A Strategic Production Roadmap for Today’s Independent Film Landscape
Moderator:
Brian Beckmann, Chief Financial Officer, Arclight Films
Panelists:
Amos Newman, Founder, Word Is Bond
Zach Garrett, Executive Vice President of Production, AGC Studios
Sophia Dilley, Executive Vice President, Concord Originals
Speakers
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Brian BeckmannCFO/COO, Arclight FilmsBrian Beckmann serves as CFO/COO at Arclight Films, the leading international sales and production company for theatrical, television, and home entertainment media. Beckman’s prolific career includes over 30 years of experience as a CFO/COO, including 18 years at Arclight. He has worked in a variety of industries from film/entertainment, media/advertising, to advanced technology.
He is well versed in all aspects of film finance, distribution, tax incentives, and production operations. Beckmann has financed and produced over 25 successful and critically acclaimed films, with financing exceeding $300M. The films he has financed include First Reformed, Hotel Mumbai, Portable Door, Poker Face and Oh’ Canada.
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Sophia DilleySVP, Concord OriginalsIn 2018, Ms. Dilley was hired by Concord to build their content strategy. In 2021, she launched “Concord Originals,” Concord’s Film and TV division. Ms. Dilley and her team collaborate with all teams under Concord’s banner to identify, develop, and produce various screen projects related to Concord’s library of artists, compositions, plays, and musicals. Since the division’s launch, Ms. Dilley has overseen projects such as the Billie Holiday documentary “Billie,” the Emmy-Nominated 20/20 special on Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Little Richard: I am Everything on CNN, Creedence Clearwater Revival: Live at the Royal Albert Hall film on Netflix, Cyndi Lauper: Let the Canary Sing which premiered at Tribeca in 2023, and more.
Under Dilley’s stewardship, Concord Originals has a diverse list of active projects in production and development, including a docuseries at HBO on Stax Records, a TV series adaptation of the book “B as in Beauty” with Telemundo, a documentary on Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, a documentary on Billy Preston, a feature film remake of The King and I at Paramount and a slate of TV musicals with Skydance TV and Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions, starting with an series adaption of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Ms. Dilley also manages the distribution of Concord’s existing film library.
Prior to joining Concord, she worked at Route One Entertainment and Not Impossible Labs, producing various films, TV shows, commercials, and documentaries. Ms. Dilley holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees from Loyola Marymount University and a Master of Science degree in Project Management from Boston University.
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Amos NewmanFounder, Word Is BondAmos Newman is the founder of Word Is Bond, a film and television production company dedicated to protecting and amplifying the legacies of artists and cultural icons through storytelling. A former partner at William Morris Endeavor, he founded the agency’s Music for Visual Media division, working alongside artists such as Trent Reznor, Pharrell, Janelle Monáe, Jack White, and Bruno Mars. Newman later joined Endeavor Content (now Fifth Season), where he built a thriving music division behind acclaimed projects including Severance, McCartney 3,2,1, and Kiss the Future.
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Zach GarrettEVP, Production, AGC StudiosZach Garrett is AGC Studios’ Executive Vice President of Production, where he sources material across all the company’s film divisions while overseeing the development, packaging, production and post-production AGC’s productions.
After beginning his career in independent production and short-form content, Zach held positions in the acquisitions departments of eOne, Broad Green, and EuropaCorp.