Meet our Speakers

After a civil war broke out, they fled their home and sought refuge in the states, resettling in Louisville, Kentucky. They’ve won the Sitcom Teleplay Award from the Austin Film Festival, the HUMANITAS New Voices Prize and were part of the CBS Writer’s Program.

Miry can typically be found digging in the garden with her sons, Reuben and Sabo, or walking around Occidental College with her dog, Leroy.

Mota began his career as an entrepreneur at the age of 15 when he developed a storytelling board game with writer Sonia Rodrigues, which he sold door-to-door all over Brazil. It is now present in over 5,000 schools. It later became a YA book collection and has been used by many Forbes 500 companies and the United Nations to foster creativity and innovation among their leaders. The game’s patent was used as the foundation for a literacy social network employed by 700,000 kids in public schools across Rio.

Later, Mota became a serial entrepreneur, pioneering multi-platform content by designing and creating products and IPs for TV channels, movie studios, and advertisers globally. Mauricio was the first Latin American to speak at the Futures of Entertainment conference at MIT. He has been a judge on many international juries, such as Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Festival of Media, the Emmys, and the One Show. Mota represents the 4th generation of one of the most important Latin American storytelling legacies and has helped his mother re-shape the estate created by his grandfather, Nelson Rodrigues, who is considered the Brazilian Shakespeare, into the largest and most diverse IP estate in Latin America. Most recently, he designed the School of Series, a TV series/IP development lab that will shape the next generation of showrunners and content creators in Brazil, and which trains 800 writers and producers. He sits on the boards of A Call to Men (a national violence prevention organization, Center for Third Space at the Annenberg School (an institute focused on shaping the next generation of business leaders), the PGA’s Diversity Board, Scriptd (an online marketplace for screenwriters), and Young Storytellers (a non-profit focused on mentoring low-income students through storytelling). Mauricio has also spoken for national and international audiences, including the White House Fellowship, the State Department, and the World Bank.

Ms. Simon has led strategic communications to protect civil liberties and human rights for the past 14 years, with organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union and American Constitution Society. Ms. Simon’s portfolio includes work to end domestic and international rights violations around a wide range of issues, including national security, refugees, LGBTI, criminal justice, and reproductive rights. Ms. Simon received her Bachelor of Ars from Western Michigan University and lives in Brooklyn with her partner and daughter.