JPR Day 2026

Dawn C. Chmielewski 

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Dawn Chmielewski, is the U.S. Entertainment Business Correspondent for Reuters, a regular contributor to LAist and the co-author of "Binge Times: Inside Hollywood's Furious Billion-Dollar Battle to Take Down Netflix."  She is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in some of the nation’s largest publications, including Forbes, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report and the Los Angeles Times. As a senior editor at Recode, she won awards for her coverage of the devastating cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment. Her multi-part series for the Los Angeles Times exposing a child pedophile scandal in Hollywood resulted in a change in California law to require background checks for talent agents, managers and others with unsupervised access to young actors and models. Dawn is a graduate of Utica University.

Samantha Troisi

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Samantha Troisi is a strategic communications professional specializing in gaming, entertainment, and brand reputation. At Assembly, she supports communications for first-party Xbox titles through launch, including AAA franchises such as NINJA GAIDEN 4 and Forza Horizon 6, while also driving executive visibility and strengthening brand reputation for Xbox leadership.

Her work focuses on building integrated campaigns that deliver cultural relevance, media impact, and audience engagement, connecting product storytelling with broader corporate narratives during high-profile, high-stakes moments.

Prior to Assembly, Samantha developed and executed global communications strategies for leading gaming and consumer brands, including Riot Games, Sony, LinkedIn, G FUEL, and Glorious Gaming. She led media relations, influencer campaigns, and major announcement moments, helping to elevate brand presence and drive measurable results across global markets.

Elizabeth Sanchez 

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Elizabeth Sanchez has spent her entire career dedicated to journalism. As a national correspondent for CBS News, she has appeared on CBS affiliates across the country covering politicians, natural disasters, the space shuttle Columbia crash, the death of Michael Jackson, and other major newsworthy events.

Sanchez has also worked as an anchor and investigative reporter in Charlotte, Phoenix, and San Diego, and she hosted a national PBS parenting show about guiding young children to success in school and in life.

Sanchez currently works as a freelance host for KPBS in San Diego. She is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach and she earned her master's degree in journalism from University of Missouri with an emphasis on interactive media.  In her spare time, Sanchez spends time with her two daughters and husband. Sanchez is also a member of the national Association of Hispanic journalists.

Olivia Smith

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Olivia Smith is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, media consultant and AI specialist based in Los Angeles. She is a versatile content creator and storyteller with extensive experience of 20+ years in journalism. Olivia is the Co-Founder and CEO of Media Consulting Coaches, specializing in media training, public speaking, content creation and AI strategy. Olivia is an Adjunct Professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism as well.

Olivia spent nearly a decade at Disney, working in inaugural digital positions for ABC News, Good Morning America and ABC7. She’s produced stories for several media organizations throughout her career, including CNN, CNN Business, 60 Minutes, Al Jazeera, NY1 News and the Columbia Journalism Review. As an AI specialist, she has worked on the GenAI Content Engineering team at Meta, guiding model training and optimizing machine learning processes. Her expertise in AI overlaps with her love of storytelling. Recognizing the connections between content creation, research and verification, she merged these interests into a dynamic career. Olivia created USC’s first-ever journalism and AI course, and often leads workshops on AI tools and strategy. Her goal is to empower creators to use technology ethically, maximizing their impact even with limited resources.

Khari Johnson

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Khari reports on how artificial intelligence impacts people, their communities, and society. Initially he focused on reporting on consumer technology and startup funding rounds but today explores AI policy solutions to protect human rights and how AI is used in policing, schools, and government. He currently works as a tech reporter at CalMatters and previously worked at WIRED and VentureBeat.