Venue: Katzen Arts Center, American University

Day 1: March 1, 2019

8:00 to 9:00
Coffee + Registration

9:00 to 9:30
Welcome
Caty Borum Chattoo, Director, CMSI;
Jennifer Humke, Program Officer, MacArthur Foundation;
Dean Jeffrey Rutenbeck, School of Communication, American University

9:30 to 11:30
Civic Storytelling & Media Platforms
Guiding Question: Why and how are platforms in the converged media empowering civic storytelling and community activism? What media platforms are promising current and future tools, and how are you using them?

Moderator: Benjamin Stokes, Faculty Fellow, CMSI

Speakers: Colin Maclay, Annenberg Innovation Lab
Courtney Cogburn, Columbia School of Social Work & 1000-Cut Journey
Prentiss Haney, Midwest Culture Lab
Ben Kassoy, DoSomething.org
Annie Niemand, Center for Public Interest Communications

11:30 to 1:00
Lunch + Interactive Fishbowl
Convening participants are invited to step into the middle of an informal fishbowl, talk for a few minutes about their work, and listen to others.

1:00 to 3:00
Changing Images & Empowering Storytellers
Guiding Question: Why and how do images in the popular imagination matter for social justice? How do we change them?

Moderator: Leena Jayaswal, Faculty Fellow, CMSI

Speakers: Sharese Bullock Bailey, Ghetto Film School with Rick Litvin and Julie Lozano, NYU
Crystal EchoHawk, IllumiNative
Nancy Schwartzman, Roll Red Roll, Circle of 6
Kashif Shaikh, Pillars Fund
Elizabeth Grizzle Voorhees, Define American

3:00 to 3:30
Break + Shoutouts
We invite convening attendees to step up to the mic and announce themselves and their work, as a way to invite others to find them.

3:30 to 5:30
Hollywood Influence & Narrative Change
Guiding Question: Why and how do Hollywood narratives about social issues and communities matter? How is the portrait changing?

Moderator: Caty Borum Chattoo

Speakers: Rashid Shabazz, Color of Change
Bridgit Antoinette Evans, Pop Culture Collaborative
Ishita Srivastava, Caring Across Generations
Jeffrey Jones, Peabody Awards and Peabody Media Center

5:30 to 5:45
Day 1 Closing Remarks

5:45 to 7:00
Meet n’ Greet Reception

DAY 2: March 2, 2019

8:00 to 9:00
Coffee

9:00 to 9:10
Welcome

9:15 to 11:00
Stories Powering Civic Practice, Part 1
Guiding Question: Why and how do nonfiction stories power civic practice while illuminating untold stories? What is the role of collaboration and partnerships?

Moderator: Patricia Aufderheide, Founder, CMSI

Speakers: Cara Mertes, Ford Foundation JustFilms
Molly Murphy, Working Films
Kim Reed, Dark Money
Jamie Dobie, Peace is Loud

11:00 to 11:25
Break + Shoutouts

11:25 to 12:55
Stories Powering Civic Practice, Part 2
Guiding Question: Why and how do nonfiction stories power civic practice while illuminating untold stories? What is the role of collaboration and partnerships?

Moderator: Caty Borum Chattoo

Speakers: Brenda Coughlin, Sundance Institute
Denali Tiller, Tre Maison Dasan
Sonya Childress, Firelight Media

1:00 to 1:15
Closing Remarks, Lessons Learned, Future Musings

1:15 to 2:30
Lunch + Fishbowl

2:30
Farewell