Co-chair of AMCN’s Advocate for Visible and Invisible Disabilities BERG, Sipala is dedicated to making sure the disability community isn’t forgotten. He wants AMCN to be a home for brands that support those efforts and collaborates with brands to tell stories that go beyond the basics. He partnered with Pronghorn to celebrate Black Business Month by showcasing Pronghorn’s short-form doc “Distilled on AMC+” and by furthering its message to support diverse-owned and -operated business and help them tell their stories.
What’s your boldest prediction about your industry in the next 10 years? The NCAA Women’s College Basketball Tournament will become a more lucrative property than the Men’s Tournament.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about diversity within your industry? That investing in content that is premium and high quality and investing in content that embraces diversity and inclusion are two separate actions. As much as AMCN sees Authentic Representation and Diversity in front of and behind the camera as a Corporate Responsibility we also see it as just smart business, because it leads to better storytelling and more engaging content.
Advice I would give a recent graduate: You cannot network enough. Don’t stop making connections, the more you do it, the more potential paths you forge.
What nonprofit are you proud to champion? Very proud to support ReelAbilities. Since its formation over 15 years ago, ReelAbilities has become the largest U.S. Film Festival that spotlights Filma Makers and Story Tellers Living with Disabilities. AMCN is a proud sponsor, and we are thrilled to be showcasing content from the ReelAbilities Film Festival on AMC+ this month.
What does Work Life Balance mean to you? As someone with Low Vision, I have no choice but to take breaks from staring at my computer and phone. And those breaks are essential to me being a better member of my team. Being able to walk away and clear my mind even if it is for 15 minutes, always seems to allow me to apply a fresh perspective to whatever task I am working on in my job. It’s like when you are doing a Crossword Puzzle or Wordle and you are totally stuck on what the answer is. But then you put it down for a bit and when you pick it back up to look at it again it immediately comes to you. Work Life Balance is also easier to figure out when you have aspects that you love about both. I am very lucky to be part of the AMCN Family, but even luckier to have my family at home, my amazing wife Katre and children, Olivia and Juliana.
What movie or show is must-watch for celebrating diversity? to plug our own content, but I would strongly recommend people check out the AMC Original Series Dark Winds. It received a ringing endorsement from the Navajo Community for its representation across the cast and crew, but also the show is great. We have distributed the first two seasons onto Netflix and can be seen there right now and Season 3 is coming in 2025 on AMC and AMC+.
Who would play you in a movie about your life? It would have to be an Actor who likes eating at the Cheesecake Factory and doing Fantasy Football, because sadly that would be 90% of a true Biopic about my life.