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Matador Insights: Communication, Media, and Entertainment
February 24 at 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Matador Insights is a series of alumni-led panels designed to inspire and educate students exploring career paths in the Communication, Media, and Entertainment industry. These sessions provide valuable insights from professionals as they share their journey in the industry.
Meet the Speakers!
Edwin Reyes, Sales Coordinator, IGN Entertainment
Edwin is a first gen graduate and the youngest of 3 kids that were raised by a single mother in a low income neighborhood. He grew up loving basketball, video games, cartoons, movies, and shows. These passions allowed him to look up to icons like Kobe Bryant, helping him realize a better life is possible even when he did not see or have examples of that. During his time at CSUN he took school and his endeavors more seriously after not doing so before. This propelled him to play for CSUN’s men’s basketball club team despite having no experience playing in a team while also interning at NBCUniversal for two academic semesters after having 0 industry experience. He achieved this while being a full time commuter student. Now, he is fortunate to work in the Entertainment and Media industry with IGN Entertainment where he do digital marketing for video games, movies, and shows – an intersection of worlds he can nerd out on!
Peter Genovese, Manager of Business Applications, Hallmark Media
Peter Genovese is an experienced IT leader with over 20 years of experience bridging technology, operations, and business strategy across media, entertainment, life sciences, and regulated environments. He currently serves as Manager of Business Applications at Hallmark Media (The Hallmark Channel), where he leads and mentors cross-functional teams overseeing enterprise systems supporting content production, advertising, finance, rights management, and workflow operations.
Peter is known for his collaborative leadership style and brings deep expertise in application management, project delivery, vendor partnerships, audits, compliance, and process optimization, delivering reliable and scalable solutions that drive efficiency and business value.
Justin Washington, Casting Administrator, Walt Disney Television
Justin Washington is a Casting Administrator at Walt Disney Television. He is a dynamic entertainment professional specializing in talent negotiations and studio production operations across premier platforms including ABC Signature, 20th Television, and Hulu. As a Casting Administrator, he oversees complex talent agreements, guild compliance, and relationship management across scripted series. With a diverse background spanning series production and awards programming, including work with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Justin brings strategic insight and operational leadership to today’s evolving entertainment landscape
Chris Garlington, Director of Enterprise Compliance Programs, The Walt Disney Company
Chris Garlington is an alumnus of the Nazarian College of Business at CSUN. He is the Director of Enterprise Compliance Programs at The Walt Disney Company where he leads efforts to help protect the magic by ensuring the company complies with various data security and privacy requirements. He is also very involved at CSUN as an adjunct professor at CSUN teaching courses about technology and business as well as VP of the CSUN Alumni Association Board. Prior to The Walt Disney Company, Chris spent 10 years with EY as a technology consultant in Los Angeles and London. His wife is also a CSUN alumnus and they met while together in undergrad.
Lauryn Lawton, Distribution Operations Associate, TV Mastering, The Walt Disney Company
Lauryn Lawton is a Distribution Operations Associate on the Television Mastering team at The Walt Disney Company. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Systems and Operations Management from California State University, Northridge and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University. After spending six years of her career in retail, she transitioned to her dream company and industry by leveraging the power of intentional networking. As the first woman in her family to earn a Master’s degree, and someone who values relationship-building, she is passionate about inspiring future generations to find confidence in their career discovery, career paths, and networking skills.
