Non-profit Film2Future, a diversity-focused filmmaking organization for underserved youth, announced today that they will honor award-winning showrunner LaToya Morgan as the 2020 Changemaker Honoree at their first-ever Origins: In the Beginning virtual gala fundraiser on Thursday, Nov. 19 in support of the organization’s mission to create a diversity pipeline to the entertainment industry. Morgan has most recently been tapped by J.J. Abrams to co-create and executive produce the upcoming HBO Max series Duster and is known for her work on Shameless, Parenthood and The Walking Dead, among others.
“Growing up in a L.A., I dreamed of the day I could create my own stories and get them on screen. I always wished for an organization like Film2Future which is doing incredible work building a pipeline for talented diverse students directly to the entertainment industry,” said the honoree, Morgan, who participated on Film2Future’s ‘Staying Creative in Uncertain Times’ panel earlier this year. “Every time I speak with the students I’m inspired by the depths of their curiosity, commitment, and creativity. It’s exciting to share insight into the work that I do knowing that these exceptional teens are the next generation of great storytellers.”
Rachel Miller, Film2Future Founder and Haven Entertainment founder partner, said “I am beyond thrilled to honor LaToya Morgan for the 2020 Film2Future Changemaker Award. LaToya is Superwoman — from show-running groundbreaking, inclusive shows to advocating for emerging writers, to speaking to our students to fighting for a fair election — she is dedicated to making change everywhere. She truly embodies everything Film2Future works to instill in our students.”
The Origins: In the Beginning live-stream celebration will honor the 2020 Film2Future graduates and premiere their five original short films. The evening will also feature actress Adina Porter (American Horror Story) to present the student awards as well as a special musical performance by Tony Award-nominated actor Sahr Ngaujah (Moulin Rouge). Actress and musician Andy Allo (Upload) will host the evening, which will have L.A.’s Mariachi Voz Juvenil with Film2Future alumni and skilled trumpeter Angel Rivera perform. Stars from FX’s Mayans M.C. drama series including Joseph Raymond Lucero, Carla Baratta, Mike Meltran, Vincent ‘Rocco’ Vargas, and Emilio Rivera will make special guest appearances and introduce the students’ short films. Additional artists and special guests to be announced.
Individual tickets start at $30 and are available for purchase now. Additional information on the event can be found at Film2Future.org/events.
Film2Future is made possible through generous support from corporate sponsors including AT&T, FTI Consulting, Framework Studio, Haven Entertainment, Hackman Capital Partners, Industrial Media, Paradigm, Quixote, Starz and Water Buffalo Club. For sponsorship opportunities, please reach out to Film2Future Executive Director Kelly Slattery, kelly@film2future.org.
About LaToya Morgan
Born and raised in Los Angeles, LaToya Morgan is a graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory where she received an MFA in Screenwriting. She’s an alumna of several prestigious fellowships including the Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop, the Producers Guild Power of Diversity Fellowship, Film Independent’s Project: Involve and its Producer’s Lab, as well as the WGA’s Feature Access Project. She’s been a writer on Shameless, Parenthood, Complications, TURN: Washington’s Spies, Into the Badlands and The Walking Dead. After back-to-back overall deals at AMC, this two-time NAACP Image Award nominee inked a new multi-year overall deal with Warner Bros. Television to write and develop new television series across their family of prestige networks and across digital platforms. She has been tapped by J.J. Abrams to co-create and executive produce the upcoming HBO Max series Duster, which has been given a series production greenlight. Morgan serves on the WGA Inclusion and Equita Group committee and is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
About Adina Porter
Adina Porter has made her mark in all areas of entertainment: television, film and theatre. Porter garnered a 2018 Emmy nomination for her role as “Beverly Hope” in American Horror Story: Cult. She has appeared in four of the series iterations and is set to begin shooting a fifth season of AHS later this year. Porter recently completed the role of “Indra,” on the final season of CW’s The 100, while working simultaneously on the Netflix hit Outer Banks. She continues appearing in Apple TV’s The Morning Show as “Attorney Sarah Graveler.” Other recent recurring roles include Showtime’s Ray Donovan and th heoic “Pearly Mae,” in Underground for WGN. With an extensive career of many roles under her belt, Porter may be best known for her turn as “Leitte Mae Thornton” in HBO’s True Blood series. She has even made her Broadway debut in The Women, directed by Scott Elliot. Porter was born and raised in New York City. She attended S.U.N.Y Purchase, and the famed High School for the Performing Arts. She currently splits her time between Los Angeles and New York City. Photo by Diana Ragland.
About Andy Allo
Cameroon born singer and actress, Andy Allo, is starring as the lead female, ‘Nora’, in Amazon Prime’s critically acclaimed original series Upload, opposite Robbie Amell. With the global love and praise from critics and fans, Greg Daniels’ (The Office) series quickly got renewed for Season 2. She can also be seen in the upcoming Lionsgate new comedy, 2 Minutes of Fame opposite Keke Palmer and Jay Pharoah. In addition, Andy can be seen as ‘Lieutenant Wendy Seager’ on Chicago Fire. Andy is best known for her role of ‘Serenity’ in Pitch Perfect 3. She is known for playing with Prince’s New Power Generation as a singer/guitarist and working with the legend on her sophomore album, “Superconductor”. She has performed on Jimmy Kimmel, Guitar Center Sessions, Billboard Sessions Exclusive and has toured extensively throughout Europe, Canada and the United States. Photo by Tiziano Lugli.
