Program

time

Event

location

Wednesday, April 2nd

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm pst

Industry Kick-Off Party

(Pass-Holders Only)

Cambria
Burbank Hotel

time

MAIN STAGE 1

THEATRE 15

location

8:30 AM -
9:00 AM

Welcome - Keith/Rio

Keynote
Kevin Klowden

(Milken Institute)

AMC 16
Burbank

9:00 AM -
9:55 AM

Level Up: Career Growth

In Animation & Gaming

AMC 16
Burbank

10:00 AM -
10:55 AM

Impact of AI on The Creator Economy:

The Future of Content Creation & Storytelling

AMC 16
Burbank

11:00 AM -
11:55 AM

Walt Disney Animation Studios Presents:

Creative Development for Feature Animation

AMC 16
Burbank

12:00 PM

12:30PM

Lunch

Iyanu Exclusive Screening

From Page to Screen: The Making of Iyanu

AMC 16
Burbank

2:00 PM -
2:55 PM

Constructing a Character with
Pixar Animation Studios

AMC 16
Burbank

3:00 PM -
3:55 PM

The Voices Behind Films,
Series and Television Shows

AMC 16
Burbank

4:00 PM -
4:55 PM

The Business of Film-making: Landing Distribution,
Co-Production & Development Deals

AMC 16
Burbank

5:15 PM -
7:00 PM

Marketplace Networking Mixer

HAN KOREAN
BBQ HOUSE

VIP & Sponsor’s Passholders-Only

201 E Magnolia
Blvd #281, Burbank,
CA 91502

Gaming and Animation Networking Mixer
(Open to All Creators)

HILTON GARDEN INN-
BURBANK

*Program is subject to change.

time

MAIN STAGE 1

THEATRE 15

MAIN STAGE 2

THEATRE 13

location

8:30 AM -
8:55 AM

Welcome + Recap - Rio

AMC 16
BURBANK

9:00 AM -
9:55 AM

Young Creators Panel:
How I Went from College to My Job in the Entertainment Industry

AMC 16
BURBANK

10:00 AM -
10:55 AM

Animated Worlds & Wild Robots:
A Conversation With Chris Sanders

AMC 16
BURBANK

11:00 AM -
11:55 AM

The Future of Gaming

AMC 16
BURBANK

12:00 PM -
12:55 PM

LUNCHEON & TRIBUTE

Kelci Parker, Hulu
Lyvia Martinez, Netflix
Keith White, AfroAnimation

VIP & Sponsor’s Passholders-Only

PALMA
RISTORANTE
DOWNTOWN
BURBANK

269 E Palm Ave,
Burbank, CA 91502

1:00 PM -
1:55 PM

Women Leading the Future
Of Animation, Entertainment
and Gaming

Animating the Future:
Shaping the Next
Generation

AMC 16
BURBANK

2:00 PM -
2:55 PM

The Journey to
Lucasfilm Animation

AMC 16
BURBANK

3:00 PM -
3:55 PM

The Power of Storytelling
On the Global Stage

AMC 16
BURBANK

3:00 PM -
3:55 PM

Careers in Feature Film Animation at LAIKA

AMC 16
BURBANK

4:00 PM -
4:55 PM

Meet the Disney
Recruiters

Short Film Festival
Announcement,
Moderated by Adriel Meka

AMC 16
BURBANK

5:00 PM -
7:00 PM

Industry Networking Mixer

Sponsored by

YARD HOUSE,
BURBANK

6:30 PM -
9:00 PM

FRWD Awards Dinner

VIP & Sponsor’s Passholders-Only

CASTAWAY,
BURBANK

1250 E Harvard Rd,
Burbank, CA 91501

*Program is subject to change.

time

WORKSHOP

FIRST FLOOR, CAMBRIA

CORPORATE
SUITE 322

location

8:30 AM -
8:55 AM

Welcome and Creators Networking Coffee Meet-Up

CAMBRIA HOTEL, BURBANK AIRPORT

9:00AM

Creative Job Fair SoCal Opens

CAMBRIA HOTEL
- COURTYARD

10:00 AM -
10:55 AM

Lead Character Design
In Episodic Stories Workshop
by Tara Nicole Whitaker

The Actor’s Journey
with Alisa Reyes:
Turning Preparation
into Performance

CAMBRIA
HOTEL
BURBANK

11:00 AM -
11:45 AM

Mock Writing Room
Workshop by Tiffany Thomas

Introduction to
Game Design With
Fortnite by Eric Elder

CAMBRIA
HOTEL
BURBANK

12:00 PM -
2:00 PM

NEXT Top Storyboard
Artist Competition

1:00PM - 4:00PM

GenJam: Learning and
Using AI Tools to Create
a Short Film in 3 hrs!

⁠Krea.ai
⁠dreammachine.lumalabs.ai/
Udio.com

CAMBRIA
HOTEL
BURBANK

3:00PM

How to Monetize Your Content
and Make Money: TikTok,
YouTube, IG by Kevin Temmer &
Jackson Masuka

*A laptop is required.

Make sure to download
Software in advance.

4:00 PM -
4:55 PM

From Imagination to
Reality: Character Creation,
Animation, and World-Building
by Daniel Johnson

4:00PM - 4:30PM (Fast Workshop)

The Cost-Effective Animation
Production in Africa:
Strategies for Success in the
U.S. Market by Ayodele Elegba, CEO at SPOOF! Animation, Nigeria

4:30PM - 5:00PM (Fast Workshop)
How to Market Yourself:
Increasing Your Industry Contacts
by Alejandro Sandoval,
Founder of Robo

CAMBRIA
HOTEL
BURBANK

5:00 PM -
7:00 PM

CLOSING DAY MIXER

CAMBRIA
HOTEL - LOBBY

PROGRAM