Headlines

It's hard to believe we are coming to the close of yet another year battling the COVID-19 pandemic. We've never been more grateful to have clients and speakers who have continued to collaborate with us through the chaos of it all. From virtual to in-person events, together we found new ways to continue to do what we love best: provide a way for people to see exciting personalities, world leaders, activists and innovators, unedited and unfiltered by mass media.

We look forward to working with you in 2022.

Sometimes just one small action can change a life. For APB speaker Mickey Rowe, Founder and Artistic Director of National Disability Theatre, it began when he was introduced to Seattle Children’s Theatre by his grandmother. Rowe, who is autistic and legally blind, was told that he could never enter the mainstream world. Acting changed all of that. In his new autobiography, Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor's Journey to Broadway's Biggest Stage, which was just called “immensely inspiring” by Publishers Weekly and will be available in March, Rowe tells the story of how he made it to The Great White Way.  

If you could only use one word to describe Elle Simone Scott, it would be warrior. The executive editor and founder of The Diversity Council at America’s Test Kitchen has navigated a career and life full of extreme highs and lows. From battling ovarian cancer to losing everything in the height of the 2008 recession, she fought to reinvent herself career-wise and is now one of the few queer women of color to work as a chef in the culinary world. APB recently sat down with Elle to discuss the intersection of food, culture and DEI in both our workplaces and communities (she even shared a free copy of her favorite Thanksgiving recipe, you can download it below!).

APB speaker Mike Hayes will join a panel of experts and innovators at the 2021 Milken Institute’s Asia Summit in Singapore November 15-16. Hayes, a former Navy SEAL commander and Chief Digital Transformation Officer for VMware, will discuss leading and protecting in a new world through digital transformation. He’ll share the stage with IBM Vice Chairman Gary Cohn and Wilson Center President Emerita Jane Harman. The roundtable discussion will be moderated by Jim Sciutto, Anchor and Chief National Security Correspondent for CNN. 

A breakout star of FX’s Golden Globe-nominated series, Pose, Ryan Jamaal Swain is a triple-threat actor, dancer, and singer who was named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list for his LGBTQIA+ activism. Recently, APB sat down with Ryan to discuss his coming out experience and what Pride means to him.

An article by APB speaker Jennifer Senior in The Atlantic magazine has gone viral. “What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind” was published in the September issue. It tells the story of a victim of Sept. 11 and his family’s search for meaning in the two decades since the day the towers fell. Senior’s brother lived with McIlvaine at the time of the attack. The story is getting more engagement than any piece in the magazine since 2002.

An acclaimed biographer, Pulitzer finalist, reporter and cultural historian, Wil Haygood is known for telling the story of America through the lens of history, politics, sports, race and the lives of change-making African-Americans. Author of the New York Times bestsellers The Butler and Showdown, Haygood is about to release his newest title, Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World.

The holiday season isn't quite upon us yet, but the time to start shopping is now, warns Dr. Nada Sanders, APB speaker and Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management at Northeastern University in Boston. In an interview with Boston 25 News, Sanders says we can expect longer shipping times and shortages of some items this holiday season. “Consumers are not going to be able to get the goods that they want by the usual holiday time,” Sanders says. “Lead times are extremely long, massive shortages, price hikes. It’s not going to be good.” 

New York Times bestselling author and award-winning historian Dr. Keisha N. Blain has released her highly anticipated new book, Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America, bringing the Black civil rights activist to life in rich and heartwarming detail.  

We are excited to share that Alma's Way, a new animated PBS KIDS series from Fred Rogers Productions, will premiere next week on October 4th. We are even more excited to exclusively represent the creative genius behind the show, Sesame Street icon and author, Sonia Manzano. Beloved by generations, Manzano broke new ground as one of the first Latino characters on national TV.