2025 AME Institute Bay Area Pop-Up to Feature Panel on Emerging Creative Talent

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, February 18, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The AME Institute is proud to announce its 2025 Bay Area Pop-Up, a one-day professional development event for Arts, Media, and Entertainment (AME) educators, taking place on Friday, February 28, 2025. This event will gather the region’s most influential creative industry leaders to help train and support the educators preparing the Bay Area creative workforce.

The day will begin at A.C.T.’s Strand Theater with an AME Expo, followed by featured panel conversation exploring insights on how we can cultivate and retain emerging creative talent in the Bay Area. The conversation will feature Rodney Earl Jackson Jr., Grace Porras, and Dawn Valadez. It will be moderated by Lex Leifheit.

Featured Panel: Keeping Creativity and Innovation in the Bay
Panel Descriptor: Join us for a discussion with Bay Area thought leaders about how we can support emerging talent in the region—and keep them here! Our speakers will share successful strategies and programs that build our creative workforce and teach the skills necessary to help young creatives thrive. We'll also discuss other initiatives that help young artists build a career and a life in the Bay Area.

Featured Panelists:
Rodney Earl Jackson Jr (SFBATCO) – A San Francisco native and Broadway performer, Rodney is the Artistic Director & Co-Founder of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company (SFBATCO). His career spans international stages, major play development projects, and leading efforts to uplift diverse artists through SFBATCO’s innovative programming.


Grace Porras (#MakeItBay) – An Emmy Award-winning television producer, Grace has worked in major media markets, including New York and Los Angeles, and now leads efforts in the Bay Area. As the Head of Production at Who Knows Best (W. Kamau Bell’s production company), she played a key role in launching the East Bay Film Collective, a community-driven initiative to strengthen the region’s film industry.


Dawn Valadez (BAVC Media)– A filmmaker, producer, and youth arts advocate, Dawn has produced numerous award-winning documentaries and projects that elevate underrepresented voices. She is the Co-Director of the BAVC Media Maker Fellowship and Director of Youth and Artist Development at BAVC Media, where she empowers emerging filmmakers and champions equitable access to creative careers.


Moderator:
Lex Leifheit (City of Oakland) – A leading voice in California’s creative economy, Lex is the Interim Manager of Cultural Affairs for the City of Oakland. Her work has shaped funding programs and policies aimed at supporting artists, nonprofits, and community-led economic development. She has played a key role in allocating over $50 million toward arts and culture initiatives in the Bay Area.

Following the keynote, creative industry partners such as Adobe, Pixar, KQED, Lucasfilm, and others will open their doors to the 200 educators attending the event. The teachers will be given a front row seat into what it takes to be a part of one of these successful teams. And they will take resources, information, and inspiration back to their classrooms and students. The industry partners hosting sessions include: ABC-7, Adobe, American Conservatory Theater, BAVC Media, Dolby, Industrial Light and Magic, Lucasfilm, KQED, Pixar, Soundtrap, Unity Technology, and Women’s Audio Mission.

About AME Institute
The AME Institute envisions a world where all students, and particularly those furthest from opportunity, have the access and preparation needed to succeed in the creative workforce of today and tomorrow. We realize this vision by equipping educators with the tools and training they need to empower the next generation of our creative workforce. Sponsors include A.C.T Theater, Adobe, CVL Economics, EditMentor, Dolby, Toon Boom, Soundtrap for Education, Study Smart Tutors, and Wacom.

For more information about the 2025 AME Institute Bay Area Pop-Up, please visit www.ameinstitute.org.

Ashley Adams
Arts Media and Entertainment Institute
+1 619-743-0519
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