THE SUMMIT AT AFM
The New Global Screen Economy
November 10 | 9:00AM | Fairmont Century Plaza
Bringing together the people and companies defining the new business models shaping today’s global content ecosystem and the future of storytelling across screens of all sizes. From entertainment and technology to capital, creators and audiences, the Summit will explore the forces converging to shape what comes next.
Initial speakers and schedule just announced below, more to be revealed soon.
For information about becoming a Summit Sponsor, contact Robin Burt at +1.310.446.1020 or rburt@ifta-online.org.
ATTEND
Media Partners
INITIAL SUMMIT SPEAKERS
Jackie Brenneman
President & CEO, Independent Film & Television Alliance
Keynote
Evan Shapiro
Founder & CEO, ESHAP
Keynote
Patrick Caligiuri
Media Advisor, Producer and Industry Analyst
Joseph Chianese
Jo Cronk
Co-CEO, Whalar Part of Accenture Song
Tyler Chou
Founder & CEO, Tyler Chou Law for Creators, CreatorArq M&A Advisory
David Freeman
Founder & CEO, Kynetic Media Ventures
Jared Geesey
EVP of International, Angel Studios
Marc Goldberg
Founder & CEO, Aura/Signature
Scott Karol
Jeremy Kay
Americas Editor, Screen International
Jon Leland
Co-Founder and CEO, Popular Demand
Jordan Lonner
Agent & Co-Head, Motion Picture Literary Department, UTA
Elaine Low
Staff Writer, The Ankler
Samantha Masunaga
Mickey Meyer
President, Creator Studios, Blink 49
Steven Paul
Katie Pryor
Co-Founder, FilmUSA & Executive Director, Baton Rouge Film Commission
Josh Rogin
SVP, Federal Government Affairs, Motion Picture Association (MPA)
Brett Rosen
Joel Savitt
Founder & CEO, Bamboo Bridge
Wesley Wang
Director/Founder, Wesley Wang Media
Marvin Wiechert
Director of Strategy & Product, Yorck Kinogruppe
Summit Access +
AFM Day Badge
$495
Includes Access to the Summit & the Market on Nov 10
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FEATURED SPEAKERS
Get to know the industry leaders, innovators and storytellers set to take the stage at The AFM Summit.
Jackie Brenneman
President & CEO
IFTA / AFM
Keynote
Jackie Brenneman is President and CEO of the Independent Film & Television Alliance® (IFTA®) and the American Film Market® (AFM®). A longtime advocate for independent film and the global creative community, she brings decades of experience at the intersection of policy, business strategy, and market innovation.
Prior to joining IFTA, Brenneman served as Executive Vice President & General Counsel of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) and as founding President of The Cinema Foundation, where she helped launch National Cinema Day and led major industry-wide initiatives focused on growth, accessibility, and audience engagement. She is also a co-founder of The Fithian Group, a strategic consultancy supporting the evolving theatrical and independent film ecosystem.
Brenneman is known for her collaborative leadership style, deep policy expertise, and commitment to strengthening cross-border partnerships that support independent storytellers worldwide.
Brenneman serves on the Board of Directors of the Attend Theatrical Marketplace, a platform she played a key role in developing, and holds a seat on the Burbank Cultural Arts Commission.
Evan Shapiro
Founder & CEO
ESHAP
Keynote
Since he created his Media Universe Map, Evan Shapiro has become known as the Media Cartographer. Using his very specific voice and point of view, Shapiro charts Media's future through his essays on the Media War & Peace Newsletter – which is now one of the most read entertainment business publications on Substack. He also co-hosts The Media Odyssey podcast, which has become an industry touchstone and won him the 2026 Webby Award for Thought Leadership.
Shapiro has been a featured speaker at the world’s most important media events. His maps, infographics, and ruminations are now widely quoted and used by businesses, executives, analysts, and colleges around the world.
He is also an Emmy and Peabody Award winning producer of TV, films and podcasts, including Portlandia, This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Please Like Me, and Brick City. He also served 18 years as a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Samir Azrioual
Managing Director
Cineville
Samir Azrioual is the Managing Director of Cineville, the platform and subscription model that offers film lovers unlimited access to independent cinemas. What began in Amsterdam has grown into an international movement with over 166,000 subscribers, connecting 250+ affiliated cinemas across six European countries.
Patrick Caligiuri
Patrick Caligiuri is an award winning television and film producer with more than two decades of experience developing and delivering stories for global audiences. His credits include some of television’s most successful franchises, including The Amazing Race, Big Brother, Naked and Afraid, and American Idol. Known for hands on leadership, he pairs creative vision with the operational discipline needed to carry large productions from development through delivery.
Patrick currently serves as a Media Advisor for film and television in the United Arab Emirates. As “Producer Patrick” (@producer.patrick), he also analyzes the business of film and television for an audience of industry professionals, sharing insights on storytelling, production, and where the industry is headed.
Jo Cronk
As Co-CEO, Jo oversees Whalar’s global agency business, driving growth across North America and leading a team of 120+ diverse voices. She has forged game-changing partnerships with iconic brands including Amazon, EA, NFL, Spotify, and Waymo, as well as leading platforms including LinkedIn, Meta, TikTok, and YouTube.
A recognized authority in the Creator Economy, Jo has shared her expertise at VidCon, Tribeca X, and Sundance, and has served as a judge for prestigious honors such as The One Show and Cannes Lions.
Her industry impact is further reflected in her recognition as one of Ad Age’s Leading Women, Campaign’s 40 Over 40, Campaign Inspiring Women and The Ankler’s Future of Entertainment 25 alongside her service on the Tribeca X Advisory Council and LinkedIn’s Entertainment Community.
In 2023, Jo co-founded Whalar Group’s venture studio, Moby Ventures, and in 2026, she spearheaded the agency through its landmark acquisition by Accenture Song—the largest acquisition in the history of the creator economy.
Joseph Chianese
SVP & Practice Leader, Production Incentives
Entertainment Partners
Joe Chianese is a leading voice on production, production incentives, and global production strategy. As SVP and Practice Leader, Production Incentives at Entertainment Partners, he built EP’s incentives practice, advising on U.S. and international incentives, financing, and production planning. Joe has been involved in U.S. incentives since their inception in 2001, and before that in the international expansion of incentives in Canada, the UK, Australia, and Germany.
With more than 35 years in tax, finance, and government affairs, he advises studios, streamers, independents, and governments.
A CPA with an MBA and a Master of Business Taxation from Fordham, he previously held senior roles at Sony Pictures, Disney, ABC, Paramount, and Ernst & Young.
Frequently quoted in the trades and national press, Joe has appeared on Matthew Belloni’s “The Town,” serves on the FilmLA Board and AFCI Advisory Board, and guest lectures at AFI, USC, UCLA, NYU, and Carnegie Mellon.
Tyler Chou
Founder & CEO
Tyler Chou Law for Creators
CreatorArq M&A Advisory
Tyler Chou is an attorney who covers the creator economy, focusing on intellectual property, M&A exits and business strategy for digital entrepreneurs. As the Founder and CEO of Tyler Chou Law for Creators and CreatorArq M&A advisory, she provides legal counsel to high-profile influencers and content creators navigating the evolving media landscape. She also guides creators and startup founders on M&A strategy and exits.
Previously for almost two decades, Chou served as an attorney at Disney and BuzzFeed and practiced at Big Law firms, bringing extensive industry experience to her coverage of creator-led businesses. She earned her bachelors in English literature from UC Berkeley and her J.D. from Loyola Marymount University. Chou is also the author of the forthcoming book, Creator to CEO and writes regularly on LinkedIn. Follow Chou for continued coverage on her YouTube channel on creator equity and exits, monetization, brand deal negotiations, IP and copyright protection and the legal shifts impacting social media platforms.
David Freeman
Founder & CEO
Kynetic Media Ventures
David Freeman served as a visionary and innovator across the constantly evolving Entertainment, Sports, Digital and Media Landscape. Freeman has a proven track record of founding and leading companies while consistently delivering profi table revenue growth in each role he has served.
Currently, he is the Founder & CEO of Kynetic Media Ventures, a next-generation culture venture studio launched in 2026 to expand fandom, activate communities, and transform talent and their intellectual property into scalable enterprises.
Previously, David was the Global Head of the Digital Media department at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). As the founder of the group in 2010, Freeman was at the forefront of the digital media marketplace, leading the company and its traditional and digital endemic clients (talent and corporate) across all areas.
Over 15 years at CAA with the proliferation of the Creator Economy across all Media and Hollywood, Freeman launched, created and led a number of new verticals within the department that have become best in class across the industry including creator representation, branded entertainment, gaming/eSports, social media monetization and distribution, immersive media/XR, AI, and corporate advisory.
Freeman’s unique global perspective as technology has disrupted both the Advertising and Hollywood industries has led to the formation of new business models, global IP sales, the launch of new digital companies and key investments for the company.
Prior to joining CAA in 2010, he served as General Manager of MATTER, Edelman Sports and Entertainment Marketing. In 2003, Freeman co-founded MATTER to forge and develop marketing partnerships for brands, entertainment companies, and content creators. The company was acquired by Edelman in 2006 and at its peak, Freeman oversaw a team of 120 executives across Los Angeles, New York and London.
Previously, Freeman led a joint venture between OMD Worldwide and Aaron Walton Entertainment, two of the leading media and entertainment companies within the Omnicom network. Additionally, he held positions at CNB Entertainment, an entertainment fi nance and development company, and NFL Properties in its Corporate Sponsorship Sales & Marketing Division.
Jared Geesey
EVP of International
Angel Studios
Jared Geesey is Executive Vice President of International at Angel Studios, where he leads international theatrical distribution, licensing partnerships, and streaming expansion. He has spent 22 years at the intersection of technology and entertainment.
Jared and his team built a network of 100+ distribution and licensing partners that delivers theatrical releases in 40+ countries, including Sound of Freedom, The King of Kings, and David. They present Angel’s slate at Cannes, Berlin, the American Film Market, CineEurope, CineAsia, and CineLatam. He co-launched Angel’s theatrical division in 2023, debuting at #8 among U.S. distributors and grossing more than $650 million globally.
Scott Karol
President & Chief Operating Officer
SP Media Group
Scott Karol serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of SP Media Group, an independent film production, finance and distribution company. With more than 30 years of experience spanning entertainment, law, production, finance and distribution, he is a seasoned executive and producer with a proven record of guiding complex projects from development through release.
In addition to his executive and production responsibilities, Karol has been instrumental in developing and advancing a proposed federal tax incentive for film and television production. In collaboration with Steven Paul and Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight, he has engaged with policymakers and industry leaders to promote a framework intended to attract domestic investment, expand production activity, create and restore industry jobs, and enhance the long-term competitiveness of the U.S. entertainment sector.
Jeremy Kay
Jeremy Kay is Americas Editor of the UK trade publication Screen International / Screendaily. He reports on the industry, regularly attends major international festivals, and moderates panels. He also podcasts, and writes about big media, streaming, box office, and awards season. He lives in Los Angeles.
Jon Leland
Co-Founder and CEO
Popular Demand
Jon Leland is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Popular Demand, a fan-driven, artist-first entertainment studio and technology company built to develop projects in partnership with the audiences that care about them most. Founded as an alternative to traditional studios, Popular Demand works with creators who want to own and control their projects, bringing them to life by utilizing its expertise in fandom, community organizing, crowdfunding, and ticket pre-sales, often focusing on audiences the industry has historically underserved.
Prior to Popular Demand, Leland worked at Kickstarter for over 10 years and served as Chief Strategy Officer. He serves on the board of GlobalGiving, and was named one of CNN’s “Top Risk Takers in Business.”
Jordan Lonner
Agent & Co-Head
Motion Picture Literary Department
United Talent Agency (UTA)
Jordan Lonner is an Agent and Co-Head of the Motion Picture Literary Department at United Talent Agency (UTA), a premier global talent agency built for the future of media and entertainment, where he represents emerging and established screenwriters and filmmakers. His clients include Curry Barker, Na Hong-jin, Dylan Clark, Damian McCarthy, Francis Galluppi, Dan Berk, Robert Olsen, and Alex Convery.
A third-generation agent, Lonner has built a reputation for identifying filmmakers early in their careers and helping develop their paths in the industry. He first joined UTA as an intern in 2012 and rose through the agency’s ranks to his current role as Agent and Co-Head of the Motion Picture Literary Department.
A Los Angeles native, Lonner graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in Political Science.
Elaine Low
Staff Writer
The Ankler
Elaine Low is a staff writer at The Ankler based in Los Angeles, where she covers the evolution of Hollywood’s business model and work culture in the streaming era. She is one of the lead writers on the Series Business newsletter and hosts the weekly Ankler Agenda podcast, which breaks down the headlines, trends and creativity shaping the evolution of the entertainment business.
Her work focuses on the strategies, economics and leadership decisions shaping the industry, with a particular emphasis on the forces redefining the television business.
Previously, Low was a senior entertainment reporter at Business Insider and Variety, where she covered media strategy and executive leadership. She began her career at Investor’s Business Daily.
Samantha Masunaga
Staff Writer
Los Angeles Times
Samantha Masunaga is an entertainment business reporter, with a focus on Hollywood studios. She also writes the weekly Wide Shot newsletter about the business of Hollywood. Since joining the Los Angeles Times in 2014, she has covered the aerospace industry, workplace culture and Southern California’s Japanese American community. Masunaga has previously worked for the Oregonian, the Orange County Register and the Rafu Shimpo, among other publications. A Southern California native, she is an alumna of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and UCLA.
Mickey Meyer
President, Creator Studios
Blink 49
Mickey Meyer is President of Blink49 Studios’ Global Creator Studio. There he leads the company’s strategy for co-developing and co-owning film and television IP with creators, podcasters and digital-native storytellers. Blink49 is a Toronto-based, full-service scripted and unscripted studio. Under Mickey, it partners with creators as an IP owner rather than a buyer for hire, building projects that can be financed, sold and extended across platforms, territories and formats.
Mickey has worked where new audiences meet premium content for nearly two decades. He was an early executive at Maker Studios before its acquisition by Disney. He co-founded the digital comedy network JASH alongside Sarah Silverman, Reggie Watts, Tim & Eric and Michael Cera. As President of Group Nine Studios, he turned brands like NowThis, The Dodo and Seeker into long-form film and TV. He also co-founded The Unreasnble, a film and television company whose short Two Distant Strangers won the Academy Award. His focus is on turning audience-proven ideas into durable, ownable IP.
Steven Paul
Chairman & CEO
SP Media Group
An artist to his core, SP7 CEO Steven Paul has played an integral role in Hollywood for more than 40 years. Paul has played a hand in writing, directing, producing, and distributing more than 100 major motion pictures including Marvel Comics’ “Ghost Rider” franchise starring Nicholas Cage, “Ghost in the Shell” starring Scarlett Johansson, and the “Baby Geniuses” franchise starring Jon Voight. Paul’s most recent acquisition, Jewish Life TV (JLTV), reveals both his philanthropic spirit and altruistic heart as he seeks to invigorate the fledgling cultural network to serve as the world’s premier Jewish cultural television network.
Paul emerged onto the scene at the tender age of 7 as an actor, singer, and dancer. He inked his debut play, ‘The Pipsqueaks,’ at the age of 12, setting a record at the time as the world’s youngest playwright. Paul’s next landmark achievement manifested with his directorial debut with “Falling in Love Again” starring Michelle Pfeiffer. For this accolade, Paul once again set a world record, this time as the youngest director and producer of a major motion picture at just 18 years old.
Katie Pryor
Co-Founder, FilmUSA & Executive Director
Baton Rouge Film Commission
Katie Patton Pryor is Co-Founder and President of FilmUSA, the national trade association representing more than 120 American film commissions across 37 states. Her work rests on a simple premise: to participate fully in the global screen economy, the United States needs a national plan, as its international partners have. FilmUSA is a member of the U.S. Film & TV Production Coalition, alongside the studios, guilds, unions, vendors, and independent producers behind it, and has been a leading voice in moving a federal production incentive to a bipartisan proposal now under serious consideration in Washington. Led by the film commissioners who bring production to American communities, FilmUSA serves as the economic development voice of the U.S. screen economy, focused on a long-term national strategy for the industry. Its members and partners work together to connect the U.S. film industry with the world at global markets, from the Marché du Film in Cannes to EFM, TIFF, Sundance, and more. Katie is also Executive Director of the Baton Rouge Film Commission, Founding Board President of the Louisiana Academy of Production, and a board member of the Baton Rouge Underground Film Festival. She teaches the economics and politics of film at Louisiana State University.
Josh Rogin
SVP, Federal Government Affairs
Motion Picture Association (MPA)
Josh Rogin is Senior Vice President, Federal Government Affairs with the Motion Picture Association (MPA). He advocates before Congress, the Administration, and federal agencies on behalf of MPA member companies on priorities including intellectual property, copyright, AI, technology, trade, and media issues.
Prior to joining the MPA, Josh spent 20 years on Capitol Hill including over a decade as chief of staff for Rep. Ted Deutch, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and the Chairman of the Middle East Subcommittee, where he specialized in intellectual property, foreign affairs, and technology issues.
Named to the 2023 Washingtonian Magazine list of 500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy, he previously worked as Vice President, Federal Affairs for the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), where he hosted regular stakeholder discussions on technology issues, including Section 230, privacy, and internet child safety.
Josh earned his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Michigan Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Michigan, where he also ran varsity track and field. He is passionate about mentorship, exercise, writing, his dog Prudence, and watching movies in the theater. He lives in Washington, DC with his family.
Brett Rosen
Manager
TFC Management & Productions
Brett Rosen is a manager at TFC Management, which he joined in 2025 after a decade at WME as an agent in the Motion Picture Literary Department. His work focuses on identifying and breaking new voices across traditional and emerging media, guiding creators’ careers and brokering deals that help them transition into the Hollywood ecosystem. His work includes the sale of Alex Kister’s viral YouTube horror series THE MANDELA CATALOGUE to Amazon following a multi-studio bidding war; the competitive sale of LURK, the award-winning short from Josh Wallace (also known as Neural Viz, creator of YouTube’s MONOVERSE) and Mairin Hart, to Screen Gems; and negotiating Damien Leone’s sequel deals for the TERRIFIER franchise. Other clients include NOW YOU SEE ME writer Ed Ricourt, GEMINI HOME ENTERTAINMENT creator Remy Abode, digital creators The Dor Brothers, and MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN co-creator Hugh Dillon.
Joel Savitt
Founder & CEO
Bamboo Bridge
Joel Savitt is the Founder and CEO of Bamboo Bridge, operating as the Fractional COO for top-tier creator studios who seek refined operations, financial diligence, and scalable workflows without the cost burden of full-time executive overhead. Savitt specializes in designing systems that protect creative ambitions and culture, while building repeatable, agile operations.
Before launching Bamboo Bridge, Savitt spent over nine years as a Director at Google in two separate roles. At Google Developer Studio, he led a global content team that spanned video, social, design, events, intel, and localization, and delivered 2,600+ videos annually across 60+ social channels to their 20M+ followers. As Global Head of Production for YouTube Originals, he oversaw (at its height) a nine-figure annual content budget and led the buildout of custom, multimillion-dollar production facilities – the largest in Google’s portfolio.
His career began in traditional media, establishing the production division at Ashton Kutcher’s Katalyst Media and launching the VP of Production function at NBCUniversal’s Oxygen Network. He also served as Coordinating Producer on Seasons 2 & 3 of The Amazing Race, as well as in various production executive roles across major studios and production companies. His operational leadership has supported content honored with six Emmys, 19 Streamys, and three Webbys. Savitt is a member of the Television Academy, the Producers Guild of America, and serves as a Board Member and the Finance Trustee of a local non-profit.
Wesley Wang
Director/Founder
Wesley Wang Media
Wesley Wang is the writer/director of the short film “nothing, except everything”, which went viral on YouTube (9.6 million views) and sold to Sony and Darren Aronofsky to be adapted into a feature film, making him the youngest director to set up a movie at a major studio.
He just left Harvard to build a creator-led studio that lets the internet greenlight the next generation of films and shows. The studio is in active development on projects backed by Warner Music Group and Colin & Samir, and has already raised $2.5 million across its slate. In chess, he is an 11-time National Champion, and 6-time All-American.
Marvin Wiechert
Director of Strategy & Product
Yorck Kinogruppe
Marvin Wiechert is Director of Strategy & Product at Yorck Kinogruppe in Berlin, Germany’s largest independent arthouse cinema group with more than two million admissions a year. For over a decade, he has worked where cinema, technology and audiences meet. At Yorck, he works across teams to engage audiences through the Yorck Unlimited membership, data-driven CRM and film series that make screenings shared events.
During his tenure, the median age of Yorck’s audience has dropped by more than ten years, and admissions have stayed above pre-pandemic levels since 2024. Marvin advises the art cinema associations CICAE and AG Kino-Gilde and is a member of the European Film Academy.
Summit Access +
AFM Day Badge
$495
Includes Access to the Summit & the Market on Nov 10
MOST POPULAR
SUMMIT SCHEDULE PREVIEW
9:15AM
Keynote
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Jackie Brenneman
President & CEO
Independent Film & Television Alliance
American Film Market
Keynote
9:40AM
The New Federal Production Incentive: A Turning Point for U.S. Production
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Joseph Chianese
Scott Karol
Samantha Masunaga
Staff Writer
Los Angeles Times
Steven Paul
Chairman & CEO
SP Media Group
Katie Pryor
Josh Rogin
SVP, Federal Government Affairs, Motion Picture Association (MPA)
10:35AM
Keynote
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Evan Shapiro
Founder & CEO
ESHAP
Keynote
11:00AM
The New IP Value Chain: How Stories & Storytellers are Finding New Paths to the Screen
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Marc Goldberg
Founder & CEO
Aura/Signature
Jeremy Kay
Americas Editor
Screen International
Jordan Lonner
Agent & Co-Head, Motion Picture Literary Department
United Talent Agency (UTA)
Mickey Meyer
President, Creator Studios
Blink 49
Brett Rosen
Manager
TFC Management & Productions
11:40AM
The New Studio System
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Jared Geesey
EVP of International
Angel Studios
Jon Leland
Co-Founder and CEO
Popular Demand Studios
Elaine Low
Staff Writer
The Ankler
Wesley Wang
Director/Founder
Wesley Wang Media
12:20PM
The New Economics of Moviegoing: The Power of Cinema Subscriptions
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Patrick Caligiuri
Media Advisor
Producer and Industry Analyst
Marvin Wiechert
Director of Strategy & Product
Yorck Kinogruppe
Samir Azrioual
Managing Director
Cineville
1:00PM
Where the New Hits Begin: The New Rules of Discovery & Audience Building
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Tyler Chou
Jo Cronk
Co-CEO
Whalar Part of Accenture Song
David Freeman
Founder & CEO
Kynetic Media Ventures
Joel Savitt
Founder & CEO
Bamboo Bridge
