Loading...
2024 Spring & Fall Semester in LA Soiree
Registration
Registration is now closed (this event already took place).
Details
Keep an eye out for further details regarding the location and be sure to save the date. We can't wait to celebrate with you!
Food Provided
Speakers
Thelma Vickroy
Interim Associate Dean of Los Angeles Programs
Thelma Vickroy is the Chair of the Department of Cinema and Television Arts at Columbia College Chicago and holds an MFA in Film and Television from New York University. She is a celebrated filmmaker, documentarian, Professor, and leader in higher education with a passion for using film to advance social justice. Previously, she was the Chair of the Department of Cinema and Television Arts at California State University, Northridge, in Los Angeles, CA.
Vickroy’s creative work has been honored with a number of high-profile awards. Her film My Father the Presidentwon a Cine Eagle and an American Film Festival Blue Ribbon, and her film Extraordinarily Ordinary was an official selection at the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival DocuWeek Theatrical Documentary Showcase and qualified her for consideration for an Academy Award in the documentary shorts category. Her portrait-style documentary, Ahmed, Say Something Funny, was an official selection at the Dubai Film Market and won Best Documentary and Best Comedy feature at the Action on Film Festival. Her work has been broadcast on PBS and showcased in various theaters across the country.
As an advocate for social justice, Vickroy has been a consultant on a federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and has worked with students on a suicide prevention and awareness campaign designed to reverse the rising crisis on college campuses. She also served as a principal investigator on a 2012 Wyncote Foundation Grant aimed at addressing sexual assault on college campuses. Additionally, she has pursued issues of access and educational equity through her DOCS ROCK program, a high school documentary production curriculum created for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Sarah Schroeder
Director of Alumni Relations, West Coast and Regional Programs
Columbia College Chicago
I am a thoughtful alumni relations and development professional with proven leadership, project management, and team motivation skills. As a key player on a development and alumni relations team, my specialties are in constituent relations, cultivation and fundraising, staff and volunteer management, alumni engagement, event production, strategic planning, artist support, public relations and marketing.
Niena Drake
Board Member
Niéna Drake is a highly respected Emmy Award-Winning Showrunner + Executive Producer, Director & Philanthropist who has increased revenue, engagement & diversity for major brands, media & tech companies. Her media and television work includes on-camera appearances, hosting, developing & producing for television and digital networks including ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, OWN, Disney, Showtime, Viacom, Apple, Netflix, Complex Media, BET, HGTV, iHeart Media and many more. She lead the digital production team and launched multiple unscripted original digital shows at CBS. Ms. Drake also produced ComplexConversations shows with Takashi Murakami, Virgil Abloh, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, and more for Complex Media. She's also had the honor of interviewing the world's most notable celebrities, entertainers, and public figures including Mr. President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and many more. The Chicago Tribune named her "one of the most influential" Chicagoans.
Additionally, as talent, Niéna Drake has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands, and celebrities, such as Apple, NIKE, Jordan Brand, Rolls-Royce, Vogue, TED.com, McDonald's, NFL, NFL Network, SPIN Media, Verizon, AT&T, Spotify, Tidal, HBO, BET, the LVMH Group, The First Lady Michelle Obama, Serena Williams, Deion Sanders and many more. Ms. Drake is currently the official DJ for the new tv show "Celebrity Squares" on VH1. When she’s not hosting and deejaying the top festivals, celebrity, brand & corporate events, she shares her time and talents doing motivational speaking, mentoring, and philanthropy work.
Philanthropy is a major priority for Ms. Drake. She is a Columbia College National Alumni Board member, Vice Chair of the Advancement (funding) Committee, and a Senior Director at the Emma Bowen Foundation. The Emma Bowen Foundation places minorities in internships and jobs at media, entertainment, and technology companies across the country - including NFL, CBS, FOX, Comcast NBCUniversal, OWN, Paramount, Forbes, Bloomberg, TIME, Warner Bros., and many others. As the Director of the EBF AMMP (All Multicultural Media Professionals) Network, she works with professionals who are college graduates/entry-level, mid, senior, and executive levels who have extensive experience in the business. She focuses on mentorship, connecting members with exciting job opportunities, career navigation & strategies, negotiating, exclusive events, professional development workshops, webinars, and more to prepare and polish them for their careers and create a successful long-term legacy in the business.
Kaiy Watts
Administrative Assistant
Columbia College Chicago
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaiy-watts/
Kaiy Watts is a multifaceted theater artist and administrative professional with a passion for enhancing communication and streamlining operations in the entertainment industry. With a background in theater performance and a keen eye for organization, Kaiy has excelled in various roles, showcasing versatility and dedication to excellence.
Michelle West
Assistant Director
Columbia College Chicago
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellepwest/
Michelle West is an award-winning director who loves using cinematic tools to craft an honest reflection of humanity. Minnesota-born with East Coast roots, Michelle’s inspiration comes from the women in her ancestry who endured poverty and abuse in silence. With every work, Michelle gives a voice to truths both past and present through radical truth-telling.
Michelle’s short drama, Cosmic Love, premiered at the 2022 Pasadena International Film Festival and won Best Female Empowerment film at the San Diego International Film Awards. Her latest short, Lesbophilia, starring Vico Ortiz (Our Flag Means Death) and Lana Parrilla (Once Upon A Time), is an absurdist dark comedy currently in the festival circuit. She's also in post-production on her dramatic period short, Lineage, based on a true story about her family's experience with abortion during the Great Depression.
With 17 years in entertainment, Michelle has worked for Disney, NBCUniversal, Fox, Plan B, Lifetime, and the Duplass Brothers. She's a graduate of the UCLA TFT Program for Acting and a member of the DGA. In addition to filmmaking, Michelle teaches at Columbia College Chicago’s Semester in LA program and volunteers with Friends of Griffith Park, and taught yoga for six years in the federal prison system.
Lineage (short) - Writer / Director / Producer
Set in 1933, 13-year-old Betty discovers both her mother and grandmother are keeping abortions a secret and it's up to her to break the generational cycle of silence. Post-production.
Lesbophilia (short) - Director / Producer
When free-as-a-bird bisexual Eliana questions giving up the "D", her girlfriend Chase must decide how far she’s willing to go for love. Festival circuit.
Cosmic Love (short) - Writer / Director / Producer
Following a recent heartbreak, a distraught therapist encourages a client to embrace her own rage.
Winner "Best Female Empowerment Film" - San Diego International Film Awards
Official Selection - Pasadena International Film Festival; The Valley Film Festival