Rob O'Neill is a distinguished entertainment executive at the crossroads of television, theater, and the arts. As Senior Vice President of Content & Acquisitions at MTV Entertainment & Showtime Studios (Paramount Global), he oversees iconic franchises like Yellowstone, The Daily Show, and South Park, while securing major acquisitions such as The Office, Seinfeld, and Family Guy.
Starting his career in front of the camera, O'Neill transitioned into media leadership at ICM before joining Disney, where he helped transform Disney Channel into a cultural powerhouse, launching Hannah Montana, That’s So Raven, and High School Musical. He later spearheaded growth at Warner Bros./Discovery, elevating Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, before joining Paramount in 2013.
Beyond television, O'Neill has made a mark in theater, co-producing Broadway’s Moulin Rouge Australian tour and The Secret Garden at the Ahmanson Theatre. A dedicated arts advocate, he has held leadership roles with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Creative Coalition. In 2024, he won the Tony Award for Best Musical for The Outsiders.
The Los Angeles Times hails him as “an essential participant in driving the arts conversation across our nation.”
Nia T. Hill is a visionary writer, director, producer, and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in media. She has founded production companies like Strange Fruit Media and The Solstice Group, producing acclaimed projects such as BET’s Sunday Best, which earned her an NAACP Award. In music, she co-wrote the GRAMMY-winning song Jesus and served as creative director for Chaka Khan.
Hill’s impact extends to film distribution with The Momentum Experience, backed by Will Smith and Mark Cuban, and the documentary Colored My Mind, which won at Cannes AMPAV and influenced $3 billion in autism research funding. Her recent work includes the opera Nina Simone Presents: C’est Tout Absurde and The Octaverse, a transmedia universe inspired by Octavia E. Butler.
In 2024, she launched One Drop Experience (ODX), a groundbreaking immersive film exhibition platform. With a career defined by innovation and advocacy, Hill continues to reshape the entertainment industry. She will receive the 2025 Lumine Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
