Tracee Ellis Ross and Jason Blum speak at the Variety Ent Tech Summit

diversity is pleased to announce the return in person of its annual Entertainment and Technology Summit, presented by the City National Bank in West Hollywood on September 15th. This year’s summit will be accompanied by keynote speakers Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution; Tracee Ellis Ross, aCtor, Producer and CEO and Founder of Pattern Beauty; Jenna Fischer, actress, producer and host, The Office, The Office Ladies podcast; Jason Blum, Founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions; and Abhijay Prakash, President of Blumhouse Productions.

The Summit brings together leading entertainment executives and creative talent for a full day of keynotes and panel discussions highlighting new digital strategies and innovations that are powering film, television, music, video games and more.

Daniel will examine how his team drives the distribution of The Walt Disney Company’s content across its vast portfolio of media platforms and channels, including the company’s streaming services; portfolio of linear television channels; its ABC-owned stations; his advertising sales business; licensing and distribution of content; and motion picture distribution for the company’s entertainment studios.

Ross will speak about her vision for storytelling as she gets creative across multiple platforms, including executive producing and documentary narration.The Hair Stories” and production of the upcoming podcast”I am America.” Ross’ production company, Joy Mill Entertainment, is committed to amplifying stories that reformulate assumptions about how people see themselves and each other.

Blum and Prakash will discuss the development of their successful entertainment company, Blumhouse Productions, spanning film, television, podcasts and more. Upcoming projects include theatrical releases in the fall “The Nanny” and “Halloween Ends”.

Brennan and Lewin will discuss their expanding Star Wars productions, which include the TV series The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In additional sessions, Verna Grace Chao, EVP of Treasury Management Solutions, City National Bank, will share strategies to accelerate transparent compensation transactions for the entertainment industry.

Additional talks include Titans of TV Programming, Strategies Accelerating Compensation and Transparency for the Entertainment Industry, Brand Storytelling Elite, Making Sense of Web 3 for Entertainment Industry, The Future of Audio is Now, Best Business Strategies in the Stream, Producers in the Zeitgeist – Creating Across Platforms, and Unlocking the Gen Z Audience.

“diversity looks forward to bringing together entertainment thought leaders who share their strategies for success as the industry rapidly transforms with new technology and innovation,” said Dea Lawrence, Chief Operating and Marketing Officer, diversity. “City National Bank has been a strong supporter of this event and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with them as a presenting partner.”

“City National has served the entertainment industry for decades and is proud to present it diversity‘s Entertainment and Technology Summit again this year,” said Linda Duncombe, executive vice president and chief marketing, product and digital officer at City National Bank. “We pride ourselves on delivering a customer experience that no other bank can match, and our digital capabilities play a crucial role in that. We look forward to hearing from leaders across the industry how incredible digital innovation is shaping the future of entertainment.”

Attendees can enjoy talks, networking breaks, lunch and a personal cocktail reception. Attendees can also choose to stream the summit live.

Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

To secure your spot at the Entertainment and Technology Summit presented by City National Bank and view the rest of the agenda, register here: Variety.com/technologysummit