Mentorship Program

MentorshipProgram

In keeping with our mission of “Connecting the dots across kids and family media,” CMA is thrilled to offer the 2024 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 childrens & family media industry.

As we gear up for the 2024 program, we’re excited to introduce two dynamic styles of mentorship, catering to diverse preferences.

Our application window is now closed for the 2024 Mentoring Program.

Aspiring Mentees:

Applications are now closed for our 2024 Mentoring Program. Please stay tuned for information about our 2025 Mentoring Program early next year.
 

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 2024 program please click on the link 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.

Encourages 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.

Seeks 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.

2023 CMA Mentors

 

 

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

Rachel Abeshouse
Creative Producer, Nickelodeon

Lindz Amer
Founder & CEO at Queer Kid Creative

Liz Bartels
Content Strategist: Creative Development and Programming at The LEGO Group

Alissa Brodsky
Production Director, Free Range Games

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

Diondra Brown
Content & Curriculum Manager, Twin Cities PBS

Jessica Brown
Development & Production Executive, Nickelodeon

Marc Cantone
VP, Preschool Digital Content, Nickelodeon

Catie Carducci
Current Series Manager, Atomic Cartoons

Carly Ciarrocchi
Host/Writer, Pinna/Tinkercast/The LEGO Foundation

Joon Chung
Script Coordinator, 9 Story

Toby Cochran
Founder & CEO, Big Grin Productions

Polly Conway
Head of TV/Senior Editor, Common Sense Media

Monica Dennis
Senior Director Preschool Content, Mattel TV

Paige Desjardins
Associate Writer, Disney Television Animation

Jessica DiSalvo
Senior Content Manager, Sesame Workshop

Jordana Drell
Product Lead/Executive Producer

Rosie duPont
Kids Podcast Producer at American Public Media.

Josh Fisher
Creative Executive/Producer & Consultant

Stuart Friedel
Writer/Producer

Alan Foreman
Co-Executive Producer, Nickelodeon Animation

Stephen Gass
President – The Gass Company

Rachel Graham
Freelance Writer and Researcher

Stacey Greenberger
Writer, Spin Master

Sindy Boveda-Spackman
Writer/Producer, HappyNest Entertainment

Donna Friedman Meir
Founder & CEO, WOW Explorations

Katrina Hitz-Tough
SVP Franchise Strategy and Marketing, 9 Story Media Group

Marlene Hochman
Founder & President of The Toy Museum of NY

Haley Hoffman
Series Producer, Story Editor, & Writer of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

Sherri Hope Culver
Associate Professor, Director of the Center for Media and Information Literacy

Susette Hsiung
EVP, Production, The Walt Disney Company

Jennie Ito
Senior Product Policy Manager, Roblox

Anna Jordan-Douglass
Founder & Chief Creative Officer at Makefully

Robert Kalinowski
Head of Design Research & Consumer Insights, Age of Learning, Inc.

Mike Katzman
Director of Originals, Moonbug

David Kleeman
SVP, Global Trends, Dubit

Scott Kraft
Executive Producer, Cyber Group Studios

Jamie Krenn
Adjunct Associate Professor/Consultant

Edward Kulzer
Senior Editor, Sesame Workshop

Melinda LaRose
Freelance Writer

Jeffrey Lesser
Music and Audio Producer/Director, Jet Laser Productions

Samuel Levine
VP, Partnerships, Relish Studios

Shruthi Mathur
Television Writer, The Walt Disney Company

Sheryl McGloffin-Pinto
Senior Coordinator of Research and Curriculum, 9 Story

Kristen McGregor
Kids’ Media Showrunner

Ashley Moulton
Educational Consultant, Writer & Learning Designer

Jill Murphy
Editor in Chief, Common Sense Media

Ted Nitschke
Creative Executive, Brands, Moonbug

Lisa O’Brien
TV Executive/ Creative Consultant

Sandra Oyeneyin
Staff Writer, Nickelodeon

Michael Richard Plowman
Composer/Producer

Alex Post Miller
Vice President of Research and Content, Hatch Early Learning

Patrick Rieger
Head Writer/Story Editor, Nickelodeon

Nick Rodriguez
Staff Writer, DreamWorks

Steven Sandberg
Composer

Susan Scheiner
Director of Content, Sesame Workshop

Noelle Scindian
Independent Producer

Zachary Stuckelman
Lead Content Researcher at Lovevery

Vanessa Taylor Sands
VP, TV Development, DreamWorks Animation

Stephie Theodora
Screenwriter, ZDF

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

Cathy Tran
UX Research & Product Strategy

Nadine van der Velde
Co-Founder/Owner/Executive Producer, PopSkull

Robert Vargas
Executive Producer/Writer, Netflix

Sarah Wallendjack
VP, Production and Development, 9 Story Media Group

Sandy Wax
Co-Founder WAXON Group, President Nevision Inc

Benjamin Weiner
Writer

Rossanna Wright
Music Director, Rosin and Bow

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

 

 

The CMA Mentorship Committee

Corey Nascenzi, Director of Mentorship
Kazmuir Long, Mentorship Manager
Payal Arora, Coordinator

 

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