Dr. Jonathan P. Higgins (DoctorJohnPaul) is an award winning educator, professor, national speaker, freelance journalist, thought leader and media critic who examines the intersections of identity, gender and race in entertainment. Named National Black Justice Coalition’s Inaugural Emerging Leaders to Watch and Business Equality Magazine’s “Top 40 LGBTQ People Under 40”, their work has been featured on sites like Essence, Ebony, Complex, MTV NEWS, Out Magazine, BET & Paper Mag. A Culture Strike 2021 Disruptor and Twitter Spaces Spark Creator, Dr. Higgins is a trailblazer who is creating, sharing, and crafting the stories their ancestors didn’t get to tell. Dr. Higgins has held positions at both Chernin Entertainment & Edith Productions and consulted with brands including United Artists, Amazon, and other top media leaders. They have worked on inclusion projects with leaders in entertainment including Fox, the NFL, Apple, Disney, Instagram, Buzzfeed and GLAAD. They have also been a featured speaker for SXSW & TEDx and also competed on the latest season of Netflix’s hit show, “Nailed It”. They are the creator, executive producer and host of the “Black Fat Femme Podcast'' which was developed via IHeartMedia’s Next Up Initiative in 2021. The podcast has gone on to be named one of the “top Black podcasts to listen to” by Essence Magazine. Dr. Higgins holds a doctorate in educational justice from University of Redlands and regularly writes and lectures on what liberation means for Black, queer, fat, non-binary people.

Molded by their hometown of San Bernardino, CA, Jon Paul's (they/them/theirs) passion for writing spawned from their love of television and wanting to see more stories that reflected the queer Black experience. After accumulating a diverse and extensive body of work in higher education, they begin studying the art of television through programs like Hillman Grad and Roadmaps Writers. Currently, they work as a TV/Film Development INtern with Chernin Entertainment and write regularly about the ways to make media more inclusive of Black queer/non-binary voices.