The MegaMixer 2026 speaker line up
Mega MiXer 2026 Keynote Speaker
POWERHOUSE DIRECTOR
Michael Schultz is the legendary director behind Cooley High, Car Wash, Krush Groove, and The Last Dragon, a six-decade career that helped accelerate hip-hop into a global movement and shaped how Black life appears on screen. He cast Al Pacino in his Broadway debut, brought Denzel Washington to Hollywood’s attention, and continues directing today on Black-ish, Black Lightning, and All American.
3 Days. ENDLESS Opportunity.
Day 1
Friday
June 12
6pm
Day 2
SATURDAY
June 13
12pm
Day 3
SUNDAY
June 14
12pm
SPEAKER LINE UP
Wynn Thomas
Wynn Thomas is a visionary production designer whose four-decade career has helped define the visual language of modern American cinema. He is the recipient of an Honorary Academy Award (2025) and is widely recognized as the first African American production designer in motion pictures, with credits spanning Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, Hidden Figures, A Beautiful Mind, King Richard, Inside Man, and Mars Attacks! — including 11 collaborations with Spike Lee. A graduate of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts and a former member of the Academy’s Board of Governors, Thomas has championed expanded educational access in film and built his career hiring and mentoring diverse crews. His work has been celebrated at the Museum of Modern Art and earned him a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Art Directors Guild.
Brenda Gilbert
Brenda Gilbert is a visionary media executive, producer, mentor, and entrepreneur, best known as co-founder of BRON Media Corporation, which she built alongside her husband, Aaron L. Gilbert. Over a career spanning more than two decades, she has served as Executive Producer on projects such as The Willoughbys (Netflix), Loudmouth (Al Sharpton documentary), Reggie, and Nicki, and has helped shepherd BRON’s growth into an award-winning studio with more than 125 productions and dozens of film festival and Academy Award nominations.
A dedicated advocate for inclusion and representation, she serves on the boards of Film Independent and the Foundation for the Augmentation of African Americans in Film (FAAAF), and mentors emerging creators through programs supporting women, people of color, and underserved voices in media.
Dr. Leo Lewis
Dr. Leo Lewis III is a former NFL wide receiver, sports executive, scholar, and lifelong advocate for youth development. Over an 11-season NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings, he became one of the franchise’s most dynamic punt returners and was later inducted into both the University of Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. After retiring as a player in 1991, Lewis spent 24 years with the Vikings organization, leading the team’s Director of Player Development department to be named the best in the NFL in 2000. He went on to serve as Associate Athletic Director at the University of Minnesota and Athletic Director at Minneapolis North High School. A graduate of Mizzou with a master’s from Tennessee, a Ph.D. in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota, and a second master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy, Lewis is the founder of the Lewis Sports Foundation, which provides grants and academic coaching to youth, schools, and educators across the state.
2026 SPONsORS
