ADCOLOR Marks 20 Years of Championing Inclusion with 'Bravely Ever Forward'

ADCOLOR, the organisation dedicated to championing community and inclusion in the creative industries, kicked off its 20th year as an organisation at this year’s annual conference with the debut of a powerful new manifesto film titled, 'Bravely Ever Forward.'

Created by Droga5 New York, part of Accenture Song and ADCOLOR’s creative agency of record since 2021, the film brings this year’s theme to life: 'CTRL + ALT + LIFT,' reminding ADCOLOR’s diverse communities and supporters that 'Rising Up and Reaching Back' begins with courage, connection and collective ascent.

This year’s anthem film, Bravely Ever Forward weaves together authentic vignettes of resilience and a collective future-forward hope that features an all-star cast of ADCOLOR community group members, ADCOLOR Leaders, ADCOLOR Futures, honourees, allies and practitioners:

• Emily Mogami, ADCOLOR Futures ‘24
• Aaron Marshall, ADCOLOR Futures ‘23
• Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah, ADCOLOR Futures ‘24
• Gena Pemberton, Entrepreneurs at ADCOLOR
• Amera Lulu, SWANA for ADCOLOR + Committee Member; speaker
• Nicky Lorenzo, LatinX for ADCOLOR. Entrepreneurs at ADCOLOR
• Bryan Stromer, Disability at ADCOLOR co-lead ‘24 and co-founder
• Aaron Francois, ADCOLOR advisory board/ADCOLOR Futures ‘18 + Mr. ADCOLOR ‘22
• Adrienne Lucas, ADCOLOR Leaders ‘25 and global head of strategic partnerships and DEI at The One Club for Creativity​
• Mary Nittolo, Longtime ADCOLOR judge, ally and supporter
• Madilyne Nuguyen-Acosta, ADCOLOR Futures ‘24
• Alexander Ortiz, ADCOLOR Futures ‘24
• Sean Choi, Asians for ADCOLOR co-lead + Mr. ADCOLOR ‘24

Narrated by Tiffany R. Warren, founder and president of ADCOLOR, and directed by award-winning film director Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah, a member of the ADCOLOR FUTURES Class of 2024, Bravely Ever Forward was written and creative-directed by Droga5’s Courtney Grace Richardson, ADCOLOR × One Club Creative of the Year (2021) and ADCOLOR Leaders inaugural Class of 2022.

Bravely Ever Forward debuted the morning of November 12 during the Welcome Keynote and will continue to play throughout the ADCOLOR 2025 Conference and Awards, taking place November 11–14 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida. The four-day event features an all-star lineup of speakers, honorees, and performers from across creative industries. This year, ADCOLOR returns to Florida, where the first awards ceremony was held in 2007—marking the beginning of what has become one of the industry’s most respected celebrations of diversity and creativity across advertising, media, tech, and entertainment.

The film was produced by Æ Vision, a minority and female-owned production company dedicated to authentic storytelling, and made possible through the generous partnership of Cartel, WAVE Studios, House of Parliament, Squeak E. Clean, and St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf.

As ADCOLOR’s long-term creative agency of record, Droga5 New York has developed each year’s theme, manifesto, visual identity, and conference merchandise for the past five years, ensuring the work evolves in step with ADCOLOR’s mission and the diverse communities it serves.

For full details on sessions, speakers, honourees, and more, visit adcolor.org/conference.

Tiffany R. Warren, founder and president of ADCOLOR, “Twenty years ago, we arrived with a clear mission: Rise Up. Reach Back. 20 years later, our communities need our ethos more than ever. We’re in a time of extreme change, but this year’s ‘CTRL + ALT + LIFT’ theme reminds us that the ADCOLOR community can’t be held down because we’re always there to support and nurture progress. We can reclaim our power, pivot our mindset and step into a new version of ourselves to ensure the work continues for another two decades and beyond.”

Courtney-Grace Richardson, creative director, Droga5 New York, “In a world that keeps testing the value of DEI, Bravely Ever Forward is our creative rebuttal; proof that partnership can meet purpose. We made this film out of deep love for ADCOLOR, for those who built this community and those still finding their way to it.”

“Seeing Ewurakua and I come together, an ADCOLOR Future and an ADCOLOR Leader respectively, says everything. It reminds us that ADCOLOR isn’t just an organisation; it’s what progress looks like in uncertain times when we reclaim our narratives, assert our presence, challenge erasure, and lift each other ever forward. Because when we rise together, we don’t just reach back. We can rebuild what’s ahead.”