Independent Television Festival (ITVFEST) has set prolific actor, director and producer Tamara Tunie to give a keynote at its festival on Friday, October 7 at 5:30pm.
In an intimate conversation style setting, Tunie will discuss the seismic shifts she has experienced in the business, her strategies for navigating the new frontiers in broadcasting and her opinions on the future of television. She also will participate in a Q&A session with the audience immediately following the intimate conversation.
Tunie has two-decade long career that spans television on iconic series including 16 seasons on NBC’s Law & Order: SVU as Medical Examiner Melinda Warner; the hit Fox series 24; HBO’s Sex and the City; NYPD Blue; New York Undercover; Chicago Hope; highly praised Sundance TV original series The Red Road as Marie Van Der Veen, the matriarch and the “moral fiber” of an Native American tribe; Amazon’s Alpha House; CBS’ ZOO; Showtime’s Billion; Starz’ Survivor’s Remorse; among many others. She received two NAACP Image Award nominations and two Soap Opera Digest Award nominations for her role as attorney Jessica Griffin in the CBS daytime drama As The World Turns.
She’s fresh off the critical acclaimed production ofAmerican Son at The Barrington Stage Company and award-wining playwright Danai Gurira’sFamiliar, which earned an Obie Award for her performance as Marvelous Chinyaramwira. On Broadway, she has produced hit productions including Magic/Bird, August Wilson’s Radio Golf (2007 TONY and Drama Desk Award Nominee for Best Play), and Spring Awakening (winner of the 2007 TONY Award for Best Musical and the 2007 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical). Currently, she is producing, and developing for Broadway, Frog Kiss: The Musical – a re-imagined “bed-time story” with a bawdy twist.
The Pittsburgh native has worked with some of the most respected directors in Hollywood, including Robert Zemekis, Taylor Hackford, Brian De Palma, Mimi Leder, Harold Becker and Oliver Stone. Tunie won fans over in the unforgettable performance as Margaret Thomason in the Oscar-nominated film Flight opposite Denzel Washington and her role as Jackie Heath in the box-office topperThe Devil’s Advocate. Tunie made her feature film directorial debut in the romantic comedy See You In September starring Estella Warren and Justin Kirk.
The only television industry event in the world that curates and showcases the world’s best independent finance (non-studio) television programming, ITVFEST was founded in 2006 in Los Angeles by TV Producers A.J. and Jenny Tesler. ITVFest has become the world's largest, most accessible and longest running independent television festival. For more information, visit www.itvfest.com
