Story Forum Event: Reclaiming Storytelling in the Age of Infinite Content

Jim Festante (Executive Director) founded Health-e-Habits to promote thoughtful technology and gaming use, emphasizing informed decision-making and community building. He spent 20 years in media production and knows how the engagement loops are built because he worked in the industries that built them.

Jim’s digital journey began in 1996, designing websites when the commercial web was still in its infancy. His work spanned industries, with clients like Ford, Merrill Lynch, and Conde Nast. He soon transitioned into online entertainment, producing content for MTV, NBC, and Comedy Central before moving into journalism at Slate Magazine/The Washington Post, where he created video content surrounding gaming and technology while helping launch Slate’s video department and official YouTube channel.

Since 2008, Jim has shaped the marketing landscape for video games, leading creative campaigns in television, online, and social media for major publishers including Xbox, Sony, and Nintendo, as well as global sensations like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft. He also consults creatively for entertainment studios including Pixar and Disney, writes comics for publishers including Dark Horse and Image, as well as video game-adjacent books for Insight Editions.

Jim has always been deeply invested in supporting young people. Before becoming a parent, he taught acting and improv in NYC and Hollywood. Now, he mentors through programs like Crisis Text Line and Big Brothers Big Sisters while coaching youth soccer and baseball. He is currently pursuing certification in Addiction Studies Counseling, furthering his commitment to guiding the next generation.

Jim’s experience in gaming, journalism, and digital marketing has given him a 360-degree view of technology’s influence; founding Health-e-Habits was the natural next step in helping families make sense of it.

Denver Humphrey is a 17-year-old advocate, award-winning filmmaker, and musician dedicated to using storytelling as a tool for justice, empathy, and connection. She is the co-founder of Fourddo (four-dee-do), a nonprofit that has reached more than 30,000 young people through campaigns and collaborations with brands like Macy’s, KIA Motors, UNESCO, and Seventeen. In 2025, Fourddo launched a national mindfulness tour that inspired the upcoming documentary Dreamers (2026).

Her creative journey spans acting for Disney, performing at the US Open, and directing films like Find Me in the Void with Black Girls Film Camp. Denver also serves on UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers Youth Advisory Council and partners with organizations such as Nike, Hershey’s, and Harvard’s Center for Digital Thriving.

Whether through film, music, or advocacy, Denver’s work challenges norms and centers underrepresented stories, reminding people of their collective power to imagine and build a more equitable world.

Shira Lazar is an Emmy-nominated digital culture expert, keynote speaker, and mental health advocate with over 1 million followers across platforms. She is the founder of What’s Trending, a pioneering digital media brand with more than 3 million followers, where she has been covering and shaping internet culture, technology, and the creator economy for nearly two decades.

She has spoken on stages including SXSW, CES, Cannes Lions, NAB, and VidCon, and has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Influential Women in Technology, Variety’s Women of Impact, and Adweek’s AI Trailblazers.

Shira is the founder of Creators 4 Mental Health, an initiative dedicated to improving mental health access, support, and sustainability in the creator economy through research, events, and community programs. She is also building CreatorCare, a platform focused on benefits and mental health resources designed specifically for creators.

In 2026, Shira helped introduce the Creator Bill of Rights alongside Representative Ro Khanna, advocating for fair labor standards, protections, and benefits for creators as workers and small business owners.

She shares her insights on AI, culture, and the creator economy in her weekly newsletter The Alpha and hosts The AI Download, a weekly audio and video podcast exploring how AI is reshaping work, creativity, and society.

Justin Trevor Winters is the co-founder and CEO of Verified Labs, an AI-powered creative studio that partners with talent, brands, and major estates including Ernest Hemingway, Steve McQueen, and Triumph Motorcycles to expand their legacy through emerging technology. 

At Loyola Marymount University, he is a full-time faculty member in the School of Film and Television, where he directs The Innovators Film Festival and serves on the university’s GenAI Task Force, contributing to campus-wide strategy around AI and creative technology. A 2025 Mellon Foundation Faculty Fellow, Winters explores the intersection of AI, creativity, and accessible storytelling.

He began his career in entertainment at Innovative Artists and Creative Artists Agency, representing writers and directors such as Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director. His latest feature, American Stream, a dark comedy about a troubled young gamer’s dangerous pursuit of fame as the next big Twitch star, has earned multiple festival awards, including Best Feature and Best Screenplay.