The inaugural Beyond Boundaries Media Forum (BBMF), founded by Trinidad and Tobago media executive Lisa Wickham, will bring together leading Caribbean, African, and Diaspora creatives and executives in South Africa’s Eastern Cape in November 2026 to strengthen global co-production opportunities and storytelling partnerships.
Read the full media release below:
Beyond Boundaries Media Forum Convenes Tatyana Ali, Caribbean, and Diaspora Industry Titans to Power Africa’s Next Co-Production Era.
Inaugural November 2026 Forum Anchors a Global Cohort in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, Spearheaded by Trinidad & Tobago-Based Global Media Executive, Lisa Wickham
The inaugural Beyond Boundaries Media Forum (BBMF) announces a high-level expansion of its leadership and mentorship cohort, positioning the Caribbean as a central architect in the new global screen economy. Founded and convened by Lisa Wickham, a Trinidad and Tobago-based producer and media executive, with over 30 years of international credits, the Forum serves as a strategic bridge connecting Africa with its Diaspora through formal treaty-led ecosystems.
A Caribbean-Led Global Vision
Presented by Imagine Media International Limited (IMIL) in association with the Eastern Cape Provincial Arts and Culture Council (ECPAC), an entity of the Provincial Government of Eastern Cape South Africa, BBMF is the culmination of over two decades of Wickham’s work to build creative and commercial alliances between the Caribbean, UK, Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.
“The Caribbean is not just a cultural participant; we are a strategic gateway,” said Wickham. “By utilising established frameworks such as the UK-Jamaica Co-production Treaty, we are moving beyond informal collaboration toward a formalised, treaty-driven pipeline. This is about pairing producers from the Caribbean and Africa with global partners to turn shared heritage into sustainable investment.”
Ambassadors and Mentors: The Diaspora Connection
BBMF’s leadership reflects a deliberate strategy to leverage the Caribbean’s global influence:
- Global Ambassador Tatyana Ali: The award-winning actor, producer and humanitarian, (best known for her role as Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air), whose heritage spans Trinidad & Tobago and Panama, serves as the Forum’s inaugural Ambassador.
A Harvard graduate and five-time NAACP Image Award winner, Ali represents the “bridge audience” identified by recent data as critical for the global crossover success of Black-led storytelling.
- Chair, BBMF Global Advisory Board, Jennifer Holness: A multi-award-winning producer, screenwriter, and industry architect, Jamaican-born Jennifer Holness is the President of Hungry Eyes Media Group. Jen co-founded Canada’s Black Screen Office and the Canadian Independent Screen Fund, both of which she was the inaugural board Chair for two and three years respectively.
- Distinguished Global Mentors: The cohort features prominent first or second generation Caribbean voices, including Angi Bones, President of Production at Tyler Perry Studios (Puerto Rico-USA), Jackie Jackson, Film Commissioner of Jamaica; Dr. Rachel-Ann Charles (Trinidad & Tobago/UK) of Birmingham City University, leading the intersection of industry and academia; LA-based, Jamaican Producer Rob Maylor, known for the films Sprinter and Marley, award-winning Canadians, producer-director team Jennifer Holness and Sudz Sutherland and acclaimed Consultant Specializing in International Film Marketing & Film Festivals, Joanna Miles, all of whom maintain deep Jamaican lineage and international influence.
Caribbean at the AI Frontier: Narrative and Governance
Central to the BBMF’s forward-looking agenda is the integration of Artificial Intelligence. The BBMF will convene a stellar team including, Global AI Governance Thought Leader (Forbes, Bloomberg, VentureBeat), Reneé Cummings, a US-based specialist from Trinidad & Tobago, renowned globally for her work in AI Ethics and Data Science.
As AI becomes the heartbeat of the modern media industry, from virtual production to data-driven distribution, BBMF will lead the narrative on how the Diaspora can champion equitable AI governance. The Forum will explore how these tools can empower African and Caribbean creators to protect their intellectual property while scaling their content for global streaming ecosystems.
Independent Data Quantifies the “Caribbean Bridge”
The BBMF aligns directly with a landmark study by the Next Narrative Africa Fund and Parrot Analytics, which found a significant “supply gap” for African and Diasporan stories. The report identifies Diaspora communities as the primary discovery engines for global hits. BBMF’s mandate is to bridge this gap by pairing producers from treaty-nations, like Jamaica, UK, Canada, India, Brazil and South Africa, with strategically identified production pathways.
Anchored in the Eastern Cape
By hosting the Beyond Boundaries Media Forum (BBMF), South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province emerges as the primary hub for this South-South collaboration. “The Eastern Cape is open for collaboration, and BBMF gives us the platform to demonstrate that at scale,” said Monde Nkasawe, CEO of the Eastern Cape Provincial Arts and Culture Council (ECPACC).
Nozipho Ndiweni, Co-Founder with Wickham of Imagine Media Africa (Pty), added: “Lisa and I have been collaborating here in South Africa since 2011 when we produced a documentary on the implementation of a ‘Trinidad and Tobago-styled’ Carnival as an economic development tool in the community of Bella Bella, Limpopo. Now, BBMF creates a structured environment where African producers connect with Caribbean and global partners who already understand the inherent value of our stories.
A Globally Distributed Mentor Cohort
BBMF’s Distinguished Mentors span the territories the studies identify as commercially significant for African and diasporan content:
United States:
- Tatyana Ali, BBMF Global Ambassador
- Angi Bones, President of Production at Tyler Perry Studios,
- Antoinetta Stallings, Vice President of Development & Acquisitions at Tyler Perry Studios,
- Nzinga Christine-Blake, Emmy and Gracie-award-winning, Executive Producer, Global Narrative Architect & Social Impact Storyteller
- Robert A Maylor, CEO Mental Telepathy Pictures, Producer on ‘Sprinter’ and ‘Bob Marley: One Love’
- Renee Cummings, Global AI Governance Thought Leader (Forbes, Bloomberg, VentureBeat), AI Ethicist-in-Residence at the University of Virginia, USA.
- Jacqueline Shorter Beauchamp, Co-Founder, Chairwoman, and CEO of Engenio Media Studios, Inc., a next- generation AI-Cloud company delivering virtual, augmented and volumetric mixed-reality solutions across sports, entertainment, media, education and enterprise sectors.
United Kingdom:
- Natasha Dack Ojumu, BAFTA Award-winning producer;
- Nadine Marsh-Edwards, BAFTA/ RTS Award-winning producer, co-founder of Greenacre Films
- Nicola Ofoego, Acquisitions and Development Executive
- Dr. Rachel-Ann Charles, Director and Senior Lecturer, Birmingham City University; BA (Hons) Journalism Programme
Canada:
- Jennifer Holness, Multi-award-winning Producer, Screenwriter, Founder of Canada’s Black Screen Office, Co-Founder & President, Hungry Eyes Media Group
- Joanna Miles, International Markets and Festivals Consultant
- Joan Jenkinson, CEO Black Screen Office
- Sudz Sutherland, Multi-awardwinning writer, director
Jamaica
- Jackie J Jackson, Film Commissioner of Jamaica
- Robert A Maylor, CEO Mental Telepathy Pictures, Producer on ‘Sprinter’ and ‘Bob Marley: One Love’
Ghana:
- Shirley Frimpong-Manso, internationally acclaimed producer and director.
Legal & Business Affairs:
- Joshua A. Edwards, Partner, Fox Rothschild, LA
- Pierre-Emmanuel Mouthuy, Mouthuy Avocats, Brussels.
The Beyond Boundaries Media Forum (BBMF) will convene a select group of international producers and executives for five days of strategic engagement in November 2026.
The Official Producer Call is now open. Applications are accepted via the BBMF Portal at bbmfglobal.org.