Photos: See Viola Davis, Yvette Nicole Brown, Eva Longoria & More at 13th Annual Produced By Conference

Day one of the Producers Guild of America's (PGA) 13th Annual Produced By Conference buzzed with entrepreneurial and creative energy as top producers and entertainment executives reunited to kick-off the two-day conference at FOX Studio Lot. The day featured engaging conversations from prominent figures across film, television and new media including Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Charles D. King, Eva Longoria, Chris Miller, Dan Lin, Betsy Beers, Peter Friedlander, Yvette Nicole Brown and many more.

Check out photos below!

After a two-year hiatus, the Produced By Conference returned with renewed energy from the industry's leading creative voices about how to drive the industry forward and the lessons they learned from the pandemic. Panelists spoke frankly about the importance of embracing work-life balance, fostering collaboration, and promoting a culture of humanity and respect. Top TV and film buyers shared what they are looking for in a project and how to pitch; leading producers described how to expand access through the use of virtual production; storytellers discussed how they're pushing forward inclusion and representation through their endeavors, and offered advice for producers navigating a rapidly changing industry landscape.

Day One Highlights:

Viola Davis (CEO, JuVee Productions) and Julius Tennon (President, JuVee Productions) spoke in a frank conversation that received three separate standing ovations sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter and moderated by Yvette Nicole Brown (Always a Bridesmaid, Big Fib), Viola and Julius spoke about their creative and personal partnership, and why they decided to take the leap to start their own production company, JuVee Productions. Viola stated, "we created it out of necessity. You want to see where your career is going, see where the top people are in your category, and I didn't see anybody." She added, "the power of our artform is to create characters to remind you that you're less alone."
They also shared practical and poignant advice to their younger selves and to all emerging producers finding their way. Viola shared that she "would push more in a room. Everything I've been told about being too strong or angry, I've talked myself out of what I was going to say. I'd leave all of that on the table. As a Black person, there are so many things that are taboo. You don't know until you try. I would be bolder." Julius expressed that he recommends "finding partners that have a similar mindset and go down the road together. I didn't think there was as much of that when I started. You have to find the right people and stick with it if you really believe in something. If there's a no, there's going to be a yes around the corner."

Charles D. King (Founder & CEO, MACRO; Judas And The Black Messiah, Mudbound) and Eva Longoria (Founder, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment; Producer, Searching for Mexico; Director, Flamin' Hot) discussed their trailblazing paths in producing, what storytelling means to them, and how they're increasing diversity and representation in the industry through their projects. In an empowering session, Charles stated that "the power of storytelling is real. There's real power in showing the full spectrum of our communities, the excellence of who we are, instead of the same marginalized stories. And these stories are being told authentically now from our community. You have filmmakers and producers and directors from those communities telling those stories, instead of someone else telling our stories for us." Eva added, "Never about us, without us."

Eva shared why producing appealed to her and how she created her own path: "I've always been way more interested in the business side. I used Desperate Housewives as my film school. Always asking questions. I quickly realized if you want to be an effective storyteller you need control and that's why I got into producing."

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