Black in Gaming Awards Show Returns to Honor Gaming Executives for their years of service Gordon Durity, Electronic Arts; Josiane Valverde, Ubisoft and more!

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, March 29, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- At the intersection of Black culture and gaming is the 6th Annual Black in Gaming Award show hosted by the Black In Gaming Foundation, returning in full force to recognize and celebrate the contributions of ‘hidden figures’ in gaming.

The highly anticipated event took place in San Francisco at the iconic War Memorial & Performing Arts Center. Jam-packed with the industry's most elite content creators, developers, and gamers, the event featured several attendees, including; Cheryl Hurd (former NBC News Reporter,) Amir Rahimi (VP of Game Studios at Netflix,) John Vignocchi (Head of 3rd Party Portfolio Management at Nintendo,) past honorees Marcus Montgomery (Xbox,) Damon Packwood (GameHeads,) and Gordon Bellamy (USC,) along with many more distinguished guests.

In hopes of advocating for industry-wide reform, the awards show honored industry professionals and allies who have played pivotal roles in shaping this space. The event unveiled honorees in ten categories celebrating the accomplishments of people of color this past year across the fields of social influence, artistry, education, and legacy.

“Black gaming innovators are reshaping the narrative by creating more ownership and opportunities for others to thrive in the industry. The Black In Gaming Foundation is utilizing its platform to honor unsung black pioneers - and I could not be honored to produce this year’s show,” said Laura Teclemariam, Black in Gaming Foundation’s Chairwoman of the Board and Executive Producer of the awards show.

Honorees included: Josiane Valverde, Head of Special Projects, Diversity & Inclusion at Ubisoft Jerry Lawson Lifetime Achievement Award; Michael Lee, Industry Champion Award; Dr. Kishonna Gray, Director of the Critical Gaming Lab Education Award; Shawn Alexander Allen, founder of games and culture company NuChallenger Excellency in Artistry Award, 2023 BIG Honoree and BIG Foundation Board Member Carl Varnado and more.


Full list of 2022 winners:

Jerry Lawson Lifetime Achievement Award
Josiane Valverde, Head of Special Projects, Diversity & Inclusion at Ubisoft

Legacy Award
Gordon Durity, Executive Audio Director at Electronic Arts


Champion Award
Michael Lee, Senior Director, Global Talent Acquisition at Electronic Arts


Excellence in Programming
Scott Anderson, Senior Graphics Engineer at Unity Technologies


Excellence in Design Award
Shawn Alexander Allen, Founder of NuChallenger


Industry Spotlight Award
PlayStation Studio QA, Sony Interactive Entertainment


Indie Developer Award
Glow Up Studio


Social Impact and Economic Change Award
Carl Varnado


Education Award
Dr. Kishonna Gray, Associate Professor and Author at University of Kentucky


Excellence in Media
Jeffery Rousseau, Writer at Gamesindustry.biz


Achieving notoriety from entertainment moguls Sony Interactive Entertainment and Netflix; BIG Foundation has broken the conventional norms, with opportunities to engage people through game-related experiences tied to diversity.

For more information on Black In Gaming Foundation, please visit www.thebigfoundation.org and Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, and Twitter.

For press inquiries, interviews, or coverage requests, contact Leslie Gay of Leslie Gay & Associates at 909-754-7622 or email lesliegaypr@gmail.com.

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ABOUT BLACK IN GAMING FOUNDATION
The Black in Gaming (BIG) Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, is a community dedicated to cultivating, supporting, and promoting Black professionals in the video game industry. Since 2002, BIG has been actively developing opportunities for education, leadership, and skill expansion for Black people in gaming. Black gaming professionals, both current and aspiring, often face microaggressions, hidden biases, and even overt discrimination in the workplace. These and other unique obstacles can hinder careers or even push people out of the pipeline completely. To combat these challenges, BIG Foundation aims to build a vibrant, well-informed, and active community, equipped with the gear it needs to be successful and thrive together.
More at www.thebigfoundation.org


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Leslie Gay
Leslie Gay and Associates
+1 909-754-7622
email us here

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