Home AFM Programming Schedule The Power of Fan Equity

The Power of Fan Equity

Moderator:
Evan Shapiro, Founder & CEO, ESHAP

Speakers:
Marc Iserlis, Head of Republic Film, Republic
Wesley Wang, Director/Founder, Wesley Wang Media

Date
Nov 10 2026
Time
1:40 pm - 2:15 pm
Banners
Summit
Stage
Santa Monica
Badge Types

Speakers

  • Evan Shapiro
    Evan Shapiro Founder & CEO, ESHAP
    Evan Shapiro
    Evan Shapiro
    Founder & CEO, ESHAP

    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.

  • Marc Iserlis
    Marc Iserlis Head of Republic Film, Republic
    Marc Iserlis
    Marc Iserlis
    Head of Republic Film, Republic

    Marc Iserlis leads Republic Film, an SEC-regulated investment platform that lets everyday fans invest in film/entertainment projects and share in the profit potential.

    Officially launched in late 2024, Republic Film has raised more than $32 million from over 40,000 everyday film fans into premium projects from Eli Roth, Robert Rodriguez, Skybound Entertainment, Pressman Film, Ron Perlman, and more.

    Marc is also a film and television producer whose credits include Hotel Mumbai (2019), Gone in the Night (2022), Dalíland (2023), and The Testament of Ann Lee (2026).

  • Wesley Wang
    Wesley Wang Director/Founder, Wesley Wang Media
    Wesley Wang
    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.