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Last Year's Speakers

Joe Dzikiewicz
Joe Dzikiewicz has a PhD in computer science and decades of experience building software at giant tech companies and internet startups. He’s also a filmmaker who has made 30 shorts, one of which played in the Wheaton Film Festival in 2017. He’s currently hard at work on his first feature, DOMICIDAL, a haunted house movie where the haunting is caused by hacked smart home technology.

Alyscia Cunningham
Alyscia Cunningham is an entrepreneur, author, filmmaker and photographer who has contributed to the Smithsonian, National Geographic, Discovery Channel and AOL. After the success of her first book, Feminine Transitions, a photography book encompassed with portraits of raw feminine beauty, Cunningham published her second photography book and documentary film, I Am More Than My Hair. It includes interviews of females who've experienced hair loss due to a health-related illness and dives into the connection of their emotions in relation to the media's portrayal of beauty standards. Her upcoming project, Seeing Without Sight, is a documentary that includes stories of girls and women who are visually impaired. She is also writing/directing/producing short horror films that draw on her Caribbean heritage. Alyscia is one of the FrontLineVoices for Stop the Beauty Madness, a campaign focused on changing the dynamics of beauty globally. Her work has been featured on The Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, Fox 5,ABC 7 and Proud2BMe. To learn more about Alyscia and her work, visit Alyscia.com.

Todd Clark
Over 30 years providing Video Production and Gala Event production services in the Washington, D.C. region and internationally. Over 200 produced programs with a client list of 50+, that includes non-profit CBO’s; local, federal and international governments; state and county health departments; Fortune 500 Companies, national trade associations; a wide range of renowned arts organizations, local businesses, and artists. Program focus areas include: international health, documentary, social justice, public affairs, performing arts and education. Some of Todd’s recent documentaries include: All Stories Matter: Building Community Through the Arts (2024), Moving Steel: Mind, Body & Spirit (2024), and The Gambia Collaborative Medical Mission (2024).

Brian Grundstrom

Brian Grundstrom has produced and edited numerous artistic and documentary video programs as a necessary part of his music promotion. His pandemic recording of “Robert Jordan Doesn’t Teach English” with over 80 cell phone recordings from the National Theatre Symphony of Brazil won a TIVA Peer Award. His video for the Concert Workshop Performance of his opera for Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls has been critical in obtaining a fully produced premiere production in Brasilia in August 2025. His first multi-camera edit was of his Children of Zeus which also won a Peer Award. Composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom is also equally accustomed to writing for orchestra, opera, film, theater, chorus, piano and chamber ensembles. His voice includes a strong affinity for long melodic lines, distinctive tonal harmonic vocabulary, engaging rhythms, skillfully executed counterpoint, and dramatic imagery. Audiences take to his compositions immediately, finding in his melodies traces of Copland and Puccini.

Angel Nwachukwu
Angel Nwachukwu is a media and entertainment attorney with a dynamic career spanning several key roles in the industry. Currently, she works at NPR, where she plays a pivotal role in negotiating deals for some of the network’s most acclaimed programming, including the renowned Tiny Desk concert series. Her expertise also extends to film and television, where she manages complex option deals that contribute to the rich tapestry of contemporary media. In addition to her work at NPR, Angel is actively involved in several professional organizations dedicated to the arts and entertainment sectors. Since 2021, she has been a valued member of the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA), where she has contributed by hosting a session at the Artomatic Art Festival in Washington, D.C., focused on business entities for creatives. Her commitment to the industry is further demonstrated by her active participation in the Black Entertainment Sports Lawyers Association, where she engages with peers on various facets of entertainment law. A proud Houston native, Angel earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her J.D. from Columbia Law School. She is licensed to practice law in New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C., reflecting her versatile legal background. Her career trajectory exemplifies her dedication to fostering creative talent and advancing the field of entertainment law, making her an influential and emerging figure in the industry.

Johannes DoergeJohannes Doerge is Counsel at NPR focusing on copyright and trademark counseling, pre publication review, and a variety of other media law issues. Johannes joined NPR from the law firm Kirkland & Ellis where his practice focused on litigation in the fields of copyright, trademark, internet/social media, trade secret, and advertising law. Johannes is a graduate of George Washington University Law School and has been a resident of D.C. for over ten years. In his free time, Johannes plays bass guitar in a DC-area cover band and enjoys making things including instruments, electronics, and leather goods.