This event will create a space for listening, learning and opening dialogue about equality, equity, identity, and unconscious bias in the advertising industry through real people sharing real stories.
Thursday, January 14, 2021
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Virtual Event
For the second annual Speak On It event, we’ve asked five professionals from varied backgrounds in the advertising and marketing industry to speak about their experiences in a virtual event hosted by AAF Tampa Bay and PPK on Thursday, January 14th.
Attendees will get to hear directly from accomplished professionals in the Tampa Bay community along with special guests from New York. They will speak about their professional journeys to shed light on the triumphs and challenges navigating an industry that seeks to be diverse yet remains largely homogenous overall. Their stories will provide advice to those working to establish their career and will offer insight for developing a more inclusive workplace.
The event will also include a short discussion session to answer questions, begin conversations, and network.
Following the event, each participant will receive a link to download the event recording. We encourage attendees to share this recording within your organization(s) through virtual watch-parties or as part of your diversity and inclusion plan.
Keni Thacker
Keni is a pioneer of change and is committed to expanding diversity efforts. In 2017, he launched the Young Commodores program at J. Walter Thompson (now Wunderman Thompson), a diversity initiative for college and high school advertising students.
He is also the founder and Chief Creative Officer of 100 Roses From Concrete, a network for men of color in advertising, marketing media, and public relations.
Keni has appeared in Adweek, Ad Age, Digiday, The Drum and NV Magazine
Bemetra L. Simmons
Ms. Simmons is active in the community serving on the board of directors for the Tampa Bay Chamber, Board Chair for Community Tampa Bay, and is a Commissioner for the Tampa Housing Authority.
Bemetra along with her twin sister, Demetra, is a co-founder of Corporate Homie, a career, lifestyle and advice company and podcast dedicated to assisting professionals navigate the waters of corporate America.
Damian Alpizar
Damian is passionate about inspiring his viewers through the power of visual storytelling. He is known to use innovative techniques in filmmaking, thereby delivering exceptional visual experiences that delight and inform the world. Damian has multiple films and TV productions to his credits in his years of working as a VFX Supervisor and Producer.
Seeking to impact his passion to many, he mentors student VFX artists at the Art Institute of Tampa.
Catherine Lim
Cat is the Creative Director for Pyper, Inc. and has spent the last decade building her design career around curiosity, versatility, and growth.
While serving as a chair for the Diversity & Inclusion Committee for AAF Tampa Bay, she helped launch the first Speak on It event. Cat is dedicated to cultivating inclusivity and empathy in the industry through engaging in conversations that expose and confront the systematic barriers to equality and opportunity for all.
David Bain
David is passionate about giving people of color access to the means to create media.
He is the media coordinator for the non-profit organization Community Capacity Development. David has been developing youth leadership programs and creating media literacy curriculums for high-risk youth in programs in Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Queens for over 18 years.
In 2018, David was inducted into the Directors Guild of America.
Whether you are an advertising professional, business owner, student, artist, or nonprofit, you are connected to the advertising community in some way, and we hope you will join us in breaking down barriers.
Email: diversity@aaf-tampabay.org
Instagram: @aaftampabay
