On 24th April 2024, the OKRE Summit 2024: Entertainment to Change the World comes to central London. Hosted at the Gibbs Building, the home of the Wellcome Trust, the event will bring together speakers from across the worlds of social media, games, audio, television, academic research and charities to foster opportunities for collaboration and enhance the social and cultural impact of entertainment.
The event will be a full day of panel discussions, presentations, and deep dives tackling topics at the forefront of the industry. The agenda will be wide-ranging, focussing on issues of representation, social development, and everyday lived experience, all in the service of making compelling content for audiences. The first set of confirmed speakers includes:
Fatima Salaria, TV Executive (Naked Television, Channel 4, Edinburgh TV Festival)
Daniel Edwards, Casting Director (Heartstopper, Line of Duty, Ripper Street)
Maxine Thomas-Asante, Approaches Manager (Pop Culture, Comic Relief)
Ita O’Brien, Intimacy Practitioner (Sex Education, Normal People, I May Destroy You)
Glaire Anderson, Games Industry Consultant (Edinburgh Innovations) & Lecturer in Islamic Art
Sofia Akel, Cultural Historian, Producer, Host, Writer, Creative Consultant & Lecturer in Black British History
Jeff Ingold, LGBTQ+ Media Consultant (Netflix)
Lorraine Ní Annracháin, Global Social Impact Lead (Spotify)
UNICEF
Further speakers will be announced in due course.
OKRE Director Iain Dodgeon said:
“The upcoming OKRE Summit is our pinnacle event where the entertainment worlds of TV, Film and Videogames converge to inspire the future of content creation and audience experiences. Following the resounding success of the inaugural Summit in June 2022, this year’s event is set to be even more influential and impactful.
“We can’t wait to welcome the industry and invite everyone to be part of this transformative experience and play a pivotal role in shaping the future entertainment content, ensuring it is relevant, meaningful and authentic. We have an awesome lineup of speakers with unrivalled experience, along with an exciting program.
“The OKRE Summit will help the industry chart a course towards a new era of content that truly resonates with national and global audiences”
Tickets can be purchased from the following link (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/810092437287?aff=oddtdtcreator), with a special launch discount of 50% off during February, making General Admission £50 and Concessions (including non-profits and freelancers) £37.50. Ticketing enquiries can be made by emailing [email protected].
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS
Future Content: where are we headed in 2024, and beyond?
We don’t have all the answers, but we can make sure we’re asking the right questions. What’s missing from our screens? Get inspired by a new vision of a future for entertainment that draws on off screen collaboration to bring fresher perspectives, stories and voices.
Sex on Screen: shifting depictions and modern perspectives.
Dive into the world of sex in TV, film and games and explore the collaborations going on behind the scenes. From the essential line in your production budget for intimacy coordinators, to working with charities on key health issues, and the impact of authentic depictions of diverse sexual identities and relationships.
Beyond Drama: opportunities for compelling migration stories.
A global story, migration remains at the forefront of daily news media but how do we respond to this in the wider content we create? Can we help audiences understand topical subjects while delivering the entertainment they’re seeking? Horror, comedy, animation, fact ent, sci fi…a look at diverse genre development.
Think digitally, think generationally, think differently.
How do we engage young audiences with societal issues like migration, poverty and the climate crisis without negatively impacting their mental health? A look at different platforms, formats and content in progress.
Great Shows, Great Impact.
From marrying playful formats, to delivering show-stopping dramas that can captivate a nation. What entertainment content has given audiences a new view of the world and how has it delivered a lasting impact?
A Kind Queer Heart: Empowering and Funding New Stories.
Plug into impactful projects that have sparked change, engage with commissioners and LGBTQ+ voices to explore what’s missing and unlock new funding to expand the landscape of modern and compassionate queer storytelling.
Previous Summit speakers include Samantha Morton (Director & Actress), Gurinder Chadha (Director, Writer and Producer), Joceyln Stevenson (Writer and Producer), Ruby Kuraishe (Commissioning Editor at BBC Entertainment), Thishiwe Ziqubu (Director of MTV Shuga Down South), Miles Jacobson OBE (Studio Director at Sports Interactive) and Samir Patel (CEO, Comic Relief).
