OCTOBER 22, 2026
UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center
Audience: Invite only 200+ industry leaders, scholars & youth · Format: In-person
ABOUT THE SUMMIT
MEETING YOUTH WHERE THEY ARE: ON SCREENS
Join us for our 6th Annual summit, where we bring together entertainment industry professionals, youth activists, researchers, scientists and public health leaders to support kids, teens and young adults through some of the most pressing challenges for our time, by meeting them where they are: on screens.
This invitation only event also offers one of a kind networking opportunities with some of the best in the media, the brightest in academia and the most passionate of the next generation’s emerging leaders.
Keynote speakers and panel discussions focus on creating research-informed content to support the health and well-being of Gen Z (ages 10-25).
Highlights from the 2026 Teens and Screens Summit
JUST ANNOUNCED!
Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground to Receive Greg Berlanti Social Impact Award
Higher Ground
This year’s honoree
Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company
Presented BY
“The stories we tell young people today shape the adults they'll become tomorrow.”
Greg Berlanti
Inaugural award recipient
The Greg Berlanti Social Impact Award
The Greg Berlanti Social Impact Award has become a permanent cornerstone of the annual Teens & Screens Summit, honoring creators who use their platform to address important social issues and inspire positive change through compelling narratives that resonate with young audiences.
Greg Berlanti’s ability to create authentic and diverse narratives that resonate with teen and young adult audiences made him the inaugural recipient.
2026 Summit Schedule
9:30 AM
Networking
Refreshments
Dr. Yalda T. Uhls
Founder & CEO
Center for Scholars & Storytellers
10:10 AM
Opening Keynote
Keynote
Lisa Lawson
President
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
10:30 AM
Fireside Chat
Keynote
Gina Fattore
Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner
Off Campus
Dr. Yalda T. Uhls
Founder & CEO
Center for Scholars & Storytellers
Welcome
Opening Remarks
10:00 AM
Panel
10:55 AM
Audience Data
Kate Coke
Head of Data Insights
CAA
Matt Feniger
Director of Entertainment & Culture Marketing
UTA
Erika Quinn
Director
Disney Kids & Family, Consumer Insights
Perry Reed
Senior Researcher
Center for Scholars & Storytellers
Networking
11:25 AM
Break
Panel
11:35 AM
Telling Authentic Stories When It Matters Most
Rachel Cooke
Vice President of Impact
1Community
Sarah Lampert
Creator/Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer
Ginny & Georgia
Peter Paige
Actor, Director, Writer
Station 19, Good Trouble, The Fosters
Nkechi Okoro Carroll
Executive Producer/Showrunner
All American, All American: Homecoming
Panel
12:15 PM
The Algorithm Knows Your Kid Better Than You Do
Dr. Yalda T. Uhls
Founder & CEO
Center for Scholars & Storytellers
Ellen Goldsmith-Vein
Founder & CEO
The Gotham Group (EP, The Social Reckoning)
Dr. Sara King
Neuroscientist, Medical Anthropologist, Founder & CEO
MindHeart AI
Matt Shichtman
Partner and Head of Emerging Technologies
The Gotham Group
Writer/Director of Forgotten Island (Director, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish)
Joel Crawford
Writer/Director of Forgotten Island (Co-Director, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish)
Januel Mercado
Networking
Lunch
12:55 PM
1:45 PM
Q&A
Ask The Teens (the Experts)
Andres Cuervo
Senior Program Manager, Youth Engagement
Roblox
Rebecca Benoit
Youth Engagement Program Manager
Center for Scholars & Storytellers
Ilan Alcasas
YMR Teen
YMR Teen
Zach Horvitz
Erica Piper
YMR Teen
Josie Graziano
Teen Council Representative, Roblox
2:35 PM
Social Impact Award Presentation
2:50 PM
Break
Networking
Creating Content with Adolescents/Gen Z in Mind
3:05 PM
Panel
Aron Eli Coleite
Writer, Producer & Director
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Steve Ahn
Co-Director
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
Sofi Manassyan
Founder & CEO, Director & Influencer
Sofisticated Productions
Head of Franchise
Katelynn Heil
Voldex
Brittney Morris
Bestselling Author & Video Game Writer
SLAY, Marvel’s Wolverine & Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Networking
3:45 PM
Break
4:00 PM
Panel
Joyful Fatherhood, Mixed-Gender Friendships and Vulnerability: Representing Masculinity for 21st Century Teens
Madeline Di Nonno
CEO/Co-Founder
Geena Davis Institute
Zach Baylin
Academy Award, BAFTA and WGA-Nominated Screenwriter
Black Rabbit, King Richard, Creed III
Meegwun Fairbrother
Actor, Writer & Director
Little House on the Prairie, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Felicia Pride
Creator, Showrunner, and Executive Producer
A Different World, Bel-Air
Skybound Entertainment (EP, Invincible, The Walking Dead Franchise)
David Alpert
President and CEO
4:40 PM
Networking
Closing Remarks
Networking
5:00 PM
Happy Hour
Thank You to Our 2026 Summit Host Committee
Doug Belgrad - Netflix Film
Jennifer Blum - Red House Entertainment
Susanne Daniels - Executive & Professor, UCLA
Channing Dungey - Warner Bros Television Group and US Networks
Tim Federle - High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Matt Feniger - UTA Entertainment & Culture Marketing
Ellen Goldsmith-Vein - The Gotham Group
Kelly Goode - Senior Television Programming Executive
George Huang - Writer, Director & Professor, UCLA
Jamila Hunter - Senior Television Executive
Nancy Kanter - Available Light Productions
Dustin Lance Black - Milk, Rustin
David Miner - 3 Arts Entertainment
Candice Odgers - Professor, UCI
Lynnette Ramirez - Bassett Vance Productions
Mia Riverton Alpert - Red Doors
Alyson Stoner - Camp Rock, Phineas and Ferb
Dennis St. Rose - CAA Foundation
Thank You to Our Board Members
Gael Aitor - Teenager Therapy Podcast
Ahrash Bissell - NROC Project
Jennifer Blum - Red House Entertainment
Jimmie Briggs - Man Up Campaign
Susanne Daniels - Executive & Professor
Kelly Goode- Entertainment Executive
Jamila Hunter- Senior Television Executive