April Reign

April Reign practiced law for nearly twenty years, honing her talent for public speaking, persuasive writing and effecting policy change, but it wasn’t until she walked away from her legal practice that she found her true passion.

As the creator of the viral hashtag-turned-movement, #OscarsSoWhite, Reign has been challenging the lack of representation of marginalized communities in Hollywood and beyond since 2015. Reign sustains a movement that has resulted in the most permanent systemic change ever seen in the over 80-year history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her name continues to be synonymous with this historic change, the results of which are reverberating throughout the entertainment industry and will do so for decades to come.

Continuing her work as a change agent, Reign was one of the four co-founders of SistaSCOTUS, a grassroots organization focused on the nomination and confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black Woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. The #SheWillRise campaign was credited by legacy civil rights organizations and the Biden Administration with pivotal work to make this dream of many a reality.

Solidifying her role in the tech space, Reign is now a Senior Advisor in Media and Entertainment for Gauge, a software + service platform that conducts mobile focus groups and market research with tastemakers and experts in key communities. She is also an Advisor to the burgeoning social media app Spill, a real-time conversational platform that puts culture first and is widely seen as the Twitter alternative. Reign is an influential and sought-after media presence, having built an impressive global organic social media following over several platforms, as well as a network of recognized celebrities, creators, activists, and decision makers at the corporate level. Reign capitalizes on this network and her experience, using her voice to spark conversations and explore issues of race, politics and culture, helping structure ways to turn dialogue into action.

Reign is a sought-after advocate, consultant, writer, speaker and interviewer regarding issues of diversity and inclusion, and on the representation of all marginalized communities in the arts, tech and entertainment. Her work includes constant dialogue with media as well as collaborations with Procter & Gamble, Twitter, Google NextGen, AARP, HBO and more.