
Diana Williams: From the DGA Training Program to Building the Future of IP
From Sista Brunch by TruJuLo Productions
May 5, 2026 · 37 min · Season 7 · Episode 13
About this episode
Diana Williams discusses her journey from the DGA Training Program to her role at Lucasfilm and her current venture in building franchise IP.
<p>Diana Williams is the CEO and co-founder of Kinetic Energy Entertainment, a multi-platform venture studio building franchise IP across film, TV, video games, and immersive experiences. She is the former Creative Development and Franchise Producer for Star Wars at Lucasfilm, where she co-founded ILM Immersive -- the lab behind Vader Immortal and the Academy Award-winning Carne y Arena.</p><p>In this conversation, Diana shares her path from a farm community in New Jersey to Georgetown to becoming the youngest person ever admitted to the DGA Assistant Directors Training Program, to building franchise worlds at Lucasfilm, to launching her own venture studio. She breaks down the difference between an idea and real IP, why every project should be run as a business, why the entertainment industry has fundamentally changed since 2019, and what collaboration, craft, and curiosity have to do with cheeseburgers.</p><p>This episode also features co-host Shawn Pipkin-West, who shares an unexpected DGA Training Program connection with Diana.</p><p>Full episode available on YouTube @TruJuLoMedia.Follow @SistaBrunchPodcast on Instagram.Support the…
People in this episode
Host: Shawn Pipkin-West
Guest: Diana Williams
Topics covered
- franchise IP
- entertainment industry
- DGA Training Program
- Star Wars
- venture studio
- collaboration
Keywords
- Diana Williams
- Kinetic Energy Entertainment
- Lucasfilm
- Star Wars
- DGA Training Program
- franchise IP
- entertainment industry
- venture studio
- collaboration
- cheeseburgers
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Kinetic Energy Entertainment, Lucasfilm, ILM Immersive
Places: New Jersey, Georgetown
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