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Nick Adams (he/him) is the Vice President of the GLAAD Media Institute. He is a resource for media content creators who are telling stories about transgender people. He has consulted on hundreds of films and TV shows, as well as video games and Broadway shows, to help them create authentic transgender characters and stories. He works closely with network executives, showrunners, writers, casting directors, actors, and PR teams. Nick is a consulting producer on the Netflix documentary DISCLOSURE and appears in the film. Nick joined GLAAD in 1998, and transitioned himself at that time.
Faridah Gbadamosi (she/her) is a pop culture-obsessed lover of film, working towards making the space more inclusive both in whose stories get told and who gets to author those stories. She currently works at Tribeca Enterprises as a Senior Programmer. Faridah has consulted on several film projects and worked as the Director of Distribution at Open Your Eyes and Think MF, the distribution wing of David Magdael & Associates. Faridah has taught film courses and published articles on topics that range from attribution and ownership when it comes to hashtags in popular media to the importance of having people of color falling in love front and center in mainstream romantic comedies.
Activist, filmmaker, and musician, Boots Riley (he/him) studied film at San Francisco State University before rising to prominence as the frontman of hip-hop groups The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club. His debut feature film SORRY TO BOTHER YOU premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, was acquired by Annapurna Pictures, and was released to resounding box office success and widespread critical acclaim. Fervently dedicated to social change, Boots was deeply involved with the Occupy Oakland movement and was one of the leaders of the activist group The Young Comrades. His book of lyrics and anecdotes, Tell Homeland Security-We Are The Bomb, is out on Haymarket Press. He is the recipient of the Independent Spirit Awards for Best Feature Film, and SFFILM's Kanbar Award. His most recent work, I'M A VIRGO, is available on Amazon and was recently nominated for a Gotham Award.
Actor, filmmaker, and advocate, Brian Michael Smith (he/him) is best known as firefighter Paul Strickland on FOX's 9-1-1: LONE STAR, where he made history as the first Black openly trans man cast as a series regular on network television. His acting credits include Ava DuVernay's QUEEN SUGAR, Showtime's THE L WORD: GENERATION Q, and HOMELAND. Through his production company The Renegades, he develops genre-forward stories that redefine the hero — most recently writing, producing, and starring in the award-winning short WHO ARE YOU? THE FORGETFUL SPY, and currently fundraising for SQUATTERS, a short he wrote and will direct. A graduate of Kent State University and former drama educator, Brian completed the Half Initiative Director Program and Sundance Collab's Directing: Core Elements Course. He serves on the Boards of the Human Rights Campaign, Outfest, and the Intentional Man Project.
Lex Sloan (she/they) is the Executive Director at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco, one of the founders of the Bay Area Media Maker Summit, and they serve on the Board of the Art House Convergence. Lex graduated with an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University and a BA in Social Change Media from Western Washington University. Sloan is passionate about exhibition and distribution, previously working with Frameline Film Festival and the Green Film Festival. They are also an accomplished filmmaker with a passion for social justice and equity, producing the award-winning web series DYKE CENTRAL and many short films including BEAKMAN & JOK. Sloan is a devoted member LGBTQ filmmaking community and is committed to ensuring that queer history is preserved and shared through the power of cinema. They have been proudly making movies for nearly two decades. Lex loves the dirty side of celluloid and can often be found in the darkroom hand-processing.
