HRTS VIRTUAL – TV Storytellers: A Sense of Responsibility in a Time of Reckoning

After earning his undergraduate degree in sports management in 2012, Emmanuel was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. He was then traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013, where he spent most of his career.  While in the NFL, Emmanuel spent off-seasons at the University of Texas to earn his master’s degree in Sports Psychology. In 2016, Emmanuel left the football field and picked up the microphone to begin his broadcast career.  In 2018, Emmanuel was promoted within ESPN, where he served as the youngest national football analyst and was named a 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 Selection.  In 2017, he and his family’s non-profit organization, Living Hope Christian Ministries, raised enough funds to build a hospital in rural Nigeria.

In June 2020, Acho launched a video series titled “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man”, which opened a virtual conversation with white America about race relations, racism, and educational/economic inequalities. The series has been a resounding success, debuting with over 22 million views across social media platforms and garnering widespread media coverage.

Episode 1: Emmanuel Acho (22+ million views across all channels) 

Episode 2: Guest: Academy-Award Winning Actor, Matthew McConaughey (3+ million views in the first 24 hours across all channels).

Erlij joined UTA in 1996 in UTA’s Agent Training Program. He was promoted to agent in the television literary department in 1998 and was upped to Partner in April of 2008. Prior to joining UTA, Erlij practiced law for several years as a litigator at the Herzfeld & Rubin law firm in New York City. He left the legal practice to move to Los Angeles and enter the entertainment industry.

Erlij is an instrumental part of UTA’s TV Lit Department, known for his adept instincts for identifying gifted artists, building exceptional careers for clients and discovering great material, as well as developing and packaging successful network and cable series.

Orsi currently oversees the Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning series Big Little Lies and the Emmy® nominated series Succession, along with the upcoming series Watchmen, Lovecraft Country, His Dark Materials and The Undoing, among many others. Her recent projects include The Leftovers, Vinyl, Emmy®-winner Boardwalk Empire, Emmy® and Golden Globe®-nominated drama Big Love and the acclaimed comedy Getting On. In the past, she was involved with the Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning dramas True Blood, In Treatment and Tell Me You Love Me.

Orsi joined HBO in 2003 as an executive assistant to the head of Drama. She was named a creative associate in 2005 and rose through the ranks from Manager, HBO Entertainment (now HBO Programming) to Director, Development, HBO Entertainment in 2008. She was promoted to vice president, HBO Entertainment in 2011, and to senior vice president, HBO Programming in 2014.

Prior to HBO, she worked as an agent trainee at Paradigm and the William Morris Agency.

She earned an M.F.A. in Film & Teleplay Writing at the University of Southern California.

In her new post, she is overseeing the 25 shows Warner Bros. TV produces for cable and streaming, ranging from “Westworld” to “Shameless” to “Castle Rock”, with more on the horizon for HBO Max, Warner Media’s new streaming service that will launch in the spring of 2020. Before joining Warner Bros. TV, Odetta held previous posts at FOX, CBS Productions, and TNT, where she helped to launch the cable network’s first few television series.

Originally from San Francisco, Odetta is a graduate of Howard University with a B.A. in Journalism. Although she originally intended to pursue a career in TV news, her love of primetime tv shows like “Dallas” and “A Different World” inspired her to follow her passion for creative television.

In addition to working with writers, Odetta is also passionate about striving for inclusiveness both in front of the camera and behind the scenes in the industry. She is an active member of the Television Academy, Colour TV; and also mentors young professionals on the executive path.