Black to the Future 2025: Five Day Event!

TIFFANY YARDE is a Caribbean-American screenwriter committed to dispelling the monolithic perception of the Black experience in America. Raised in Brooklyn’s Walt Whitman Public Housing by resourceful Bajan immigrants, she learned resilience as a way of life—an ethos that fuels her storytelling. Tiffany’s work delves into cultural identity, self-acceptance, and the unseen complexities of everyday life, crafting characters who defy stereotypes and uncover hidden truths.

Her credits include the culturally inclusive TV movie Dress for Success (Tubi) and the short film Bon Voyage (Women’s Weekend Film Challenge). As a fellow in the inaugural Creative Corridor Program—a transatlantic initiative by Independent Film Trust and Roadmap Writers—she has developed her craft among global industry talent. Tiffany holds a B.A. in English from Bryn Mawr College and is currently pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting at the David Lynch School of Cinematic Arts.

Tiffany tells the stories no one sees coming—ones that challenge perceptions, celebrate resilience, and resonate long after the credits roll.

A deep and engaging discussion on the role of Black Women in entertainment and the growing need for projects written and produced by women of color.

PANELISTS

ERIKA MCCRARY - Erika McCrary is a Development Coordinator at Hallmark Media, formerly known as Crown Media Family Networks. In this role, she contributes to the development of content that aligns with Hallmark's brand and audience. Beyond her responsibilities at Hallmark, Erika actively engages with the creative community. She participated as a panelist in the "A View from Another Seat Marketing Track" at the 2023 HBCU FirstLOOK Film Festival, sharing her insights on marketing and development in the media industry.  Additionally, Erika has been featured on "HBCU First LOOK Film: Let's Talk!" discussing various topics related to film and media. 

ERICA LAND - Erica Land is a drama writer with a background in journalism, music, and sketch comedy. Erica specializes in horror and sci-fi with levity, a brand born from her experiences growing up in Texas with eight diverse siblings who often used levity to survive difficult times. Currently based in Los Angeles, she has won Roadmap Writer's Diversity Initiative, written for two NBC Sketch Showcase productions, and has been a Finalist for NBC's WOTV, Final Draft's Big Break Competition, and a Semi-Finalist for ABC's and WB's writing programs. Erica is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she studied cello and earned a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. She has also studied with Jen Grisanti, Script Anatomy, Roadmap Writers, and Second City Hollywood.

A deep and engaging discussion on the role of Black Men in entertainment and the growing need for projects written and produced by men of color.
 

PANELISTS

 

Film festivals are a great way to have your work discovered. Join the directors of some notable film festivals to discuss the importance of these events in championing the Black creative voice.

Panelist:

LAMONIA DEANNE BROWN - Lamonia Deanne Brown is the founder of The Gilchrist Group LLC., she consults entertainment companies in the areas of content development, strategy and communications, and live events. She specializes in film festival production and programming, sponsorship management/activations, and content innovation. She is the Festival Director for the Essence Film Festival, which launched in 2022 as part of the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans with the goal of building the largest Black global film and arts gathering in the world. Lamonia currently serves as the co-chair of the Women of Color Caucus for the Writers Guild of America East, and on the board for the Washington D.C.-based Multicultural Media Correspondents Association.

MESCHIDA PHILIP - Meschida Philip is a Grenadian-American filmmaker, director, and activist with over two decades of experience in technology, film, and international cultural relations. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Film from The City College of New York, focusing on documentary filmmaking.

Philip's directorial works include the short documentary Scars of Our Mothers' Dreams (2017), which explores parent-child separation due to migration, and Searching for Crystal (2019), a narrative about a father's quest to find his kidnapped daughter in Grenada.

She is also the Founder and Managing Director of 12ºN 61ºW Grenadian Film Festival, dedicated to promoting Caribbean films and fostering cultural exchange.

Beyond filmmaking, Philip is an active advocate for social issues affecting Caribbean families and communities, including immigration, education, and children's and women's rights. She utilizes film and photography to shed light on these topics, aiming to inspire change and awareness.

SARA CHINBUAH (pre-recorded) - Sara Chinbuah is the Director of WorldMediaFestivals, an initiative by intermedia based in Hamburg, Germany. The festival honors excellence in media across various formats, including corporate film, television, print, online, and virtual reality.

 

Learn from those who have not only been in the writer's room, but created and successfully sustained their own.

PANELISTS
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KATRINA NELSON - Katrina Nelson is a multitalented writer, director, author, comedian and award-winning producer with over 15 years of experience in the entertainment industry in all areas of the business.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Nelson moved to Los Angeles in 2004 and hit the ground running working on independent feature films and television projects. Transitioning to The Walt Disney Company, she worked in both film and television, maintaining awareness of the competitive programming environments on all major networks and cable channels.

In 2012, she returned to the independent world, working on several web series, short films and features.

Nelson produced the web series “The Enemy: The N in Me,” “Life Coach Chronicles,” which won the Award of Merit at the Indie Fest, and “Breaking Point,” winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award - Best Ensemble Cast: Drama at the LA Web Fest, both in 2012.

Her short and feature length film producing credits include “The Wake,” which she wrote, produced and directed, “Always Remember,” “Ruth,” “A Killer Surprise,” “Misogynist,” winner of the Best Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles International Underground Film Festival in 2013, “Past Impulse,” which won the Best Dramatic Short Film Trinity International Film Festival in 2014, “Still,” winner of the Audience Award (Best Film) at the Los Angeles International Underground Film Festival in 2017 and “Shadows,” starring David LaBrava, Krista Allen and Eric Etabari.

Nelson’s producing credits for television formats include “The Bullsh*t Detective”, “Daddy Diaper Diaries” which has won numerous film festival awards including Best Female Director at the Berlin Int’l Art Film Festival (2021), Chicago Indie Film Awards (2021) and Toronto International Women’s Film Festival for Best Comedy (2021) as well as the sexy legal drama series “LACE” now streaming on AMC/ALLBLK where she serves as Co-Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Showrunner and Director. She is also the author of her first poetry book, “Poetic Thoughts, Bullsh*t and Dreams”.

Nelson resides in Los Angeles. Follow her on Twitter: @Katrina_Nelson, Instagram: @iamkatrinanelson, Facebook: TheKatNelson or her website www.katrinanelson.com.

KRISTIN IRIS JOHNSON - Kristin Iris Johnson was born in Chicago, IL. She is a queer, autistic Showrunner, Screenwriter, and NAACP Image Award Nominated Film Producer. Having a lifelong gift for storytelling Kristin attended Columbia College Chicago where she studied both Film/Video and Fiction Writing before getting her BA in Fiction Writing. She has produced over 20 feature films and anthology short films; and is the Creator, Writer, and an Executive Producer of AMC Networks supernatural TV series Wicked City (2022) starring Vanessa Bell Calloway, Shaquita Smith, and Rhonda Morman. The show’s third season was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series.

The 20+ projects Kristin has produced include film biopic Fighting To Be Me: The Dwen Curry Story (2025); film biopic The First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story (2023) which was nominated for two NAACP Image Awards; and feature films Trophy Wife (2022); Black Girl, Erupted (2023); The Deadly Getaway (2024); A Rich Christmas (2021); and Holiday Heartbreak (2020); working both in the story development and production of these films. She also co-produced two very social impact anthology short series for BET Her that highlight mental health and breast cancer awareness in the Black community: BET Her Presents: The Couch and BET Her Presents: The Waiting Room. Kristin is currently in development and pre-production on several feature films and television series.

Kristin is a visionary dedicated to bringing thought-provoking stories to screen that center compelling, underrepresented voices in their full humanity–and helping others do the same. To that end, she founded Black Screenwriter Alliance, a membership community that brings together emerging Black screenwriters so they can elevate their writing portfolios; confidently build industry relationships; and take bold, innovative action to forge their own paths in the industry as Black creators. She believes that as writers and creators we are the wild fruit grown from the seeds of our ancestors; paving new ground, igniting change, and inspiring others through the stories we tell.