| BEYOND DIVERSITY: The Future Is Now Young performers speak out on Hollywood Diversity as they see it.
Beyond Diversity: The Future Is Now,
Diversity is not only one of the most talked about issues worldwide, it has touched a nerve in Hollywood as well. Join a panel of young performers assembled by Talent manager/ Producer Addison Witt, and Talent manager/coach, Constance Tillotson as they weigh in on this hot topic.
The diversity conversation in Hollywood is mostly a matter of statistics for Studios and watchdog groups. While Hollywood realizes that its consumers desire to see people that reflect their own image, language, and ways of thinking, television is still getting an overall poor score in the area of diversity. There are however many examples of real change and this panel of young people is a powerful testament to the progress evident in Hollywood . Join these young actors as they address the impact of their screen images and how those images may influence the future of Diversity, America's growing demand for equality, and how this is an important realization to greater global stability.
Actors from the following TV series and films are scheduled to be present:
RJ Mitte:
AMC/SONY’s “Breaking Bad” star RJ Mitte has cerebral palsy. He discusses his personal challenges, bringing more attention to his disability, and yet, insists on presenting the character as “normal.” RJ Mitte is the first actor with CP to have a series regular role on television. “Breaking Bad” is the winner of the prestigious Peabody Award, honoring the best in electronic media, 2008.
Nikki SooHoo:
Known for Disney’s “Stick It,” co-stars in two films released this year, “Bring It On: CINCO Fight to the Finish,” starring Christina Milian, and Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones,” starring Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg. Nikki was cast in a 2009 CBS pilot, “A Marriage.”
Richard Chagoury:
A native Angelino, Richard spent most of his first eight years living in Africa. Soon after moving back to America , he discovered acting. A student of the Meisner/Stanislavski method, Chagoury immediately sought out roles that challenged his own humanity. In his very first film, “Cuba, No America,” he portrayed an orphan from Afghanistan, improperly held in Guantanamo Bay . The film went on to win an Audience Award at the American Film Institute. Soon afterwards, he appeared in the film “Schooled” which was nominated for Best Ensemble Cast at Method Fest 2007. In “AmericanEast,” he played a young boy trying to balance the traditional ways of his Middle Eastern family with life in America . “AmericanEast” received accolades at both the Hampton Film Festival and the Dubai Film Festival.
Richard Chagoury is a student of Sterling Studio, and client of CTM, both Companies founded by CEO, Constance Tillotson.
Nick Fowler:
Nick is a long time client of WEM founder, Addison Witt. Part of the richness of Nick’s life is that his mother is a minister that has been a pastor for several diverse churches in the San Diego area. Nick Fowler is an American actor and singer working professionally since he was 10 years old. Nick Fowler’s TV and indie roles include Confessions, starring Tom Bosley, and Chris Pine, TCM project, Postmortem Bliss, and ABC's According to Jim. In 2008, Nick was cast in the new TNT hybrid series, R.P.M.
Constance Tillotson:
Ms. Tillotson is the CEO of Sterling Studio. As a Hollywood creative, Ms. Tillotson’s work as an actor, writer, and director has influenced thousands of young people. Her unique approach and technique allows actors to personalize and masterfully own their craft, book jobs and know that they are set-ready when they leave her class. Her “On-the-Set” summer acting camp has received global attention from the Sri Lanka Embassy. In August Constance will travel to Sri Lanka and the Maldives to direct short films that will give a healing voice to people, many of them young, who have lived through a 25-year Civil War. Constance Tillotson is the National Vice-Chair at the Screen Actors Guild Conservatory, serves as the Director of the Young Performers, and is a top acting coach for the American Film Institute.
Dr. Suzanne SooHoo:
DR. SooHoo is a professor of education at Chapman University, a teacher of Diversity and Multiculturalism, and is also the author of "Talking Leaves: Narratives of Otherness" – a book that presents a 6 year collection of student narratives on otherness, aiming to determine from adult accounts what forms of otherness are experienced by school-aged children and young adults.
Dr. SooHoo is a mother of two. Her son Michael is a high school teacher, and her daughter Nikki SooHoo, an actress. Dr. SooHoo has a long list of academic credentials, one being a former high school principal who studied at the University of California at Berkeley and UCLA. Dr. SooHoo frequently travels throughout the country and abroad, establishing partnerships with Multicultural programs that work toward organizing better possibilities.
Bill Duke:
Bill Duke has enjoyed success on both sides of the camera in a career encompassing both acting and directing for movies, television, and the stage. Twenty years ago he founded Duke Media, formerly Yagya Productions. He served as the Time Warner Endowed Chair in the Department of Radio and Television at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He was appointed by former President Bill Clinton to the National Endowment of the Humanities. He has also been appointed to the California State Film Commission Board by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. A graduate of the American Film Institute, Mr. Duke now serves on its Board of Trustees. His films include Car Wash, American Gigolo, Action Jackson, for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination, Bird on a Wire, Menace II Society, Predator, Commando, Susan's Plan, Black Jaq, Payback, Foolish, The Limey, Fever, Never Again, Exit Wounds, X-Men: The Last Stand, National Security, Get Rich or Die Tryin, and Not Easily Broken.
Moderator:
Addison Witt:
Addison Witt is the CEO of Witt Entertainment Management, Inc., and Creative Director for the Addison Witt Studio.
As a Talent Manager, Producer, and Acting Coach during the past 10 years he has worked with thousands of actors, creating educational entertainment programs that have helped to empower people and expose them to greater life and career opportunities. While he has guided his clients to lead roles in more than 100 Network TV series, films, and other media around the world, he is known for creating the careers of some of Hollywood's hottest up and coming young actors, including Nikki SooHoo, RJ Mitte, Leah Pipes, Sierra McCormick, and Nick Fowler.
As an Entertainer Mr. Witt is a NAACP Theater Award nominee, cast in dozens of TV commercials, and stars in the Lifetime TV series, “Off the Leash.” The original series is syndicated in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and sold on iTunes. Witt is a noted expert on children and dogs working in Hollywood, and has guest starred in French, German, and Swedish TV series.
Addison Witt is invited to Talk Shows and University panels sharing insight on the strategies he uses to build an actors career, and is the producer of “Creating Celebrity,” an original web series. |
