FUTURE
PMDMC panel: the Problem Isn't The Pipeline - Supporting the Next Generation of BIPOC Leaders
JULY 21, 2021
As longtime leaders and public media veterans are hanging their hats and succession plans are being implemented, a salient question continues to challenge our industry: Is Public Media meeting its promise to serve and engage our entire nation today and in the future ahead? Traditional broadcasting is moving swiftly into the digital space, making the media landscape more competitive each day. Audiences are more racially and generationally diverse than ever before;public broadcasting must build on its promise to offer programming that enlightens and inspires all people. All of this requires talent that is reflective of our nation and workplace cultures, that allows risks and prioritizes training and developing emerging leaders.
Veteran journalist and CEO of Oakland-based nonprofit YR Media, Kyra Kyles, will lead a conversation on the changing media workplace and the importance of developing a culture that understands and supports emerging BIPOC leaders. Attendees will engage in a candid conversation on how critical recruiting, retaining and promoting young BIPOC employees are to both audience growth and validity as a media organization, with examples and actionable advice from leading youth media groups who embrace and embody these principles.
PAST
ADCOLOR EVERYWHERE
september 8, 2020
What is the sonic “color line”? Find out from ADCOLOR’s annual conference, this time virtual. Kyra will join a conversation that includes Pandora/Sirius XM Group Creative Director Roger Sho Gehrmann, MC Lyte, and VP of the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences Joan Baker.
women’s small business expo sponsored by city treasurer
november 16, 2019 CHICAGO, IL (UIC Forum at 725 W. Roosevelt Road)
Kyra Kyles will share some social media and communications strategies with women entrepreneurs in Chicago. More details to follow, but make sure you attend and gain insights during this day of networking and enlightenment.
PEOPLE POWERED PUBLISHING (illinois humanities festival)
november 15, 2019 CHICAGO, IL (COLUMBIA college AT 1104 S. WABASH AVENUE)
“Fake News Ain’t New” Media Panel with TRiiBE, Borderless Magazine and La Raza
Though the current White House administration has turned #fakenews into a buzzword, members of African, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American (ALAANA) communities have been contending with false narratives and incomplete context tracing back to the beginnings of media in this country. This is a chance to hear from ALAANA-led organizations who are working closely within underrepresented communities and gain insights on strategies that other media can use more broadly to find the right stakeholders, get beyond the negative news cycle, and build more trusting and equitable relationships. More info and registration HERE.
“BLACKGIRLMAGIC” AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
OCTOBER 22, 2019 CHICAGO, IL (ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO)
Bisa Butler, Tschabalala Self and—Chicago's very own—Amanda Williams are coming together at the Art Institute of Chicago on Tuesday, October 22 for New Paradigms: #BlackGirlMagic! In recognition of #BlackGirlMagic and the continued need to heighten visibility of women of color in museums, Butler, Self, and Williams will discuss their individual work, the collective work of their fellow women of color, and why indeed #BlackGirlsAreMagic. Kyra Kyles moderates the discussion. For tickets, click here: www.artic.edu/black-girl-magic
“HAPPIEST HOUR” THE END OF AN ERA
OCTOBER 16, 2019 CHICAGO, IL (Red Fish BluE Fish, 5121 S. Harper)
The Hyde Park Happy Hour presents the last of Chicago connector Dwayne Hirsch’s epic networking events that go back 10 years. Kyra Kyles has been a guest of, and a panelist for, this awesome opportunity to spotlight businesses, business owners and meet the city’s movers and shakers. Now, she will conduct the FINAL interview of the series and find out what’s next for Hirsch. Come check it out by registering right HERE.
“LITTLE” SCREENING + GIRLS LIKE ME PANEL DISCUSSION OF DIVERSITY
APRIL 13, 2019 CHICAGO, IL (STUDIO MOVIE GRILL)
Following a fabulous mom-and-mini me fashion show and screening of history-making #BlackGirlMagic comedy “Little”, Kyra Kyles was part of a panel about media representation of young Black girls for the Chicago-based Girls Like Me foundation.
Never a Lovely So Real: Photography and Film in Chicago, 1950 - 1980
OCT. 25 2018 CHICAGO, IL (ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO)
Kyra Kyles was part of a panel developed in response to the Art Institute’s current exhibition Never a Lovely So Real: Photography and Film in Chicago, 1950 - 1980. The event will explore photojournalism on Chicago's South Side during a period coinciding with the emergence of the city's Black Arts Movement. Many of the artists of this period, such as Billy Abernathy ("Fundi"), Darryl Cowheard, Bob Crawford, Valeria "Mikki" Ferrill, Robert ("Bobby") Sengstacke, Jim Stricklin, and Robert Earl Wilson ("Trees"), worked as photojournalists, regularly hired by publications such as Ebony and The Chicago Defender, while the work they created independently underscored the role played by Chicago's South Side as a national center of black culture and politics.
LADIES THAT LEAD AS CREATORS
OCT, 6 2018 CHICAGO, IL (THE ACE HOTEL, 311 N. MORGAN ST.)
Kyra Kyles appeared as a panelist at the 2018 Ladies Who Lead Conference, presented by the nationally renowned and award-winning B.O.S.S. (Bringing Out Successful Sisters) Network. As part of the Ladies Who Lead in Content Creation discussion, Kyra shared her experience as a journalist, speaker and content creation firm co-owner at Myth Lab with an audience of entrepreneur-minded African American women. More on the event and details of the weekend HERE.
AWARD ALERT: DREAM ON EDUCATION COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
MAY 21 2018 CHICAGO, IL (LOFT ON LAKE STREET 1366 W. LAKE ST.)
Kyra Kyles is one of the Guests of Honor at the upcoming Dream On Education celebration. The event, to be held in a swanky lofted space, will help the organization raise money to educate and empower Chicago youth. More background on the festivities and other honorees HERE. To donate to this wonderful organization, link HERE.
WOKE ENTREPRENEUR CONFERENCE (KEYNOTE)
MAY 18, 2018 CHICAGO, IL (BLUE 1647 2150 S. CANALPORT AVE)
Kyra Kyles and Myth Lab co-founder Kozi Kyles will keynote the WOKE Entrepreneur Conference. The partners (and sisters) addressed over 200 attendees who are emerging and current business owners to share their experiences moving from the corporate world into running their multicultural content development company full time. Ticket info and more details on what was a stellar line-up of speakers HERE.
THRIVING WITHIN THE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM
SEPTEMBER 13 2017
CHICAGO, IL (405 W. SUPERIOR ST.)
Kyra, alongside Facebook, I.C. Stars, and Black Mecca executives, will be a speaker at the Digital Diversity Network coming to Tech Month Chicago. This first-annual event will feature Cocktails, Conversation & Networking with Diverse Digital & Tech Professionals. Shift is always happening. Technology has upended traditional industries; disrupted talent; spawned new ventures; increased connectivity; galvanized movements and amplified diverse voices. As innovation consistently transforms the status quo, how does one remain relevant and competitive? Hear from diverse industry professionals who have embraced technology and disruption to advance their careers, their communities and the common good. Learn how to create change and thrive within the Innovation Eco-system.
TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT
september 19 2017
(palo alto, California)
"Voices Left Out: Who are the Under-served Voices in the Digital Age?" is the topic of a panel at the invitation-only journalism summit. There, Kyra will present a "lightening" talk to share perspectives on this urgent issue for the media and those who consume it before participating in a Q&A with attendees.
diversify or die: why news outlets must mirror their audiences
new york, nyc (Google offices)
Kyra will present to Google executives and affiliates on the topic of truly making your media coverage mirror the audience that consumes it. This is a subject the multi-platform executive is well versed on and has presented to other forums, such as during Social Media Week and the Digital Publishing Innovation Summit. This particular session-- which will cover topics, including but not limited to, the fact that Kim Kardashian did NOT invent cornrows-- will be broadcast on the search industry giant's network reaching over half a million subscribers.
BLACK WOMEN ON ... your brand visibility & social media
JULY 18 2017
CHICAGO, IL (ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO)
Kyra, along with the Dean of Emory University's Coizueta Business School Erika H. James; Senior Media Strategist at Burrell Communications Conjah Adams; and Former EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Brand Marketing & Creative for VH1 Caralene Robinson, will discuss the impact of online platforms and Black female entrepreneurship. This event, powered by the Executive Leadership Council, is open to the public. Get more details and register to attend right HERE.
League of Women Voters Biennial Convention
June 10 2017
Des Plaines, IL
Kyra delivered the keynote address during a bipartisan gathering of women, sharing details of her career trajectory from a broadcast and print journalist to a high-level media executive at EBONY and advocate for diversity in the industry.
haiti tech summit
June 7-8 2017
On June 7 and 8, Kyra received the opportunity to be part of history as a panelist for the first-ever Haiti Tech conference. Held in the Royal DeCameron Indigo Beach resort, she addressed an audience of executives, entrepreneurs and activists with sponsoring and attending companies including Google and Facebook. The two-day event and brainchild of Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Christine Souffrant Ntim. More about the event and a video snippet HERE.
BLAVITY EMPOWERHER 17 CONFERENCE
JUNE 10 2017
CHICAGO, IL
Glow up! Kyra spoke at @21ninety’s #EmpowerHer17 conference on June 10! She and over 500 other business-savvy women in Chicago June 9th-10th engaged in a productive Vulcan mind meld for two days of immersive conversations on leadership, creativity, and insights on living your best life. Read more about the experience HERE.
Chicago Humanities Festival, “Springfest 17: Stuff”
April 29 2017
Art Institute of Chicago
Objects of affection could be the tagline for this insightful event. Multi-platform media executive Kyra Kyles moderated a discussion that takes a look at our rapidly changing relationship to the material objects that surround us—what we value, what we collect and hand down, and what we discard. Kimberly Drew, social media manager for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, engages millions of Met fans through social media platforms across the internet. Drew will talk about how a 146-year-old institution stays relevant in a digital world, with insights from her popular Tumblr blog Black Contemporary Art, a place for art about and for people of African descent. This event will feature live open captions to increase access to program content. This program is presented in partnership with the Art Institute of Chicago.
SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK, “DIVERSIFY OR DIE”
november 16 2016
VENUE ONE
African Americans, Latino African Americans and Latinos are projected to be a third of the U.S. population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. These statistics are especially important for the mainstream media who will be serving information to these future consumers, which will represent 57% of the country by 2040. When asked specifically if they thought about their communities was accurate, approximately 75 percent of Blacks responded only “moderately” or “slightly/not at all.” Latinos asked the same question, 66 percent replied “slightly or not at all” or “moderately.”
Kyra Kyles, multi-platform executive, will share insights from her years working at the iconic Black-owned brands of JET and EBONY and experience working for mainstream media outlets including the Tribune Company in order to map out a path to connecting with, and meeting the needs of, a diverse readership.
After briefly analyzing case studies of media-gone-wrong while offering insights into our future audience, Kyles will moderate a panel discussion with representatives from the media and audience measurement giant, Nielsen. The group conversation will edu-tain the audience so they can walk away with a firm understanding of:
Diversity done wrong (and how to avoid repeating this error)
Best practices and storytelling techniques
Story-development tactics bearing our new audience in mind
Solutions/ideas for “colorizing”current coverage
More about the esteemed panelists and event HERE.