The Streaming Equation: Inside Licensing, Revenue Share, and the Economics of Distribution

Speakers

• 

  Michael Messina Partner, Blue Harbor Entertainment
  

  Michael Messina

  Partner, Blue Harbor Entertainment

  Mike has worked in independent film for more than 25 years. Prior to the launch of Blue Harbor Entertainment, he was most recently EVP of Distribution at Screen Media, where he oversaw the distribution, marketing, and sales of 100+ movies, including the blockbuster indie hits The Outpost, Till Death, and The Ritual Killer, and was an Executive Producer on the Emmy® award-winning documentary Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street. Previously, Messina spearheaded independent film distribution and acquisitions at Starz Digital and managed global streaming sales of Starz Original Series, including Spartacus and Power. He was also a senior executive at New Amsterdam Entertainment where his producing credits included Dawn of the Dead, which opened #I at the US box office and was a Cannes Film Festival selection. Messina holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and is a Dartmouth College graduate.

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  Lise Romanoff Managing Director/ CEO, Vision Films, Inc.
  

  Lise Romanoff

  Managing Director/ CEO, Vision Films, Inc.

  Lise Romanoff has been in the distribution business for nearly 30 years. Under Lise’s leadership, today, Vision Films is a worldwide Distribution company and a direct VOD Aggregator with a library of over 800 independent feature films and documentaries. The company has deep relationships across all of the premium Cable VOD services and Digital Streaming Platforms around the world and releases 2-4 New Release titles each month, for which it manages all windows.

  Lise is a long-time IFTA member who has served on its Executive Committee. She is currently active on the Legal Committee and is especially helpful on the definitions of TVOD, SVOD, AVOD/FAST, Content ID, etc. in this fast-pasted changing landscape. 

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  Shaked Berenson CEO, Entertainment Squad
  

  Shaked Berenson

  CEO, Entertainment Squad

  Shaked Berenson is the CEO of Entertainment Squad, a distribution company and foreign sales agency. He also oversees Studio Dome, a streaming technology and content operations company, and serves on the Board of Advisors of INCANTOR AI—an AI platform built by creatives to combat copyright abuse and ensure transparent royalty tracking.

  Over the past 15 years, Shaked has financed, produced, and distributed hundreds of films, including cult favorites like Slaxx, Turbo Kid and Big Ass Spider!. A former IFTA Board member and UCLA Anderson MBA, he brings deep expertise in global sales, digital rights management, and innovation across the entertainment supply chain.

• 

  David Rimawi Partner, The Asylum
  

  David Rimawi

  Partner, The Asylum
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  Lauren Farbstein Director, Sales and Acquisitions, Samuel Goldwyn Films
  

  Lauren Farbstein

  Director, Sales and Acquisitions, Samuel Goldwyn Films

  As graduate from Columbia College Chicago with a concentration in film and video producing, Lauren started her career in talent representation at Coast To Coast Talent Group, The Collective, and Levine Management. She pivoted to scripted television at Fox 21 Television Studios working on such acclaimed shows as American Crime Story: Versace, Pose, Mayans MC, The Chi, American Crime Story: Impeachment, Homeland, and Fosse/Verdon. After moving on from Fox 21, Lauren focused on her love of scripted television at Lifetime TV working on the first season of Sera Gamble/Greg Berlanti’s You and Jamie Denbo/Jenji Kohan’s American Princess. Following Lifetime, Lauren spent time in acquisitions and co-productions at Viacom, having a firsthand in aiding the cable networks adapt to the early days of the Covid shutdowns. During most of the Covid pandemic, Lauren worked in the trenches on the Covid team of NBC’s first season of Kenan. It was an incredible first production experience under very trying times, helping to keep the cast and crew healthy. Lauren currently works at Samuel Goldwyn Films, as the Director of Sales and Acquisitions, focusing on the vast 700+ title library including Christopher Nolan’s Memento, Academy Award winning Another Round, Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s South Pacific and Oklahoma!, and Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto.