger Films, and one of the industry’s most influential advocates for inclusion and authentic storytelling. For more than two decades, she has been a pioneering force in Hollywood—building platforms for underrepresented voices, elevating bold new talent, and expanding whose stories reach the screen.

 

Raised in suburban New Jersey, Brown discovered the communal power of cinema at age eight when her father took her to see Alien. Experiencing a theater filled with people of different backgrounds—together—and watching a woman save herself affirmed two pillars that continue to guide her career: film as a tool for inclusivity and bringing people together, and the insistence that marginalized people can and must be the heroes of their own stories.

 

After her family relocated to California, Brown graduated from St. Lucy’s Priory High School in Glendora and studied film production and theatre at Loyola Marymount University, grounding her in both the creative and practical disciplines of filmmaking. Following graduation, she interned on Robert Townsend’s The Five Heartbeats and was selected for Film Independent’s Project Involve (1993), a career-launching fellowship for filmmakers of color that solidified her commitment to creating opportunities for marginalized creators. Mentored by Laurie Parker (producer for Gus Van Sant), Brown secured her first paid role on Rough Magic—the first U.S. film starring Russell Crowe—directed by Clare Peploe. She subsequently served as Director of Development for Tim Burton and worked on Jane Campion’s In the Cut, gaining invaluable insight into studio filmmaking.

 

Brown’s independent career accelerated as a line producer on acclaimed features including the cult classic But I’m a Cheerleader (starring Natasha Lyonne, Michelle Williams, and Cathy Moriarty) and Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (starring Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, and Holly Hunter).

 

In 2001, Brown founded Duly Noted, Inc. to champion independent films and underrepresented storytellers. Early highlights include Cheryl Dunye’s Stranger Inside (HBO), one of the earliest narrative works centered on Black queer women in prison, which premiered at Sundance. Her breakthrough followed with Real Women Have Curves (2002), directed by Patricia Cardoso and starring America Ferrera. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, the film won the Audience Award (Dramatic) and the Special Jury Prize for Acting, becoming a landmark of early-2000s independent cinema and a touchstone for Latinx representation. She continued with HBO’s Everyday People (dir. Jim McKay); Rocket Science (2007), which won the Sundance Dramatic Directing Award; and The Inheritance (2010), which garnered Golden Brooks the Best Actress award at the American Black Film Festival. In 2014, she produced Justin Simien’s Dear White People, a sharp satire on race and identity that premiered at Sundance, won the Special Jury Prize for Breakthrough Talent, and later expanded into a hit Netflix series.

 

Demonstrating her multi-platform sensibility, Brown moved decisively into digital storytelling in 2011, reteaming with Jon Avnet and Rodrigo García to produce more than 200 episodes for WIGS—an award-winning, original-content channel funded by Google/YouTube and FOX. Centered on the complex lives of women and featuring top-tier talent including Julia Stiles, Allison Janney, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Garner, and Walton Goggins, WIGS helped pioneer premium digital episodic formats; one of its flagship series, Blue, later streamed on Hulu. She produced HBO’s Project Greenlight (2015), foregrounding critical conversations on race and representation; served as Executive Producer on FOX’s Star (2016–2019), created by Lee Daniels and Tom Donaghy; and executive produced Disney Channel’s ZOMBIES (2018), the musical hit that launched a franchise.

 

In January 2020, Brown was named CEO and majority owner of Gamechanger Films, the first equity fund dedicated to financing feature films directed by women. Founded in 2013, Gamechanger broadened its mandate under Brown’s leadership to include projects from LGBTQ+ creators, people with disabilities, men from underrepresented communities, and storytellers of color. Producing and financing highlights include Passing (Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut; Sundance 2021; released by Netflix), Run Sweetheart Run (a Blumhouse production directed by Shana Feste; released on Amazon), and The Inspection (Elegance Bratton’s autobiographical drama; Opening Night at the Toronto International Film Festival 2022; Closing Night at the New York Film Festival; distributed by A24). The Inspection earned three Independent Spirit Award nominations, underscoring Brown’s ability to champion daring, socially resonant stories to critical acclaim.

 

Currently, Brown is stewarding an ambitious slate at Gamechanger: Mr. Otim, an epic sports drama about resilience and fatherhood; Save Yourself!, a climate justice documentary; Sorcerority, a star-driven fantasy co-produced by and starring Taraji P. Henson and Gabrielle Union; and Haant, a supernatural thriller rooted in Gullah-Geechee mysticism. She is also building a global new media studio for vertical films with Idris Elba’s company AKUNA—continuing to innovate across platforms while advancing inclusive storytelling.

 

Beyond her producing work, Brown is an influential industry leader. She serves as a Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences representing the Producers Branch; founded and chaired the Academy Museum Inclusion Advisory Committee; and is an Honorary Board Trustee of the Academy Museum. She sits on the board of Sandbox Films, the Oscar-nominated production studio illuminating the art and beauty of scientific inquiry, and served more than ten years on the Board of Film Independent. Internationally recognized for mentorship and advocacy, Brown is a frequent juror, panelist, and speaker at film festivals and industry events worldwide.

 

From Sundance to Toronto—from independent features and new media to studio television—Effie T. Brown has built a career on empowering underrepresented storytellers, bringing fresh voices to the screen, and ensuring that cinema remains a powerful engine for representation and cultural change.

 

Selected Credits and Roles

– Early career and development

  – Internship: The Five Heartbeats (dir. Robert Townsend)

  – Mentorship: Project Involve (Film Independent, 1993; mentor Laurie Parker)

  – First paid production role: Rough Magic (dir. Clare Peploe; first U.S. film starring Russell Crowe)

  – Studio experience: Director of Development for Tim Burton; worked on Jane Campion’s In the Cut

 

– Line Producer

  – But I’m a Cheerleader (starring Natasha Lyonne, Michelle Williams, Cathy Moriarty)

  – Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (starring Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, Holly Hunter)

 

– Producer (Duly Noted, Inc.)

  – Stranger Inside (HBO; dir. Cheryl Dunye; Sundance)

  – Real Women Have Curves (dir. Patricia Cardoso; Sundance Audience Award—Dramatic; Special Jury Prize for Acting)

  – Everyday People (HBO; dir. Jim McKay)

  – Rocket Science (Sundance Dramatic Directing Award)

  – The Inheritance (American Black Film Festival—Best Actress, Golden Brooks)

  – Dear White People (Sundance Special Jury Prize for Breakthrough Talent; later a Netflix series)

 

– Digital and Television

  – WIGS (YouTube/FOX; producer of 200+ episodes; series including Blue; talent featured: Julia Stiles, Allison Janney, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Garner, Walton Goggins; Blue later on Hulu)

  – Project Greenlight (HBO; Producer, 2015)

  – Star (FOX; Executive Producer, 2016–2019; created by Lee Daniels and Tom Donaghy)

  – ZOMBIES (Disney Channel; Executive Producer, 2018)

 

– Gamechanger Films (CEO and majority owner since 2020)

  – Passing (dir. Rebecca Hall; Sundance 2021; Netflix)

  – Run Sweetheart Run (Blumhouse; dir. Shana Feste; Amazon)

  – The Inspection (dir. Elegance Bratton; TIFF Opening Night; New York Film Festival Closing Night; A24; three Independent Spirit Award nominations)

 

– In development/current slate

  – Mr. Otim

  – Save Yourself!

  – Sorcerority (co-produced by and starring Taraji P. Henson and Gabrielle Union)

  – Haant

  – Global new media studio for vertical films with Idris Elba’s AKUNA

Over the last three decades, Georgia has pioneered the use of mass media for purposeful social norms, behaviour-change and demand-creation content. Her focus was on HIV and sexual reproductive health issues affecting young people worldwide, with a USP of working with the MTV brand. This included founding and running the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, executive producing the “MTV Staying Alive” documentaries, the award-winning documentary “Meeting Mandela”, and conceiving and creating the multi-award-winning campaign “MTV Shuga”, on-going since 2009 across Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire and India (“MTV Nishedh”).

 

Concurrently, as Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility for Paramount Global and head of Paramount’s Social Impact Studio, Georgia was responsible for developing social initiatives for

 

Paramount’s portfolio of brands internationally. She launched the Social Impact Studio for Paramount+ International (July 2021), creating content with purpose and impact. She left both MTV Staying Alive and Paramount Global the end of 2023, after 30 years with the company.

 

In 2023, Georgia was recognised by UNAIDS for her 25 years of leadership working in HIV prevention. She is a Fellow of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Apolitical Foundation. She’s a Board Member of Girls Not Brides, Inua Dada and Next Narrative Africa Fund, and an Academy Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Georgia was named in Cablefax’s list of “Most Powerful Women in the Media 2022”.

 

Today, she is Founder & CEO of GA-Agency, harnessing the power of storytelling with mission-driven organisations.

Managing Director – Google Publisher Partnerships, Asia Pacific

Co-Founder – XA Africa Pte Ltd (Africa-focused early-stage investment community) Investor and Board Advisor

 

Nitin Gajria is the Managing Director for Google’s Publisher Partnerships across Asia Pacific, helping content creators, news outlets, developers and publishers of all shapes and sizes fund their businesses and in turn safeguarding a free and open internet.

 

Prior to this role, Nitin was the Managing Director for Google in Sub-Saharan Africa and has maintained his passion for tech on the continent by co-founding XA Africa – an Africa-focused community of early stage tech investors. At Google, Nitin has also previously led the business in Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos and YouTube across India and South East Asia. He has also worked across industries ranging from cosmetics and detergents to infant nutrition having spent time at Procter & Gamble and Mead Johnson.

 

Nitin is keenly interested in technology start-ups and is an angel investor himself. He is a husband and a father. While he hails from Mumbai, he also calls Singapore, Sydney, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City and Johannesburg home.

Khadija Alami is an award-winning Moroccan Producer of feature films, documentaries, short films and owner of K Films. She has established her company K Films, on an international level, as a well-respected Service Company and co-Producing partner. Khadija has a good working relationship with Studios, Production companies, Executives and Producers from around the world and is at the forefront of promoting film and television production in Morocco.

 

In January 2016, she bought a 17 hectares land in Ouarzazate and built her own studios, becoming the first woman in Africa to own and manage professional movie studios.

 

She is also President of MEDITALENTS: Association that helps teaching the art of script writing to young writers, President of the Ouarzazate Film Commission, and of the Producers chamber in Morocco.

 

In 2017 Khadija Alami has been selected to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She’s the first Arab Woman Producer and second Moroccan filmmaker to have that honor. She regularly participates as a mentor in inclusion initiatives and diversity programs led by the Academy to shape the future of the movie industry.

 

Since the beginning of her career more than 30 years ago, Khadija has always tried to be involved in the decision-making process of the authorities regarding her industry. In 2016, she was one of the few producers that helped the Moroccan government implement the tax credit for the first time. A fervent patriot, she has now established herself as one of the very few Moroccan producers that consult regularly for policy makers in order to improve the industry and make it a significant strength of the Moroccan economy. This allowed to her to build a lasting and trusting relationship with the CCM (Center of Moroccan Cinematography), the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance, among others.

Ozi Menakaya is an accomplished entertainment executive with over a decade of experience at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the world’s leading entertainment agency, where he rose to become a literary film and television agent. During his tenure, he founded CAA Africa, the first Africa-focused initiative at any major Hollywood institution. In this role, he worked with both local African talent and globally recognized artists of African descent—such as Lupita Nyong’o or Philippe Lacote —structuring domestic and international deals that mirrored the agency’s renowned packaging model. He also collaborated with governmental stakeholders across the continent to explore avenues for political and cultural partnership.Ozi has built deep relationships across the global entertainment ecosystem, from studio chiefs and major buyers to top-tier creatives and on-screen talent. His expertise in the diverse film industries across Africa enables him to effectively package, finance, and champion projects that resonate both locally and globally, while maintaining strong connections with key industry decision-makers on the continent.In 2024, Ozi launched Continental Entertainment, a management and production company, further advancing his mission to elevate African storytelling and foster dynamic creative and commercial exchanges between Africa and the world.

Sahar Yousefi is a film financing executive and producer. After starting her career at the National Film Board of Canada, Sahar went on to work on many award-winning films selected for festivals such as Sundance, Venice, Hot Docs, SXSW, and SFFILM,  as well as projects financed by the Sundance Institute, the Doha Film Institute, Telefilm Canada, the Red Sea Film Institute, Hot Docs, the British Film Institute, Chicken and Egg, Catapult, Firelight Media, the Bell Fund, the Canada Media Fund, Ontario Creates, and the NFB. Her previous work also includes commissions by the CBC, Mirum Agency, the ArtScience Museum in Singapore, and VICE Arabia, among others. As a financing executive, Sahar was an Advisor to Qatar Film Committee, where she led equity financing assessments for films and media companies. Prior to that, she was also Head of Investments and Production at the technical partner of the Riviera Content Fund.

 

Sahar is an alumnus of several selective fellowships and programs, including Sundance Catalyst, EAVE, the Gotham, ACE, Film Independent Fast Track, Torino SeriesLab, Eurodoc, Hot Docs Accelerator, the RIDM Talent Lab, Berlinale/EFM Doc Toolbox, DOC Business Leap, the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra, and the Rotterdam Lab.

 

Alongside her work in film, Sahar is also co-founder of specialty coffee distributor Hadsel Coffee, which provides rare coffees to the Asian and European markets.

Tunde is a seasoned global executive with extensive business development, project finance and direct investment experience in the infrastructure, telecoms and other sectors in Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Americas, and Europe. Since 2017, Tunde has been a Washington-based senior advisor to project developers, private equity fund managers, and governments on investments in the climate, and infrastructure sectors in emerging markets. He is also an Adjunct Professor for Northwestern University’s Master of Science in Energy and Sustainability (MSES) Program.

 

From 2021-2022, Tunde was a Special Advisor on Climate Investments to the CEO of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority.  In this role he developed NSIA’s ESG Strategy, built NSIA relationships with other global investors in the climate finance sector and structured a groundbreaking joint venture vehicle with Vitol S.A. that will invest in de-carbonization projects in Nigeria.

 

From 2015-2017, Tunde was a Senior Manager in IFC’s Venture Investments Group based in Washington, DC where he led business development in Sub-Saharan Africa for VC/Fintech sectors.

 

As IFC’s Senior Country Head for Singapore and Malaysia and Co-Head of the World Bank Group Infrastructure Hub, based in Singapore, (2011-2015), Tunde developed and supervised over $500 million of investments in the East Asia/Pacific region.  He also served on the Executive Committee of the IFC East Asia and Pacific Department.

 

From 2004-2011, as IFC’s Country Head for Mozambique and Angola based in Maputo, Tunde established and built IFC’s business in both countries while serving on the Executive Committee of the IFC sub-Saharan Africa Department.

 

Prior to joining IFC in 2004, Tunde was an Assistant Director at Emerging Markets Partnership, a private equity firm based in Washington DC, and a key member of the team that managed the $400 million AIG African Infrastructure Fund..  He also structured and executed complex infrastructure finance transactions in Latin America, the U.S. and Turkey with InterGen based in London and Miami, and MUFG Bank based in New York.

 

Tunde has served on the boards of the Aavishkaar Fund (India-focused VC fund), Lateral

Capital (Africa-focused VC Fund), the International Baccalaureate (IB), and the United World Colleges International and is currently on the board of New Forests Africa Investments VCC (Africa forestry-focused PE Fund).

 

He  holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School, an MA in East Asian Studies (with a focus on Japan) from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Engineering Science and Economics from Oxford University.  He also attended the International University of Japan in Niigata, Japan, as a Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholar, and completed the Immersion Program at the Middlebury College School of Japanese.  He speaks Yoruba, Portuguese, French and Japanese.

 

Writer/Producer/CEO

Tom Lynch, through the Tom Lynch Co, has created, written, directed, and produced some of the most successful television shows in the world for the youth-centered demographic. From live-action comedies, animated musicals, reality-based variety shows, to one hour dramas, Lynch has always worked to create inspiring content.

 

From his early apprenticeship with Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Honoree, Don Kirshner, music became a big part of the Lynch cannon. He soon found himself producing and directing rock concerts, music videos, and network variety specials. At the same time, Lynch started to hone his writing craft in comedy clubs around Los Angeles and New York in the early 80’s.

 

KIDS Incorporated, the first variety show for kids, The Secret World of Alex Mack, Emmy-nominated NBC series Scout’s Safari, China’s first Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Honors, four time GLADD-nominated series for South of Nowhere, and Emmy-winning Class of 3000 for Cartoon Network featuring Outcasts Andre 3000, Make it Pop, its debut album reached #12 on I tunes and inspire a tour are just some of the series that Tom Lynch has created. His latest series, I Woke Up A Vampire on Netflix reached the number one spot globally on Netflix is it’s first season 2023 and second season in 2024.

 

Lynch has written and/or produced one-hour prime time drama pilots for NBC, FX, CBS, ABC, FREEFORM, PARAMOUNT, and MTV. Lynch also broke into the documentary film world with Piece of Mind, a film that took three years to make, and focused on the lives and art of Los Angeles graffiti artists.

 

With thirty series and over eight hundred episodes of television created, written, produced, and/ or directed, Tom Lynch Co. has had a seminal hand in taking Kid, YA and Family programming into the mainstream, making it the dynamic and highly competitive field that it is today. The New York Times called Tom Lynch the creator of the “tween” genre referring to him as “The David E Kelley” of tweens.

 

Lynch’s shows have been nominated and/or won Emmy awards, GLAAD Awards, the Humanitas Prize, Kids’ Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards, WGA Awards, DGA Awards, Image Awards, Gemini Awards, Leo Awards, and Young Artists Awards. The Tom Lynch Co. under the creative leadership of Ryan Lynch, continues to lead the industry in new directions; taking audiences to places they’ve never been before, and illuminating the magic of the human experience.

Talitha Watkins is President and Head of ColorCreative Management – a management and production company. ColorCreative was founded by Issa Rae, Deniese Davis, and Talitha Watkins with the mission to empower creators to reach their greatest potential by disrupting the creative industries and championing innovative and inclusive entertainment.

 

Formerly a Motion Picture Agent and Cultural Executive at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Watkins is based in Los Angeles and represents producers, writers, directors and actors. In addition, Watkins helped to build out CAA’s multicultural business and capabilities including launching the multicultural leadership event, CAAAmplify.

 

Previous to CAA, Watkins spent seven years as Vice President of Multicultural Marketing at Universal Pictures, where she worked across all marketing divisions, including publicity, media, digital, creative, research, and partnerships, to maximize the studio’s outreach efforts to African American audiences. While at Universal, she worked on numerous films, including the multicultural blockbusters FAST & FURIOUS 6, FURIOUS 7, and the record-breaking STRAIGHT OUTTA

 

COMPTON. She was also instrumental in supporting the success of African American films, such as the box-office hits THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY and RIDE ALONG.

 

Prior to Universal Pictures, Watkins was an Assistant General Manager with Telepictures Productions, Inc. and oversaw operations, sales, and marketing for five female-focused digital properties in the Warner Bros. portfolio, including Ellentv.com, Extratv.com, and TyraShow.com, as well as worked in a development capacity for Essence.com.

 

Watkins is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a board member of the WIF, Saturday Morning, and Made in Her Image.

 

Watkins received her B.B.A. in Marketing from the Fox School of Business at Temple University. She lives in Los Angeles with her daughter, Selah.

Akunna Cook is the CEO and Founder of Next Narrative Africa, a multimedia production company and investment fund building the financial infrastructure for the next century of African storytelling. Bridging the worlds of high-level diplomacy, economic policy, and entertainment, Akunna is currently launching the Next Narrative Africa Fund, a $50M blended capital vehicle designed to capitalize the global Black narrative.

 

Previously a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Biden-Harris Administration, Akunna oversaw U.S. bilateral relations in Southern Africa and led economic diplomacy strategies for the creative industries. She leverages this unique geopolitical expertise to capture the “alpha” in the Global South, utilizing data analytics and capital-protection strategies to de-risk investments in the booming African content market.

 

Earlier in her career, Akunna was the inaugural Executive Director of the Black Economic Alliance, where she raised over $6 million in the first year and organized the first televised presidential forum focused on Black economic progress. She began her career at the State Department, where she served as a career diplomat in China, South Africa, Iraq, and Washington, DC. 

 

A seasoned diplomat, lawyer, and strategist, she has spent her career navigating the highest levels of policy and economics and is now applying that rigor to the creative economy.

 

Akunna holds degrees from the Harvard Kennedy School and the Yale Law School. She graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in economics and business from Howard University. Akunna was named among the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2025 by New African Magazine and was a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She serves on the boards of the Alliance for Justice and Harambeans.

Managing Partner, Lions Range Group

Victor Williams is a distinguished global business leader with over twenty-five years of achievements driving transformative business growth across the U.S. and Africa.

 

Williams is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lions Range Group, a firm that invests in compelling sports, technology and creative economy opportunities globally with a particular focus on Africa.

 

From 2020 to 2023, as Executive Vice President of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and CEO of NBA Africa, Williams led all the league’s basketball and business development initiatives in Africa, significantly enhancing the growth and popularity of the NBA brand on the continent. He oversaw the formation and capitalization of NBA Africa as a standalone entity with external investment, to conduct the league’s business in Africa. Williams also led the launch and growth of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), the NBA’s first professional league outside North America; the establishment of new NBA offices in Nigeria, Egypt and Kenya; the launch of the first NBA Stores in Africa, and scaled up marketing and fan engagement initiatives, grassroots and talent development programs including NBA Academy Africa, media and corporate partnerships, and merchandising and licensing.
Prior to joining the NBA, Williams had more than two decades’ experience as a banking industry leader. As the Executive Head of Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB), Africa Regions for Standard Bank Group, he oversaw the strategy, execution and financial performance of Standard Bank’s business with corporate, sovereign and institutional investor clients in 19 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. In this pan-continental role, Williams was responsible for the growth of global markets, investment banking and transactional services businesses across Africa, and helped lead Standard Bank’s expansion into Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

 

Previously, as a Managing Director of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the US with Wells Fargo Securities, Williams led the IT and Business Services M&A practice and executed several multi-billion dollar transactions, providing strategic insights to senior executives and boards of directors of Fortune 500 companies on complex merger and financing transactions. Williams started his investment banking career in mergers and acquisitions at Goldman Sachs in New York where he rose to Vice President.

 

A dual citizen of Sierra Leone and the U.S., Williams holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and two undergraduate degrees, with academic honors, from Brown University. He was named among the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2021 by New African Magazine. He serves on the Board of the Smithsonian Museum of African Art in Washington, DC, and Harvard Business School’s Africa Advisory Board. He has also served on the boards of public companies and non-profit organizations in the U.S., Nigeria and Kenya.