IPG Black Employee Network Hosts Black Panther Screening and Panel

28 Feb 2018

Companies

IPG’s Black Employee Network (BEN) hosted a panel discussion this week to explore the cultural implications of Marvel’s Black Panther film on the communications, entertainment and advertising industries.

A screening of the film immediately followed the panel. Nearly 500 people from across the IPG network attended the event. Panelists included leading journalists, culture critics and academic scholars along with Black creative talent from IPG’s agencies. Specifically:

  • Jamil Smith, Journalist; Author of the recent TIME cover story “The Revolutionary Power of Blank Panther
  • Tanisha Ford, Award-winning Writer; Cultural Critic; and Author of Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul
  • Dr. Arthur Lewin, Professor at Baruch College; Author of Africa is Not a Country, It is a Continent!; and expert on Black imagery in mass communications
  • Blake Winfree, VP, Creative Director, MullenLowe U.S. and Founder of the 25/40 initiative that introduces advertising as a career opportunity in high schools
  • Jacqueline DeBerry, Junior Art Director, McCann NY
  • Morgan Mack, Copywriter, McCann NY

“I must say the intellectual gravitas of the panel combined with creative sensibilities and authenticity made this a special evening,” commented Heide Gardner, IPG’s SVP, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.