Sev Ohanian is a screenwriter and producer who co-wrote and produced the mystery thriller Searching and Run, and produced Fruitvale Station, and most recently, the historical drama Judas and the Black Messiah which was nominated for six Academy Awards. Sev was the recipient of the Sundance Institute / Amazon Studios Narrative Producer Award. He's been named one of 11 Innovators Changing Hollywood by The Wrap, alongside Angelina Jolie and Jimmy Fallon, and he also serves as an adjunct professor at USC.
Michael Goorjian is an Armenian-American actor, filmmaker, and writer. Goorjian won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role as David Goodson in David's Mother. He is also known for his role as Justin on the Golden Globe-winning series Party of Five, and Heroin Bob in the film SLC Punk!. As a director, Goorjian achieved recognition for his first major independent film Illusion, which he wrote, directed, and starred in alongside Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas. His upcoming feature film explores the journey of a Genocide survivor who finds himself in Soviet Armenia.
Senior Vice President of Talent at Pixar Animation Studios
Katherine Sarafian is an Armenian-American film producer and Senior Vice President of Talent at Pixar Animation Studios. In this capacity, she oversees the development and cultivation of Pixar’s workforce at all levels, helping shape the filmmaking experience at the studio. A Pixar veteran, Sarafian produced Academy Award®-winning and nominated films such as Brave and Lifted and worked on a number of others, including Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and The Incredibles. Sarafian’s experience spans the range of Pixar’s creative and business interests.
Tigran Hamasyan is a jazz and folk musician, whose distinctive and exuberant sound defines today’s music landscape of Armenia and the world. He fuses virtuoso jazz improvisations with Armenian folkloric music and takes inspiration from an array of different genres to produce music that strikes and stays with the listener. His remarkable talent earned him a number of awards, including the top piano award at the 2013 Montreux Jazz Festival and the grand prize at the prestigious 2006 Thelonious Monk Jazz Piano Competition. Hamasyan’s award-winning albums – from his debut World Passion (2006) to the recently released StandArt (2022) – have enticed listeners with their fresh and startling sound, earning critical acclaim and repeated praises from the world's most prestigious publications including The Guardian, NPR, New York Times, and Downbeat.