Join us for an intimate and candid panel conversation featuring working professionals from film, television, theme park design, music, and entertainment operations. This event brings together a Walt Disney Imagineering executive, an award-winning filmmaker, a multi-platform media artist and professor, and a seasoned entertainment operations leader – four voices offering a rare 360-degree view of how creative industries actually work.
Whether you’re a student pursuing a creative or PM degree, a project manager curious about the entertainment world, or a seasoned professional navigating an industry in transformation, this evening is designed for you.
Our panelists will go beyond polished career highlights to talk honestly about what’s hard, what’s changing, and what’s possible. From navigating the unpredictability of production to understanding how AI and agentic technologies are reshaping creative workflows, you’ll walk away with insights you won’t find in a textbook.
The structured panel discussion will be followed by a full hour of open social networking – an opportunity to connect with fellow attendees, the panellists, and professionals across a broad spectrum of creative and entertainment careers.
Agenda:
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM Registration, Dinnner and Networking
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM Panel Discussion
8:30 PM to 9:00 PM Networking
Learning Objectives
By the end of the panel discussion, attendees will be able to:
• Describe the real-world career pathways into the creative and entertainment industry – including non-linear routes from architecture, performance, academia, and operations – as shared by professionals with remarkably diverse entry points.
• Identify the project management skills and mindsets – from pre-production planning and stakeholder communication to large-scale risk management and multi-continent team coordination – that are essential for executing creative projects successfully at any scale.
• Recognize how emerging technologies, including AI, generative AI, and agentic AI, are currently transforming creative workflows, content production, and operations across film, television, theme park design, and digital media.
• Articulate the balance between creative vision and operational discipline – understanding how structure, preparation, and methodology can actually expand creative freedom rather than constrain it.
• Evaluate honest, candid perspectives on the challenges of working in the entertainment industry – including economic uncertainty, rapid technological change, the pressures of diverse representation, and the human dimensions of leadership on creative teams.
• Connect with professionals and peers across varying career levels – from university students to experienced practitioners – to expand their networks and gain mentorship insights for their own career development.
Recruiters will be attending - please have your best "Elevator Pitch" ready.
Two complimentary adult beverages (beer, wine, or champagne) and water or soft drinks are available per attendee. No payment will be accepted.
Menu:
Buffet Style Meal - Pasta Bar:
Fettuccine with alfredo sauce or pesto
Beef Ravioli with marinara Sauce
Toppings: Grilled chicken strips, roasted vegetables, and Parmesan cheese
House salad with garlic breadsticks
Speakers
Executive Project Manager Walt Disney Imagineering
Eddie serves as Executive Project Manager at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), where he has led interdisciplinary teams—including architects, artists, engineers, schedulers, and estimators—for more than 30 years. His extensive portfolio includes cruise ships, hotels, theme park attractions, and retail, dining, and entertainment complexes across California, Florida, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Oahu, Shanghai, and Germany. Eddie earned his Bachelor of Architecture from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 1996, and took part in a one-year architectural study abroad program at Kyushu Institute of Design in Fukuoka, Japan. Later, while working full-time at WDI, he completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at California State University, Long Beach. Eddie's extensive career at Disney features work on several landmark developments: Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, Aulani – A Disney Resort & Spa (Oahu), and Disney Explorers Lodge (Hong Kong). More recently, he played a key role in major initiatives like Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, the transformative Fantasy Springs expansion at Tokyo DisneySea (which encompasses areas themed to Peter Pan, Tangled, and Frozen, alongside a Luxury/Deluxe in-berm hotel), the reimagining of Tokyo Disneyland’s iconic Space Mountain attraction, and the development of a new Disney Cruise Ship specifically for the Japan market.
Director of Graduate Film, Television & Photography, Mount Saint Mary’s University | Award-Winning Actor, Musician & Multi-Media Artist
Kelby Thwaits is an award-winning Actor, Singer, Musician, and Multi-Media Artist based in Los Angeles. He got his start performing in plays, musicals, chamber orchestras, and rock bands while working as a camera operator for a local TV station in Tucson, AZ.
After moving to Hollywood, Kelby landed his first gig as a Rotoscope artist in the Visual Effects department on Ron Howard’s Academy Award-nominated film Cinderella Man. He has created, developed, and produced original content for Spike TV, SyFy Channel, VH1, MTV, Disney, Sony Online Entertainment, EA Games, Yahoo!, Funny or Die, OnDemand, Microsoft, Bungie Studios, RED 5 Studios, and Walden Media.
Kelby received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Arizona, where he studied Acting, Classical Voice, and Music Composition, and a Master of Fine Arts in Motion Pictures & Television and Music Scoring & Composition from the Academy of Art University. He serves as Director of the Graduate Film, Television & Photography programs, located at the Sunset Las Palmas Studios campus.
Pre-Emmy Nominated Director, Writer, Producer & Actress | Co-Founder, The Henderson’s Production Company
Pre-Emmy-nominated and award-winning actress Swisyzinna is a Director, Writer, producer, and Actress whose body of work ranges from side-grabbing comedy to skin-crawling horror and all things in between. Swisyzinna began her career at the tender age of 8 and through her transition from performer to director, she prides herself on being considered an actor’s director. She believes that you can see the chemistry and freedom in her actor’s performance because of the synergy that they are able to work under on her set. She is known for her ability to take charge of a cast with confidence, evoke different emotions from her actors and push them to their best performances.
Swisyzinna made her directing debut in the late 90’s with the hit stage play, “Dreamgirls.” She followed up her debut by directing children’s shows, 2 person scenes for competitions, multiple stage plays and eventually moved into film. As a film director, Swisyzinna has directed a myriad of projects from short films, pilots, music videos, zoom commercials, demo reels and most recently her first feature film entitled, “Death PH.D.” She is best known as the director for 2 seasons of the hit web series, “Stepford Sidechix” in which she directed every episode.
Born in Dallas, Texas Swisyzinna took the leap of faith and left home to attend college at Norfolk State University where she majored in Mass Communications and Journalism and minored in Theatre. After graduation, she toured the United States and Europe as an actress and fifteen years later found her way back to Dallas where she took on a position as a High School Theatre Teacher for 4 years. Swisyzinna has since relocated to Los Angeles and started The Henderson’s Production Company, where she has produced and directed 10 shorts and a feature film under her company’s name. Swisyzinna completed her M.F.A in Directing and Acting from Mt. Saint Mary’s University in Hollywood in May 2023, where she sharpened her technical knowledge and skill for her beloved craft.
VP of Operations, MACH27 | Former Apple · Sony Pictures Television · Disney-ABC Television
Cheryl Venable is the VP of Operations at MACH27 in Culver City, following an impactful career at industry leaders, including Apple, Sony Pictures Television, and Disney-ABC Television. She started her career as a television producer for truTV and the History Channel. She is passionate about redefining the modern role of the project manager across organisations of every size and dedicated to expanding the influence of PMs by providing them with a comprehensive playbook for success.
Drawing on her experience managing and mentoring diverse teams – from producers and IT specialists to asset managers and administrative professionals – Cheryl understands what makes a “rockstar” leader. A certified PMP and CPMAI, she blends technical expertise with a mentorship-first philosophy, helping teams navigate complex challenges while building supportive environments where people can truly thrive.
David Doan, PhD, MBA, RN – Moderator Director Consulting Partner, Kyndryl | Former Professional Actor & Musician
David Doan is a Director Consulting Partner at Kyndryl, the world’s largest technology consulting firm, with more than 35 years of experience spanning registered nursing, healthcare administration, and enterprise technology consulting. A former professional actor and musician,
David brings a rare dual perspective – having operated at the intersection of creative performance and operational leadership across his entire career.
