Jenn Mancini '96 has almost 20 years of experience within gaming and esports. She has devoted her past ten years to branded entertainment and influencer integrations with a focus on developing award-winning live streaming brand executions at Twitch. Her current endeavor is reinventing the in-game advertising experience for Free to play console and PC games at the newly formed playerWONtm a division of Simulmedia. Her passion project is supporting diversity within the gaming industry as a co-founder of the professional club, Womxn in Gaming (WxG). Fun fact – She toured with Ray Davies of the Kinks singing backup in 2011.
Joanie Kraut is the CEO of Women in Games International (WIGI), a nonprofit organization with a mission to cultivate resources to advance economic equality and diversity in the global games industry. For over fifteen years, Joanie has operated in the tech and gaming space within different verticals throughout her career, and she has served as an advisor and consultant for studios, startups, and nonprofits in the gaming space. Her expertise resides in business development, financial strategy, operational process development and execution, and DEI initiatives. She is dedicated to eliminating barriers and increasing access and opportunities for all.
Rebecca Dixon is an entrepreneur who is passionate about creating businesses that support and amplify women through engaged communities. As co-founder of the*gameHERs, Rebecca and her team have created the largest social network, media platform, and lifestyle brand for women who game and work in the gaming industry in North America. Of the 2.7 billion gamers in the world, half of them are women, while women are extremely under-represented in the industry and experience a high level of toxicity. The*gameHERs is dedicated to providing a safe and social space for women gamers with the launch of their matchmaking app. Prior to launching the*gameHERs, Rebecca and her team created Mommybites. They ultimately sold the parenting social community and caregiver matchmaking platform to a media conglomerate in New York in 2016. Rebecca received her BS in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University andlives in New York City with her husband and three children.
Our moderator, Mary Turner '22, is a Senior Television and Digital Media Production Major, and the current president of Ithaca College's Esports Club. She was one of the Producers of ICTV's Bombers Live Esports, which placed second in the Esports Coverage Category at BEA Festival of Media Arts and third place in the Best Live Sports Broadcast at the College Broadcasters 2021 National Student Production Awards. She is currently a social media intern at Dignitas, working specifically on their women in gaming platform "Raidiant."
If you have any questions, please reach out to Alex Estabrook '06, instructor, Department of Media Arts, Sciences, and Studies, Roy H. Park School of Communications, at aestabr1@ithaca.edu.
