PILAR ALESSANDRA started her career as Senior Story Analyst at DreamWorks SKG. In 2001, she opened the Los Angeles-based On the Page Writers’ Studio, dedicated to teaching and consulting with screenwriters and TV writers at all levels. She’s the author of the top-selling scriptwriting book, “The Coffee Break Screenwriter,” and host of the popular “On the Page Podcast.” An in-demand speaker, she’s taught at Disney Animation, ABC, CBS and MTV, and traveled the world coaching writers and producers in the UK, China, Poland, Vietnam, Colombia, Portugal and South Africa. Pilar’s greatest accomplishment is the success of her students, many of whom have won top competitions like the Nicholl Fellowship, are working on TV shows such as “The 100,” “Silicon Valley” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” and have sold scripts and pitches to studios including DreamWorks, Warner Bros. and Disney.

For more information about Pilar, her classes, consultations, book and podcast, go to www.onthepage.tv.

It’s been over 30 years since Linda Ambury answered a classified ad for a Producer’s assistant.

Since that time Linda has successfully worked her way from production managing and line producing several high-profile film & television projects into her current role producing the second season of Netflix’s “Black Summer”.

Linda is proud of her involvement on several projects that have been key to the development of the Alberta Film Industry. Some of these projects include Disney’s “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” which was an early adopter of VFX, the then highest budgeted Canadian feature film “Passchendaele” which recreated the horrific battlefields of WWI France, and HBO’s “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee” which yielded an impressive 17 Emmy nominations & 6 wins.

Some of Linda’s more recent work includes series 1 & 2 of Sky Atlantic’s “Tin Star”, the wolf unit for seasons 5 through 8 of the HBO series “Game Of Thrones”, Focus Features upcoming theatrical release “Let Him Go” and the aforementioned Netflix series “Black Summer”.

In addition to producing, Linda met the challenge of overseeing the conversion of air hangers to film support/stages at the Currie Barracks, has sat on studio insight committees and has had the pleasure of instructing at the Banff Centre. Her passion for mentoring, the stewardship of environmentally responsible production practices, and advocating for a safe workplace have further enriched her career and the community that she works and resides in.

Scilla Andreen (pronounced Sheila) is the CEO and Co-Founder of IndieFlix and an award-winning film and TV industry veteran working at Sony and Warner Bros before co-founding IndieFlix, a global edutainment focused streaming & screening service of 5000+ titles. She’s Included in Screening International’s Women To Watch, Variety’s Women’s Impact Report and a popular speaker at Sundance, Cannes, CES, SXSW, Women in Film and the Hong Kong Mental Health Summit. Scilla is the Founder of IndieFlix Foundation, Executive Producer of social impact films, Nevertheless, Angst, Screenagers, and Empowerment Project. and the director of LIKE a documentary about the the impact of social media on our lives and The Upstanders a new film about cyberbullying and resilience. Scilla screens these films in thousands of schools, corporations and organizations globally and is on a mission to change the world with film. https://www.indieflix.com/

She is Producer, Executive Producer and Founder of the new label Curiosity Entertainment focused on developing, producing, and financing impact focused commercial content with a global appeal. Curiosity will also be launching a data based service in 2021 focused on aiding creatives with analytics, marketing, and innovative brand integration/partnerships for their IP. Her most recent credits include movies such as: “Capone” starring Tom Hardy directed by Josh Trank; the upcoming films “Needle in a Timestack” starring Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odam Jr. and Orlando Bloom directed and written by John Ridley; and “Harry Haft” starring Ben Foster directed by Barry Levinson. Adhrucia previously worked as an Executive financing studio slates for BRON Studios with CWM, financiers of “The Joker” and last year’s Oscar Nominee “Bombshell”. Prior to that, she was a consultant and partner to American Idol Icon Randy Jackson focusing on TV development and brand integration and working as a partner with Atlantic Screen Media Group. Before transitioning into Entertainment, Adhrucia spent 10 years in brand and strategy. She is an active member of the diversity initiative lovingly called “Stone Soup” started by Rotten Tomatoes founder Patrick Lee and has served or been an advocate and volunteer for Young Storytellers, Project Paper Bag, and UNICEF Next Gen.

Jillian Apfelbaum serves as Executive Vice President of Content at Village Roadshow Pictures where she focuses on identifying and developing feature film projects with an additional focus on content development for television and related platforms.

Apfelbaum joined Village Roadshow Pictures from Imperative Entertainment where she served as Head of Film and was responsible for identifying, developing and acquiring underlying material as well as overseeing creative and physical production staff while managing a slate of more than 40 film and television projects. Projects include co-producing THE MULE; an on-set producer of LATE NIGHT, starring Emma Thompson and written by Mindy Kaling; documentary OUT OF OMAHA, directed by GLEASON’s Clay Tweel; as well as KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON based on the NY Times Best-Selling book by David Grann; and TANGERINE based on the book by Christine Mangan.

Prior to joining Imperative, Apfelbaum ran New York-based production company Ars Nova, where she worked with emerging playwrights and acquired, developed, and produced a variety of comedy projects. She also served as executive producer on “Freestyle Love Supreme,” an improvised hip-hop series for Pivot starring Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda and directed by Thomas Kail. Apfelbaum is a graduate of Columbia University.

Born and raised in the border town of Nogales, Arizona, Aaron comes from a long line of multicultural, multiracial, storytellers. He holds degrees in both Media Arts and Creative Writing from The University of Arizona and an MFA in Screenwriting from The American Film Institute. As the Director of Production and Development for Pantelion Films in conjunction with Pantaya he is truly interested in collaborating with storytellers and filmmakers from all walks of life, sharing his experience and expertise to help them bring their stories to life.

Nadira is founder of ScriptBook, the AI-driven content validation & financial forecasting platform that aims to democratize the business of storytelling through AI. Nadira studied Engineering & Applied Economics at the University of Ghent (Belgium).

ScriptBook was conceived when Nadira wrote her Master’s thesis on the use of artificial intelligence to quantify story-parameters into predictive modelling. 

Nadira’s mission with ScriptBook is to build a lasting eco-system for the film industry where AI & Art can co-exist.

In 2007 Luke joined Calgary economic development as the Commissioner for Film, Television and the Creative Industries, Luke works with Studios, government, unions & producers in Southern Alberta to facilitate and develop local projects and attract new foreign film, television & digital media productions to the area.

Prior to joining CED, Luke was the Director of the Creative Electronic Environment, as well as the Banff New Media Institute and the Acting Director of Literary Arts at The Banff Centre, where he developed and directed television and interactive media facilities and personnel.

Moses Babatope has over 18 years’ experience in film exhibition, production, distribution, marketing and operations management. As Managing Director of FilmOne Entertainment, Moses has been the mastermind behind the global distribution of blockbuster films such as The Wedding Party & The Wedding Party 2, A Trip to Jamaica, King of Boyz, Okafor’s Law, to mention a few. He has also spearheaded international distribution partnerships with companies such as 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Empire Entertainment, and recently, Walt Disney. He is one of the Executive Producers of Sugar Rush, The Set Up and Merry Men 2, to mention a few.

He is also co-founder of Filmhouse Cinemas, Nigeria’s biggest cinema chain and partners to IMAX and Mediation (MX4D).

Moses holds a Bachelor’s degree in Money banking & Finance and a Master’s degree in International finance, both from Middlesex University London. He was endorsed as an Endeavor Entrepreneur in May 2019, and has been a panelist and speaker in several international film conferences. Moses is currently a Jurist of the 2020/21 Nigeria Oscars Selection Committee.

Manuel has worked for 18 years in film, TV and digital media sectors, and has started to explore, understand and experiment blockchain applications in our industry 4 years ago. In this spirit, in 2016-17, Manuel initiated, with his client Groupe Média TFO, Blockchain TFO, the first experimentation in the Canadian broadcasting sector. Early 2018, mandated by Telefilm Canada, he designed and organized the first conference on blockchain in a major film festival (Berlinale-European Film Market). In May 2019, his research on blockchain and media industries was published. A first in Canada. He is now an internationally recognized speaker and gives conferences in major industry events on a regular basis. Prior to founding Badel Media, Manuel worked as a senior advisor and manager at Telefilm Canada for digital projects financing as well as industry initiatives and policies. He was then Deputy Director for the administration of CMF programs, continuing with the positions of Director of the AQPM Web Sector (Quebec producers association), and Director of Film, Television and Production Tax Credits at SODEC (Quebec public body).

As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WINSTON | BAKER, Amy Baker oversees the company’s global strategic planning, business development and vendor relationships. Amy created and founded the FILM FINANCE FORUM® SERIES with Co-Founder Katherine Winston in 2008, a series of conferences across the globe dedicated to bringing film and finance executives together.

Prior to establishing Winston Baker, she successfully directed B2B and B2C business development efforts for over 10 years by leveraging innovative sponsorship methods to engage business professionals. At ALM, as Vice President of Business Development, she provided finance executives and marketers with targeted channels for reaching decision-makers within the legal, entertainment, healthcare and tech sectors. In her previous position, Director of Business Development at RPMC, she worked with entertainment, music, and sports companies, creating event marketing programs, travel incentive services, sweepstakes, and media promotions.

Amy received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with honors from New York University. In 2018 Amy was honored to join the National Board of Advisors for the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.

Amy recently became a Certified COVID-19 Compliance Officer.

Based in New York City, Richard Baker is an accomplished entertainment marketing and creative advertising professional. He currently serves as President, US Operations for Silk Factory, a leading global creative content and marketing agency. Prior to Silk Factory, Baker was Executive Vice President, Marketing & Creative Advertising at FilmNation Entertainment for over nine years. Working closely with founder Glen Basner from the company’s inception, he was instrumental in defining the FilmNation brand and oversaw the global marketing and release of over a hundred high profile projects including titles such as The Big Sick, Arrival, Under The Skin, Room, The King’s Speech, Looper, Magic Mike, The Imitation Game, Mud and the films of Almodóvar and Malick. Prior to FilmNation he served as VP, International Marketing at The Weinstein Company and was previously Head of Marketing at Edinburgh International Film Festival in the UK. His entertainment marketing career began in the UK non-profit arts sector. Baker joined NYU as an adjunct professor in 2016. He teaches an advanced course on Marketing and Creative Advertising for the Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film Program and also a Movie Marketing course for The Stern School of Business.

Anastasia Bankovskaya has an active seller of the Russian films and tv series worldwide for 18 years. A a student she started her first job at TV Channel Russia’s sales department in 2003, where she was responsible for television sales. Then Anastasia joined Central Partnership where she was the deputy head of international sales until 2010 when she joined Planeta Inform as International Sales and Acquisitions Director where she is still working.

Coming Soon.

Jen Louis Barrett is the Head of Entertainment for Facebook, leading creative vision and strategy for film, TV, and streaming industries. She is also the founder of Facebook’s SEEN program – created in 2017 –  to drive representation in the entertainment industry (IG @seen). Through SEEN, Jen’s led education, advocacy, & creative support for underrepresented storytellers around the world at Sundance, SXSW, and the BFI’s London Film Fest, and in partnership with The Blackhouse Foundation, The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and Women in Film & Television.

She has served on the executive board for the AIGA The Professional Association for Design, the American Advertising Federation, on the advisory board for International Academy of Design & Technology, and as a coach for ADCOLOR’s Futures program. Jen is a requested speaker for Mobile World Congress Women4Tech, PromaxBDA, The Blackhouse Foundation at Sundance Film Festival, The Female Quotient, AIGA, ADCOLOR, Valleywood, and the OTT TV World Summit. Jen and her work have been featured in media outlets such as Variety, Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter, Campaign, and Deadline.

Prior to Facebook, Jen held roles as the Global Director of Design for CNN as well as the Global Creative Director for NBC’s The Weather Channel. Jen earned a BFA in Graphic Design from University of Florida and is an international speaker who speaks on representation and inclusion in storytelling.

Mayenzeke Baza is the Head Of Distribution & Financing at AAA Entertainment a film and television sales, distribution and financing company based out of Johannesburg,Hangzhou, and Lagos. Mayenzeke was selected as one of Mzansi’s 100 by The Young Independents as an Innovator as well as being nominated and selected as on of the Top 40 under 40 young business people in Mandela Bay, the city he previously lived in. Through AAA Entertainment and Mandela Bay Pictures, his work pushes innovation in both production, sales and distribution across South Africa, the continent, and the world, from TV and cinema to new mobile content.

Brian Beckmann has two decades of hands-on, multifaceted executive finance experience. He has worked for start-up firms, as well as, established companies ranging from small businesses to publicly traded companies. Beckmann has worked in a variety of industries including advanced technology and entertainment media. He is a producer in his own right and some of his films include DOG EAT DOG, starring Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe and Paul Schrader’s critically acclaimed FIRST REFORMED starring Amanda Seyfried and Ethan Hawke which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, the acclaimed ESCAPE FROM PRETORIA starring Daniel Radcliffe and TWIST featuring an ensemble cast headlined by Michael Caine and Lena Headey.

Beckmann’s well-rounded experience has resulted in expert skills in strategic business planning, establishment of operational and financial controls, transaction structuring, systems integrations, business affairs and producing.

At Arclight Films, Beckmann oversees all legal, financial and accounting functions of the organization including its production operations and it’s 300+ library of feature films. During his tenure he has spearheaded the financing of over $150 million dollars in productions and dozens of acquisitions.

Prior to Arclight Films, Beckmann managed the financial operations for the media division of GenesisIntermedia, a publicly traded NASDAQ company. While there, he helped facilitate two rounds of Series A public funding and three equity spinoffs. Beckmann also managed the financial activities of Brand Sense Partners, which manages more than 200 partnerships for its Fortune 500 clients with approximately $1.5 billion in retail sales in the consumer products, media, technology, celebrity and fashion industries.

Beckmann’s strengths lie in his experience as a hands-on accounting, financial, and operations executive, as well as, his knowledge of big picture issues like strategy, financing, producing, and growth. He has a proven track record of increasing profits and company value by strengthening and building corporate infrastructure.

Beckmann has a background in mechanical engineering and holds a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance, Real Estate, and Law from California Polytechnic University at Pomona. His MBA in Finance was earned at the University of La Verne. Brian also attended Southwestern University of Los Angeles, in pursuit of his law degree.

Beckmann is a native of Los Angeles and lives there with his daughter.

As Cast & Crew’s Vice President of Independent Sales and Independent Services, David oversees Cast & Crew’s financing unit, Cast & Crew Financial Services, US tax credit administration and Canadian tax credit administration under Cast & Crew Capital, and has a sales and advisory role with Media Guarantors, a full service completion bond company, founded through Cast & Crew.

Prior to joining Cast & Crew in 2016, most of David’s career was spent as a senior finance executive at both the studio level, SVP Finance & Administration – Warner Bros./Telepictures, and at a major independent studio, SVP Finance & Administration – Reveille/Shine America.

David also worked in sales as the entertainment liaison for Tax Credit Co. where he implemented, at most major studios and many independents, various non-production related tax credits programs such as WOTC, R&D tax credits and the California Enterprise Zone tax credit program.

Shaked Berenson produced and executive produced over 40 features and two television series including the animation franchise SPACE DOGS, which generated over 100mil in worldwide revenue and Walmart’s A TIGER’S TAIL.

In the past 15 years, Shaked financed, marketed, and distributed over 120 films across all genres.  He served as a Board Director for IFTA™ (Independent Film & Television Alliance) since 2011, a PGA (Producers Guild of America) member since 2013 and currently on the advisory board of The Film Collaborative, a non-profit committed to distribution education and facilitation of independent film.

His production and distribution outfit, Entertainment Squad, mission is to create and promote content with strong role models and positive value. Its first release is a documentary about Quentin Tarantino

Shaked has an MBA from UCLA/Anderson. He has been a guest speaker at various forums including USC, SXSW, and AFM.

Wendy Bernfeld, former Montrealer and founder/CEO of Rights Stuff (Amsterdam) www.rights-stuff.com, is a passionate film buff with 25+ years in film/paytv/VOD channel startup ,biz dev and content/programming experience in N.A. and EMEA/international. This includes (before Rights Stuff) prior multi-region roles as CEO Canal+ International, MD Alliance Atlantis and earlier on as entertainment lawyer.

Wendy has a J.D./LLB from Queens University, after one year of BA/MBA at McGill & University of Toronto. She was earlier, one of 10 Law Clerks to Chief Justice, Supreme Court and remains a member of the Ontario and UK bars.

Since founding Rights Stuff consulting/digital agency in ’99, she provides content strategy and pragmatic licensing, including curation, acquisition, distribution and development, to maximise rights/windows/audiences across an evolving digital landscape. Key expertise is international pay/svod/OTT licensing and Originals deals – whether traditional, digital-first/webseries, cross platform ,blockchain and/or VR), and going beyond just the big5 to other thematic and regional services – the new buyers and funders – who compete and complement them.

Wendy is also frequent lecturer on digital media and VR (business), as well as a strong supporter of the production/festival sectors, including advisory boards (IDFA, Binger Film Institute, The Film Collaborative etc). IN 2010, Wendy was named as one of the “Brave Thinkers of Indie Film, 2010” by Oscar-winning independent producer Ted Hope.Her most recent article, for the Film Collaborative, was published in May 2020 here.

Tamara Birkemoe serves as President of Foresight Unlimited and oversees all creative aspects and international business of the company. Foresight is a subsidiary of CSSE/Screen Media, where Birkemoe serves as SVP and is also involved in the domestic acquisitions for Screen Media.

Birkemoe brings more than 20 years of extensive hands on experience and knowledge of the entertainment industry. Throughout her career she has shepherded numerous projects from acquisition and development through worldwide sales and distribution.

Current titles on the Foresight slate are Bestsellers starring Aubrey Plaza and Michael Caine and Willy’s Wonderland starring Nicolas Cage. Birkemoe most recently executive produced The Last Full Measure, starring Sebastian Stan, Christopher Plummer, Samuel L. Jackson and was released in theaters earlier this year. Previous executive producer credits include 2 Guns, Lone Survivor, Blind, Flypaper and And So It Goes.

Prior to Foresight Unlimited, Birkemoe was an executive at Media 8 Entertainment and MDP Worldwide. She is fluent in five languages and is a graduate of the Film and Television program at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The first intimacy coordinator in Los Angeles, Amanda Blumenthal is the founder of Intimacy Professionals Association (IPA), which trains and certifies intimacy coordinators. Additionally, IPA is the first agency in the world to specialize in representing intimacy professionals, including intimacy coordinators, trans consultants, and gender and sexuality consultants with expertise in subjects such as BDSM, kink, LGBTQIA+ topics (including non-binary and gender non-conforming identities), and other areas. As a leader in the field of intimacy work, IPA is able to connect productions with professionals who are appropriately matched to their project.

Amanda is an experienced intimacy professional and is passionate about creating safe spaces on set in which actors can do their best work. Prior to her career as an intimacy coordinator, she worked as a sex and relationship coach. Amanda completed advanced training in the Somatica method and provided clients with a unique therapeutic experience that combined verbal and somatic processing. She is a trauma-aware and kink-friendly professional and uses this expertise to inform her work as an intimacy coordinator.

Amanda has been actively involved with advocacy work related to sexuality since college, serving in leadership positions in groups such as Advocates for Survivors of Sexual Assault and Sex Positive Los Angeles. As a member of these groups she has led workshops on LGBTQIA+ topics, consent, kink, and many other subjects. She graduated from the University of Southern California School of Gerontology with a degree in Human Development and Aging.

She is also a member of the Time’s Up Safety Working Group and a contributor to the Time’s Up Guide to Working in Entertainment. Additionally, she consulted on the Producer’s Guild of America’s recently released Independent Project Safety Initiative. Amanda is a sought-after speaker on the topic of intimacy coordination and has spoken on panels and as a lecturer for organizations including Time’s Up, Women in Film, Film Independent, the American Film Market, the Women’s Production Society, and the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.

To date, Amanda has coordinated well over two hundred and fifty scenes of intimacy. Some of Amanda’s intimacy coordinator credits include Euphoria (HBO: Season 1), The Affair (Showtime: Season 5), The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime: Season 1), Carnival Row (Amazon: Season 2), Sorry For Your Loss (Facebook Watch: Season 2), How To Get Away With Murder (ABC: Season 6), The Voyeurs (Amazon Feature Film), and For All Mankind (Apple TV+: Season 2).

Richard “RB” Botto is the Founder and CEO of Stage 32 (stage32.com). Stage 32 is the world’s largest online platform connecting and educating film, TV & digital creatives and executives worldwide. Launched in 2011, the Stage 32 community has grown to over 650,000 creatives and features an educational library of over 1,200 hours of webinars and classes taught by over 500 industry executives. Stage 32 is recognized throughout the industry as an incubator of talent and is the official film education & networking platform of AFM.

RB is a working actor, producer and screenwriter. As a producer, his films have played at dozens of festivals including Cannes, Sundance, SXSW, and Raindance to name a few.  As a writer, he has two features and a TV pilot in active development. As an actor, his latest film On the Corner of Ego and Desire recently premiered at the Raindance Film Festival.

Additionally, RB’s book Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, was published by Focal Press/Routledge under the American Film Market Presents banner and quickly became one of their best-selling titles. It has hit #1 in 6 different film and business related categories on Amazon and Audible. The book can be found on Amazon and Audible, where it has garnered over 100 5-star reviews.

A sought after speaker, teacher and mentor, RB has been a keynote speaker and panelist at such festivals and conferences as Cannes, AFM, Tribeca, Sundance, Raindance, Austin, SXSW, Cinequest, ITVFest, Portugal FEST, Trinidad and Tobago and Winston Baker. He has also taught at institutions such as Harvard, USC and Columbia University on the subjects of filmmaking, producing, film finance, screenwriting, social media, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, entrepreneurship and business.

For more than two decades, Kyle Bowser has worked as an entertainment industry executive, spanning the areas of film, television, music, theater, radio, and digital platforms.

Bowser’s career began with his involvement with Philadelphia International Records during the label’s celebrated heyday of multiplatinum releases. At NFL Films, Bowser assisted in the distribution of the company’s classic football highlight films, and then promoted events at the 6000-seat MLK Arena, in Philadelphia. As Executive Director of his family-owned Uptown Theater, Bowser managed the 2000 seat theater and four-floor private nightclub. At Harrah’s Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, Bowser managed multiple hotel entertainment venues, then with Music Fair Group, produced special events in two 3,000-seat theaters-in-the-round, located in New York and Philadelphia. Simultaneously, he hosted a community affairs talk show on the #1 ranked WUSL/Power 99 Radio, in Philadelphia.

Bowser’s involvement in television began with NBC Business Affairs in New York City. He later moved to Los Angeles where he developed and managed primetime fare for Fox Broadcasting Company and HBO Independent Productions. Programs under Bowser’s creative purview include hits like In Living Color, Martin, and Roc.

This steady career progression led Kyle Bowser to the founding of Res Ipsa Media, Inc., a multimedia production company which has developed and produced an array of projects, including the films A Line in the Sand (Showtime), For One Night (Lifetime); the sitcom series, For Your Love (NBC); the reality drama, Trial By Jury (UPN/PBS); the variety series, Midnight Mac (HBO); the E! Super Bowl Special (E!); the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration (Gospel Music Channel); Sunday Dinner (Cooking Channel); the documentary, A Forgotten Man (NFL Network); three sitcom pilots: ColorTV (Fox), The Thing About Family (NBC), and The Weekenders (Comedy Central); the NAMIC Vision Awards (Starz!); the Living Single Soundtrack (Warner Bros. Records); and the successful stage productions, Talk Show Live and Iyanla Vanzant: This Is Your Life. His firm has produced event based programming for iN Demand pay-per-view and provided music supervision for the hit sitcom Half & Half (UPN). Under the shingle, PROactive CONsulting & Management, Bowser provides strategic planning and counsel for several entertainment industry artists and firms, including the NAACP Hollywood Bureau.

Bowser is also honored to serve as Executive Producer of the hugely impactful, Inspired By…The Bible Experience, a fully dramatized audio Bible featuring an all-star cast of over 400 actors, musicians, athletes, clergy, and other noteworthy personalities.

A native of Philadelphia, PA, Kyle Bowser received his Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University in Radio/Television Communications and his Juris Doctor degree from Widener University School of Law. Bowser was admitted to the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bar Associations, and is a member of the Scripps College Dean’s Advisory Council, the HollyRod Foundation, and the National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) – for which he founded the annual Vision Awards and received its coveted Legacy Award.

David Brauer, CPA,Brauer & Co. – has been working in the entertainment industry for 25 years. For the last 10 years, he has been involved with tax incentives audits throughout the United States, including, but not limited to New York, New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina, New Mexico, California, and Hawaii. Additionally, he has worked with incentive programs on drafting audit procedures to test compliance.

Ryan Broussard has been working in the production payroll and incentives space for over 12 years. On a daily basis, he assists Media Services Payroll clients navigate film tax incentives throughout the United States, most prominently in New Mexico, Louisiana and Georgia. From application assistance to budget flagging to reporting, Ryan prides himself on his customers’ success maximizing their film and TV incentive returns. He is a frequent panelist and podcast contributor on the subject of production incentives throughout the United States.

Gabrielle Carteris was re-elected SAG-AFTRA president on August 29, 2019. She was first elected SAG-AFTRA president on April 9, 2016 and previously served as the elected executive vice president from 2013-2016. She is the chair of the National TV/Theatrical Contracts Negotiating Committee and leads the President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach and Engagement. In August 2016, Carteris was elected as a vice president on the AFL-CIO’s executive council, re-elected in 2017 and co-leads a sexual harassment workgroup. She also is a founding ambassador of ReFrame, an initiative of Women In Film and Sundance Institute to further gender parity in the media industry. In 2017, Carteris was appointed commissioner to the Industrywide Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace. She also serves as a trustee of the American Film Institute. Carteris also represents SAG-AFTRA with the International Federation of Actors (FIA).

Carteris became a household name playing Andrea Zuckerman on the Aaron Spelling drama Beverly Hills, 90210 and recently starred in BH90210, a revival of the iconic show. The success of the show allowed Carteris to get involved with many great organizations, including DARE, Noxzema Extraordinary Teen program, MADD, Read to Grow, Best Buddies and the Sky’s The Limit Fund. In August 2016, she was honored by the Jewish Labor Committee Western Region with the Elinor Glenn Leadership Award.

As a producer, Carteris created Lifestories, a series of specials and Gabrielle, a talk show that she also hosted. A fierce advocate for inclusion and equity for all, Carteris is a sought-after speaker and panelist on diversity topics and led the union’s fight to pass California’s “IMDb Law,” which helps mitigate rampant age discrimination in entertainment and other industries. In 2016, she testified before the California Senate Judiciary Committee, authored editorials and organized a letter, fax and email campaign to urge Governor Brown to sign AB 1687.

In 2008, Carteris served the Screen Actors Guild as fifth alternate national director, in 2009 as first alternate national director and in 2010 she began a three-year term as a national board member. Her previous American Federation of Television and Radio Artists service includes two consecutive terms on the AFTRA Los Angeles Local Board and the AFTRA National Board, three terms as an AFTRA convention delegate in the actor category and, in 2011, she was elected Los Angeles Local president and national second vice president. She was a part of the G1 (Group for One Union) and helped with developing the plan to merge SAG and AFTRA. She also served SAG-AFTRA during the transition year as national vice president, Los Angeles.

She was also listed on Variety’s Power of Women L.A. Impact Report 2016 and on The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100 list in 2016 and 2017.

Presently: Film Commissioner at Portugal Film Commission

Formerly: Executive Coordinator of CED Portugal and responsible for the MEDIA Subprogramme; Executive Coordinator at MEDIA Desk Portugal; Adviser to the Cultural department of the Lisbon City Hall; Adviser to the alderman of Culture of the Lisbon City Hall. Degree in Political Science and International relations by the Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Post graduation in Cultural Practices for Municipalities by the Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

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Bryony Cole is an Actress, Writer and Producer from the UK, based in Amsterdam, and the Brand Ambassador for Apojo Publications. Bryony’s credits include: Red Heart, Blank Face, You Listen, Always and The Unveiling. She is Co-Director of the international theatre company Actors Anonymous. She co-wrote the comedy ‘WET,’ (Screw Productions) which enjoyed success in both London and Amsterdam and she is currently writing a full-length play, which will premiere in Amsterdam in 2021. Bryony is passionate about comedy and making relatable work with an important message. www.spotlight.com/4066-9084-9452

Megan Colligan joined the Company in February 2019 as President, IMAX Entertainment and Executive Vice President, IMAX Corporation. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Colligan served in executive roles at Paramount Pictures from 2006-2017, most recently as Worldwide President of Marketing and Distribution. She spearheaded the marketing and distribution efforts for many of Paramount’s most successful franchise properties and oversaw Paramount’s Home Entertainment division, a $1 billion dollar annual business for the studio.

A member of AMPAS, Colligan was also the winner of the 2013 Sherry Lansing Award from Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. She has served on the organization’s Board since receiving the honor. She chairs the marketing committee and serves on the executive committee and fund development committee. She graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in American history and African American studies.

Ryan Connolly is a filmmaker, Internet personality, and presenter best known for his web series Film Riot, which has gained over 1.6 million subscribers. He has also written and directed 16 short films, including PROXiMITY, UFOh Yeah, Ghost House, SENTiNEL, BALLiSTIC, and his Latest There Comes a Knocking, which serves as a proof of concept for his first feature. All together, Ryan’s short films have amassed over 13 million views.

Currently Ryan is working with 3Arts, developing feature films.

Marco Cordova has over 20 years of progressive tax credits and incentives experience, working for both large entertainment companies and Big Four accounting firms, and is recognized as one of the leading experts of production incentives and state tax credits in the nation. He currently heads the film division of Monarch Private Capital, the largest broker of Georgia film tax credits and market leader of various tax credit syndications in several U.S. jurisdictions, where he is responsible for the overall planning, investment strategy and acquisition of film, TV, and digital entertainment tax credits. Marco is also a tax credit placement specialist and trusted advisor for many Fortune 500 companies and other large institutional organizations, and he has worked with over $1 billion of tax credit placement and equity investment transactions throughout his career.

Marco is an active California CPA and Registered Representative with FINRA.  He has an MBT from USC and graduated with honors from LMU, where he currently serves on the Accounting Advisory Board. Marco also serves on the board of the Asian Pacific Community Fund and has authored several production incentives publications and tax credit articles throughout his career.

After working in feature film production in Hollywood on movies starring Rob Schneider, David Carradine, Jennifer Morrison, Winona Ryder, Wes Bentley, Steve Buscemi, to name but only a few, Caroline chose to come back to Europe and relocate to London in 2008 as Director of Development & Marketing at Seven Arts Pictures. In 2011, she joined AV Pictures where she gained invaluable knowledge in deal structuring from the company’s founder, Vic Bateman.

In May 2014, she launched Metrodome International, the international sales arm of the Metrodome Group handling a wide range of feature films from third party producers to in-house productions.

She then left Metrodome to launch her own company, Truffle Pictures, a London based international sales agency and production house, in 2016, and subsequently Film Seekers Ltd since February 2018.

Caroline is a French native based in London who speaks fluent French, English and Spanish. She holds two post-graduate master degrees one in Chemistry from the University of Versailles and the second one in Business Management from the University of Bordeaux.

She is a member of BAFTA and sits on the board of two major lobbying associations: Film Export UK and the Independent Film and Television Alliance.

His producing credits include award winning feature films, dramatic series, mini-series and television movies.

Current productions include Family Law, a dramatic series for Corus, Fortunate Son, a political thriller series for the CBC and NBCU International, Jann, a half hour comedy for CTV, Wynonna Earp, the People’s Choice Award winning series for Syfy and Space and Heartland, the beloved CBC family drama.

Previous series include Damnation, Young Drunk Punk, Wild Roses, Tom Stone and North of Sixty. Television, movies and mini-series include Borealis, Burn Up, Mayorthorpe, Waking Up Wally, Chasing Freedom and After the Harvest. International feature film co-productions include Brokeback Mountain, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Resurrecting the Champ.

Tom is a board member and past chair of the Canadian Media Producers Association. He is a board member of the Banff International Media Festival Foundation, and past board member and chair of the Alberta Media Production Industry Association and the National Screen Institute. He has served as a member of the Alberta Premier’s Council on Culture and the Alberta Film Advisory Council. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contribution to the arts.

Jake is the Vice President of Content at Breaker where he leads Breaker’s content partnership, acquisitions and content strategy. Jake was previously at Gathr Films where he led the acquisition and distribution for the company’s crowd sourced theatrical distribution and ticketing platform, including Walk With Me and Minimalism: A Documentary About The Important Things. Jake is an active member of the California State Bar and has a JD from Southwestern Law School.