About Us

The Autism In Entertainment (AIE) Conference is a one-day, in-person event that will be held on Friday, April 5, 2024, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. The conference will help create a bridge to employment for individuals on the autism spectrum who are interested in entertainment-related fields, including film, theater, television, production, animation, and gaming design.

The conference is being hosted by the Orange County Asperger’s Support Group (OCASG) working with the Autism In Entertainment Workgroup with support from Zavikon. Zavikon is an employment agency whose mission is to place neurodivergent individuals, as well as those with disabilities, in career-oriented meaningful jobs. Zavikon uses a supported placement model to set both employer and employee up for success. Funding is being provided by a grant from the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS), which serves Regional Center clients throughout California to improve access to services that increase pathways to employment.

As part of the conference, we are collecting data to assess the employment strengths and needs of individuals on the spectrum who have an interest in entertainment-related careers. In addition, we want to understand the concerns and requirements of the entertainment business community. This research is open to all conference attendees and is being conducted by Dr. Sasha Zeedyk at California State University, Fullerton.

For more information, download AIE Overview.

Meet Our Conference Organizers

Judi Uttal

Conference Chair

Judi Uttal is president of the Orange County Asperger’s Support Group (OCASG) a nonprofit organization improving the quality of life for individuals and families dealing with high-functioning autism. Judi Uttal is a member of the Competitive Integrated Employment Blueprint, Orange County Local Partnership Agreement (OCLPA) and the Thompson Policy Group Chapman University Transition Initiative. Judi founded OCASG Career Club, a holistic program providing training and support for college graduates with ASD to achieve short and long-term career success. In 2022, Judi founded the Autism In Entertainment Workgroup and is leading the Autism In Entertainment Conference to be held during Spring 2024.

Judi retired from a career as a high technology marketing executive. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Math/Computer Science from UCLA and an MBA from the Tepper School of Management at Carnegie Mellon University. Judi is married and is the mother of a 31-year-old son, Joshua, who was diagnosed with High-Functioning Autism at the age of three. Josh graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a major in Cinema and Television.

Susan Capps

Education and Advisory Board

Susan Capps is a business executive focused on social impact strategies as part of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) efforts. She is currently Head of Market Access at Invitae Corp., a genetic testing company. Her experience includes building a new corporate initiative to address equitable access of medicines for low and lower-middle income patients across the globe. Additionally, her work with the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Initiative on Health and the Economy focuses on investing in resilient health systems for economic growth and positive social impact. This work includes private business partnering with other stakeholders, such as the public sector, to develop health solutions. Susan is also the parent of Carter Capps, an adult on the autism spectrum, who is a past graduate and current part-time animator with Exceptional Minds. Susan’s 25+ years in business (Amgen, Eli Lilly & Co, and IMS Health) plus her direct experience with an animation artist on the autism spectrum provides her with a unique perspective to support the growth of the Exceptional Minds organization.

Ken Woodward

Financial Chair

Ken Woodward is the Treasurer of the Orange County Support Group (OCASG) and currently serves as its Treasurer. As Treasurer of OCASG, Ken is responsible for managing the group's finances and ensuring that the group's financial resources are used effectively to support its mission. The OCASG is dedicated to supporting individuals with autism and their families by providing education, resources, and social opportunities.

Ken has a master’s degree in economics from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Riverside. He has been teaching economics for over thirty years at various colleges, including the University of Pittsburgh, UC Riverside, and Cal State San Bernardino. Although he retired from a full-time teaching position at Saddleback College, he is pleased to be back as a part-time instructor in macroeconomics.

Ken's son Kenneth was diagnosed with High-Functioning Autism at the age of three. Despite many challenges, Kenneth graduated from UC Riverside with a B.S. in Business and a concentration in accounting.

Rebecca Beam

Business Outreach Co-Chair

Rebecca Beam is Founder and CEO of Zavikon. Prior to launching Zavikon she was a founding advisory team member launching MindSpark, Inc. whose mission was to train and employ adults on the autism spectrum in technology careers. After MindSpark’s acquisition by auticon, Rebecca became President of the US operations leading the US expansion and driving growth.

As a veteran of the tech sector, Rebecca’s career has included senior leadership roles sourcing and developing human capital with high-demand skill sets for the area’s leading tech firms, including Fortune 100 and 500 brands. Rebecca believes there is a job out there for everyone to apply their talents and skills in a meaningful way and she is dedicated to being a bridge to an inclusive working world. She is passionate about opening doors for all individuals with disabilities or those who are neurodivergent to achieve career success. In 2019, Rebecca won the prestigious Milestones Visionary Employer Award.

Marlene Sharp

PR and Sponsorships Chair

Marlene Sharp is a creative and business-savvy entertainment multi-hyphenate who originally hails from New Orleans but is now a (San Fernando) Valley girl. Firmly ensconced in LA life, Marlene is top dawg at Pink Poodle Productions and Executive Producer of Rainshine Entertainment's forthcoming animated feature film trilogy YOUNG CAPTAIN NEMO. Noteworthy clients and collaborators include Neko Productions, Austism in Entertainment Conference 2024, LAPMF, and The Center of Learning Unlimited/Brainstorm Productions. Prior to Pink Poodle and Rainshine, Marlene served as Director, Production at LEVEL-5 abby, home of YO-KAI WATCH and other Japanese hit video game-based franchises.

Formerly, as Producer, TV Series, at Sega of America, Marlene worked on much more than Teen Choice Award-nominated Cartoon Network series SONIC BOOM. For example, her extensive Hedgehog duties took her to the heights of nerd-dom as an official San Diego Comic-Con 2017 panelist. She also contributed significantly to the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog feature film.

As a freelance journalist, Marlene concentrates on pop culture for noteworthy outlets, such as GlobalToyNews.com, GameDeveloper.com, DOGTV, Geekified.net, and CultureSonar.com. As a short film auteur, she has snagged recognition at La Femme Film Fest, Autism Comedy Film Festival, KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, Canine Film Festival, and San Luis Obispo Film Festival. Marlene is a proud winner of the LA Shorts International Film Fest Script Competition (an Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying fest), at which her backdoor sitcom pilot received a staged reading courtesy of The Groundings.

Hilary Kokenda

Business Outreach Co-Chair

Hilary Kokenda is the Chief Operating Officer, (COO), of Zavikon. Prior to becoming a founding member of Zavikon, she spent 10 years at The Walt Disney Company as a technologist supporting business solutions and processes. Hilary’s primary role throughout her career has been to bridge the communication gap between technology resources and the businesses they support at Fortune 500 companies.

Hilary’s career has required her to work with individuals at all levels and drive change across all types of departments. Through her wealth of experience in the corporate environment, she has recognized the need for and benefits of diversity, and she is passionate about being a bridge to an inclusive working world. Hilary holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics/Applied Sciences from UCLA.

Dr. Sasha Zeedyk

Research Chair

Dr. Zeedyk an Associate Professor at California State University in Fullerton. Dr. Zeedyk’s research is mainly focused on the social and behavior skills of youth with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities across the course of development. She is interested in understanding how behavior problems and social skills relate to social, mental health, and academic outcomes for these youth, as well as how these skills impact their parents’ psychological well-being. Recently, she has begun to study postsecondary outcomes for youth with ASD who attend college.

Dr. Zeedyk earned her B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She later started her career working with children and families as a second grade teacher. She received her Master’s in Elementary Education from The George Washington University and her Ph.D. in Special Education from UC Riverside. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center in the UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Zeedyk is currently a Center Investigator at the CSUF Center for Autism.

Paul Hemstreet

Video Chair

Paul Hemstreet is an experienced and accomplished creative leader with a proven history of planning and executing high-profile, globally distributed projects for major Hollywood productions that have included the Harry Potter, Matrix, and Lord of the Rings franchises. He has served as Executive Producer and Head of Production on initiatives to create special features to accompany home entertainment releases. His experience includes the development and production of short and long-form documentaries, as well as story-driven content to support and promote major film and original series releases.

Dollie Grajczak

Logistics Chair

Dollie Grajczak is a biotech business professional with broad experience in operations, human resources and cross-functional project management. Dollie spent most of her professional career at Amgen where she supported and championed several human resource related initiatives and processes, before joining Arcutis Biotherapeutics as a supply chain labeling manager. She holds a degree in B.S. Business Management from California Lutheran University.