“Our mission is to promote gender equality in media, entertainment and tech, and to empower women to thrive in their careers by providing a forum for them to learn from one another’s insight and experience,” said event founder, journalist Melissa Grego (Melinc.com), former Editor-in-Chief of Broadcasting & Cable. “I’m excited to see the support from such incredible leaders this year; the sure-to-be-inspiring speaker lineup of veterans, visionaries and innovators participating on stage will be complemented by an equally stellar lineup of leaders for our powerful new take on networking, with a roster of 16 expert-led breakout networking sessions.”

Women of the West also will feature the following  panels –

RUNNING THE SHOW, in which top writers / creators / producers discuss how they balance the art and business of running a television show. This session will be moderated by Shaun Robinson, Emmy Award-Winning Journalist, TV Host, Author, Producer and Philanthropist, who will also emcee the event. Panelists on this session include:

• Bridget Carpenter, Executive Producer/Showrunner, 22.63 on Hulu
• Erica Messer, Showrunner/Executive Producer, Criminal Minds and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders on CBS
• Julie Plec, Executive Producer, The Vampire Diaries and The Originals on The CW

In TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, leading women in digital media and TV tech will share keys to their success and paths to getting more women thriving in technology and digital careers. Emma Isaacs, Founder and Global CEO, Business Chicks, will moderate. Panelists include:

• Ashley Crowder, CEO, Co-Founder, VNTANA
• Sarah Harden, President, Otter Media
• Lisa Holme, VP, Content Acquisition, Hulu
• Suzanne Kolb, Executive VP & General Manager, Discovery Digital Networks

Women of the West will dive deeply into the hot topics most important to women working in media, entertainment and tech with expert-led networking breakout sessions. Each registered attendee will be invited to request in advance which breakout they wish to join.

Topics/Leaders are:

• Careers in Research | Melva Benoit, Founder and President, The Marian Dupree Group
• Pay Equity  | Bonnie E. Eskenazi, Partner, Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP
• Careers in Technology | Natascha French, CMO, VNTANA
• Networking Strategies | Jacqueline Hernández, Chief Marketing Officer, NBCUniversal Hispanic Enterprises & Content
• Directing | Amy Hill, Director
• Production  | Marcy G. Kaplan, Senior VP of TV Production, Lionsgate Television
• Managing Change  |  Deb McDermott, Senior VP and COO, Media General
• Media + Advertising  | Ann Mugglebee, Owner/President/Executive Producer, Vibe Creative
• Communications + PR | Shannon Olivas, Skydance Media, Senior VP, Corporate Communications, Skydance Media
• Programming + Development | Francesca Orsi, C0-Head of Drama, HBO Drama Series
• Activism + Philanthropy  | Simone Reyes, Animal Rights Activist and Director of TV Development, All Def Pictures
• Digital Video  | Melissa Schneider, Senior VP, Development and Production, New Form Digital
• Reality/Unscripted  | Gretchen Stockdale, COO and General Counsel, Pilgrim Media Group
• Essentials for Entrepreneurs  | Amanda Taylor, CEO-CoFounder, DanceOn
• Thriving in a Male-Dominated Environment | Lisa Wiegand, ASC – Director of Photography
• Leadership Lessons  |  Vivi Zigler, President, Digital, Brand & Audience Development, Endemol Shine North America

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS: Sponsors and partners in this year’s edition of Women of the West, include Host the TV Academy, Reception Sponsor Pilgrim Media Group, Gold Sponsor CBS Entertainment Diversity, Silver Sponsors HBO and Endemol Shine Beyond, Roundtable Sponsor Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP, Scholarship Sponsor Babygrande PR, Event Production Partner Beck Media & Marketing, Official PR Partner Scandal Co-Active, Raffle Partners Rent the Runway, Roku, Vera Bradley and Marketing Partners B&C, Cablefax, WICT SoCal, NATPE, NAMIC, Producers Guild of America Women’s Impact Network, SMPTE, Westside Digital Mix, Horowitz Research, PromaxBDA and DEG.

EVENT BACKGROUND: Keynotes & Cocktails, the premier, off-the-record conference series for women of media, entertainment and tech, was founded in Los Angeles in 2010 to serve the women of our business community. Presented annually in Los Angeles (as Women of the West) and New York City (as Women of NY) by Melinc.com, (mel-link dot com), the conference and networking company founded by journalist Melissa Grego, former Editor-in-Chief of TV business publication Broadcasting & Cable, the conference series provides a powerful combination of the most high-interest speakers and unique networking features.

In late 2015, Grego, acquired Keynotes & Cocktails from B&C, which continues to support the event as one of the conference series’ founding Marketing Partners.

Additional information on the conference, including individuals and companies who have participated in the past, as well as the soon-to-be-announced December date of the Women of New York conference can be found at melinc.com. A limited number of tickets and sponsorship packages are still available. For information go to www.melinc.com/la.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Scandal Co-Active
Melisa Gotto
melisa@scandalcoactive.com
213-300-6334