Will Smith – Keynote Speaker

Will Smith is an actor, producer and musician, two-time Academy Award nominee, Grammy Award and NAACP award winner who has enjoyed a diverse career encompassing films, television and multiplatinum records.

Starting as a rapper in 1985, Smith is best known for his acting roles in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, I AM LEGEND, the BAD BOYS and MEN IN BLACK film series, ALADDIN and HITCH. His vast filmography also includes transformative portrayals of true-life icons in ALI, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS and CONCUSSION. Smith was recently seen in HBO Max’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” 30th anniversary reunion special. Upcoming, he will next star in Warner Brothers’ KING RICHARD for which he just completed lensing on. Smith is also set to produce and star in Apple’s upcoming scripted action thriller EMANCIPATION, directed by Antoine Fuqua, which most recently became the largest film festival acquisition deal ever at Cannes Film Festival. The movie is anticipated to go into production this Summer.

In 2019, Will Smith launched his media company Westbrook Inc alongside Jada Pinkett Smith, Miguel Melendez and Kosaku Yada, which focuses on empowering artists to tell stories that connect with a global audience. Westbrook houses Westbrook Studios, Westbrook Media, the digital content studio, social media management, and creative brand incubator, and direct to consumer business, Good Goods. Westbrook Studios is home to the Emmy® nominated Facebook Watch series, “Red Table Talk” and is rapidly expanding its footprint in entertainment, serving as the studio home to all new premium TV and motion picture projects. Smith will serve as a producer through Westbrook on his upcoming projects including KING RICHARD, EMANCIPATION, and PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES. Westbrook Media most recently produced the 30th anniversary reunion special of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and the Snap series “Will From Home.” In response to the stay-at-home order “Will From Home” featured appearances by Smith’s family, celebrity friends and everyday people who were also isolating indoors. The media company also recently announced Peacock’s unprecedented two season order of “Bel-Air,” a dramatic reimagining of the Fresh Prince series. He and his wife also founded the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation to benefit inner-city community development, youth educational projects and under-privileged children and their families.