NIKKI WEBBER ALLEN
Nikki is an Emmy Award-winning, TED Talk giving, stigma-shattering, mental health advocate and TV producer with 20 + years of robust entertainment industry experience under her belt. She worked her way up from production assistant on music videos for 90's hip hop and R&B stars to various production and casting positions including: HBO, BET, MTV, ABC, 21st Century Fox, Warner Bros. Studios, and Sony Pictures Television. She flourished in her decade-long tenure as Vice President - Talent and Casting for TV One, overseeing all talent activations for prestigious events such as the NAACP Image Awards and the Essence Music Festival.
Personal stories of depression and anxiety in her own family catalyzed Nikki to speak up to subvert the stigma of mental illness in communities of color, launching ILIVEFOR..., a 501c3 non-profit. After a four-month TED residency, Nikki gave a TED Talk on mental health, "Don't Suffer from Your Depression in Silence," viewed 2.5 million times to date. A sought-after speaker, Nikki has presented at Harvard University and Columbia University Medical Schools, Allstate Corporate Headquarters, and at Change Direction’s 2019 Global Summit on Mental Health Culture Change in the U.K..
Nikki believes in the potential of storytelling to counter pervasive stigmatizing narratives, present truth and empower. To that end, she is producing a documentary featuring millennials of color who live with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, to give them a safe space to share their stories. She is also currently working as the Head of Celebrity & Influencer Partnerships for the award-winning marketing firm JOY Media Collective, and consulting as a Certified Intimacy Coordinator to protect actor's physical, mental and emotional safety during intimacy scenes.