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Mentorship Program

MentorshipProgram

In keeping with our mission of “Connecting the dots across kids and family media,” CMA is thrilled to offer the 2023 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.

 

 

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.

Our program wouldn’t be possible without the knowledge, expertise and experience of our inspiring Mentors. For the 2023 program we have consciously expanded our mentors to hail from all childrens and family media verticals, including several mentors that are multi-discipline experts.

If YOU would like to sign up to be a Mentor for the 2023 program please click on the link below. 

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

  • MENTOR APPLICATION PERIOD: Open now!
  • MENTEE APPLICATION PERIOD: Open now!
  • APPLICATION DEADLINE: 3/27/23
  • 2023 MENTORSHOP PROGRAM STARTS: April 17, 2023

2022 CMA Mentors

 

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


Greg Alkalay
CEO, batteryPOP
Rachel Abeshouse
Producer, 9 Story
Lindz Amer
Founder & CEO at Queer Kid Creative
Don Anderson
CEO/Founder of Kaddadle
Billy Aronson
EP and Writer, 100 Chickens Productions
Megan Barnard
Creative Executive at DreamWorks Animation
Syr-Ivan Bennett
Visual Development Artist at Dora the Explorer/ Nick Jr.
Betsy Bozdech
Editorial Director, Head of Ratings and Reviews at Common Sense Media
Marc Cantone
Sr. Director, Preschool Digital Content at Nickelodeon
Margaret Cavalier
Associate Producer, Donkey Hodie
Joon Chung
Script Coordinator at Mighty Picnic
Carly Ciarrocchi
Freelance host/writer/producer for TV and podcasts
Mike Coughlin
Producer at Walt Disney Television Animation
Jill Cozza-Turner
Head Writer, 9 Story Media Group
Jess deMonsabert
Director of Research and Curriculum at 9 Story Media Group
Rosie duPont
Kids Podcast Producer at American Public Media.
Gail Evenari
Founder, Maiden Voyage Productions
MJ Fievre
Director of Global Editions and Juvenile Publishing; in-house writer at Mango Publishing.
Alan Foreman
Co-Executive Producer on Nickelodeon’s The Casagrandes
Stuart Friedel
Writer (animated, Disney Jr.) / Co-EP (live-action, Apple+)
Donna Friedman Meir
Founder/CEO WOW Explorations + Executive Producer, various TV projects
Stephen Gass
President – The Gass Company
Mark Gordon
Score Draw Music Founder and Composer
Ashley Griffis
Story Editor – Blaze and the Monster Machines
Andrew Gutelle
Writer, Puzzle Creator, Game Developer, and Editorial Consultant for Children’s Media
Marlene Hochman
Founder & President of The Toy Museum of NY
Haley Hoffman
Producer & Writer, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
Scotty Iseri
Creator and Host of the Imagine Neighborhood
David Isetta
Associate Producer at Industrial Light & Magic
Jennie Ito
Senior Product Policy Manager @ Roblox; Xoogler
Anna Jordan-Douglass
Founder & Chief Creative Officer at Makefully
Robert Kalinowski
Associate Director, Design Research and Consumer Insights, Age of Learning, Inc. and Consultant for SCPMG
David Kleeman
SVP, Global Trends Dubit Limited
Deborah Kovacs
Executive Vice President Publishing, Marketing & Outreach at Walden Media
Amy Kraft
Sr. Director of Development and Children’s Programming at Pinna
Melinda LaRose
Staff Writer – Alice’s Wonderland Bakery Alice’s Wonderland Bakery Disney Junior
Jeffrey Lesser
Music and Audio Producer/Director, Jet Laser Productions
Allisyn Levy
Product Strategest, Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT Media Lab
Stacy Lewis
Freelance Marketing Creative Content Director/Toy Inventor
Suzanne Masri
VP of Marketing, Communications & Engagement, Fred Rogers Productions
Michael Molina
Story Editor at Nickelodeon, Santiago of the Seas
Alex Post Miller
Vice President of Research and Content, Hatch Early Learning
Irmak Atabek Ndungu
Executive Producer / Creative Director at Mako Content & Animations
Bronwen O’Keefe
Consultant/Head of Development for Mimo Studios
David Palmer
Creative Producer, Mattel
Sal Perez
Executive Producer, Sesame Street
Arielle Reed
Associate Producer, Fred Rogers Productions
Nick Rodriguez
Staff Writer, DreamWorks
Steve Sandberg
Independent composer, Musical Director and Composer
Roberta Schomburg
Child Development Advisor, Fred Rogers Productions
Martha Sepulveda
Senior Director Of Development at 9 Story Media Group
Amy Strauss
Animation Associate Producer at Bleacher Report
Charley Thomas
Senior Producer, Brown Bag Films/9 Story
Tone Thyne
Vice President of Creative at FableVision
Robert Vargas
EP/Showrunner, overall deal at Netflix
Darnell Lamont Walker
Writer for Karma’s World, Blue’s clues and You Two What’s?! And a Wow!
Evren Yigit
Mako Content & Productions Partner/Head of Content
Autumn Zitani
Content Producer, Sesame

 

Want to Be a CMA Mentor in 2023?

 

Apply to be a Mentor in our 2023 Mentorship Program HERE

 

 

The CMA Mentorship Committee

 

Claire Fleitz, Mentorship Manager
Karen Martin, VP Programming, Director of Mentorship

Shemeka Foster, Coordinators

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