CREATIVE SECTOR SUMMIT KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Giselle Byrd, Executive Director of The Theater Offensive. Triangles in the bottom right of the image are decorative.
We are pleased to announce this year’s Creative Sector Summit Keynote Speaker is Giselle Byrd, Executive Director of The Theater Offensive. Ms. Byrd will join us to share her thoughts and inspire attendees on this year’s theme, Meeting the Moment: Creative Advocacy and Cultural Organizing for Stronger Communities.
ABOUT GISELLE
Giselle Byrd is the Executive Director of The Theater Offensive, located in Boston, MA, making her the first Black trans woman to lead a regional theatre company in the United States. There, she is passionately continuing and amplifying the theater’s mission for uplifting and elevating the work of queer and transgender artists of color and LGBTQIA2S+ youth and their allies.
With over ten years of experience, holding multiple roles in talent management, production, casting, script coverage, brand partnerships, and fundraising, Giselle Byrd has used her expertise to help elevate both talent and brand collaborations with respective businesses and introduce brands and organizations to innovative solutions and a diverse array of emerging artists and celebrities who are redefining the foundations of the performing arts landscape.
As a producer, she holds the honor of being the first transgender woman to be accepted into Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women's Filmmaker Program. Her documentary film debut, “Giselle’s Story,” directed by Susan O’Brien, was accepted into the Imagine This International Women’s Festival. Her subsequent film, "When We Arrive As Flowers," executive produced by Alexandra Billings, went on to receive acceptance into numerous film festivals throughout the country during the 2022-2023 season Her latest film, “Candyland,” directed by David Gil, in which she served as the associate producer and lead actor, told a narrative that unpacks gender dysphoria, addiction, and gun violence in youth and families of color. The film received its world premiere at NewFest (one of the leading LGBTQIA2S+ film festivals in the world) in October 2024. In November 2024, Boston’s 25th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Committee awarded her the inaugural Boston Trans Art & Culture Trendsetter Award, following the announcement that her efforts in conjunction with The Theater Offensive caused Boston’s City Council to officially commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance.
In addition to this work, Byrd serves on the Board of Directors at both Callen-Lorde Community Health Center and The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art. She is also the Co-Vice Chair of the advisory board for The Ali Forney Center.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SUMMIT:
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The Creative Sector Summit 2025 will be held at Northampton Center for the Arts in the city of Northampton on Friday, June 6 from 10 AM - 5 PM.
Doors will open at 10 AM for networking and a light breakfast. The formal program will begin at 11 AM.
The event will feature an opening session for all participants, followed by 16 breakout sessions, and a closing keynote address.
Each session is 45 minutes long.
