Creators Jackie Aina, Kelly Girardi and Drea Okeke join TheWrap’s Power Women Summit on Dec. 3 at the Maybourne Hotel Beverly Hills.
Moderated by Shira Lazar, CEO and founder of What’s Trending and #Creators4MentalHealth, the “Her Influence: Building Your Brand” panel will bring together top creatives and entrepreneurs from various industries to talk about how they use social media and digital platforms to build your brand. Business. Personal and professional branding.
Jackie Aina (@jackieaina) is a Nigerian-American content creator working to promote inclusivity in the beauty industry. She is the founder of lifestyle brand FORVR Mood and Lavishly Jackie, a luxury, home, and personal care content on social media platforms. Most recently, she starred in and executive produced the documentary series The Black Beauty Effect. For her promotional efforts, Jackie was recognized as the NAACP’s first “YouTuber of the Year”.
Kelly Girardi (@kelliegerardi) is an astronaut, researcher, and innovator who made history when she flew the Galactic 05 research mission in 2023. As the 90th woman in history to fly into space, Girardi is on a mission to train a new generation. Scientists and use social networks as a platform to do so. Her second spaceflight is scheduled for 2026, where she will lead an all-female research team aboard Virgin Galactic’s new Delta-class spacecraft.
Drea Okeke (@drea_knowsbest) is known for her comedic skits and related videos that highlight her Nigerian heritage. He hosts the podcast “Do It 4 The Content,” where he shares strategies for aspiring creatives looking to turn digital passion into income. Drea also teaches the “Next Level Influence” TikTok Masterclass, which offers an interactive course on how to build a brand, grow an audience, and master the algorithm to maximize engagement.
Shira Lazar (@shiralazar) is an Emmy Award-winning host, creator, and founder of What Trending. Recently, Lazar launched #Creators4MentalHealth, an initiative focused on bringing mental health tools to the creator economy through community programs and events. Lazar also shares his thoughts on AI and the creator economy in his weekly newsletter The Alpha.
At the summit, attendees will also be able to attend a panel discussion titled “Your Platform, Your Rules: CEOs Leading the Creator Revolution” presented by Willar. The conversation, moderated by Joe Cronk, President of Whalar North America, will bring together Acceptable Challenge creator and host Michelle Gere and YouTube Global CEO and Chief Creator Kim Larson.
Joe Cronk is President of Whalar North America and works to strengthen relationships with brands, creators and platforms. She has led partnerships with global brands such as Amazon, Estee Lauder, Google, NFL and Spotify, and developed marketing collaborations with platforms such as LinkedIn, Meta, TikTok and YouTube. In 2023, he co-founded Whalar Group’s Creator Ventures studio, Moby Ventures, to develop innovative products and brands with and for creators.
Michelle Khare (@michellekhare) is the host of Streamy’s award-winning documentary series, Challenge Accepted. Each week on her YouTube channel, Khare immerses herself in a new community and takes on high-stakes challenges, from training with the Secret Service, FBI, and 911 Dispatch to training as a dancer or trying to get a black belt in 90 days.
Kim Larson is the head of YouTube’s Creators and Games team, managing individual creators as well as service providers, talent partners, game publishers and influencer marketing agencies. In her previous role at Google, she managed global brand services for leading brands and pioneered the use of machine learning to create data-driven creative best practices for the industry.
These sessions are open to all Power Women Summit attendees on Dec. 3 at the Maybourne Beverly Hills Hotel. More panels and speakers will be announced soon. To purchase tickets and learn more about the summit, visit thewrap.com/pws.
Sponsors include South Coast Plaza, Loeb & Loeb LLP, Lionsgate, Whalar, Paramount Global, CLEAR, Warner Bros. Discovery, FX, Universal, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Disney.
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact Lynne Segall, Director of Client Relations at TheWrap, at lynne@thewrap.com.
For media inquiries, please contact DKC Public Relations at thewrap@dkcnews.com.
About the Strong Women Summit
TheWrap’s Power Women Summit is an essential gathering of the most influential women in entertainment and media. The event aims to inspire and empower women in all areas of their professional and personal lives. Under the theme “Aspire,” this year’s PWS events offer a day of keynotes, panel discussions, workshops and networking. For more information, visit thewrap.com/pws.
About The Wrap
TheWrap is a leading and trusted digital news organization covering entertainment, fashion and media. Founded by award-winning journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009, TheWrap is the only independently owned company in Hollywood and has been a trusted source of breaking news, investigative reporting, expert analysis, in-depth awards season coverage and feature stories for more than 15 years.
