Hello everyone.

I'm after Corbin writer and director of 20 something and a story supervisor at Pixar animation studios.

I'm sorry, jewish Turkey.

And I'm the senior manager of engagement on the global public policy team at the walt Disney company.

I'm very excited to dive in here at Disney plus voices, definitely.

Likewise, I would love to know what inspired you to get into animation.

And was it something that you always wanted to do growing up?

I always loved animation, I would watch it.

Um and tv like everyone else saturday morning cartoons and then I started to I guess just ask questions like how how are they making this?

And I would take these drawings and try to do multiple drawings and like staple them, try to move it across my table fast.

I thought it was something close.

Yeah.

And flip books and stuff like that.

In high school, my brother was able to go to one school and I had to go to a different school.

My brother took this animation class.

Um actually at the school they had it as an elective, which is crazy and he thought he would take it as like an easy a but turns out animation is really hard.

I was like so frustrated because I was like, this is what I want to do, like, like this is clearly the class I need to be in.

So through a roundabout way.

I was able to leave school for one period to take that class.

And it was one teacher who was really passionate about teaching this to students, just educating the students on this art form, shout out to teachers for constantly, just paving the right.

If it weren't for that class, who knows how I would have gotten into animation.

Um it was definitely a huge kicking off point.

That's incredible.

I'm curious to know when did you feel like advocating for representation?

Was a calling of yours on something you were passionate about?

I'm a big reader, so I love just reading books like Sweet Valley High and the Babysitter's Club, but I felt like I never, ever saw myself, right, you didn't really have the main character leading Sweet Valley High, It was always the white blonde chicks.

Um and so that was kind of my middle school years and then high school years 9, 11 happened.

One thing that really changed for me as a muslim woman is one I started to perceive myself as a muslim woman before that my religion was just something that was part of me, but it wasn't my main identity.

And then all of a sudden it became the main part of me of how people define me.

So when I felt like my black identity wasn't authentically represented in the books that I was reading and then my muslim identity was kind of just being negatively framed across the media.

So at that point it was like, I don't see myself anywhere, right who looks like me, Who can I turn to?

And when I went off to college, I had a friend who started up this blog and it was really about giving minority women a voice to just tell their own stories.

And this is why representation is so important.

We should be out there telling our own stories.

So, I feel like for that That was the home moment where I was like, all right, how do I get further into the space?

How do I ensure that representation happens in every work that I do?

It's so interesting when you think about authentic representation because like you said, you don't really know you're different until someone points it out.

It's also something when your identity is so misconstrued, right?

And that's how Islam was so vilified after nine and 11, right?

Like I was embarrassed sometimes to even be seen with my mother because I didn't wear a scarf at the time, but she did.

So I was like, oh man, people will see me and like, I think that I'm X right and that's awful right?

To be embarrassed to be seen with your mother.

I feel like it took a lot of just inner reflection for years afterwards to try to unravel that and Really figure out who I was without thinking about who society thought I was speaking of representation.

I would love to know more about 20 something.

Um I will confess I watched it twice in the last 24 hours because it was so good.

How did that come about?

What kind of sparked that idea to create it?

Yeah.

So I had been working at Pixar for about a three years or so.

When I was offered the opportunity to do a spark short and my immediate reaction was to panic.

Um and to not be excited and to get stressed out and to worry that I didn't know what I was doing.

I was too new for this was too green for this.

I often worried like, am I even uh that imposter syndrome of Am I even ready?

Am I just going to look good for the company as like this black up and coming artist.

Is this just a good publicity stuff?

And I had to talk to a lot of other story artists and colleagues and kind of squashed the imposter syndrome and know that like no, I am ready and the studio trusts me to do this.

And yes, also wants to see new perspectives.

It's not a negative thing when I was coming up for the idea for it.

Just this imposter syndrome felt like such a fun place to dive deeper into you and this feeling of being in your twenties and feeling like um you don't know what you're doing.

So um and I just ran with it and had fun figuring out what these three would do on a night out on the town.

I loved it.

I felt like especially the scene where people are on the dance floor and you see them kind of turning into their childish selves.

That was just so right, we all have a child in us that comes out.

Yeah.

Do you feel like you have any personal gifts or talents creating global public policy?

I feel like policy in general is a bit, you know, it's if you don't have the network for it, you can always get in, which is why it's super white, I think.

Um so when the murder of George Floyd happened, um you know, bob chapek was like Disney needs to do more and we need to step up.

My team a large part due to me came up with this program called Public Policy New Voices.

So we worked with graduate students from minority backgrounds to provide them with mentorship guidance and network and this was something that happened because I was there, right?

Because I was like, listen as a black woman in the policy space, I don't see people like me, how can we support more people like myself?

Because that support doesn't really exist.

Um I would love to know for you as well, right, what personal gifts and talents do you bring into our great question?

And I asked to you and I don't know what to say.

Uh with 20 something I someone said that it was a like a secret truth that I was able to tap into that everyone experiences but can't really articulate and I guess it's something that I've always been able to dig into in the work that I've done, whether it's on Soul or Toy Story four is just fine.

Um, I guess get into the headspace of the character and really try to figure out what they're dealing with.

So along those lines, what stories centered around people of color and film and television.

Do you feel like we aren't seeing and that you would like to see come to life?

I mean honestly just fun.

I just wanted something fun.

You know, when I was growing up I wanted the Black Sailor Moon or you know, I think it's really important to show uplift, thriving, being successful and giving hope excellent story.

Yeah.

To see more of those.

I feel like it's always the extremes, right?

Yeah.

So based on what you've seen, what areas of media do you feel like you have had the most authentic representation of black women?

Honestly, I feel like the most authentic representation of black women is when black women themselves are telling the stories black women exist and if you give them resources and the support they can do it.

Just give them sort of the freedom to do what they want to do and tell their stories.

Um, and they'll do them well I want a black Ryan the last track and that's what I want.

I want like a fearless Warrior, black princess going off and doing things sci fi, fantasy space?

I feel like it's still very white and we don't really see black people in it as much.

I mean of course black panther is an exception, but we don't need just exceptions.

We needed to kind of become the more to add to that.

I feel like a range of black women.

I feel like we're still stuck in a very specific looking black woman who is more lighter, complected wave your hair.

I still feel like I don't see myself on screen or people darker than me.

I'm so craving to just see myself or Black kids that um, that don't get visualized very often and that's something I was really determined to do with 20 something is just like making them darker again, I love that you did that because you are so right there is that type of like colorism that goes on, right?

It's like, what will most audiences, like what will cater to a white audience basically?

And I'm like, no, that's not.

There's a whole spectrum of black women.

Right.

Right.

I feel like you've accomplished so much in your career.

Have you ever thought about what you'd like your legacy to be for me being on the global public policy team.

Like what can I do in these markets that aren't as focused on?

Right.

What about Africa?

What can we do to support storytellers there, can we Start some type of incubator program?

So if I can just help uplift one child, have them tell an African story with an authentic African voice, you really get to showcase to the world.

I'm fine with that legacy.

It doesn't have to be big and lofty, just something where I can say, oh, I made an impact, I changed this life and helped get the story told.

What about you?

I always think I want to tell the stories that I wanted to see when I was a kid and if I leave the animation industry and you know, the generation after me gets to grow up with stories with black and brown kids that I think I've done my part often.

It's been so great connecting with you today.

Thank you so much for joining me in this amazing conversation.

I had a wonderful time.

Yes, thank you.

I had a great time as well.

It was great to get to know you.

Thanks so much for joining us on Disney Plus voices.

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