Dynamic Program Featuring Top Business Leaders and Media Icons Set for the 21st Annual NAMIC Conference

Dynamic Program Featuring Top Business Leaders and Media Icons Set for the 21st Annual NAMIC Conference

NEW YORK, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association for Multi- ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) today announced program highlights for the 21st Annual NAMIC Conference, scheduled for September 16-18, 2007 at the Hilton New York in Manhattan. The cornerstone of Cable Diversity Week, the theme for the 21st Annual NAMIC Conference is Diversity 2.0: The New Protocol. Educational track sessions featuring more than one hundred business leaders will focus on corporate diversity and inclusion, digital media, ad sales, leadership development, multi-ethnic markets and other timely topics that drive business growth today in the communications industry. The dynamic program produced by NAMIC will be further highlighted by compelling General Sessions, award presentations, a Mentoring Luncheon, the launch of a Television Writers' Workshop, and the annual Career Expo.

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"As NAMIC continues to advocate for multi-ethnic inclusion in communications, the theme and program slated for this year's conference symbolize NAMIC's commitment to examining the ever-changing state of diversity and providing tools for navigating through its changing landscape," said Kathy Johnson, president, NAMIC.

On Monday, September 17, NAMIC will hold its inaugural Television Writers' Workshop. A progressive educational event, the Writers' Workshop will be facilitated by veteran and award-winning writer, Kermit Frazier. Frazier will lead a group of fifteen writers that were selected to participate in the private session based on review of their previously written works. Also scheduled for Monday morning is the Opening General Session: Leadership 2.0 A New Paradigm, a progressive discussion on the changing pace and landscape of leadership in the communications industry. Monica Bertran, host of Bloomberg Television's "Market Movers," will moderate the panel that includes Bob DeBitetto, EVP & GM, A&E Television Networks; Peter Firestone, managing director, US, Media & Entertainment Consulting, Deloitte Consulting LLP; Scott Mills, president & COO, BET; Christina Norman, president, MTV; and Evan Shapiro, EVP & GM, The Independent Film Channel.

The full roster of track sessions slated for Monday, September 17 will feature high caliber panel discussions facilitated by an impressive group of moderators and speakers such as: Sonia Alleyne, careers & lifestyle editor, Black Enterprise Magazine; Dr. Donna Blancero, PhD, VP, Research Division, NSHMBA & editor Business Journal of Hispanic Research; Tony Harris, anchor, "Morning Edition," CNN Newsroom; Marva Smalls, EVP, Global Inclusion Strategy, MTV Networks & EVP, Public Affairs & Chief of Staff, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group; and Carlos Soto, president & CEO, National Hispanic Corporate Council.

Additional "hot topic" events scheduled for Monday, September 17 include the annual L. Patrick Mellon Mentorship Luncheon and the presentation of the Excellence in Multi-cultural Marketing Awards (EMMA). The mentoring luncheon panelists are: Shawn Dove, president/CEO, Dove Ventures, LLC; Rene Syler, former host of the CBS "Early Show" and author of "Good Enough Mother;" Elinor Tatum, publisher, Amsterdam News; and Rachel Vassel, former cable executive and author, Daughters of Men: Portraits of African-American Women and Their Fathers. Sponsored by ESPN Deportes and presented in partnership with CableWorld magazine, the EMMA competition recognizes best practices in multi- cultural marketing and is considered the "Multi-cultural Marketing Olympics" of the cable industry.

Multichannel News kicks-off the slate of sessions and events scheduled for Tuesday, September 18 with In the Game and Scoring Points: The Role of Multi- ethnics in Sports and Sports Television. Hosted by Multichannel News as a special adjunct event to the 21st Annual NAMIC Conference, the breakfast panel will examine the role of multi-ethnics in sports and sports television.

Award-winning Journalist and Author, Mariane Pearl will deliver a keynote address to open Tuesday morning's General Session, The Media and the Minds of The Masses: Cultural Awareness vs. Cultural Wariness. A Reporter and Global Diary Columnist for Glamour magazine, Pearl is the widow of Daniel Pearl, The Wall Street Journal reporter slain by a militant Islamic fundamentalist group in Pakistan in 2002. The Walter Kaitz Foundation is the Presenting Sponsor of Pearl's keynote address and the General Session that will follow her remarks, which focuses on the impact of the media's representation of ethnic groups. Moderated by Robert Simmelkjaer of ESPN, the panel is comprised of media veterans, Angela Burt Murray, editor-in-chief, Essence Magazine; Jose Diaz- Balart, co-anchor of Telemundo's "Cada dia;" Larry Wilmore of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show;" and Parisa Khosravi, SVP, International Newsgathering, CNN Worldwide. iNDEMAND Networks is also a Co-Sponsor.

Educational track sessions taking place following Tuesday's General Session will feature top business leaders such as Michael Armstrong, SVP & GM, BET International; Wagner Denuzzo, founder and president, Workplace Development Services, LLC; Robin Fisher Roffer, CEO and chief creative officer, Big Fish Marketing, Inc.; Mary Murano, president of Distribution, Oxygen Media; Lynne Ramsey, SVP, Human Resources, Charter Communications; Brad Samuels, EVP, Affiliate Sales and Marketing, TV One; and Joe Watson, CEO and founder, Without Excuses and StrategicHire.

Another "big event" scheduled for Tuesday is this year's Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award Luncheon, which honors award-winning Journalist, Anderson Cooper, anchor of CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360." By recognizing Cooper through this award, NAMIC continues its tradition of honoring individuals and organizations affiliated with the communications industry that demonstrate a commitment to advancing the causes and concerns of people of color. Additionally, NAMIC will hold its second annual Career Expo in conjunction with the 21st Annual NAMIC Conference. Presented in partnership with VarietyCareers.com, the Career Expo takes place on Tuesday, September 18 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and features more than forty exhibiting companies.

David L. Cohen, executive vice president, Comcast Corporation and Andrew T. Heller, president of Domestic Distribution for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. are the 2007 Honorary Co-Chairs. Marsha J. Conaway, regional vice president, Human Resources, Midwest Region, Time Warner Cable; Charisse R. Lillie, vice president, Human Resources, Comcast Corporation and senior vice president, Human Resources, Comcast Cable Communications; and Sandra Murillo Weber, vice president, Multicultural Market Development, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. serve as the event planning Co-Chairs.

For more information or to register for the 21st Annual NAMIC Conference visit www.namic.com or call the NAMIC national headquarters, (212) 594-5985. Online registration closes Thursday, September 13. Onsite registration will be available at the Hilton New York.

About NAMIC

NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) is the premier organization focusing on multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. Founded in 1980 as a non-profit trade association, today NAMIC is comprised of nearly 2,000 professionals belonging to a network of 17 chapters nationwide. Through initiatives that focus on education, advocacy and empowerment, NAMIC champions equity and inclusion in the workforce, with special attention given to ensuring that the leadership cadres of our nation's communications industry giants reflect the multi-ethnic richness of the populations they serve.

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