Mentorship Program

MentorshipProgram

In keeping with our mission of “Connecting the dots across kids and family media,” CMA is thrilled to offer the 2025 Mentorship Program dedicated to further helping our members lead, innovate, and shape the future of children’s media! Through this program, CMA fosters greater connections and opportunities within its membership community as well as across the greater children’s & family media industry.

As we gear up for the 2025 program, we’re excited to offer two dynamic styles of mentorship, catering to diverse preferences.

Ready to make an impact in kids & family media? Join us as a mentor and share your expertise with rising talent! You’ll guide the next generation of creators while gaining fresh perspectives that energize your own journey.

Aspiring Mentees:

Please stay tuned for information about our 2025 Mentee Application in February.
 

Seeking Mentors:

Our Mentoring program owes its success to the remarkable Mentors who generously share their knowledge, expertise, and experience.

If YOU would like to sign up to be a Mentor for the 2025 program, please click on the button below. 

The CMA Mentorship Program aims to:

Help mentees establish meaningful professional relationships with leading children’s media professionals, helping them to grow in their careers and achieve their long-term goals.

Encourage reciprocal mentorship where it is understood that both mentors and mentees have something invaluable to offer one another regardless if they are an established professional, just beginning their career in children’s media, or anywhere in between.

Seek to help diversify the industry by formalizing the process of sharing our community’s wealth of experience with those who can benefit from it, especially those who have not historically been afforded such resources, and thereby bringing more diverse voices to children’s media. Mentoring programs boost promotion and retention rates among women and underrepresented groups from 15% to 38% and increase minority representation at the management level from 9% to 24.

2024 CMA Mentors

 

 

Check out this year’s talented mentors with expertise across the spectrum of the children’s media industry:

Aaron Behl
VP, Originals, Atomic Cartoons

Adam Wade
Storytelling Instructor, Magnet Theater, NYC

Alex Breen
Executive Producer | Writer | Creative & Interactive Consultant, Breenscreen LLC

Alex Mitnick
Composer/Producer, TBM Productions (True Blue Media)

Alison Wallach
Senior Manager, Children’s Brand & Consumer Insights, Penguin Random House

Amanda Gummer
CEO, FUNdamentally Children

Amy Kraft
Children’s Media Strategist and Writer, Self Employed

Anna Jordan-Douglass
Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Makefully

Ariel Alexander
Music Director, Self employed

Ash Beecher
Sr Production Manager and Producer, Realm (formally Pinna)

Ashley Moulton
Educational Consultant, Freelance

Benjamin Weiner
Freelance Writer

Betsy Bozdech
Editorial Director, Head of Ratings and Reviews, Common Sense Media

Bob Mittenthal
Writer-Producer, Flying Mallet inc.

Brad Birch
Showrunner/E.P./Writer, Killer b Content, LLC.

Brian Newlin
Writer, Self, Pocket FM

Brittany Sommer Katzin
Chief of Programs and Partnerships, Sparkler Learning

Brett Sylvia
CEO, Self Employed

Caitlin Burns
Senior Director of Story, Candy Digital

Caitlin Tew
Marketing Consultant, Self-Employed

Carly Ciarrocchi
Freelance host/writer, Various

Catherine Campion
Union voice talent, director & coach

Cathryn Asip
Associate Director, Content, PBS KIDS

Cathy Tran
UX Research & Content Strategy

Charley Thomas
Senior Series Producer, Brown Bag Films/9 Story Media Group

Dan Bennett
Director, Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival

Danny Friedman
Writer/Developer/Producer, MoonShoes Productions

Danny LaBrecque
Creator and Host of Danny Joe’s Tree House

Darnell Walker
Freelance Writer, Darnell Lamont Walker

Dave Peth
Founder/Series Creator/Showrunner, Mighty Picnic

David Colicchio
Senior Producer / YouTube Channel Lead, Paramount / Nick Jr.

Donna Friedman Meir
Founder & CEO, WOW Explorations

Deb Frank
Executive Producer, Radio Flyer Studios

Dayna Gonzalez
Creative Arts Professional, Self-Employed

Ed Kulzer
Senior Editor, Sesame Workshop

Emily Rukobo
AVP, Content Development, LearningMate

Erica Rabner
Songwriter

Evren Yigit
Co-founder/Chief Content Officer, Mako Kids

Garrett Beltis
Senior Producer, Nickelodeon

Greg Alkalay
CEO and Founder, batteryPOP

Heiko Martens
Freelancer, Author & Dramaturg, Production Companys, Public Funders, Authors

Idris Goodwin
Artistic Director / Playwright / Author, Seattle Children’s Theatre

Jackie Payton
Post Production Supervisor, Augenblick Studios

Jacquelyn Fishman
Consultant

Jamie Krenn
Guest Faculty, Adjunct Associate Professor, Consultant, Sarah Lawrence, Teachers College

Jason Spencer
Director of PBS KIDS Original Productions, PBS

Javier Navarro
Production Coordinator, Fred Rogers Productions

Jennifer Treuting
Supervising Producer, Nickelodeon

Jessica deMonsabert
Director of Research and Curriculum, 9 Story Media

Jill Cozza-Turner
Freelance Writer, Development

Jodie Morris
Independent consultant, Self employed

Joey Egger
Exec Director Games and Emerging Technology, DEPT® APAC

Jonathan Sunshine
Production Manager, OddBot Animation

Jordyn Curley
Producer/Owner, Tuttle Twins LLC/Elephant Season

Josh Fisher
Creator/producer/consultant

Justine Gunn
Screenwriter, Hershend Entertainment Studios

Kait Boss
Children’s Television Executive, The Jim Henson Company

Kayla Skipper
Freelance Writer, Moonbug – Vida The Vet

Kellian Pletcher
Director of GLAM innovation, FableVision Studios

Kerron Stark
CEO, Dreams V Reality

Kristen McGregor
Writer, Idea Farmer

Kyrsten Novak
Sr User Researcher, Amazon Kids

Laurie Rabin
Executive/Supervising Producer, Mighty Picnic

Livia Beasley
Creator/Owner, Pixel & Pebble | Development Exec/EP, Minno | Founder, CMA, Pixel and Pebble

Liza Wyles
Writer & Creative Consultant, AMC Networks (through Black Spot New York Production Company)

Lynn Kestin-Sessler
Senior Creative Director, Nickelodeon, Paramount Global

Lynne McVeigh
Associate Professor, New York University

Magda Liolis
Freelance writer/producer, Self Employed

Marc Hecht
Writer/Producer, Nickelodeon

Marc Cantone
VP, Preschool Digital Content, Nickelodeon

Mark Purdy
Creator/EP/Writer, WILDBRAIN

Mariana Diaz-Wionczek
EP, Rosie’s Rules; Principal, MDW Consulting, 9 Story Media; MDW Consulting

Marlene Hochman
President & Founder, The Toy Museum of NY

Melanie Harke
Interactive Producer, Fred Rogers Productions

Natalie Engel
Founder & Producer, Trees in the Breeze LLC

Noelle Scindian

Noelle Wright
Writer/Story Editor/Developer/Producer

Noriko Louison
Research & Curriculum, Freelance

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Author

Pammy Salmon
Story Editor, Head Writer & Consultant, TV/Media/EdTech, Freelance

Peter Stidwill
Executive Producer, FableVision Studios

Phoebe Jiang
Early Learning Manager, PBS SoCal

Polly Conway
Head of TV, Common Sense Media

Priya Desai
Producer

Rachel Abeshouse
Producer, Nickelodeon

Rachel Graham
Freelance Writer

Rachel Reade Marcus
Vice President, Development, FableVision

Rossanna Wright
Music Director, Rosin and Bow

Rick Deutsch
VP/Creative Director, Paramount Global / Paramount Kids and Family Marketing

Sacha Kyle
Creative Director and Producer, BBC/CBeebies/Curious Dreamers

Sam Levine
CoFounder/Exec Prod/VP of Partnerships

Sara Karimipour
Staff Writer – Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, DreamWorks

Sarah Wallendjack
Senior Director, Content Development, PBS KIDS

Scott Kraft
Independent on a non-exclusive OAD at Netflix Animation (Preschool), Self and Netflix

Susan Scheiner
Director of Content, Sesame Workshop

Stuart Friedel
Writer/producer

Shane Lindley
VP, Product & Programming, Slumberkins

Sherri Hope Culver
Associate professor and Director of Center for Media & Information Literacy, Temple University

Sonia Tiwari
Adjunct Professor, Penn State University

Steve Altiere
Executive Producer, Nickelodeon

Steve Sandberg
Self-employed composer/performer

Tanya Roitman
Creative Lead, BrainPOP

Ted Nitschke
Creative Executive, Brands, Moonbug Entertainment

Tracy Liu
Associate Creative Producer, Noggin

Toby Cochran
Director / Founder, Big Grin Productions

Valerie Humbard
Talent & Brand Manager

Wendy Bronfin
Founder, Wen + Y

Yasmeen Alkooheji
Channel Operations Coordinator, Nickelodeon

Yesim Kunter
Play Expert and a Futurist, yesimkunter ltd.

Zachary Stuckelman
Head of Research and Curriculum Development, Tiny Souls Media

 

 

The CMA Mentorship Committee

Corey Nascenzi, Director of Mentorship

Kaz Long, 2024 Mentorship Manager

Danielle Tulchinsky, 2025 Mentorship Manager

Payal Arora, Coordinator

Allison Boucher, Coordinator

We’re here to help, so if you have any questions, please e-mail us any time at mentorship@childrensmediaassociation.org.