INDUSTRY 101 EVENT SERIES

Pivoting 101:
Changing Career Paths
Wednesday, July 30, 2025 | 5-6:30 PM PT | Online

Film school and assistantships aren’t the only ways into a career writing for film and television. Since time immemorial, Hollywood has hired writers from other disciplines–novelists, journalists, graphic novelists–to write scripts. A legion of doctors, lawyers, and other professionals have put down their degrees and stethoscopes and picked up a pen to work in writers’ rooms all over town.

Join us for Pivoting 101​, you’ll hear all about non-linear career paths​, what tools you’ll need along the way, and how to eventually get your story made. We will also discuss the very real fears of pivoting in times of personal and cultural upheaval, imposter syndrome, and combating ageism.

Rhonda F. Baraka

Rhonda F. Baraka is a Canadian Screen Awards-winning writer and an NAACP-nominated director with more than 30 produced television movies to her credit.

Her most recent directing credits include Mistletoe and Matrimony (OWN, 2024), starring Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut and Etienne Maurice, Christmas of Yes (OWN, 2023), starring Michele Weaver and Jeff Pierre, and A Christmas Spark (Lifetime, 2022), starring Jane Seymour and her Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman co-star Joe Lando.

She also wrote, directed and executive produced Lifetime’s two-part Fallen Angels Murder Club series, starring Toni Braxton.

Additional writing credits include Miracle in Motor City (Lifetime), starring Tia Mowry and Smokey Robinson, for which she won a Canadian Screen Award; Song & Story: Amazing Grace (OWN), and Adventures in Christmasing (vh1), a holiday rom-com set in the Canadian wilderness, starring Kim Fields and Adrian Holmes.

Ms. Baraka’s episodic writing credits include BET’s Tales and Bounce TV’s Saints and Sinners. Additional directing credits include Downsized (TV ONE), starring Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjoe, and Pride and Prejudice: Atlanta (Lifetime), starring Jackee Harry, Reginald Vel Johnson, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Timon Durrett, Tiffany Hines, and Juan Antonio.

A native of Tuskegee, Alabama, Ms. Baraka endeavors to tell stories that represent a unique female voice and embrace her southern roots.

Georgia Lee

Georgia Lee is an award-winning writer and filmmaker. She created and was showrunner on Netflix’s Partner Track. Georgia has written for The Expanse, God of War, Carnival Row, and The 100. Georgia is currently writing feature film The Last Empress.

Georgia’s first short film caught the attention of Martin Scorsese, and she became his on-set apprentice on Gangs of New York. Georgia then wrote and directed her first feature Red Doors, which won numerous awards on the festival circuit including the Tribeca Film Festival. 

Georgia is a recovering management consultant, having worked for McKinsey & Company before running away to join the Hollywood circus. Georgia holds a BA in Biochemistry from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is obsessed with figure skating.

Ben Lopez

Ben Lopez is a visionary architect of change in the entertainment industry. Born in Mexico City, raised in Tucson, and based in Los Angeles, Ben has built a career at the intersection of storytelling, advocacy, and industry transformation. Known as a “diamond hunter” and “creative whisperer,” he has earned the trust of Hollywood’s top studios, networks, and brands for his ability to identify exceptional talent and refine their stories into compelling, market-ready projects. His expertise spans feature films, live-action and animated content, serialized television, and multi-platform storytelling.

With over two decades of experience, Ben has shattered glass ceilings, opened industry doors, and built lasting opportunities for Latino creatives. His cultural authenticity consulting has directly influenced blockbuster films, Academy Award-winning animated features, and major franchises, ensuring Latino voices move beyond token representation into true leadership and authorship. He has been instrumental in helping studios avoid cultural blind spots, achieve genuine representation, and elevate underrepresented voices. The impact of his work ripples across Hollywood, shaping major franchises and empowering storytellers whose careers have flourished due to his guidance.

Ben began his industry journey contributing to film festivals, labs, and incubators, gaining first hand insight into the challenges faced by emerging artists, filmmakers, and storytellers. As a leading thought leader on Latino and LATAM-focused content, he has delivered keynotes and moderated panels at prestigious events such as Cannes Lions, Outfest, SANFIC in Chile, MIP Cancún, Sundance, SXSW, FICG, and the European Film Market in Berlin. His insights have been featured in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NBC Universal, Elle Magazine, and Slate France.

Beyond his industry-shaping work, Ben co-founded Paella Club, an inclusive community that evolved from intimate gatherings into a powerhouse network of over 700 Latino filmmakers and film patrons. Hosted at venues like Netflix, Google, and UTA, Paella Club has fostered professional partnerships, launched careers, and created essential spaces for Latino creatives to connect. He has also served on the board of Veterans in Media & Entertainment (VME) and currently sits on the Western Council of the Entertainment Community Fund, a nonprofit supporting over 17K performing arts and entertainment workers annually. As former head of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), Ben played a pivotal role in advancing Latino representation across Hollywood.

As a producer, Ben champions diverse, socially resonant storytelling, executive-producing films such as Golden Opportunity, Ro & the Stardust, and The Blue Drum. He co-produced the feature documentary Paddle Out and consulted on major projects, including Disney’s Academy Award-winning Encanto and served on the Community Advisory Board of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. Ben’s sharp creative instincts and deep industry expertise have made him a trusted voice in Hollywood, where he continues to bridge artistic excellence with cultural integrity.

In 2022, Ben founded L21 Consulting, dedicated to helping underrepresented artists navigate the evolving media and entertainment landscape. That same year, L21 partnered with McDonald’s Spotlight Dorado, a multi-year platform empowering and amplifying diverse voices across industries.

Jon Macks

Jon Macks is a multiple Writers Guild of America Award winner and a ten time Emmy-nominated writer and producer of over 300 live television shows including a record 27 Oscars, serving as head writer 14 times. For over 25 years he has written and punched up speeches and remarks for CEOS and comedians, actors and activists, movie executives and television hosts, a list that includes Presidents Obama, Clinton and Biden, Bob Costas, John Kerry, Rahm Emanuel, Jerry Bruckheimer, Barbra Streisand, Morgan Freeman, Jay Leno, Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, Helen Mirren, Marty Short, Steve Martin, Michael Douglas, Queen Latifah, Michael Rapino, Hugh Jackman, Al Hunt, Judy Woodruff, Anthony Anderson, Brad Pitt, Terry Bradshaw and over two dozen US Senators.

A Corporate Branding, Crisis Management Consultant and Event Writer, he has worked with NetApp, PepsiCo, Fox Entertainment, Live Nation, Warner Brothers, the Genesis Prize Foundation, the Breakthrough Prize, Google, Apple, The Geena Davis Institute, Stanford Health Care, Children’s Hospital and Stanford Medicine; he also served as co-head writer of the 2020 Democratic Convention and has worked on presidential debate prep in every election from 1996 through 2020.

He is the author of Monologue: What Makes America Laugh Before Bed and How to Be Funny: The One and Only Practical Guide for Every Occasion, and the Executive Producer of the 2024 documentary Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid and co-creator of HBO’s K Street.

Gil L. Robertson IV

Gil L. Robertson IV is the co-founder and president of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), the leading organization of Black film critics worldwide. The AAFCA produces the annual AAFCA Awards, one of the most significant events on the Hollywood awards calendar.

AAFCA, founded in 2003, has grown into the largest organization representing Black film critics globally. It was established to address the lack of representation within the ranks of film critics and the broader entertainment industry.

“Representation within Hollywood is crucial because it ensures that diverse voices are heard and that the majority of entertainment content reflects a variety of perspectives,” states Robertson. “AAFCA members play a vital role in shaping how films are perceived and critiqued, ensuring that people of color receive balanced and accurate representation.”

The association organizes four key awards events annually: the AAFCA Awards, AAFCA TV Honors, AAFCA Special Achievement Awards Luncheon, and AAFCA Goes to Broadway.

In addition to building this formidable organization, Robertson has also established himself as a respected wordsmith. With over 50 national magazine covers to his name, the veteran journalist is also a bestselling author of three acclaimed anthologies: Where Did Our Love Go: Love and Relationships in the African American Community (2013); Family Affair: What It Means to Be African American Today (2008)—a Publisher’s Weekly “Pick of the Week”; and the insightful Not in My Family: AIDS in the African American Community (2006). Family Affair and Not in My Family were nominated for NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Nonfiction.

Robertson also authored Writing as a Tool of Empowerment, a guide for aspiring journalists, and regularly contributed to The African American Almanac (Gale Press). His debut children’s book, Great African American Political Leaders (Just Us Books), was released in 2016.

A renowned columnist, Robertson wrote the nationally syndicated Arts & Lifestyle column for over 20 years. He has also been a frequent guest on TV talk shows, sharing his expertise on various topical issues. Additionally, Robertson lectures on topics related to professional growth strategies and personal development.

Robertson earned a B.A. degree in Political Science from Cal State Los Angeles and serves on the Board for the Geena Davis Institute and California Humanities. He is member of the National Press Club, The National Association of Black Journalists, The National Academy of Recording Arts & Science, The National Academy of Television Arts and Science, and Motion Picture Association (MPAA). Robertson is a member of the founding board of the Bentonville Film Festival.

He has spearheaded AAFCA partnerships with such corporations and organizations as Comcast, Delta Air Lines, Facebook, Turner Classic Movies, and Pensky Media, among others.

Robertson is a recipient of numerous awards such as from the California State Legislative, the Black Entertainment Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA), The Truth Awards, Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center, among various others.

Robertson, who resides in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, is deeply involved in community service and mentoring youth.