Freeform Summit: Panels Set For January 18 Event In Los Angeles – Update
UPDATED with panel information: Freeform today announced the panels for its first Freeform Summit, a daylong network-wide event featuring panel discussions on activism, social change, representation in television and other cultural issues defining modern youth culture. It’s set for January 18 in Los Angeles and will be held in lieu of a presentation by the network at next month’s Television Critics Association winter press tour. Check out the panels list below.
Panelists and speakers will include talent, executives, showrunners and directors across multiple Freeform series on its 2018 programming lineup of new and returning shows. The summit will also feature key influencers and pop culture leaders who are effecting cultural change through storytelling, mentorship and engagement, Freeform says. Panels, moderators and participants will be announced at a later date.
Freeform’s slate of new scripted original series for 2018 includes new comedies grown-ish and Alone Together, mermaid thriller Siren, and anticipated drama Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger. They join the network’s current slate which includes The Bold Type, Beyond, Famous In Love, The Fosters, Shadowhunters and Young & Hungry.
Here are the panels for the Freeform Summit, with a Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger panel TBA:
MILLENNIALS ARE DESTROYING ALL THE INDUSTRIES
Every day, millennials are blamed for the end of times. They’ve been accused of singlehandedly killing entire industries with their bare hands. First, they came after music. Then, they ruined dating. Then, they did away with face-to-face interaction and now they’re coming after our TVs. “Experts” have called them everything from self-centered and lazy to spoiled and entitled – but the truth is, they’re saving the world. Today’s young adult is leveraging technology to disrupt fundraising, demanding transparency from our government, challenging gender stereotypes, modernizing the retail segment and breaking down traditional organizational norms. Join the “everyday changemakers” of today for a discussion about effecting change and making a difference through storytelling, social connection and creativity.
Moderated by Ariana Romero, Entertainment Writer @ Refinery29
Panel participants will include:
Kenya Barris (Executive Producer, Freeform’s “grown-ish”)
Yara Shahidi (Actress and Activist; Star of Freeform’s “grown-ish”)
Karlie Kloss (Model, Coder and Entrepreneur; Star of Freeform’s “Movie Night with Karlie Kloss”)
Katie Stevens (Star of Freeform’s “The Bold Type”)
Karey Burke (Executive Vice President, Programming & Development, Freeform)
Elaine Welteroth (Editor in Chief, teenVOGUE)
Katherine Power (Co-Founder and CEO of Clique)
Luvvie Ajayi (Author of New York Times Best Seller “I’m Judging You,” Speaker and Digital Strategist)
Rhonesha Byng (Award-winning Journalist and Founder of Her Agenda)
UNDERSTANDING AND CULTIVATING LOVE ON AND OFF SCREEN
Thirty years ago, Murphy Brown disrupted the social and political norms, giving voice to a baby boomer generation of women who saw themselves in her character – as pioneers in their fields, but still having to conform to domestic responsibilities. A decade later, Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte didn’t just date, sip cosmos and talk about men… They were examples of the powerful women in the workforce who were no longer settling on marriage and no longer being boxed into the “sad fate” of single, female characters on television. Here we are in 2018 where everything is instantaneous – we can get a cab, groceries, take out, a date and even sex by the swipe of our fingertips. But love isn’t instant. It’s not a simple “like” or “tap” and doesn’t always look perfect. How do our current and future television heroes and heroines provide a real-life portrayal of what it’s like to grow in life and love in today’s hyper-connected world? How do you correctly create and showcase the complexity of merging career, love and sex without sacrificing one over the other? And how can our male counterparts contribute to the rise of the empowered female?
Moderated by Kirbie Johnson, Host and Producer @ POPSUGAR
Panel participants will include:
Joanna Coles (Chief Content Officer, Hearst; Author of “Love Rules;” Executive Producer, Freeform’s “The Bold Type”)
Melora Hardin (Star of Freeform’s “The Bold Type”)
Esther Povitsky (Actor and Comedian; Co-Creator and Star, Freeform’s “Alone Together”)
Benji Aflalo (Actor and Comedian; Co-Creator and Star of Freeform’s “Alone Together”)
Marlene King (Executive Producer, Freeform’s “Pretty Little Liars,” “Famous in Love,” “The Perfectionists”)
Joanna Johnson (Executive Producer, Freeform’s “The Fosters”)
Meghann Fahy (Star of Freeform’s “The Bold Type”)
Trevor Jackson (Musician and Star of Freeform’s “grown-ish”)
Sophia Rivka Rossi (Co-Founder of HelloGiggles)
EXPLORING THE NARRATIVE WITHOUT EXPLOITING IT
In the last few years, television and film have aimed to include members across the LGBTQ alphabet. From first kiss to first marriage, from reality to scripted, narratives of gay, lesbian, bi, trans and non-binary gender are popping up in some very unexpected places. From Asia Kate Dillon’s non-binary character on “Billions” to Elliot Fletcher’s ground breaking trans sex scene on “The Fosters,” television is continuing to push the boundaries and open a dialogue with their audience. Not only are actors portraying an often overlooked community, but viewers are seeing them in situations never seen on television before. But to what point are we exploiting a narrative for buzz? How do you create a holistic depiction of a character’s path for the average viewer to understand without discounting the authentic journey of the individual? Does the rise of online platforms where members of all communities are able to create powerful voices for themselves and others help hold the entertainment industry accountable?
Moderated by Phillip Picardi, Chief Content Officer @ them. and Digital Editorial Director @ teenVOGUE
Panel participants will include:
Amanda Lasher (Executive Producer, Freeform’s “The Bold Type”)
Peter Paige (Co-Creator and Executive Producer, Freeform’s “The Fosters”)
Bradley Bredeweg (Co-Creator and Executive Producer, Freeform’s “The Fosters”)\
Aisha Dee (Star of Freeform’s “The Bold Type”)
Nikohl Boosheri (Star of Freeform’s “The Bold Type”)
Eline Powell (Star of Freeform’s upcoming drama, “Siren”)
Shan Boodram (Sexologist and Author)
Patrick Starrr (Beauty Business Expert & Global Beauty Influencer)
*All panels and panelists subject to change
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