Yi-Chen Lai is a theatre producer working at the intersection of new work creation and non-profit management. A creative problem solver with an artist’s heart and a business leader’s mind, Yi-Chen combines analytical thinking with creativity and the spirit of collaboration to support arts organizations and art workers in their creative process. Her unique background has led her to various roles at the New York International Fringe Festival, Signature Theatre Company, Figment Project on Governors Island, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, and Brooklyn College Theatre MFA Program. She has worked in the performing arts field as a lighting designer, stage manager, actor, producer, deck carpenter, sound/light board operator and programmer, general manager and company manager, as well as a teacher.  Most recently, she was appointed Director of Finance at Playwrights Horizons.

This event is free for Hunter students. No RSVP necessary.

Faith Petrides has been with New York City Ballet for 35 years rising to Director of Patron Services and Planned Giving. She officially retired in 2022, but was asked to stay on part-time to help out. She was also Company Manager to summer dance festivals, and for ten years wrote a Directory of Ballet Companies for the US and Europe to help dancers find jobs.

This event is free for Hunter students. No RSVP necessary.

Amy Hobby is an Oscar-nominated, Emmy, and Peabody Award-winning producer with credits on 30+ films in distribution. She is known for producing exceptional films about artists and the creative process. Her films on Nina Simone (What Happened, Miss Simone?), Sam Shepard (Shepard & Dark), Spalding Grey (And Everything is Going Fine), Nam June Paik (Moon is the Oldest TV) and Marilyn Monroe (Love, Marilyn) are known for their excellence in both storytelling and archival work.  Hobby’s films have garnered industry accolades and wide-audience appeal, premiering at top festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, and Tribeca and have been distributed by American Masters / PBS, Netflix, HBO, IFC, Sony Pictures Classics and the Criterion Collection, to name a few. Hobby is the former Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Institute and current co-founder of Distribution Advocates. With Distribution Advocates, she oversees the newly launched FilmADE Fund promoting innovation in marketing and audience building for independent cinema.

This event is free for Hunter students. No RSVP necessary.

Sarah Marcus is the Senior Director of Education and Community Engagement at the New York City Ballet. From 2009 to 2024, she served as the Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Mark Morris Dance Group, where she oversaw the development and expansion of programs that engaged nearly 25,000 participants annually. Throughout her tenure, she played a crucial role in strategic planning and cross-departmental collaboration, ensuring the organization’s mission of providing inclusive and equitable access to arts and culture. Sarah remains dedicated to teaching and continues to contribute to the broader dance community through her involvement with various arts organizations.

This event is free for Hunter students. No RSVP necessary.

Dara Meyers-Kingsley has over 20 years of experience as a contemporary art curator with an interdisciplinary curatorial practice. Her exhibitions, often including visual art, media, installation, and performance have been presented at LA MOCA, MCA Chicago, The New Museum, The Andy Warhol Museum, Miami MOCA, the Brooklyn Museum and the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh. Previously, she was Director of the Film and Video Collections for the Andy Warhol Foundation and curator of Film and Video at the Brooklyn Museum. She serves as the Director of Hunter’s Office of the Arts and the Muse Scholar Program.

This event is free and open to Hunter students.
No RSVP necessary.

Allison Hellegers is a Foreign Rights Director and Literary Agent for Stimola Literary Studio. After literary scouting, she was the Director of Foreign Rights for Alloy Entertainment and Rights People, and she continues to oversee all foreign, subsidiary and film rights for Stimola Literary Studio while growing her client list. Her adult co-agent clients include New York Times bestselling author Lucy Adlington (The Dressmakers of Auschwitz) and Reese Book Club pick Holly Smale (Cassandra in Reverse). Her young adult clients include award winning authors Colby Cedar Smith (Call Me Athena) and Rebecca Caprara (Spin) and as well as graphic novel clients Teo Duvall (Brooms) and Mari Costa (Belle of the Ball). Her middle-grade clients include ALA Notable Elaine Dimopolous (The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow) and beloved Australian author Nova Weetman (It All Begins With Jellybeans), who also has her first adult memoir coming out this year (Love, Death & Other Scenes). She represents a select few picture book clients, including Horn Book award winner Dinah Johnson (H is for Harlem) and Ezra Jack Keats honor winner and beloved Slovenian artist Marta Bartolj (Every Little Kindness). Allison attends the book fairs in Frankfurt and Bologna each year and has been an industry speaker and on staff at numerous conferences and events; this year she’s honored to have been chosen to participate in the Creative Australian VIP Publisher Program.

This event is free for Hunter students. No RSVP necessary.

Looking to break into the music industry? Come hear from a distinguished group of professionals working throughout this diverse and exciting industry.

PANELISTS:
Paul “Baby Paul” Hendricks - Grammy Nominated Hip Hop Producer, A&R Consultant and Media Content Curator
Sheana Stokes - CEO, Shhhh World Inc., AMLC Alum
Michele Hug - Vice President, Nasty Little Man PR
Natalie Ward - Administrative Assistant, Brick Wall Management, AMLC Alum
Alec Ifshin - Director of Finance and Business Affairs, Elsewhere

This event is free for Hunter students! No RSVP necessary.

Albert Martínez-Fernández is a business strategist specializing in arts and entertainment. As Manager of Strategy and Planning for the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, he leads strategic development, innovation, and operational efficiency. He also serves as an Expert-in-Residence for NYU’s MPA and Arts Administration programs. Previously, he built strategic partnerships with Fortune 500 companies at the Metropolitan Opera and held leadership roles in high-growth startups and multinational firms across travel, financial services, and technology sectors. A frequent lecturer at Columbia University, NYU, and Pace University, Albert’s work has been recognized by the Association of Arts Administration Educators and the “La Caixa” Foundation. He is a graduate from NYU, Aarhus Business School, and Pompeu Fabra University.

Presented by the Arts Management and Leadership Certificate Program.

This event is free for Hunter students. No RSVP necessary.

Jen Pearce is the Founder of Low Profile, a music licensing, publishing, & consulting agency based in Brooklyn, NY. After working in the music industry for years at companies like Warner Bros. Records & Downtown Records, Jen decided to open up her own shop after being fed up with the status quo. Low Profile was born out of a need for radical transparency in the music industry and a dedication to helping musicians build sustainable careers. Since launching in May of 2017, Low Profile has become the go-to source for innovative brands and content creators looking to partner with the most cutting-edge artists from all over the world. With their unparalleled access to artists, global reach, and early detection of new currents and trends, Low Profile is able to facilitate meaningful collaborations that are mutually beneficial for everyone involved. Some of the artists on Low Profile’s roster includes Solange, FKJ, Boy Harsher, Nation of Language, Empress Of, JR JR, YACHT and more. 

Presented by the Arts Management and Leadership Certificate Program.

This event is free for Hunter students. No RSVP necessary.

Gregory Mosher is the director and/or producer of over 200 plays and musicals, many of them world or American premieres at the Lincoln Center and Goodman theaters (both of which he led), on Broadway, at the Royal National Theatre, and in London’s West End. His theater and film colleagues have included such leading actors as Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Candice Bergen, Brian Cox, Mia Farrow, Sally Field, Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Lange, John Leguizamo, Steve Martin, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland, Robin Williams, and many more. He currently serves as Hunter College’s Senior Associate Dean for the Arts.

This event is free for Hunter students. No RSVP necessary.

Grammy nominated Music Supervisor Barry Cole and his company, Spot Music, stand at the threshold of where music meets media and technology. Spot Music is an independent music supervision and consulting firm with more than 100 televsion and film credits, including “The 1619 Project”, Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Uknown”, “Sling Blade”, “American Psycho”, ‘Super Troopers”, “Brown Sugar”, “Roll Bounce”, “Beautyshop” and “Notorious”. Current projects include Becoming Shaun White (Docu Series for Discovery +) , “Rustin” (Biopic for Netflix) and “Moon Is The Oldest TV: Nam June Paik (Documentary IFC)  Barry Cole’s exceptional talent and artistry as a Music Supervisor caught the attention of Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records. Cole managed Blackwell’s publishing catalog of over 15,000 songs including the catalogs of such luminaries as Bob Marley. In 2013 Cole and Blackwell were co-nominated for their work on the documentary “Marley” in the category of Best Compilation for Visual Media. 

Presented by the Arts Management and Leadership Certificate Program.

This event is free for Hunter students. No RSVP necessary.

Renée Muza is a documentary producer and director, most recently the showrunner on the Facebook Watch series The Scarlet Letter Reports, hosted by Amanda Knox, and the director of several episodes of The Story Of, for VICE Media. She has produced documentary content for VICE, Verizon, The History Channel, PBS, TBS, and The New York Times. Her commercial clients include Glasshouse Fragrances, R.E.M. Beauty, and Ludovic de Saint Sernin. Her short film Before the Bomb, directed by Tannaz Hazemi and shot by Hilary Spera, premiered at the Festival de Cannes. Renée is a co-founder of the artist residency program Home of The Brave, located in the ghost town of Cisco, Utah. She is currently producing Walk With Me, an independent feature length documentary.

No RSVP necessary. This event is open to all Hunter students.

Albert Martínez-Fernández is an Arts and Entertainment business professional, currently working as the Budget Manager for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In this capacity, he plans and executes global financial planning processes and conducts data-intensive analysis for business optimization. Albert is also an Expert-in-Residence in Design Thinking Innovation for the MPA program at NYU. Previously, he launched a new EDI strategic partnership program with Fortune 500 companies for The Metropolitan Opera and held various business and marketing roles across Europe in high-growth startups and multinational corporations within the travel, financial, and technology sectors. Albert has offered guest lectures at Columbia University and NYU, and his contributions have received recognition from the Association of Arts Administration Educators and the “La Caixa” Foundation. Native to Spain, he is fluent in five languages and graduated in arts administration, business, and marketing from NYU, Aarhus University Business School, and Pompeu Fabra University.

Presented by the Arts Management and Leadership Certificate Program.

This event is free for students and no RSVP is necessary.

Ciara Murphy is Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Planning at the Mellon Foundation. In her role at Mellon, Ciara serves as a senior member of the Arts & Culture team shaping the vision and implementing new grantmaking initiatives within the A&C team. She also currently serves as a faculty member for the Stanford in New York program, where she teaches courses in the history and practice of theater in New York City. Previously, Ciara was Director of Strategic Research and Planning at The Public Theater, where she was initially appointed as an ACLS postdoctoral Public Fellow. At the Public, Ciara led all aspects of strategic & institutional planning; in addition to spearheading the Public’s audience research and program evaluation initiatives. Ciara received her Ph.D. in Theater & Performance Studies, and Ph.D. Minor in the History from Stanford University. She received her B.A. in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Presented by the Arts Management and Leadership Certificate Program

This event is free for Hunter student and no RSVP is necessary.

Jamilah Rose received her MBA from Long Island University, with a concentration in Marketing.  Jamilah also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, an Associate’s Degree in Social Work, and a Certificate in Style & Fashion management from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).  In the midst of styling and marketing celebrities, she created Epiphany Armor, her own line of accessories.  Beyonce was the first celebrity to own a pair of shades from Jamilah’s collection, and she continued to work with top celebrities and shows including Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, VIBE Magazine, VH1, and America’s Next Top Model. Jamilah is an Executive Producer of many podcasts and has a history on radio networks from college to AM/FM stations, and now IHeart Radio. Additionally, Jamilah spent over 7 consecutive years as a Program Director and Grant Writer for both public and private sectors. Jamilah is also the Founder of her organization, Power of Stilettos, which was established in 2013 with a mission to empower and motivate women of all ages, building self-confidence, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship while creating sisterhood.

Presented by the Arts Management and Leadership Certificate Program

This events is free for Hunter Students and no RSVP is necessary.

Nicole Brancato makes music to unlock wonder. Fascinated with contemporary expressions of our shared human experience, the NYC-based pianist merges curation, composition and performance in collaborations across the arts. Described as “brilliant” and an “immense talent” (New York Magazine and Connect Savannah), Nicole is “redefining the very notion of classical music” (Atención San Miguel). Her credits range from the Guggenheim Museum, Rai Italia (television network Italy), and the Banff Centre, as well as Lincoln Center, HBO, and NPR. As an educator, Nicole’s extensive experience includes the Gesellschaftshaus Magdeburg, Germany and the Sphinx Organization. She is an awardee of National Sawdust’s Hildegard Competition (2022 Finalist) and is a member of Seven Hills Chamber Music Festival as Director and Artist in Residence.

Presented by the Arts Management and Leadership Certificate Program.

This event is free for Hunter students and no RSVP is necessary.

Renée Muza is a documentary producer and director, most recently the showrunner on the Facebook Watch series The Scarlet Letter Reports, hosted by Amanda Knox. She has produced documentary content for VICE Media, Verizon, The History Channel, PBS, TBS, and The New York Times. Her short film Before the Bomb, directed by Tannaz Hazemi and shot by Hilary Spera, premiered at the Festival de Cannes. Renée is a co-founder of the artist residency program Home of The Brave, located in the ghost town of Cisco, Utah. She is currently producing Walk With Me, an independent feature length documentary.

Presented by the Arts Management and Leadership Certificate Program

This event is free for Hunter students and no RSVP is necessary.

Dara Meyers-Kingsley has 20 years of experience as a contemporary art curator with an interdisciplinary curatorial practice. Her exhibitions, often including visual art, media, installation, and performance have been presented at LA MOCA, MCA Chicago, The New Museum, The Andy Warhol Museum, Miami MOCA, the Brooklyn Museum and the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh. Previously, she was Director of the Film and Video Collections for the Andy Warhol Foundation and curator of Film and Video at the Brooklyn Museum. She serves as the Director of Hunter’s Office of the Arts and the Muse Scholar Program.

Presented by the Arts Management and Leadership Certificate Program.

This event is free and open to Hunter students. No RSVP necessary.

Jessie Kilgus joined the Musicambia team in 2017 as a freelance grant writer. In 2018, she became Musicambia’s first-ever full-time employee, thanks to a grant from the New York State Regional Economic Development Council. In 2019, in recognition of her contribution to the organization, she became Musicambia’s Executive Director, a position she held until 2023. In addition to serving on Musicambia’s board of directors, she is also on the advisory board of the Adolf Busch Award. Jessie is passionate about using the arts as a springboard for personal transformation. Having served as both the Director of Development and Public Relations at Art Start and subsequently, the Development Director and Program Manager at Arts For All, Jessie has been committed to bringing arts education to under-served communities for the past thirteen years. In addition to her work in the non-profit sector, Jessie is also a singer/songwriter and a former actress.

Presented by the Arts Management and Leadership Certificate Program

Free for Hunter student and no RSVP necessary.

Gregory Mosher is the director and/or producer of over 200 plays and musicals, many of them world or American premieres at the Lincoln Center and Goodman theaters (both of which he led), on Broadway, at the Royal National Theatre, and in London’s West End. His theater and film colleagues have included such leading actors as Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Candice Bergen, Brian Cox, Mia Farrow, Sally Field, Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Lange, John Leguizamo, Steve Martin, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland, Robin Williams, and many more. He currently serves as Hunter College’s Senior Associate Dean for the Arts.

Presented by the Arts Management and Leadership Certificate Program

Free and no RSVP necessary!

Baby Paul (formerly of the ’90s production crew Da Beatminerz) is a Grammy Nominated music producer for artists like: Nas, AZ, Fat Joe, Dj Clue, Rick Ross, Remy Ma, Kanye West, Consequence, Pharoahe Monch, Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun, and many others. He is also the COO of independent music label - XMG LLC in partnership with 300 Entertainment/Sparta.

No RSVP necessary!