Oct 19, 2010
The
2010 American Film Market today released a seminar and conference schedule
encompassing a broad cross-section of key Hollywood and global players who are
converging for the Nov. 3-10 market.Now
in its 31st year, the AFM will showcase panels examining film
financing, social media, piracy, distribution and marketing. The sessions will
include prominent filmmakers, financiers and industry executives.
New for 2010, the AFM Finance Conference has
expanded to two days. It will bring together CEOs, filmmakers, financiers and
studio executives to explore the future of independent film financing, emerging
trends and financing options. AFM
Finance Conference panelists include: Nick Meyer, President & CEO, Sierra Pictures; Danny
Perkins, CEO, Optimum
Releasing; Steve Ransohoff, President, Film Finances, Trevor Short, Chief Financial
Officer, Nu Image,
Graham Taylor, Head of Global Finance & Distribution Group, WME; Stewart Till,
Chief Executive, The Icon
Group; and Harvey Weinstein, Co-Chairman, The Weinstein Company.The
PGA’s panel New
Strategies on how to Package and Finance Your Independent Project Overseas
will include Richard Gladstein, President, FilmColony
and Cathy Schulman, President, Mandalay
Pictures.
A Studio Finance and Distribution
seminar will
focus on how independent producers can make their films more attractive for
studio acquisition. Panelists include Chris Aronson, SVP Domestic Distribution,
20th Century Fox;
Steve Bersch, President, Sony
Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group; Ron Hohauser, CFO, Summit Entertainment and Jeff
Small, President & COO, DreamWorks.
Other panels at AFM range from Piracy: The Real Cost
of Free, to Film Marketing & New Social Media - Maximizing
Exposure in the Internet Era.
Highlights also include Women in Film President Jane Fleming moderating
The Chick Flick, a seminar on Hollywood waking up to the growing powers of
the female demographic. For
additional information about all seminars and conferences, schedules, prices
and venues, visit www.AmericanFilmMarket.com. The following is a
complete list of this year’s seminars and conferences: Friday, 5
November, 2010: 9:00am – 12:30pm AFM
Finance Conference: Day 1
De-mystifying
the Economic Implications of Electronic Delivery and the Recession on Film
Performance
The
Salter Group will present an analysis of the impact of the recession, technological
changes and consumer behavior on the economic performance of the film industry
over the last few years to determine, by deconstructing the ultimate statement,
whether the well publicized decreases in home video revenues have been or will
be offset by other line items. The Salter presentation will be followed
by a panel discussion of industry experts.
Moderator: P.
John Burke, Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Initial
Panelists: Harvey
Weinstein, Co- Chairman, The Weinstein Company Patrick
Russo, Founding Principal, The Salter Group
The
Expanding Role of Local Distributors in Production and Finance In
light of the dramatic contraction of the US independent arena, local
distributors around the world are stepping up to become more influential in the
production and finance decisions made around films on both a local and
international level. Topics that will be discussed include: How bigger independents are able to tailor films to their market needs by
taking bigger equity or multi-territory positions in them. How the reduction in
big-spending US independents has tipped the balance to the international
partners. How foreign independents are pre-buying long before US players,
making their market knowledge of greater importance to the production. How
local distributors are increasingly becoming involved in local production on
both a pre-buy and development and production basis. How are independents
combating the aggressive studio programs to produce and acquire local product?
Are independents closer to their markets than studios and better able to
release parochial domestic films?
Moderator:
Mike Goodridge, Editor, Screen International
Panelists:
Nick Meyer, President & CEO, Sierra
Pictures,
Danny Perkins, CEO; Optimum Releasing;
Graham Taylor, Head of Global Finance &
Distribution Group, WME;
Stewart Till, Chief Executive, The Icon Group
Saturday,
6 November, 2010:
9:00am – 12:30pm
AFM
Finance Conference: Day 2
nternational
Tax Incentives: Annual Update Learn
the details of the best and worst incentives from around the world from top
industry producers, completion guarantors and financiers.
Moderator: Will
French, President, Film Production Capital, LLC
Panelists: Mary
Ann Hughes, VP, Film & Television Production Planning, The Walt Disney
Company; Mark
Manuel, EVP of Structured Finance, Lionsgate Steve
Ransohoff, President, Film
Finances, Inc Jake
Rose, Head of Movies & Mini-Series Production, Sony Pictures Television; Trevor
Short, Chief Financial Officer, Nu Image
Driving
Original Productions Through U.S. Pre-Sales How
to raise production financing through U.S. presales to cable and independent
film distributors. The panelists will discuss the types of films that they are
looking for, including budgets and casting considerations.
Moderator: Paul
Hertzberg, President, Cinetel Films, Inc.
Panelist: Elizabeth
Cullin, VP, Scheduling & Acquisitions, Lifetime Entertainment; Kevin
Kasha, EVP, Worldwide Acquisitions & Co-Productions, Anchor Bay Films; Thomas
Vitale, EVP, Programming & Original Movies, Syfy Tom
Zappala, EVP, Program Acquisitions & Scheduling, ABC Cable Networks Group
AFM
Seminars
Thursday,
4 November:
3:00pm – 4:30pm Hong Kong:
Asia's Co-production Centre and Gateway to the China Market The
Hong Kong FILMART Seminar presents a panel of veterans who will not just share
their views on how Hong Kong plays an effective role in the successful
co-production models but also identify opportunities in the most lucrative and
promising region in the world, that is Asia, and particularly China
Programmed
by: Hong
Kong Trade Development Council
Moderator
& Panelists: TBA
Saturday,
6 November: 2:00pm – 5:30pm
Pitch Me! Whether
you have a meeting with a studio head or you bump into an actor in an elevator,
you need to be able to pitch your film well. Learn the art of the pitch in this
intensive session where a dozen filmmakers pitch their project to a panel of
industry experts - agents, producers, and production execs - who will give
their unvarnished feedback on each pitch, saying what worked, what didn't, and
why. Space is limited - advance registration is recommended.
Moderator : Caroline
Baron, Producer, A-Line Pictures
Panelists:
TBA
Sunday, 7
November: 11:00am – 12:30pm
Film Marketing
& New Social Media - Maximizing Exposure in the Internet Era The
rules for marketing independent films are changing quickly. The internet and
social media are continuing to evolve as a revolutionary and cost-effective way
to target audiences. Facebook, Twitter, Ning, Blogs, YouTube and Google have
already become indispensible tools for spreading the word and creating
excitement for upcoming movies. But traditional marketing remains important,
particularly for theatrical release. How should these methods be combined and
maximized as part of a successful distribution approach, particularly in the
U.S. markets? Our panel of media/marketing experts and savvy filmmakers will
attempt to separate myth from reality to suggest pragmatic and balanced approaches
to marketing independent films.
Programmed
by: British
Academy of Film & Television Arts, Los Angeles
Moderator: John
Alan Simon, Writer/Director, Radio Free Albemuth; Producer, The Getaway; Former
Staff Writer, New Orleans Times Picayune; Member, BAFTA/LA Board of Directors,
Chairman, Learning & Events Committee
Panelists:
Sheri
Candler, Marketing/Engagement Media Strategist
Philippe Dias, Chairman & Founder, Cinema
Libre Studios
Sacha Gervasi, Director, Executive Producer, Anvil!
The Story of Anvil; Screenwriter, The Terminal
Susan Jackson, President & Co-Founder, Freestyle Releasing
Jill Jones, SVP, International Marketing & Publicity, Summit Entertainment LLC
Beth Portello, SVP, Marketing & Publicity, Cinema Libre Studios
Sunday, 7
November: 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Piracy:
The Real Cost of Free As
independent film and media makers are seizing digital tools to reach global
audiences, the same tools are allowing segments of the public to increasingly
engage in illegal downloads and peer-to-peer file sharing. Filmmakers,
executives, and technology experts discuss the many issues surrounding piracy
and intellectual property in the digital age, and what you can do to protect
your work.
Programmed by: Film Independent
Moderator: Michael
Donaldson, Donaldson & Califf; author of Clearance and Copyright
Initial
Panelists: Tony
Knight, Senior Project Manager, Rovi John
Sloss, Founder, Cenetic
Media and Cenetic
Rights Management
Monday, 8
November: 11:00am – 12:30pm
Resources
for Independent Filmmakers What
are the requirements and benefits of working with SAG and WGAW? It’s easier
than you think! Join SAGIndie, Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of
America, West representatives as they explain how their contracts work and the
resources they offer to filmmakers.
Programmed
by: SAGIndie
and Writers Guild of America, West
Moderator:
Todd
Amorde, Member Services Representative, WGAW
Panelists: Lise
Anderson, Senior Director of Contracts, WGAW; Mark
Friedlander, National Director of New Media, SAG; Darrien
Michele Gipson, National Director, SAGIndie; Kay
Schaber Wolf, Independent Film Executive, WGAW
Monday, 8
November: 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Studio
Finance and Distribution The
current state and emerging trends in film financing and distribution, including
how independent producers can make their films more attractive for studio
acquisition or distribution.
Programmed
by: ScreenPlayLab
Moderator: Robin
Rowe, President, MovieEditor.com
Panelists: Chris
Aronson, SVP Domestic Distribution, 20th Century Fox; Steve
Bersch, President, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group; Ron
Hohauser, CFO, Summit Entertainment; Jeff
Small, President & COO, DreamWorks
Tuesday, 9
November: 11:00am – 12:30pm
The
"Chick Flick" Grows Up Is
Hollywood waking up to the growing powers of the female demographic and the
female driven story? Salt, The Kids are Alright, Precious, Julie and Julia,
Volver, An Education, The Blind Side. The chick flick is not narrow in
theme anymore. Women now represent the majority of moviegoers. The chick flick
has been liberated to reflect the lives and real stories of complicated,
diverse, modern women. Female actresses are drawing bigger audiences and
bigger paychecks than ever before. Is this a passing trend or a long-awaited
evolution in the business of film? Has the fact that in Salt where the lead
role was written for a male actor and went to a female actress finally thrust
Women in Film to break through the glass ceiling? Join us in our discussion
where we will explore the impact of these new trends on the successful
development, production, international marketing and distribution of these
films.
Programmed
by: Women
in Film International Committee
Moderator: Jane
Fleming, President of Women in Film Los Angeles: Partner, Amber Entertainment
Panelists:
TBA
Tuesday, 9
November: 3:00pm – 4:30pm New
Strategies on how to Package and Finance Your Independent Project Overseas
Independent
Producers are struggling more than ever to get their movies made, and the old
mantra still remains: financing is out there, IF you can find it. Join the
Producers Guild of America as we will once again convene some of the most
prolific and creative producers, financiers, packaging agents, and consultants
to discuss real strategies producers are using today to get their international
projects made.
Programmed
by:
Producers Guild of America
Moderator: William
Stuart, Producer, Aurora Productions, International Committee Co-Chair, PGA
Panelists: Richard
Gladstein, President, FilmColony; Paul
Green, President, Anonymous
Content Bill
Johnson, Partner, Inferno
Entertainment Larry
Kopeikin, Attorney, Morris, Yorn, Barnes & Levine, P.C.Stacey
Parks, Film Specific; Cathy
Schulman, President, Mandalay Pictures
About
the AFM
The
business of independent motion picture production and distribution - a truly
collaborative process - reaches its peak every year at the AFM when more than
7,000 industry leaders converge in Santa Monica for eight days of deal-making,
screenings, seminars, premieres, networking and parties. Participants
come from over 70 countries and include acquisition and development executives,
agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers,
film commissioners, producers, writers, the world’s press and all those who
provide services to the motion picture industry. Founded
in 1981, the AFM has become the premiere global marketplace where Hollywood’s
decision-makers and trendsetters all gather under one roof. Unlike a film
festival, the AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are
closed. In just eight days, more than $800 million in deals will be
sealed — on both completed films and those that haven’t started shooting yet —
making AFM the must-attend industry event.
The
AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), the
trade association representing the world’s producers and distributors of
independent motion pictures and television programs. More information can
be found at www.ifta-online.org.
The
AFM is produced by the Independent Film
& Television Alliance (IFTA), the trade association representing the world’s
producers and distributors of independent motion pictures and television
programs. For more information, visit www.AmericanFilmMarket.com.
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