"There is a myth around who's ready for an opportunity. More often than not, someone is groomed for that opportunity" Phillip Domfeh

Mahin Ibrahim and Phillip Domfeh are the executives behind Disney Launchpad, the new programme for untapped filmmaking talent. Available now on Disney+, Launchpad is a series of bold and new stories from emerging creators. In this talk, Mahin and Phillip share how the programme worked and the process of nurturing new talent. We also talk about inclusion behind and in front of the camera and the reasons that so often prevent a wider range of talent progressing through the system.

More about Mahin Ibrahim

Director of Disney’s Diversity & Inclusion, Mahin was previously at Refinery29 in development/production and spent the majority of her career at Google and YouTube, where she helped run production programs with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion at its flagship studio for YouTube creators. In addition, she writes creative nonfiction, and holds an MFA in production from USC and a BA in mass communication and business administration from UC Berkeley.

More about Phillip Domfeh

Phillip is Senior Manager of Disney’s “LAUNCHPAD” shorts Incubator and a writer, director and producer from Los Angeles, Calif. Prior to joining The Walt Disney Studios, he served as an executive producer of the 2019 AT&T Mentorship Program. There, he worked alongside Emmy® Award winner Lena Waithe and Rishi Rajani to mentor underrepresented filmmakers and produce five short films starring Dascha Polanco, Loretta Devine and Rob Morgan.