Moderating at SDCC:
Real Stories, Real People
I had the privilege of moderating San Diego Comic Con's Real Stories, Real People: Why Representation in TV & Film Matters, featuring head of global animation at Wattpad / Webtoon, Sydney Bright; former Disney/Google equity changemaker and current CEO of Collective Moxie, Julie Ann Crommett; showrunner and producer of series Elena of Avalor and Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Pilar Flynn; the award-winning filmmaker behind Maya and the Three and The Book of Life, Jorge Gutierrez; and comedian, actor, writer, producer and comic creator Al Madrigal.
The panel covered the panelists' most influential projects, personal stories of how diverse projects they worked on inspired young viewers, how comics and animation are uniquely fit for conveying culturally rich stories, how social media has impacted the creative industry, and the Latin American stories that have captivated global audiences.
Moderating at SCAD ANIMATIONFEST
In 2025 I had the amazing opportunity to moderate not one, but two panels at the Savanna College of Art and Design's annual AnimationFest.
The first panel was for Critical Role's newest series, The Mighty Nein, and featured an in-depth conversation with the series’ showrunner Tasha Huo, art director Joseph Martinez, and lead character designer Jess Lackey as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the storytelling, worldbuilding, and creative process that brought the characters of The Mighty Nein to life.
The second panel, Crunchyroll's “From Scratch to Screen: Adapting Written Novels and Comics for a Global Audience,” featured “The Beginning After The End” webnovel creator Brandon Lee (or “TurtleMe”), “Let’s Play” webcomic creator Leeanne M. Krecic (or “Mongie"), and Crunchyroll producer Heather Horn as they discussed the adaptation process from comic/novel to animated series and the cultural education that's come from working alongside Japanese anime creatives.
There is a snippet of my Crunchyroll panel below along with links to articles covering both panels.
