• Alteronce Gumby

    DARK MATTER MEDIA | CREATOR | PRODUCER

    Alteronce Gumby is a contemporary abstract painter and emerging filmmaker. His investigations center on the history of monochromatic painting, color theory, cosmology, astrophysics, interstellar photography and Impressionism. Gumby’s process is the fulcrum of his work. It begins with the examination of light, its properties, and media—including resin, glass and gemstones.

    Alteronce founded Dark Matter Media in 2023 to explore the visual and narratively driven components of his artist practice.

  • John Campbell

    JCINTIME | DIRECTOR | WRITER | PRODUCER

    Founder of JCINTIME, LLC, a creative management & production company with significant productions including ‘5150’, where John Campbell is co-Executive Producer along with Critic’s Choice and SAG Award winning actor & Executive Producer David Oyelowo, directed by Denzel Whitaker, and stars Jovan Adepo, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2021.

    Associations: Board of director for Youth Inc. – Former voting member and three time award winner of the Grammys Academy – Former Chair of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Ambassadors Committee – Three time Gold Award recipient of President Barack Obama’s National Volunteers Award. Former Board of director, Shaker Museum, NY.

PRODUCTION TEAM:

  • Zurich Deleon

    DARK MATTER MEDIA | EXECUTIVE-PRODUCER

    Zurich is a Playwright and Marketing Specialist, based in New York. Outside of her career, she is especially active in community building within her art circle. She is currently a studio manager for Alteronce Gumby Studio while maintaining her commitment to consultation services for emerging artists who need support developing their practice. Zurich graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in Theater, Integrated Design Engineering, and Applied Sciences with a certification in Creative Writing.

  • Jeffrey Deitch

    GALLERIST | EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

    Jeffrey Deitch has been involved with modern and contemporary art for fifty years as an artist, writer, curator, dealer, and advisor. Deitch’s first important curatorial project was Lives, a 1975 exhibition about artists who used their own lives as an art medium. His influential exhibition, Post Human, was presented at five museums and foundations in Europe and the Middle East in 1992-93. Deitch’s vanguard commercial gallery, Deitch Projects, produced more than two hundred and fifty projects during its fifteen-year history from 1995-2010. Photography by Nadia Lee Cohen.

  • Derek Fordjour

    ARTIST | CO-PRODUCER

    Derek Fordjour was born in Memphis, Tennessee to parents of Ghanaian heritage. He was awarded 2016 Sugarhill Museum Artist-in-Residence, the 2017 Sharpe Walentas Studio Program in New York City, and named the 2018 Deutsche Bank NYFA Fellowship Award. He is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta Georgia, earned a Master’s Degree in Art Education from Harvard University and an MFA in painting from Hunter College.

  • Lewis Long

    GALLERIST | CO-PRODUCER

    Long Gallery Harlem provides a creative forum for under-represented artists and a trusted resource for art collectors navigating the seemingly impenetrable art world. Among the 70+ artists who have been presented in exhibitions are Bisa Butler, Renee Cox, Delano Dunn, Derek Fordjour, Alteronce Gumby, Kim Mahorn, Arcmanaro Niles, Nona Hendryx, Zachery Richardson, and Kennedy Yanko.

  • Angella Nazarian

    AUTHOR | EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

    Angella Nazarian is a noted speaker and best-selling author of four books: Life as a Visitor, Pioneers of the Possible: Celebrating Visionary Women of the World, Visionary Women, and Creative Couples, which is in its second printing. Angella is also the co-founder of VISIONARY WOMEN, a social impact organization that drives change for some of the most pressing issues facing women and girl.

  • Chandler Wild

    ALL THE WAY AROUND | PRODUCER

    Chandler is a director, editor, shooter and producer based in New York City. His work has been seen at film festivals all over the world and he has made work for some of the largest brands in the marketplace as well as content for Democratic candidates all over the country.

    All The Way Around production firm works hand in hand with talent and brands to produce engaging television series, impactful films, and dynamic commercial content.

  • Scott DelaCruz

    ALL THE WAY AROUND | PRODUCER

    Scott has worked in the media and entertainment industry for over 20 years. His projects have ranged from award winning commercial content to global theatrical tours and films. He is based in New York City.

    All the Way Around operates as a micro studio, staying nimble and efficient while still meeting the high quality production and post demands of projects large and small.

  • Ayesha Selden

    EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

    Ayesha Selden is a noted financial services executive, economic activist, investor, and art collector. Originally from Philadelphia, and currently based in Los Angeles, she brings a wealth of expertise and experience to her multifaceted endeavors. Her true passion lies in disciplined investing and fostering urban development. Notably, she focuses on investing in real estate within underrepresented areas of Philadelphia, providing quality housing options for low-income communities.

  • Anwarii Musa

    ARTMATIC NYC | EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

    Anwarii Musa is a Curator, Advisor and founder of ArtMatic Advisory and sits on the Queens Museum board of trustees. With his exceptional and diverse skills in the arts, he brings over a decade worth of experience in the contemporary art market in advising private collections and acquisitions from across the country. In 2014, Musa started his advisory company ArtMatic Advisory as a private Art consultant, His practice include, Advising clients on acquisitions for private and public collections, estate planning and execution, Collection Management and public relations.

  • Malcolm Jenkins

    LISTEN UP MEDIA | EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

    Malcolm Jenkins is an entrepreneur, executive producer, philanthropist, and racial justice advocate who is widely recognized as one of the NFL’s greatest defensive leaders of all time. Malcolm co-founded Listen Up Media, a groundbreaking media production company dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices. By focusing on diverse narratives and authentic representation, Listen Up provokes meaningful conversations and challenges societal norms.

  • Akila Raman-Vaseghi

    EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

    Akila earned an A.B. in Politics and a Certificate in Finance from Princeton University in 2004. She joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst and since then has brought important Debt IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) to the market. She has helped the firm’s most important clients mitigate interest rate and foreign currency risk with particular focus on hedging risk associated with mergers/acquisitions and debt issuance. She has expertise in natural resources companies in sectors such as energy, power, and metals, and has also prioritized using technology and automation to streamline workflow.

  • Brian McKinney

    EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

    Brian McKinney Sr. is the CEO and Founder of Gayanga Co., a licensed, bonded, and insured construction engineering startup specializing in total demolition, site clearing excavation and earthwork, environmental services, asset recovery, underground utilities (electrical and water), and trucking. Over the last decade, Brian has amassed a wealth of experience in startup culture, business ownership, leading-edge technologies, analytics, real estate development, coalition building, and unlocking the potential of underserved communities.

Featured Guests:

Michael Ambron

Artist | Pigment Specialist

Michael Ambron is a Queens-based artist and the owner and operator of Paintmakersnotes.com. Paint Makers Notes is a hands-on workshop series that empowers artists to take control of their creative practices by learning to make paint from scratch and broadening their general knowledge of raw materials. Michael received his BFA from Tyler School of Art and his MFA from The Ohio State University, where he was awarded a 2012 Daedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship. Since 2014, Michael has been living and working in Queens, NY, where he continues to investigate the nature of perceptual experience as it relates to the structures of personal and collective consciousness. His work has been exhibited in such galleries as Ortega y Gasset Projects and Jeffrey Deitch NYC, and he is the recent recipient of a 2022 Daedalus Foundation Research Grant.

Jerome Lamaar

Color Expert | Designer

Jerome is a polymath. He is a creative strategist and director, futurist, costume designer, streetwear expert, and color expert. Jerome has built a strong perspective on art, culture, fashion, food,urban development, and technology. In 2013, Jerome Lamaar launched 5:31 Jerome, a playful luxury streetwear collection which fused Jerome’s love for embellishments, maximalism, glamour and south bronx street-style into what he calls “street glam”. The brand received accolades from the New York Times, Elle magazine, Vogue, Teen Vogue, WWD, style.com, Fashionista and Refinery29 as a brand to watch and “The Next Big Thing.” 

Shondiin Mayo

Alaska Native | Filmmaker

Shondiin Mayo is the daughter of Violet Hunt of Ts’aa Bii Kin, Arizona, and Randy Mayo of Stevens Village. Her maternal grandparents are the late Jean Tallman of Ts’aa Bii Kin, Arizona, and the late Harry Hunt of Naataanii Nez, New Mexico. Shondiin earned a bachelor’s degree in 2021 from Northern Arizona University (NAU), where she studied creative media and film with an emphasis on documentary filmmaking. Most recently, she partnered with CBS to raise awareness on the importance of Indigenous representation in media. After much clarity, she is now pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Communication from NAU. Shondiin’s upbringing in Stevens Village and the Navajo Nation inspires her to capture the traditional ways of living and knowledge that Indigenous people have with the environment.

Dr. Catherine Kim

Marine Ecologist

Dr. Catherine Kim, is a marine ecologist working on the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program in the Rubble and Decision Science sub-programs with Professors Scott Bryan and Michael Bode (School of Mathematical Sciences), respectively. Currently, Dr. Kim is working on predicting coral rubble generation across the Great Barrier Reef and assessing risks of interventions. She is also leading a group from the Brisbane Floods Hackathon led by Dr Kate Saunders and Associate Professor Kate Helmstedt developing a flood vulnerability index for Brisbane City. Previously, she was a science field team member for the XL Catlin Seaview Survey and contributed to the automated image analysis of coral reef benthic images in the Indo-Pacific. Her PhD research was assessed drivers of benthic composition, reef crypto faunal communities, and coral health in Timor-Leste in the Coral Reef Ecosystems Laboratory at The University of Queensland.

Karima Bengara

Morocco Resident

Karima Bengara, was born and raised in Morocco but lives in Paris, France. She holds a BA in English Languages and is enamored by Moroccan cuisine. She’s dedicated her time and energy to various noble causes. Karima volunteered at the COP22, playing a part in the global effort to address climate change. Additionally, she joined the Moroccan Coalition of Young Researchers for Territorial Development, where Karima collaborated with like-minded individuals to promote positive change.