[PIANO MUSIC]
Being Jewish, it means that I have strength.
And it means that I speak out for my people and
other marginalized communities.
I think that's critical, as well.
It's not just we speak out for ourselves.
We speak out for others.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hi, I'm Monica Bari.
And I'm so excited to introduce my friend
and mentor, Jill Hotchkiss.
Jill is the vice president of content marketing
at Disney Branded Television.
She's an Emmy Award-winning executive who leads content
marketing for Disney+, Disney Channel,
Disney Junior, and Disney XD.
She's also the powerhouse behind "Puppy for Hanukkah"
with Daveed Diggs, which highlights the diversity
within the Jewish community.
I'd love to understand what do you
do in your role as vice president of content marketing
at Disney Branded Television.
If you look at the content, like "American Born
Chinese," or "Percy Jackson," "National Treasure,"
or "Descendants," et cetera, et cetera,
think of that as this beautifully wrapped,
fantastic present.
It's the best Hanukkah present you're
ever going to get in your life.
And so we create that gift wrapping.
We create the bow and the paper that you want to tear open,
into that fantastic present.
Given the fact that Judaism is an ethnicity, and a religion,
and culture, can you talk a little bit
about what that means to you?
I think it's interesting that people
think Judaism is only a religion and it's not an ethnicity,
and a culture maybe a little more so because I think,
culturally, we talk about the food that we eat,
and the things that we do.
[LAUGHTER] - Bagels.
Right.
Bagel-- where do you get the best bagel in New York?
And I know that other Jews feel like this, too.
Am I Jewish enough?
That's kind of been a question that's rolled around
in my head my whole life.
My mom, again, who wasn't a practicing Jew,
she was Jewish enough for--
in her mind.
And she said, as long as you're a good person, as long as you
help, as long as you learn, it leads
into the humanity of being Jewish, being
Catholic, Christian, Buddhist.
However that is, that learning part is so
critical to being a good human.
Tell me the story of "Puppy for Hanukkah."
I know you were the driving force behind that amazing music
video.
"Puppy for Hanukkah" stemmed from the murder
of George Floyd.
The company was having listening sessions.
They said, look around your community
and see who you surround yourself with.
Are you doing a good enough job when it comes to engaging
other communities in your life?
I was talking to my kids.
We were sitting around the dinner table.
And I said to them, "We should figure
out how can we do better."
And I said, "One thing that I was thinking about at work
was we need a new Hanukkah song."
There are many more Jews in this world than just one dimension.
The dimensionality is deep, and vast, and wonderful,
and textural, and I want a Jew of color
to write and sing this song.
And so my younger daughter says to me, "Mom, you know
Daveed Diggs is Jewish."
And so, two days later, I'm on a Zoom with Daveed Diggs.
And I told him the story.
And he said, "I like the challenge."
Oh, my gosh, maybe two weeks later, we got a song.
And I played it.
And I could not stop smiling.
There was one comment from a grad student,
and he said, as a Black Jew, I finally feel seen.
And I started crying when I read it, and when I speak about it,
it still tears me up.
And that is that's what it was supposed to do,
it was supposed to represent.
Who was a key mentor or ally in your life?
What are one or two important pieces of advice
that they gave you, that you still carry with you today?
This woman, Andrea Wong, and she worked on the ABC side,
in the unscripted department.
She headed that.
And it was an interesting pairing because I was marketing
and she was unscripted.
And the piece of advice she gave me was, make connections.
You have to make connections and build bridges wherever you go.
So make sure your network is built
internally and externally.
Jill, thank you so much.
This was inspiring, as always.
[PIANO MUSIC]
You're welcome, Monica.
You're inspiring, as well.
Hey.
So for the next generation, especially Jewish Americans
interested in entertainment or marketing, what advice
do you have for them?
Don't let anything hold you back.
If you don't feel seen and there isn't something that exists,
you go do it.
You go make it happen.
[MUSIC PLAYING]