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    HPA sets Young Entertainment Professionals class of 2021

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1582 Views
    HPA president Seth Hallen
    BURBANK, Calif. --

    The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the 2021 class of HPA Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP). YEP was developed five years ago to provide talented early-career professionals working in the media content industry with connection, mentoring and opportunities for engagement Initiated in 2017, the YEP program has provided support, education, and encouragement to over 100 young professionals, many of whom are now in industry leadership positions.

    The YEP program provides a unique framework for young professionals to network and learn from peers and mentors. YEP mentors, who volunteer their time and expertise, are industry leaders who bring extensive knowledge to their mentees. Over the course of the year, YEP class members participate in a variety of events including the HPA Tech Retreat, HPA Awards, exclusive mentoring events and a number of YEP–driven events. This year’s class will kick off with an exclusive YEP event in January.

    2021 YEP Class

    • Bibi Arbab, The Walt Disney Company
    • Veronica Badell, Academy Gold
    • Fernanda Bueno, NBCUniversal
    • Cathy Bui, Room306 Media LLC
    • Yasmine Cheikh-Eljeilat, The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
    • Huan Cheng, Center for Asian American Media
    • Christina Coleman, Netflix
    • Sara Duque, Cala Producciones S.A.S.
    • Tahirah Foy, HBO
    • Melissa Gutierrez, Narrative Ads
    • Liv Gwynn, National Geographic Channel
    • Desmond Jackson, PMF Media
    • Nikki Jee, Paramount Pictures
    • Simon Lecointe, Dalet
    • Barbara Losseau, GBH
    • Catheryn Mallari, Premier Digital
    • Natalie Mangione, Walt Disney Studios
    • Twi McCallum
    • Whitney McElveen, Netflix
    • Bowen Moreno, Xperi
    • Benjamin Noble, 3 Ball Entertainment
    • Nicoletta Nomicou
    • Evan Okada, Sim International
    • Maria Quiroga, Mariangela Quiroga Photography
    • Leah Robinson, Big Brother
    • Karla Rodriguez, Sony Pictures Entertainment
    • Drew Roublick
    • Megan Schneider, Marvel Studios
    • Nicole Thrakulchavee, Company 3
    • Stephanie To, Tremendous Entertainment
    • Mackenzie Webster, Nordstrom
    • Adam Wohlers, Disney Creative Services
    • Ting Yu, IATSE Local 700/ACE

    The YEP program was developed by HPA Women in Post and is overseen by the YEP steering committee, led by co-chairs Kari Grubin and Loren Nielsen. Grubin remarked, “Each year we are thoroughly impressed by the accomplishments of YEP program applicants. It’s thrilling to bring such a bright and talented group of individuals together for the program’s fifth year and connect them with the resources and people that will help them set and achieve bold goals for both their careers and our industry.”

    HPA president Seth Hallen noted, “One of the most important and long-lasting impacts that HPA delivers is through our support and encouragement of the up-and-coming leaders of our industry. Every year I am completely blown away by the caliber of applicants. The YEP program is great source of pride to all of us at HPA and because of these outstanding young professionals, we see a brilliant outlook ahead for our industry.”

    Tags:HPAHPA Young Entertainment ProfessionalsKari GrubinLoren NielsenSeth Hallen



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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