Georgia Entertainment recently released the names of the 200 Most Influential of Georgia’s Creative Industries. The individuals are highlighted in the bi-annual printed publication – Georgia Entertainment: The Creative Economy Journal. See the digital version. Our 200 Spotlight series showcases many of those that were included.
By Carol Badaracco Padgett, Senior Writer
Julie Ann Crommett, Founder & CEO of Collective Moxie
Julie Ann Crommett is a leading voice for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), with 15 years of experience driving systemic change in media and tech. A proud Puerto Rican-Cuban American raised in Atlanta and a Harvard alum – it’s a role she was made for.
“I love that everything feels possible here,” Crommett says of Georgia and its creative and entertainment industries. “[And] that there is so much to grow and build versus everything being entrenched. The industry is changing, and we’re at the center of it.”
Crommett’s company, Collective Moxie, focuses on DEI in the creative and business strategies of organizations and artists, and propels the belief that storytelling has the power to change culture. Under Crommett’s guidance, Collective Moxie led an effort to bring the Black List to Georgia, creating the first-ever annual Georgia List that celebrates the top 10 unproduced screenplays, television pilots, and/or stage plays written by people who live in or have a strong affiliation with the state.
“Alongside our partners – Trilith Studios, 3Arts, Fifth Season, Content Talent South, the Art Farm at Serenbe, and the Alliance Theatre – we selected season 1 in 2023 and are excited to have season 2 currently running,” Crommett says of the Georgia List. “It is our collective goal to support the writers as they develop their material and continue their careers with the hopes that more than one project will come to life right here in Georgia. An end-to-end pipeline.”
It’s a pipeline that Crommett is uniquely qualified to help support and strengthen in the state of Georgia.
As a former NBCUniversal diversity program manager and Google DEI leader, Crommett has influenced projects generating over $3 billion at the box office. She also led Multicultural Audience Engagement at Disney, contributing to films like Encanto and Black Panther, and she started the Disney Launchpad: Shorts Incubator. In addition, she is a member of BAFTA and the Producers Guild of America, and she currently teaches inclusive storytelling at Georgia Tech.
When asked what she loves most about the Peach State, Crommett says, “I love that you can go from city to city and town to town and see a reflection of the country in every way. Also, the food. We have some of the best restaurants, especially family-owned, in the country. The Peach State is also ever-evolving, which sparks creativity and innovation.”
Her greatest mentor, she says, is a collective force all its own, “[It’s] the cadre of women (and a few men) who have supported me throughout my entire career – speaking my names in rooms where I wasn’t and giving me hard truths about this industry. I call them my personal Board of Directors and, without them, I would not have had the career [I’ve] had thus far.”
Crommett closes, “Personally, my family has had the most influence on who I am today and has helped me stay the course in my values and beliefs. The way I do the work I do is because of them. Todo para la familia – all for the family.”
Georgia Entertainment: The Creative Economy Journal
