Career in the Arts: Entertainment in the Arts

Join MCA Denver for a series of three evening programs that explore the multitude of career and professional opportunities within the realm of visual arts, museums, entertainment, and community engagement. Hear from folks in the Denver arts community as they share their inspiration, path to their current work, and reflect on what brought them there. There will be three 15-minute presentations by arts professionals, followed by community booths and informal chats for participants to gain more insights into various careers and future pathways!

Session Details:

The entertainment industry expands and evolves, from film, performance, music, and more. The last session in MCA Denver’s Career in the Arts allows young people to hear and explore what life in the entertainment industry might look like. There will be three 15-minute presentations by arts professionals, followed by community booths and informal chats for participants to gain more insights into various careers and future pathways!

Free parking is available at North High School.

About the Speakers

Marisa Hollingsworth is from Detroit, Michigan, graduated from Spelman College and later joined the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and the Hannah Kahn Dance Company. Her board service includes The Children's Museum of Denver and Advisor for New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) for dance. Marisa serves as as a commissioner on the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs for Denver Arts and Venues as well. She is currently the Executive and Artistic Director of Presenting Denver since 2020 and a wife and mother of two.

DNA Picasso is a Denver-based recording artist, songwriter, curator and founder of Colorado Music Industry Alliance. He has been recognized as one of the state's top rappers, landing him a 2024 Westword Magazine cover story, His volunteer work includes being a talent buyer for Sonic Guild and FOCOMX as well as a board member of CAFTA (Colorado Attorneys For The Arts.) DNA Picasso is being recognized as the 2025 MSU Denver New Wave Leadership Award honoree at the CBCA Business of the Arts Awards and Luncheon on April 22nd.

Janae Burris (Just For Laughs/NBC First Look) is a comedian and actor in Denver, CO. She is a South Central Los Angeles native and a CalArts Alumna. Janae has been featured at Portland’s Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Limestone Comedy Festival, Telluride Blues Fest and High Plains Comedy Festival in Denver as well as headlining at Ha Ha Harvest in Portland, JokeChella in Fort Collins and Aspen Laugh Fest. Janae was named a 2019 Just For Laughs New Face in Montreal. She has showcased at NACA West, Midwest and Central. Janae is a  proud camp counselor for Athena Project where she teaches stand up comedy to teenage girls.