My Creative Careers – The Pilot Episode (with Tamika Lamison & Adam Leipzig)

On the My Creative Careers podcast, we are going to be talking to a vast range of people who have all kinds of careers in the film industry. But today we'll start with a short introduction to us, your hosts Adam and Tamika, and give you a brief insight into how our own creative careers have developed over the years.     Adam Leipzig, Founder, and CEO of MediaU, was previously a senior executive at Walt Disney Studios and the President of National Geographic Films. He has been a producer, distributor, or supervising executive on 35 films that have disrupted expectations, including, A Plastic Ocean, March of the Penguins, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Dead Poets Society, The Way Back, and Titus. Adam's movies have been awarded or nominated for several Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Emmys, to name but a few! In addition to guiding MediaU, Adam is a part of the faculty at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.     Tamika Lamison is a valued advisor at MediaU; her expertise as a writer, director, and producer has garnered many awards and accolades. Before becoming the Executive Director of the Commercial Directors Diversity Program which she built for the Directors Guild of America & Association of Independent Commercial Producers, she was a research consultant at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Tamika also founded and created the non-profit, Make A Film Foundation, which grants film wishes to seriously or terminally ill children by teaming up them with noted writers, directors & producers who help them create their film legacy.    "You never leave theater, you might take extended vacations from it, but  you never leave." - Adam Leipzig    "When you can make a film that's entertaining and makes a difference or has impact, to me that's a win-win." - Tamika Lamison    Highlights This Week:  When Tamika was first bitten by the theatre bug and how long she stayed there before she  moved into things that happen on screens  How Tamika's experience of being at the Disney fellowship motivated her transition into different roles in film and TV  Tamika's commitment to staying valued centered, why she founded the Make a Film Foundation, and how it all started with a bad check  Why Tamika is passionate about promoting positive change and how creating Commercial Directors Diversity Program fits into that worldview   Adam's career trajectory, from an early immersion in theatre to being a dramaturg, then creating a theater right through to working at Disney  Why Adam's film A Plastic Ocean demonstrates how telling an authentic story to audiences can make a profound difference in the world.  Why Adam founded MediaU to give content creators access to methods of upskilling and uptrending in a technologically rapidly evolving industry  Adam and Tamika also share their personal superpowers — and they're not necessarily what you might think!        Connect with MediaU:  MediaU Website  MediaU on Facebook  MediaU on Instagram  MediaU on Twitter  Adam Leipzil on LinkedIn  Tamika Lamison on LinkedIn