The AFM Sessions

Jara Ayucar began her career at the Industry Club of the San Sebastian Festival. After a career between Europe and Latin America in which she worked for different international festivals, she held different positions in the promotion of Basque cinema at Glocal Cinema and Zineuskadi (Basque.Audiovisual), and then as coordinator at Spanish Screenings XXL and Ibermedia Next iniciative until last year when she was named Deputy Director of Marketing Policies at the ICAA.

Producer with more than 15 years of experience in the film and videogame industry. He has produced “Amanece la noche más larga”, “Cafunè” and “Morti”. He has been nominated four times in the Official Selection at the Malaga Film Festival, winning two awards, and twice at the Goya Awards.

Darío Sánchez is a renowned producer with extensive experience in the animation and video game industries, who has been the founder and CEO of 3Doubles Producciones since 2017. Among his most prestigious projects are the feature film ‘Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow’ and the series ‘Momonsters’ in its first two seasons, as well as titles such as ‘200% Wolf’, ‘Giants of La Mancha’, ‘My Fairy Troublemaker’, ‘Norbert’ and ‘SuperKlaus’. He is currently working on the feature films ‘Heidi: The Rescue of the Lynx’, ‘Evolution’ and ‘Arnie & Barney’, a spin-off of ‘The Mayan Bee’. Between 2016 and 2017, he was Production Manager on the animated series ‘Nella the Princess Knight’, and before that he worked as Line Producer on ‘Deep’. He also worked as Production Director and Development Manager (from 2011 to 2013), directing the production of the series ‘Clanners’ and leading the development of video games such as ‘Ginger Beyond the Crystal’ for various consoles and ‘An Idiot Hero’ for iPad.

Capitán Araña has produced to date three feature films selected in festivals such as Malaga, Seville, Seminci, San Sebastian, Mar del Plata and ITFS which have received 4 nominations at the Goya Awards and 1 nomination at the Platino Awards. The production company is currently developing 3 new feature films and 1 documentary that have participated in labs and markets such as the Cannes Producers Network, the TIFF co-production forum, Ventana Sur, TorinoFilmLab or Ventana CineMad. It is also producing three animated films with countries such as Argentina and Canada.

Paloma Mora, CEO and Producer at TV ON Producciones (2000). For more than 20 years she has produced feature-length fiction, series and short films, both animated and live-action, that have been co-produced and distributed internationally.

Katie Irwin is an Agent and the Co-Head of International at WME Independent, where in addition to handling sales and distribution, she advises on financing and packaging for a wideranging slate of films. Her expertise has helped strategically package and sell the upcoming films Nuremberg starring Russell Crowe and Rami Malek, The Death of Robin Hood starring Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer and Normal starring Bob Odenkirk as well as Daddio starring Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson, Widow Clicquot starring Haley Bennett and Tom Sturridge, and The Weight with Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe.

Prior to WME Independent, she was part of the film group at Endeavor Content where she managed titles such as the Oscar® nominated The Lost Daughter, the critically acclaimed PIG, Tin Soldier starring Jaimee Foxx and Scott Eastwood, and audience favorite The Peanut Butter Falcon.

As a consultant, Irwin has provided services for companies including GoldCrest, AMBI
Distribution and a Chinese distribution company for which she was based in Beijing. Before this, she was Vice President at Fortitude International handling films such as Sundance Film Festival Official Selection The End of the Tour, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segal.

During her time at Myriad Pictures, Irwin negotiated international distribution deals for films like Academy Award® nominated Margin Call and the two-part love story The Disappearance of Elenor Rigby starring Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Viola Davis.

Irwin has taken several hiatuses from the entertainment industry to work with Doctors Without
Borders (MSF), leading field logistics for projects in South Sudan, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Moreover, as part of an MSF COVID-19 response team in the early days of the pandemic, she was stationed in Immokalee, FL to support the migrant farmworker population. She is filled with gratitude for her colleagues and friends in the industry who have supported her in this endeavor over the years.

Fluent in French and conversational in Mandarin, Irwin began her career in film and TV production in Chicago, relocating to Los Angeles in 2007 to work for Gianni Nunnari’s Hollywood Gang Productions. She received her undergraduate degree from DePaul University in Chicago, and after graduating moved to Jilin City in China to teach media studies at Dongbei Dianli University.

Matt Brodlie has a thirty-year career in film production, acquisitions and distribution, working with some of the largest companies in the entertainment industry. His expertise includes building new ventures with global corporations, and expanding established companies’ global reach. Currently, Matt serves as the co-president and founder of Upgrade Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company that he launched with Jonathan Kier in October 2021 backed by German powerhouse Constantin Film. Upgrade Productions focuses on developing and producing premium local language television and film for a global audience, aiming to meet the increasing demand for local language content as global viewing habits evolve. They have film and series projects set up around the world, and have recently leaned back into film sales.

Prior to this, Matt was the Senior Vice President of International Content for Disney+, where he led the content strategy for all non US markets. His role was pivotal in the global launch of Disney+, as he developed a slate of over 50 narrative and unscripted series and films across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Latin America. Matt also initiated and managed a worldwide acquisition business, enhancing Disney+’s offering with first-run and library titles.

Before his tenure at Disney+, Matt was the Director of Original Film at Netflix, where he oversaw all Original Film acquisitions starting in 2015. He was responsible for acquiring critically acclaimed films such as Roma, Power Of The Dog, Mudbound, and Klaus. Recognizing an opportunity to create a slate of mid-budget films, he crafted and executed a plan that resulted in some of Netflix’s most-watched titles. Additionally, he co-headed the Original Indie Film team.

Before that, at Paramount, he managed the Worldwide Acquisitions Group, overseeing domestic and international acquisitions and co-productions for the local-language production arm. This role involved releasing films in multiple languages and managing global teams in LA, London, Mexico City, Rio, Madrid, and Munich.

Earlier in his career, Matt was the Senior Vice President of Production and Acquisitions for TriStar Pictures, where he assembled the Hollywood film slate and assisted in producing local-language films for Sony. He began his career at Miramax, advancing from an assistant to Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions. At Miramax, he oversaw acquisitions and co-productions globally, working on award-winning films such as Hero, In The Bedroom, Amélie, City of God, and Barbarian Invasions.

Peter Van Steemburg hails from upstate New York and started his career in NYC after graduating from Williams College. After early stints at Miramax and Cinetic Media, he spent the next 7 years working his way up in the Acquisitions department of Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing. He relocated to Los Angeles to run West Coast acquisitions in 2010. In 2015, Peter joined ICM Partners as an Agent in the International Independent Department where he arranged financing and/or distribution for feature films until heading back to film distribution at Universal Pictures. He was most recently the Vice President of Acquisitions & Production at the Universal Pictures Content Group. He’s been at XYZ since 2019 building out the talent management roster, focusing on global genre filmmakers

KARIN CHIEN has a proven track record building impactful companies across media production. Karin is both a results-driven problem solver and a strategic systems thinker.

Karin is currently the founder & CEO of Art & Action Productions, a production company innovating at the intersection of art and action, which spearheaded the international production expansion of MasterClass. By innovating her role as a producer, Karin is building cross-monetization opportunities for film-centered IP. Karin is working on new revenue models, more equitable production structures, and radically different distribution solutions. For her producing work, Karin has been recognized with top honors in her field, including the Independent Spirit Producers Award, the Humanitas Prize, the Sundance Audience Award, the inaugural Cinereach Producers Award, and the 2022 Sundance Film Festival’s Producers Keynote speaker.

Karin is also the co-founder & president of the distribution company dGenerate Films, which works in partnership with Icarus Films to distribute over 70 fiction and nonfiction titles of independent Chinese cinema. dGenerate Films was awarded a Special Recognition for Distribution from the New York Film Critics Circle in 2023. Karin is also the co-founder of the collective Distribution Advocates, which launched a new distribution innovations fund in Sept 2024. Other recent roles include partner at Louverture Films, strategic consultant to Color Congress, and Film Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center.

Emmy® winning producer and co-writer of Way of the Cobra Couples, Michele Kanan was living in the suburbs, carpooling and serving as administrator for a successful medical practice when she decided to step out of her comfort zone to make a movie. Fast forward, and Kanan found herself and her kids married to the ‘Bad Boy of Karate’ Sean Kanan, while beginning a Hollywood career as a producer, writer and director.

She has produced ten films including ’Til Death Do Us Part with Jason Patric, Orlando Jones and Cam Gigandet; Darkness of Man with Jean Claude VanDam; and a Cannes Film Festival sci-fi favorite, Colonials with Greg Kriek.

In 2021, Kanan was nominated for an Emmy® for writing and she won an Emmy® as producer for Outstanding Digital Drama for STUDiO CiTY (Amazon Prime, ROKU). STUDiO CiTY has received over 20 Emmy® nominations and garnered Kanan a 2019 Indie Series Award for Best Writing.

Currently Kanan is in post-production on the young adult television show, Pretty Little Gun and is set to direct the feature films, A Gift of Magic and Snipers. She has four projects in development, including one with Eric Roberts and another with Orlando Jones. In addition, Kanan is launching a web3 interactive game and token in conjunction with her show Pretty Little Gun, while running a flourishing e-commerce/digital marketing boutique agency.

In 2022, she received a star on Palm Springs prestigious Walk of Fame in recognition for her work in entertainment and philanthropy in the Coachella Valley and Hollywood. In her spare time, Kanan spoils Beatrix, her Pug and she adores spending time with her five grown children and international television star husband.

As the CEO of Cold Iron Pictures, Miranda Bailey most recently produced Morrisa Maltz’s JAZZY, a follow-up to Maltz’s first feature, THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY, which premiered at Tribeca 2024, and won for Best Lead Actress in a Feature. THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY, starring Lily Gladstone, premiered at SXSW 2022 and sold to Music Box for domestic theatrical release. Bailey also produced and directed an episode of the LGBTQ+ independent comedy series, UNCONVENTIONAL. Bailey’s other recent projects include: Amanda Kramer’s BY DESIGN, which Cold Iron is producing alongside Smudge Films (I SAW THE TV GLOW) starring Juliette Lewis and Mamadou Athie, and is currently in post-production; GOD’S COUNTRY, which premiered at Sundance 2022 and sold to IFC Domestic and Universal International; and THE BOY WITH THE LIGHT BLUE EYES, a Greek-language feature film.

Bailey’s producing career spans over two decades, during which she became known for uplifting new talent and putting up-and-coming directors on the map. She worked with Noah Baumbach on his Oscar-nominated debut film, THE SQUID AND THE WHALE. After that, James Gunn came to her with his wacky indie film, SUPER, starring Rainn Wilson and Kevin Bacon. Bailey also produced Marielle Heller’s first film, THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, leading to multiple Gotham and Spirit Awards. Most notably, she also produced the radical directors DANIELS’ first film SWISS ARMY MAN, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to sell to SPC and A24.

Aside from elevating new directors, Bailey has also worked with established filmmakers like foreign film director, Joseph Cedar, for his first English language film, NORMAN, which starred Richard Gere, Michael Sheen, Dan Stevens, and Steve Buscemi. Bailey produced Mike Birbiglia’s DON’T THINK TWICE, starring Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Birbiglia, and Kate Micucci, and Lake Bell’s second feature I DO… UNTIL I DON’T.

In addition to Cold Iron Pictures, Miranda Bailey is an actress and director. Her documentary THE PATHOLOGICAL OPTIMIST and comedy Feature, BEING FRANK, starring Jim Gaffigan, gained several film festival awards. In 2018, unsatisfied with the number of female film critics and jobs for female film journalists, Miranda founded CherryPicks, a female-fronted film and tv review site aimed at growing the voices and critical writings of women and nonbinary writers. www.TheCherryPicks.com.

Michael is Executive in Charge of Film & TV Finance and Development at Cherokee Film. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Film Production and Acquisitions at American Zoetrope for over seven years and a co-founder, along with Roman Coppola, of The Decentralized Pictures Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting independent filmmaking and filmmakers from underserved and underrepresented communities. He continues to serve on its board. He is an attorney, admitted to practice in New York and North Carolina, and received his BA from Duke University and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 2001. He practiced law for 10 years before becoming a full-time creative film producer. He has worked closely with such accomplished filmmakers as Roman Coppola, Sofia Coppola, Gia Coppola, Ted Kotcheff, Martha Coolidge, Fred Roos, and Richard Chew before and during his time at American Zoetrope. During his tenure at American Zoetrope, he oversaw development and production of several feature films, including Gia Coppola’s Mainstream starring Andrew Garfield, Maya Hawke, Nat Wolfe and Jason Schwartzman, Fairyland starring Emilia Jones and Scoot McNairy, as well as the production of The Outsiders Musical, which debuted on Broadway at the Bernard Jacobs Theater on April 11, 2024 and received the Tony for Best Musical.

Thomas K. Arnold is the publisher and editorial director of Media Play News, one of the five Hollywood trades and the only one to focus on home distribution: streaming, digital transactional, and disc. Arnold is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, summits and other events, including CES, Digital Hollywood and events produced by trade groups OTT.X and DEG. He has appeared on television to talk about home entertainment issues on CNN’s “Showbiz Tonight,” “Entertainment Tonight,” and the G4 network’s “Attack of the Show.” Arnold is a veteran journalist who has been published in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the San Diego Union-Tribune, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, San Diego Magazine, Billboard, Ad Age, the San Diego Reader and various other local, national and regional publications.

BENJAMIN ODELL is the Chief Executive Officer of 3Pas Studios, co-founded with Eugenio Derbez. In television, Odell is executive producer of the award-winning Apple series, Acapulco, now in its fourth season and Emmy award winning unscripted Amazon show, LOL. He recently produced RADICAL which was the opening night film for the Sundance Film Festival where it won the audience award for Festival Favorite across 111 feature films in all categories. Prior projects include The Valet, How to be a Latin Lover and Overboard. Odell also produced Sangre de Mi Sangre which won the grand jury prize at Sundance and for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and Un Cuento Chino which won Spain’s Academy Award, the Goya. He co-wrote the movie Golpe de Estadio, which was Colombia’s nomination to the Oscar and was nominated for the Goya. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America, the Television Academy of Arts and Science and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. He holds an MFA from Columbia University where he was awarded the Andrew Sarris award for distinguished alumni.

Jay Torres is a visionary producer and director, celebrated for his expertise in VFX, action, and kids’ content across commercials, episodic television, and branded entertainment. He has collaborated with A-list talent including Dwayne Johnson, Eva Longoria, and Jennifer Garner, and worked with major brands like Walmart, Tubi, and Reebok. Jay earned award nominations for his work on Alias and Desperate Housewives and was instrumental in launching Vudu’s original content program, serving as EP/Showrunner on the MGM co-production Mr. Mom. His TEA Award-winning work for Universal Studios and groundbreaking virtual production with Epic Games further highlight his innovative approach to storytelling. A passionate advocate for Latino talent, Jay has served four terms as Co-Chair of the Directors Guild of America’s Latino Committee, tirelessly promoting diversity in film and television.

Jay is also the Founder and CEO of Collectivo, a Las Vegas based, Latino and disabled veteran-owned entertainment studio focused on producing universally-themed, high-quality content that elevates the voices of the underrepresented Latino community. Collectivo operates at the intersection of A24, Tyler Perry Studios, and Macro Media, with a mission to serve the fast-growing Latino as well as general audiences through authentic storytelling. Collectivo is working with local, county, and state agencies to serve as a connecting point, bringing diverse projects to Nevada and advising on the future of potential tax incentives. The company also collaborates with community and educational organizations to create workforce development programs that foster diverse talent.

A US Army veteran, Jay continues to push the boundaries of entertainment, splitting his time between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, while remaining committed to innovation and inclusion in the industry.

Rick Telles is a seasoned producer known for his innovative and engaging content. With over decades of experience in the industry, Telles has produced a wide range of successful shows across various genres, including reality TV, documentaries, and Feature Films. He is best known for creating and producing the hit VH1 show “The Surreal Life,” which became a cultural phenomenon and set the standard for celebrity reality television. His work is characterized by a keen eye for compelling storytelling and a dedication to high production values. Telles has collaborated with major networks and streaming platforms, earning numerous accolades for his contributions to television. Recently, he executive produced the inspiring film “A Million Miles Away,” starring Michael Pena, further showcasing his versatility and commitment to bringing diverse narratives to the screen. He has two projects in development, “Struck by Genius”, the true story of a man with acquired savant syndrome, and “White but not Equal”, the true story of the landmark supreme court case that seats the first Latino in a jury box. His passion for the craft continues to drive him to explore new frontiers in entertainment.

Lynette Coll is a development executive and producer with a keen eye for talent. After working with her mentor, the late Joel Sadilek (INGRID GOES WEST) and Tina Fey (30 Rock), Lynette found her voice and calling as a young executive. Her credits and previous titles include: Executive Producer of David Lynch presents THE HAPPY WORKER; Producer of STEREOSCOPE, the series (Facebook Watch); Development Executive of ANTARCTICA starring Chlöe Levine and Kimi Montoya (Amazon), and Head of Development and Manager of Acquisitions at Breaker.

Under their LUZ Films banner, Lynette served as one of the producers of Sundance 2024 U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize winner IN THE SUMMERS written and directed by Alessandra Lacorazza and starring Rene Perez Joglar, Sasha Calle, Lio Mehiel & Leslie Grace

Lynette has worked with global, emerging artists such as Eddie Alcazar on PERFECT (executive produced by Steven Soderbergh) and Zeek Earl and Christopher Caldwell on their film PROSPECT (Netflix), starring Sophie Thatcher, Pedro Pascal, and Jay Duplass. Prior to Co-Founding LUZ Films, she was the Head of Development at Effie Brown’s company, Gamechanger Films.

Julian Franco is President at Fox Entertainment. He is based in Los Angeles, and currently leads strategy and operations for the Fox Entertainment, a division of Fox Corporation. Julian joined Fox Corporation in 2023.

Prior to joining Fox. He was a senior executive at Warner Bros. Discovery and WarnerMedia where he led HBO Max with Ads as well as the Direct to Consumer Product for all Ad Supported digital products globally.

Prior to WarnerMedia, he was the GM, AVOD at Walmart where he launched and led the ad-supported efforts of the retail giant’s streaming service, Vudu. In that role, he led teams across original programming, content acquisition, product management, advertising technology, revenue/sales and ad operations.

Charles Hopkins is the Director of Development & Production for Concord Originals, the narrative content creation division for the massive music and theater company, Concord. As part of this role, Hopkins develops scripted and unscripted projects for film and television across a variety of genres and mediums. In his five years at Concord Originals, he’s spearheaded projects that have been in development or distribution with Amazon, Netflix, Skydance and more. Active projects include Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planed it (dir. Paris Barclay) and Shari & Lamb Chop (dir. Lisa D’Apolito), in which Hopkins is an executive and co-executive producer respectively. Hopkins also spearheaded a short film financing initiative which saw three QTBIPOC filmmakers receive funding to produce short films incorporating Concord’s IP and which premiered at Outfest Los Angeles 2023. The initiative was re-launched in 2024 with NewFest.

Hopkins is originally from Australia, where he graduated Arts: Media & Communications and Law at The University of Melbourne, then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. After stints in talent management and production, Hopkins climbed the ladder at an indie film sales and production company on the acquisitions side before joining Concord Originals. His experience encompasses creative development, packaging, business affairs, financing and distribution. As a queer person himself, Hopkins is passionate about inclusive storytelling and advocating for filmmakers from historically underrepresented communities.

Alexis Garcia is the founder and head of CAT5, an action film finance and production label backed by FIFTH SEASON (fka Endeavor Content), one of the world’s leading independent TV and film studios.

Previously Garcia was EVP of FIFTH SEASON. As one of the original partners of the company, he built and ran the Film Group to become a prolific film supplier to theatrical distributors and streamers (40+ movies financed and/or produced over 4 years). Garcia’s titles under his tenure include The Peanut Butter Falcon, Blue Miracle, 80 for Brady, Ambulance, Flora and Son, multi-Oscar-nominated The Lost Daughter, Sundance Audience Award Winner Cha Cha Real Smooth and upcoming releases Nonnas starring Vince Vaughn and Friendship starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd.

In his prior role at WME/Endeavor Content, Garcia worked as a talent agent packaging and selling films and advised financiers on their entertainment strategies, including work on such films as The Favourite, The Nice Guys and Drive. Throughout his career, Garcia has consulted and developed programs for corporate clients ranging from The NFL to the Colombian Film Commission.

Garcia earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law, and his B.A. in English and Theatre from Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining Endeavor Talent Agency in 2007, Garcia was a transactional attorney at O’Melveny & Myers and Sheppard Mullin Richter Hampton.

As a News Anchor, Emily Skyle-Golden loved delivering headlines but learned she enjoyed making fun of them even more – so she spent the next decade finding her voice as a writer and a performer on the Chicago stages of Second City and iO. Emily’s narrative and unscripted development work has been seen on HBO, Travel Channel, Netflix, Hallmark and most recently, on Rennervations, a Disney+ series starring Jeremy Renner that was filmed in Northern Nevada. As a writer and director, her films have played at top tier Oscar qualifying film festivals on 4 continents.

As the founder of the Film Northern Nevada Initiative, an organization focused on bringing a thriving film industry to the region, Emily launched the Reno-Tahoe based, Cordillera International Film Festival, which has quickly become one of the “Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” according to MovieMaker Magazine – for two years in a row – and is ranked in the Top 1% of over 12,000 film festivals worldwide by FilmFreeway. Now in its 8th year, Cordillera presents 150+ films over 5 days, with celebrity panels, red carpet premieres, parties, a prestigious Grand Jury, and a $175K PitchFest! Competition. The festival receives 4,000+ submissions from 83 countries, attracts 12,000 attendees annually, and awards over $200K in prizes. Cordillera is an official Cannes Film Festival Hub partner and was recently selected to collaborate with the historic Mann Theater to create the first film festival experience at Burning Man.

Amos Newman, formerly a partner at William Morris Endeavor (WME), led the company’s Music for Visual Media division for a decade.

Over his career, Newman has worked alongside acclaimed artists, producers, and songwriters, such as Glen Ballard, Ludwig Göransson, John Legend, Bruno Mars, Jack White, Randy Newman, Trent Reznor, and Pharrell.

In 2020 he joined Fifth Season (previously known as Endeavor Content), where he curated a portfolio of film and television projects, including recent highlights like the highly anticipated Earth, Wind & Fire documentary directed by Questlove and a definitive documentary on the legendary American songwriter Randy Newman.

Currently, Newman is producing an upcoming feature film about the iconic singer-songwriter Otis Redding, starring John Boyega and Danielle Deadwyler. His newest venture, Word is Bond, produces high-quality entertainment that celebrates cultural legacies in Music.

General Director of the Sitges International Film Festival. She has extensive experience in the field of cinema since 2004, when she first took charge of communications for the Sitges Film Festival. Since then, she has worked on the international promotion of audiovisual works produced in Catalonia and on the evaluation of national competitions. In Sitges, she oversees the entire industry sector and the development of projects with international ties.

Alberto Díaz López (Bóveda, 1984) graduated in Audiovisual Communication from Rey Juan Carlos University and has a European master’s degree in film studies.

It was during his time as a student that he filmed his first short Stringless, which was defined as “a piece capable of innovating the layout of an hypertonic montage which has a thrilling post-modernist structure” Ca´ Foscari de Venecia Film Festival.

He has recently directed a self-referential film workshop in the Escuela Internacional de Cine de San Antonio de los Baños (Cuba) thanks a grant awarded by the SGAE.

Currently, he is working on the script and development of his first feature film: Mirlo Blanco, which is a meta-linguistic reflection on cinematographic art. He has just started the distribution of a period short film, Galicia: A Rage, which has obtained aid from AGADIC and ICAA respectively.

Al is passionate about the theory of Cinematography and the poetic discourse. Mordisco Films, his very own production company, has enabled him to carry out simultaneous undertakings such as writing, directing and post-producing in various audiovisual pieces. He is also the founder of Yaq distribution, a short film production company, having dealt with over 400 audiovisual pieces to date, also involved in 75 editions of festivals such as Cortópolis, Cortopatía and Cortoodeon.

Among his projects as a director and producer he counts more than 1500 selections and 300 international awards. Always interested in the triangle composed by poetry, philosophy and the senses.

Alberto held one of the most prestigious grants in the Real Academia de España in Rome as an Artist in residence for the creation of the documentary film, Lembranza and obtained one of the five Becas Talento (Talent grants) of the AGADIC for the production of his last short film: Exhalación.

He is the producer of five feature films Dos Amigos, Invierno en Europa, The Book, A Diente de Perro (premiered at the Seville festival) and Welcome to Ma Maison (premiered and awarded at the Gijón festival).

And at the moment he is also immersed as a producer in the development of three feature films: Eco selected in the ESCAC Laboratory with development aid from the Cantabrian government, Todos Los Héroes and La Mala Madre: with the latter he attended the festival of Cannes as one of the seven worldwide projects selected in the Fastastic 7 of the Marche du Film, in addition they granted us a development grant from the Community of Madrid.

He began his career at Morena Films as a production assistant and later became responsible for Business and Legal Affairs. He then worked at Telecinco Cinema. In 2018, he co-founded La Terraza Films, where he has produced films such as Saturn Return, Valley of Shadows and Taxi to Treasure Rock.

Ezekiel Montes is a film director, screenwriter and producer who has produced films such as ‘Este amor es de otro planeta’, ‘Devoción’, ‘La Señora que juega’ or ‘Aullar’, currently in post-production, and his debut film ‘Hombre muerto no sabe vivir’, all from Andalusia and released in cinemas and on platforms.

Head of Scripted at Mediacrest. Previously, after working for TVE as Head of the Film Department he founded CONVOY FILMS and he also worked as Head of the Production Department and Film Producer at SOGETEL and SOGECINE as Head of Spanish and Independent Film Acquisitions at Canal +.

Nuria Landete is executive producer of Sideral Cinema. Her recent productions include “The Fantastic Golem Affairs” by Burnin’ Percebes, “Girl Unknown” by Pablo Maqueda, “Saturn Return” by Isaki Lacuesta, “Close to the Sultan” by Javier Rebollo and “Still Life with Ghosts” by Enrique Buleo.

Mary Aloe is considered one of the top independent producers and film finance experts in Los Angeles.

Aloe has run two 50 million funds, one equity fund backed by the Royal Bank of Canada and a revolving 50 million P &A fund Aloe with private equity funds, as well set up and ran three studios, one in Vancouver, Savannah and Pittsburgh. Aloe is considered one of America’s top independent film producers specializing in, producing film financing, packaging, writing and development.

Aloe has a roster of thirteen high-net worth investors behind her and growing. The finance focus and commitment are predominately equity and mezzanine financing allowing Aloe and her company to finance on an average of four to six films a year. Aloe specializes in packaging, financial structuring, analysis of the projects through ROI ‘s, the pro forma and forecasting domestic and international sales with studios, major, mini-major, streamers and independents.

Aloe has produced and/or financed over 49 films including Worth, starring Michael Keaton and Stanley Tucci (Netflix) with Executive Producers Barack and Michelle Obama which premiered at Sundance, Flag Day (MGM) directed by and starring Sean Penn which premiered at Canne 2023s, Bruised starring and directed by Halle Berry (Netflix) which premiered at the AFI. Battle In Seattle which premiered at the TIFF starring Charlize Theron, Channing Tatum, Michelle Rodrigez and Woody Harrelson, 55 Steps a faith-based bio pic which premiered at the TIFF starring Helena Bonham Carter and Hilary Swank for Sony, Breach, starring Bruce Willis, Wander which starred Aaron Eckhardt and Tommy Lee Jones, Marlowe starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger and Jessica Lange

Aloe’s film slate for 2024 includes Groove Tails, produced by, co-written, and starring Halle Bailey, Lawrence Fishburn and The Blacklist script winner Ruin starring Gal Gadot and directed by Niki Cario, Couture written and directed by Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook) and Morning starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Freud’s Last Session starring Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode for Sony. Tin Solider starring Jamie Foxx and Robert De Niro, Rumours starring Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance and Alicia Vikander premiered at Cannes 2024, Tiff 2024 and will be out October 18, 2024. As well, Aloe’s biblical survival thriller MARY starring Anthony Hopkins and Noa Cohen will be out at Christmas 2024 on Netflix. Hershey starts filming in Q1 2025 partnered with the Hershey company to bring the bio pic to life.

Aloe’s in-house projects include Armistice just announced with partners of the Eisenhower family, Birds Eye starring Anthony Hopkins, Maria Bakalova, Connie Neilsen. Aloe and her writing partner Timothy Michael Hayes have just finished their fourth script together about Bob Lazar called Lazar, the whistle blower Area 51. The writing team has completed the scripts for Birdseye, Armistice and Mary. Aloe and Hayes are currently in the works together on the sequel Mary and Joseph: Chapter Two.

She has also just announced her new $50 million dollar fund. Read the article in Deadline: Food Heiress Gillian Hormel Launches Partners in Kind, With $50M Equity Fund To Jumpstart Projects With Social Impact; Mary Aloe To Head Film Production. (https://deadline.com/2023/10/heiress-gillian-hormel-launches-partners-in-kind-venture-50-million-equity-fund-projects-social-impact-1235584203/)

Robert Rippberger is a filmmaker with a broad array of creative and executive experience. He most recently directed and produced the film “Those Who Walk Away” starring BooBoo Stewart (Descendants, X-Men) and prior to that directed and produced the Harlem drama, “Strive,” with Danny Glover. Both were released theatrically and received dozens of accolades worldwide.

Rippberger has also directed and produced critically acclaimed documentaries, including the 2019 film “Public Enemy Number One” from Executive Producer ICE-T, exploiting the U.S. war on drugs. Prior, Rippberger directed and produced the 2015 film “7 Days in Syria”, an exploration into the human side of the war in Aleppo, Syria. The film was championed by Angelina Jolie, screened at Britain’s House of Lords, to senior members of the U.N., and was released on Hulu and Amazon.

Rippberger is a member of the Producers Guild of America and is on the PGA’s Social Impact Entertainment Task Force. In addition to heading SIE Films, Rippberger is the founder and co-executive director of SIE Society, a leading global alliance of Social Impact Entertainment filmmakers. In 2022 he published his second book, “The Power of Storytelling: Social Impact Entertainment” available through book sellers everywhere October 25th.

Rippberger’s current projects include producing the documentary “How to Build a Truth Engine” with Executive Producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov, producing the documentary “The Mouse That Roared” from Academy Award-nominated director Judith Ehrlich, producing the stop-motion animated film “The Inventor” from “Ratatouille” writer Jim Capobianco, starring Daisy Ridley, Stephen Fry, Marion Cotillard, and Matt Berry, and executive producing the horror film “Float” by former Blumhouse executive Zac Locke. Rippberger also has two upcoming director projects to be announced soon.

Jonathon Glucksman is the Director of Creative Development for Film/TV at Wondermind, a company focused on merging entertainment with mental health advocacy. With a strong background from his time at Warner Bros. and Lionsgate, Jonathon has been instrumental in the success of major franchises such as The Hunger Games, Twilight, and DC Comics properties. His experience working on these high-profile projects has established him as a rising talent in the entertainment industry, recognized for his ability to blend commercial appeal with meaningful, impactful storytelling.

Jonathon is celebrated for his creative vision and his commitment to developing inclusive, multicultural narratives that resonate with global audiences. His collaborative approach and strategic insight have helped him build successful partnerships with top-tier talent, elevating each project he oversees. At Wondermind, he is continuing to push the boundaries of storytelling, using the power of media to promote mental health awareness and create content that entertains while making a positive social impact.

Joshua Harris, an Entertainment Banker turned film Producer and serial entrepreneur, is the President and Managing Partner of Peachtree Media Partners. Specializing in studio, television, and film production finance, Harris has partnered with many of the largest studios in the World and has become one of the principal sources of film production capital in countless independent productions. Harris is considered a rising influencer in the Entertainment Industry based in Atlanta and a strong advocate for building a sustainable entertainment-friendly ecosystem throughout Georgia. As the incoming Chair of the Atlanta Film Festival, Harris is advocating for public and private partnerships to continue to nurture the development and growth of entertainment in the southeast. A creative at heart with incredible instincts and business savvy, Harris is currently Producing more than a half dozen various film projects around the world. Harris is regarded as a charismatic thought leader in the Entertainment business, and was recently named as one of the “most influential people in Film and TV finance.” In addition to his work at Peachtree Media Partners, Harris is a founder and partner at film equity and full production company, Gramercy Park Media. Through these aligned strategic initiatives, Harris is working in all aspects of film production finance and studio development.

Harris has over two and half decades of diverse financial services experience and has served in a variety of leadership roles including retail, business, credit administration, corporate banking, and entertainment banking, including as Entertainment Executive and Senior Vice President at City National Bank. Harris has spent years offering a full complement of services to entertainment and production companies as well as working with business managers and high net worth entrepreneurs. Harris earned a degree in the University System of Georgia and holds multiple professional accreditations and licenses. Active in the community, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Film Society, the Atlanta Film Festival, Invest Atlanta Creative

Industries, the Creative Coalition, as well as advisory commitments to Media & Entertainment Professionals, CMII, Georgia Production Partnership, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and the American Bankers Association.

With his entire family working in the entertainment industry, Film and TV is truly personal for Harris. Based in Atlanta with his wife and his working actress daughter, Mila Harris, he devotes most of his free time on set cultivating relationships and learning the business from the inside out. Additionally, he enjoys volunteering with several local philanthropic organizations and supporting Reimagine Atlanta, the Fox Theatre, the Woodruff Arts Center, Junior Achievement, Habitat for Humanity, and Operation HOPE.

Damita Joe is a young distribution company for the Spanish and international markets. Always on the lookout for audiovisual content of high artistic quality, the Damita Joe team is diverse, dynamic and present in most of the world’s markets, bringing a different, unique cinema with a clear authorial vision to an audience thirsty for new stories. Among the films it has distributed are ‘Tinta Bruta’ by Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, ‘Breve Historia del Planeta Verde’ by Santiago Loza, ‘Evolution’ by Lucile Hadzihalilovic, ‘Isaac’ by Angeles Hernandez and David Matamoros and ‘¿Quién quiere casarse con un astronauta?’ by David Matamoros. A regular participant in the MAFIZ section of the Malaga Festival, the distributor has been active in promoting new talent from both Europe and Latin America.

Carlos Torres is a filmmaker and founder of Zabriskie Films from Barcelona, whose career spans more than 15 years. He has written and directed works such as The Paramedic (2020), Callback (2017), Open 24h (2011), Trash (2009) and Joves (2004). His films have participated at major film festivals like San Sebastián, BFI London, Sitges and Mar del Plata, and have accumulated more than 30 nominations and awards.

With more than 25 years of experience, Gloria became creative director of some of the first audiovisual startups in Madrid at a very young age, and is a founding partner of ArteGB Comunicación, where she was the project director, one of the most prestigious agencies in the cultural industry.

She has been DirCom at APPA, and then at Centuria Films, where she is currently a partner and producer alongside its founder Belén Bernuy. Together with Belén, she created the independent film distributor and international sales agency Begin Again Films, specializing in Spanish cinema, of which she has been the distribution director in Spain for a long time, and is currently its Director of Sales and International Co-Productions, continuing to direct as co-CEO alongside Bernuy. In 2020, she launched the horror film festival “Cinema From Hell”, in collaboration with Planet Horror and AMC Networks.

Over the past 16 years, they have produced and distributed more than 60 films. Many of them have participated in the most prestigious film festivals in the world and have been nominated for Goya awards in various categories, winning with her own feature film “Garbo, the spy” in 2010.

She is currently President of Próxima, the Association of Independent and Author Film Distributors in V.O., which was created with the aim of recognizing the work of these independent distributors, giving them their own voice, and highlighting their contribution to the enrichment and consolidation of the industrial and cultural fabric of our country.

As a regular speaker at events related to marketing and the audiovisual sector, she is responsible for the MOAv, annual Online Marketing Conference for the promotion of Audiovisual; and the Professional Master of Audiovisual and Cinematographic Distribution.

Together with Carmen Jiménez, she published the first book on film marketing in Spain, “No news about my movie”, which is now in its third edition. In 2025 she will publish her second book, which has the provisional title “Egopelículas”.

In 2018, together with her colleagues from ArteGB Comunicación, she founded the digital magazine MDC – Más de Cultura, where they give space to new talents and artists who are outside the commercial circuit.

Gloria has studies in Journalism from the San Pablo CEU University, Economics from the UNED, and postgraduate courses in Business Management, Web Programming, Communication and Marketing in various public and private educational institutions.

Latido Films is an international sales agency mostly specialized in Spanish-speaking and European films but open to movies from all over the world. We pursue new talents and support established directors in order to create a catalogue with a variety of high-quality titles. We work as much with arthouse films as with box-office hits. Animation films and ground-breaking documentaries are also substantial in our projects.

Jill joined Deadline in 2019 after working as a New York-based contributor. She follows corporate finance, deals and publicly traded companies in media and entertainment, film financing, and New York film and TV production.

George Hamilton is the Chief Commercial Officer at leading independent sales, finance, and production outfit Protagonist Pictures. He specialises in the financing and representation of worldwide sales of independently financed feature films. He works closely with filmmakers, producers, production companies, and financiers to greenlight their films. Since 2020, he has been involved in the sales and/or financing of over 30 features, including Brady Corbet’s THE BRUTALIST, Nora Fingscheidt’s THE OUTRUN, Temple Hill’s CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD and ENCORE, Plan B’s H IS FOR HAWK, Bharat Nalluri’s FLAVIA DE LUCE and Protagonist’s first in-house production, THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT.

As Protagonist’s CCO, Hamilton played a key role in the evolution of the business into a fully multi -faceted production, financing, and sales company. George joined Protagonist in 2013, and prior to his current role, he led Protagonist’s sales team. He began his career producing and directing short form content for world leading brands and agencies.

AGC Studios’ Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder Miguel Palos Jr. is a seasoned executive with a remarkable track record in the entertainment industry. He currently oversees all operational and financial matters, business affairs, financial reporting, project financing and management of lender relationships for AGC Studios and its subsidiaries and divisions. He is an expert in financial structuring and has helped establish financing structures in a number of burgeoning geographies with new film incentives over the years including Romania, Mauritius, and Italy amongst others.

Prior to AGC Studios, Palos served as CFO of IM Global, where he orchestrated financing for over 35 projects, deploying more than $600 million in production capital during which tenure he was lauded as one of Variety’s New Leaders in Film. Prior to joining IM Global, he worked for Ernst & Young in the Assurance and Advisory Business Services division, providing financial and operational accounting services to various entertainment industry clientele including Endeavor (pre-WME), ESPN, ESPN Sur, Fox, ABC, The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, EMI Blackwood Music and Universal Music Group.

Palos is a sought-after speaker and has been on many industry panels. He holds a B.S. in Accounting and a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from the University of Southern California as well as an M.S. in Accountancy, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Notre Dame. Palos is a Los Angeles native and spends his hours outside of the studio building his real estate portfolio.

As COO and Head of Business affairs at Pressman Film, www.pressman.com, Paula oversees all aspects of production, finance, distribution, licensing, merchandising, operations and business affairs of a library of over 100 films and a current development slate of 25 film, TV and new media projects. A seasoned media and entertainment executive, with broad corporate experience, she has deep relationships in Hollywood and internationally handling a variety of business negotiations and dealings including structuring the deals and supervising many complex and cross border transactions and the teams involved in closing them. Paula started her career as a media, communications and corporate lawyer in Sydney, Australia, with major international law firm Blake Dawson Waldron, representing Fox Studios and many high-profile TV and corporate clients. She was recruited by client, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s company, The Really Useful Company, as In-House General Counsel and was responsible for negotiating and handling all business dealings on the live stage productions and licensing of shows in Australia and South East Asia. The USA beckoned and after settling in Los Angeles in the late 1990’s, Paula joined advisory and consulting company, Ignite Media, eventually becoming a principal and managing director. At Ignite, Paula provided overall strategic, business and cross border transactional advice to film, TV, digital media, technology and software clients.

In her career, Paula has also served as an Arbitrator for bond company, Film Finances, in production and finance related disputes. Paula has produced and executive produced TV and film, and innovative new media including an immersive entertainment project “Evolver” with Cate Blanchett (selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024), feature films including the remake of the “The Crow” (released by Lionsgate in August 2024), “Daliland” (with Sir Ben Kingsley, released in June 2023), “Where Eskimos Live”, Black
Limousine”, and the late-night reality TV series “Clubbin” which ran for two seasons on the WB Network. Paula also served a producing deal with veteran Hollywood producer Mark Gordon (“Grey’s Anatomy”, “Saving Private Ryan” and “Criminal Minds”) where she developed projects with both The Mark Gordon Company and his independent production arm, Stratus Film Company. In addition, Pressman is in development on a robust slate of film and TV projects that Paula is attached to as a producer or executive producer.

Paula has extensive board leadership and governance experience having served on several corporate and non – profit boards. Paula co-founded LA-based organization Australians in Film and served on its board for 13 years and in various management positions significantly contributing to the growth of the organization as President, Chairman and AIF Foundation Chair. She also served as an advisory board member of “Women Who Lead”, part of the Los Angeles based AMEC (American Media and Entertainment Counsel) and participated on the steering committee of Los Angeles based, The Tall Poppy Collective, a collective of young tech entrepreneurs and innovators. Paula is currently an advisory board member of the Legends Capital Management Fund, a real estate and development fund, where she sits alongside many prolific sports and entertainment personalities including Leigh Steinberg, Byron Scott and Elizabeth Guber and is a Board member of LA-based charity, Lost Faces of Humanity, a humanitarian Foundation empowering refugees, worldwide. Paula is also a member of female focused industry groups, including LA-based not-for-profit Visionary Women which mentors young female founders and entrepreneurs in business, Women in Film and FEME (Female Executives in Media and Entertainment) and is a longstanding member of international arts club Soho House, its sister club Little Beach House in Malibu and San Vicente Bungalows. She is also a proud member of the Summit Series group of thought leaders and innovators and regularly attends community meetings and events. Paula holds double degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws and is an accomplished speaker at various industry events and has contributed to industry publications. She is married and raised two sons in Santa Monica, CA.

Jeremy Kay is Americas editor of the international trade publication Screendaily. From his Los Angeles hub he regularly travels to the major markets and festivals on the calendar to report on market news and interview talent and executives.

Besides focusing on the independent business, festivals and markets, Kay reports on production and financing, streamer and studio activity, the Canadian and Latin American film industries, and awards season.

He has moderated panels at TIFF, Cannes, AFM, Ventana Sur and other top tier events on the circuit.

As a freelancer Kay has written on film for The Guardian and The Telegraph, and has written more broadly on news and sport for Time Out, The Independent On Sunday, The Express, and The Sunday Irish Tribune.

Scott Roxborough is the European Bureau Chief for The Hollywood Reporter. He has been reporting on the international film and television industry for more than 20 years. He lives in Germany.

Producer Sébastien Raybaud is the founder and CEO of Anton, the global production, finance and sales company, known for high-quality and commercially successful films and TV series. Sébastien launched Anton in 2011 with an $250 million slate funding deal with StudioCanal, marking the first institutional slate funding deal in the European film industry. The company is headquartered in London, with offices in L.A. and Berlin.

Under the Anton banner, Sébastien produced or executive produced the 2023 TIFF title The End We Start From starring Jodie Comer and Benedict Cumberbatch; Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping’s acclaimed 2023 Berlin title Femme, starring George MacKay and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett; and Memoir of a Snail, the stop motion animated feature from Academy Award-winner Adam Elliott, which recently took home the top Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

In addition to the aforementioned films, Sébastien’s additional producing credits include Greenland: Migration starring Gerard Butler, who reprises his role in the sequel to Anton’s blockbuster Greenland; David Mackenzie’s thriller Fuze starring Theo James and Aaron Taylor Johnson; Martin Campbell’s Cleaner starring Daisy Ridley and Clive Owen; Mothers’ Instinct starring Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway; the action thriller Canary Black, starring Kate Beckinsale and Rupert Friend; Jamie Child’s thriller Jackdaw, starring Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Jenna Coleman; and the indie horror film The Night House.

Current and past Anton projects also include the survival thriller A Prayer for the Dying starring Johnny Flynn and John C. Reilly; The Bookie & The Bruiser starring Vince Vaughn and Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody; Night of the Zoopocalypse, a CGI animated feature from the creators of Ice Age, The Incredibles and Despicable Me; beloved global family fare including Paddington and Shaun the Sheep; acclaimed series such as BBC/HBO’s fantasy drama His Dark Materials, Sally Wainwright’s historical drama Gentleman Jack, and the romantic drama The Pursuit of Love starring Lily James, Andrew Scott and Dominic West; and Claude Barras’ animated feature Savages which enjoyed its World Premiere this year in Official Selection at Cannes.

Sébastien began his career at European production company StudioCanal in mergers and acquisitions and went on to co-chair the media and structured finance teams in Europe for Société Générale. He received a Masters in Management from HEC and both an MA in Philosophy and an MA in Business Law from La Sorbonne.

Sébastien hails from Nice and currently resides in London.

Los Angeles based Stuart Ford is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AGC Studios and is one of the most experienced and prolific independent film and television producers, financiers and entrepreneurs working in the entertainment industry today. UK born and Oxford University educated, Ford is a former entertainment attorney and Miramax Films senior studio executive who in 2007 founded IM Global, which over the next ten years he built into one of the industry’s leading independent film and television production, financing and sales platforms with ancillary talent management and corporate publicity businesses across North America, South East Asia, India, Latin America and Europe.

In February 2018 Ford launched so-called “super-indie” AGC Studios, an international film and television production and licensing company that develops, produces, finances and globally licenses a diverse portfolio of feature films, scripted, unscripted and factual content with major corporate backing from Silicon Valley, Latin America and the Middle East. Since its inception AGC has been involved with more than 45 major film and television productions.

As a producer and financier Ford has worked with a huge array of leading directors such as Martin Scorsese, Gary Ross, Mel Gibson, Ron Howard, Doug Liman, Neil Burger, James Wan, Scott Derrickson, Roland Emmerich, Tom Ford and Richard Linklater. He has produced or executive produced more than seventy films and television shows and has assembled in excess of $2 billion in independent production financing from North America, India, China, Latin America and the Middle East during his career.

Ford has also established AGC Television as a leading independent studio with a variety of heavyweight scripted shows. Now streaming, “Those About To Die” had a $165m budget for its first season and is one of the biggest scale television shows ever financed by an independent studio.

Aside from being an acknowledged industry expert and innovator in assembling film and television financing and distribution strategies, Ford has been one of the industry’s leading champions of international cinema and in tandem with his prolific Hollywood output has launched successful sales and distribution businesses respectively specializing in Latin American, Chinese language and Bollywood content as well as a Beijing based corporate PR company Go Global and a Latinx talent management company Valor Entertainment. Ford also has extensive experience working alongside the Arabic language film and television community including acting as executive producer and worldwide distributor on $40m Arabic language thriller “Al Kameen” from Pierre Morel and $100m+ Arabian epic “Desert Warrior” from Rupert Wyatt.

In 2015 IM Global and Ford were the recipient of Variety’s Achievement in International Film Award and Ford has also been listed by the UK’s Guardian newspaper as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Global Cinema. In May of 2023, Ford was the recipient of Variety’s “Billion Dollar Producer” award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Ford is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Television Academy as well as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He has been profiled in 2021, 2022 and 2023 amongst the annual Variety 500 most influential figures in global entertainment.

After graduating with a degree in Political Science and International Affairs he has dedicated the past 30 years to developing and strengthening relationships with international cinema and TV institutions.

From 1996 to 2005, he held the title of General Secretary of the National Union of Film Producers in ANICA (Italian Film Audiovisual and Digital Industries Association), and from 2005 to 2023 he held the title Head of the International Department in ANICA.

For the Italian Trade Agency, he set up a network of information desks on the Italian film industry funding and location services in the major World Markets.

He is also the Co-founder of the AVPSummit, which he directed in 2022 and 2023 with the aim of promoting dialogue, cooperation, and increasing business between American, French and Italian film industries.

From March 2022, he has become Head of Special Projects of the DGCA-MiC at Cinecittà to enhance international cooperation, activities and further develop relationships and business among Italian and foreign film professionals.
Another pillar of Pugini’s activity is his constant commitment to training. He attended specialization courses (“Screenwriter as Storyteller” by Tom Schlesinger and Keith Cunningham and the ACE 6 Workshop), and in 2001 helped create a production course within the master MEGA-Plus of the Media Business School of which was in charge from 2009 until 2015. He has acted as tutor and expert for many schools and institutions, along with his intense activity as a consultant.

Manuela Cacciamani began her professional career working alongside world-renowned directors such as Martin Scorsese, Stephen Soderbergh, Wes Anderson, and Terry Gilliam. In 2006, she founded her film and audiovisual production company, One More Pictures. Since the same year, she has also been a partner at Direct 2 Brain, a VFX, post-production company, and software house. Her passions lie in storytelling, talent development, and technology.

She has taught at the Scuola Holden, where she led a cross-media course, and at the IED Academy, where she taught video design.

In 2018, in collaboration with Rai Cinema, she launched the national contest “The Reality That Doesn’t Exist” to select new creative ideas to be produced in both traditional formats and in new media such as Virtual Reality and Video Mapping. The projects were showcased as special events at the 76th and 77th Venice International Film Festival.

During the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, she conceived and developed the participatory platform Posso.it, a free digital portal where users can offer their time and expertise to help others. It serves as a digital tool for social support.

In the same year, she became Chief Digital Officer of Videocittà, a festival of visual culture dedicated to audiovisual and cross-media contamination. In July 2024, she was appointed CEO of Cinecittà S.p.A. with the aim of revitalizing the historic studios and strengthening its position in the global film industry.

Marco Valerio Pugini is the majority shareholder and main Producer of Panorama Films S.r.l. and President of APE – Association of Production Service Companies.

As well as his company commitments, Pugini is also a very active Executive Producer. He was the Co-Executive Producer of the television series Rome and The White Lotus S2 (HBO), and acted, as Producer, Exec. Producer, Co-Producer or Line Producer on a long string of projects including Mr. & Mrs. Smith S1 (K. Evans), House of Gucci (Ridley Scott), Indiana Jones 5 (James Mangold), Tenet (Christopher Nolan), Mission Impossible 7 (Chris McQuerrie), Miracle at St. Anna (Spike Lee) and many more.

He strongly believes in the importance of Associations and training. He was a founding partners of API – Independent Authors and Producers, which then merged into ANICA; APP – Advertising Producers and, finally, of APE, that he led from 2003 to 2012, succeeding in the completion of a Field Study that led to participating in the discussion regarding the current laws on fiscal incentives. He is a member of the European Film Academy and former member of the Emmy International Academy.

Since 2011 he has been a member of the Joint Committee (Anica, APT, APE, CGIL, CISL, UIL) and follows the process for the renewal of the National Corporate Contract for the Film, Television and Advertising Fields.

Another pillar of Pugini’s activity is his constant commitment to training. He attended specialization courses (“Screenwriter as Storyteller by” Tom Schlesinger and Keith Cunningham and the ACE 6 Workshop) and, in 2001 helped to create a production course within the master MEGA-Plus of the Media Business School of which he has been in charge from 2009 until 2015. He has acted as tutor and expert for many schools and institutions, along with his intense activity as a consultant.

Francesca Rotondo is a professional with over 20 years of experience at Cinecittà Studios. As Senior International Sales Manager, she manages the rental of Cinecittà’s sound stages, backlot locations, and all related services, striving to meet the needs of production from prep to wrap. A trained architect, Francesca has been working at Cinecittà since 2001 in various roles, ranging from VFX post-production to sales management. Her experience and dedication have significantly contributed to the success and growth of the studios. She believes what makes Cinecittà stand out is the time and effort the Sales Department dedicates to understanding their clients’ needs and the proven ability to work professionally and efficiently, exceeding expectations without exceeding budgets.

Cristina Giubbetti is based in Rome and currently is Executive Producer for international productions at Cattleya. Her most recent productions include any budget level. She served as Executive Producer “TWO SCOOPS OF ITALY” for MarVista Entertainment, but also “THE FIRST OMEN” for 20th Century Studios. She serviced both seasons of “DOMINA” for Sky Studios and MGM+, both seasons of “SIGNORA VOLPE” for Route 24 and Acorn TV. She produced also “ROSALINE” and “THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN” for 20th Century Studios, “UNTHINKABLY GOOD THINGS”, “ROME IN LOVE” and “CHRISTMAS IN ROME” for Hallmark Channel, “MAFIA MAMMA” for Edver Films, “CASSINO IN ISCHIA” for Isola Verde Films – Paramount Global and “La DERIVE DES CONTINENTES (AU SUD)” for Bandita Films – selected in the QUINZAINE DES REALISATEURS at Cannes 2022.

In 2008, she worked as Sales Manager for international productions at Cinecittà Studios and in 2011 she became responsible for the studios’ executive production services, working with the most important international clients such as Woody Allen, Paul Haggis, MGM, Paramount, Universal, Amazon, Canal +, HBO, Warner Bros., Disney and many more. She had previously been president of the Italian Film Commission and General Manager of the Umbria Film Commission, where she also worked as a production supervisor. Before that, she had worked as a production manager for many of the most important Italian and European productions.

Yolanda Macias joined Cineverse in 2013 and has been the Chief Content Officer of Cineverse Entertainment Group since December 2020. She is responsible for acquiring global content rights for all distribution and streaming platforms and oversees marketing. Through her leadership Ms. Macias has sourced and secured over 65,000 movies and series including Crown Media: Hallmark, NFL and Konami Cross. Ms. Macias has over 25 years of entertainment distribution experience, including executive positions at Vivendi/Universal from 2004 to 2012, DIRECTV from 1996 to 2003, and The Walt Disney Company from 1992 to 1995. Ms. Macias built sustainable and profitable subscription platforms at DIRECTV and Vivendi/Universal’s digital distribution services. In 2022 and 2023 Media Play News selected Macias as one of the 18 Captains of Industry driving and leading home entertainment. Macias serves as vice chair for C5LA a non-profit organization supporting under resourced and high potential teens, and is a board director for Skechers USA, Inc. Macías received her MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and her B.S. degree in Finance from California State University, Northridge.

Arianne Fraser is the CEO and founding partner of Highland Film Group (HFG), an independent worldwide sales, film financing, production, and distribution company launched in 2010 alongside Delphine Perrier. HFG has had success across a wide range of film genres and platforms, building a reputation for handling high-octane films in the action/thriller/horror space, focusing on cast, director, and filmmaker driven content. Highland Film Group’s current slate of films includes Chuck Russell’s horror-thriller Witchboard; the action crime thriller Wardriver starring Dane DeHaan and Sasha Calle; John Stalberg, Jr.’s Muzzle: City of Wolves starring Aaron Eckhart; Allan Ungar’s action-comedy London Calling starring Josh Duhamel and Jeremy Ray Taylor; and Joe Carnahan’s survival thriller Not Without Hope starring Zachary Levi and Josh Duhamel.

Dave Hudakoc is a leading entertainment executive with a career that spans 20 years in distribution & production. In 2013 he co-founded indie distributor levelFILM and led the company for a decade, building it from fledgling distributor to one of the most respected labels in Canada. Under his leadership, the company executed the corporate acquisitions of Search Engine Films and doc label Kinosmith, and shepherded the releases of numerous independent breakout releases, including The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Last Blackman in San Francisco, Fahrenheit 11/9 along with stand out Canadian Films, Firecrackers, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open and Scarborough. Prior to that, he has held executive posts at Alliance Films, Peace Arch Entertainment and THINKFilm. In 2024, Hudakoc, along with former eOne exec Ian Goggins, launched Blue Fox Entertainment Canada, the strategic Canadian arm of Blue Fox Entertainment.

Seth is a leading content acquisition and creative executive, having previously served as the head of acquisitions and co-productions at Screen Media for 12+ years. During his tenure, he was responsible for high-profile acquisitions The Outpost, Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Emmy® award-winning Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street, The Lifeguard and Stephen King’s A Good Marriage. He also established strategic business relationships with Focus Features, Starz, Roadside Attractions, and more. In addition, Needle oversaw all content licensing for the company’s streaming platforms that included Crackle, Popcornflix, and Redbox. Needle also served executive producer on Willy’s Wonderland, Maggie Moore(s), Fast Charlie, Girl, and several others. Previously, Needle worked in the acquisitions department at Lionsgate and in the research department at Marketcast.

Patrick Rizzotti is a seasoned film producer and financing executive with over two decades of experience in the entertainment industry. As the founder of Crossroad Productions, Patrick has made a significant impact on independent filmmaking, producing a variety of successful films that have garnered international acclaim. His impressive filmography includes Pride (Lionsgate), The Collector trilogy (from the writers of SAW franchise), The Super, Malicious, The Free Fall, Maximum Truth, Tiger Mom, and many more. These films have established him as a versatile producer capable of delivering compelling content across genres.

In addition to his work in film production, Patrick is the founding member of Blue Fox Financing, a revolutionary marketplace specializing in debt and gap financing for film and television producers. With Blue Fox Financing, Patrick and his team provide critical financial solutions such as tax credit lending, international presales, union deposit loans, and gap financing, helping filmmakers navigate the complex financial landscape of independent film production. Through this platform, Patrick continues to innovate and support creators by offering accessible and transparent financing options tailored to their project needs.

Patrick’s vision extends beyond financing, as he has launched a Producer Services Division within Blue Fox Financing to assist with project development, leveraging his extensive industry expertise to help filmmakers maximize their financial potential from the earliest stages of production. His deep understanding of both the creative and financial aspects of filmmaking positions him uniquely within the industry, where he bridges the gap between artistic vision and financial execution.

Patrick is also a regular speaker and panel moderator, often leading discussions on the intricacies of film financing in both U.S. and international markets. He has moderated key industry panels such as IFTA’s “Where’s the Money? The Realities of Film Financing Today” and “How to Utilize and Secure Debt/Gap Financing,” where he shares his insights on the evolving landscape of independent film financing.

Through Crossroad Productions and Blue Fox Financing, Patrick Rizzotti remains a driving force in independent film, championing innovative financial models that support creative projects and empower filmmakers to bring their visions to life.

Tom Malloy has been involved for over two decades in all aspects of the film business. He trail-blazed the role of a multi-hyphenate, having approached projects early on as an actor, writer, and producer, recently adding director to his list.

Malloy has raised millions for independent films, produced 26 films, written and sold 25 screenplays, and has starred in many films.

The roster of films produced by Malloy over the years includes 2024’s MCVEIGH, starring Alfie Allen, Anthony Carrigan, and Brett Gelman, which has its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, 2023’s DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL, starring Kristanna Loken and Martin Kove, 2022’s AFTER ALL, starring Erika Christensen, Penelope Ann Miller, David James Elliot, and Zach Gilford, 2021’s ASK ME TO DANCE, directed by Malloy, starring Briana Evigan and Mario Cantone (which was in 38 cities theatrically nationwide on October of 2022, and is now streaming everywhere with an 88% FRESH rating on Rotten Tomatoes), 2020’s LANSKY, starring Harvey Keitel, Sam Worthington, and Minka Kelly, LOVE N’ DANCING, which was directed by Rob Iscove (She’s All That), and stars Amy Smart, Malloy, Billy Zane, Rachel Dratch, and Betty White; the psychological thriller THE ALPHABET KILLER, directed by Rob Schmidt (Wrong Turn) and stars Eliza Dushku, Cary Elwes, Malloy, Timothy Hutton, Michael Ironside, and Oscar Winner Melissa Leo; and a horror film directed by Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary) called THE ATTIC, starring Elisabeth Moss. Many film projects are developed through the production company he founded in 2005, Trick Candle Productions.

Trick Candle Productions is known for its quality independent films that span a variety of genres. Trick Candle has most recently produced TRAUMA THERAPY: PSYCHOSIS (released last year), TRAUMA THERAPY, a thriller starring Brian Krause and Chase Coleman, #SCREAMERS, a found footage horror which was twice called the BEST Found Footage Movie Ever, HERO OF THE UNDERWORLD, starring Malloy, Nicole Fox, and Quinton, and FAIR HAVEN, starring Tom Wopat and Michael Grant, as well as the teen drama ASHLEY, starring Nicole Fox, Michael Madsen and Jennifer Taylor.

In 2016, Malloy co-founded the sales and distribution company Glass House Distribution. Glass House is now a leading film sales and distribution company and maintains a presence at AFM, EFM, and Cannes.

Malloy’s unique ability to both write projects and raise the funding for them has been a primary factor in the success of the company. In fact, Malloy shared his expertise on the subject in his best-selling book about independent film financing, BANKROLL, which had two editions and was considered the “gold standard book” of indie film financing. In 2019, Malloy co-founded FilmMakingStuffHQ, which has now become the premiere online training platform for filmmakers.

Bob Portal co-founded AMP (Alliance Media Partners) with Inderpal Singh in 2016, a film sales, production and financing company with offices in London and Los Angeles, and part of the Alliance Capital Partners group in Dubai.

Bob is AMP’s managing director, and heads up production activity for the company, based out of LA. Current AMP titles include dark thriller Dragonfly starring Andrea Risborough and Brenda Blethyn, Sci Fi thriller The Resonance, supernatural horror The Morrigan, erotic thriller Compulsion and dark horror thriller Daddy’s Head.

Prior AMP production and sales titles include Joe Lynch’s erotic horror Suitable Flesh, Glorious, Benson and Moorhead’s cult movie The Endless, US Box office number one horror The Wretched, Sundance Midnight thriller Amulet directed by Romola Garai, Blue Iguana, Murder At Yellowstone, and shark action movie The Reef: Stalked.

AMP’s movies have played Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, TIFF and other major festivals, and have starred J.K. Simmons, Gabriel Byrne, Heather Graham, Thomas Jane, Stephan Lang, Bill Pullman, Sean Bean, Anna Camp, Timothy Spall, Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette, Dafne Keen, Michael Biehn, Jemima Kirke, Andy Garcia and Richard Dreyfuss.

Bob is a board member of Central Film School London, a voting member of BAFTA, and a graduate of Cambridge University and the UK’s National Film & Television School.

Gregory Chambet was born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland. After early stints as a script reader, screenwriter and short film producer, he entered the international sales & acquisitions domain in French companies such as SND (M6 Group) and TF1 International, where he was key to expanding the business towards horror with titles such as Hobo with a Shotgun or Antiviral.

In 2012, he co-founded WTFilms with Dimitri Stephanides. The company has a established a strong footmark in genre, with titles such as Infested, Deerskin, Come to Daddy, Mandibles, and The Night Eats the World.

Gregory Chambet also recently produced the Shudder original film Perpetrator, directed by Jennifer Reeder, which premiered in Berlinale and Tribeca. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California.

Luna Zhang is a highly adept and expertly trained business executive and serial entrepreneur who has successfully built and exited multiple companies in the fields of high-end fashion, medicine, and tech. She has built a reputation for being a savvy businesswoman with powerful market insight and strong negotiation skills.

As an independent producer and business development executive, she is adept at deal-making, investor relationships, strategic partnerships, finance, and sales and distribution. She also has strong relationships with top management companies, agencies, producers, and other above-the-line talent.

Her slate of films, television series, documentaries, and animated features often reflect her passion for meaningful storytelling, women empowerment, Asian and minority representation, and social consciousness. She is also a financier of short form content and her films support women and LGBTQA communities.
In 2023, Luna partnered with a well-recognized, twenty-year experienced executive from film finance world focusing on financing independent films, helping indie filmmakers making dreams.

Luna has an MBA from University of Southern California, and certificates in Entrepreneurship and Leadership from her extended study at Harvard University.

Over the years, Ji Li has built HTTV Media Group, which includes HTTV, Fox University, US Longton Inc, and the Chinese Cultural Center in the U.S.A. HTTV has established a strong reputation in the American film and cultural circles, becoming the most influential Chinese-language media in the U.S., bridging cultural exchanges between China and the U.S.A. HTTV maintains close collaborations with major Chinese broadcasters (CCTV, Hunan TV, Dragon TV, Hebei TV, Tianjin TV, Henan TV) and hosts cultural exchange events annually, achieving positive social impact and earning recognition and support from the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles and local U.S. government agencies.

In 2004, he founded Datang Brilliant Media Co.,Ltd. He produced and invested many popular TV series, such as Flowers Blossoming,Love in the familyBottom line of man, Worry in Woman, Secret Agent Police beauty & K9,recieving the seventh Beijing Film & TV Chun Yan prize, Top Ten TV Producers, and The 11th National Award for Top 10 TV Drama Producers in the Television Production Industry. Through over 20 years hard work, he became an influential senior producer and executive producer in the TV industry. He is also the vice president of China Television Drama Production Industry Association, the vice president of Capital Radio & TV Program Producers Association, the secretary-general of China Radio Film & TV Press Television Alliance, with high appeal and influence, and is highly recognized and praised by peers.

Charles Cheng is admitted to practice in the State of California. He is a member of Harvard Business Review Advisory Council and advising expert at Alumni Ventures Group. His expertise has been recognized by Forbes, Financial Times, and TedX. In 2021, Dr. Cheng received the distinguished honor of being elected as one of the Forbes 60 Outstanding Chinese in North America. Dr. Cheng holds an LLM in Corporate Governance and Practice from Stanford Law School, an LLB, LLM, and Ph.D. in Jurisprudence from Wuhan University School of Law, along with a Graduate Certificate in International Studies from the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.

Film producer and media entrepreneur who first gained recognition for his offbeat independent films featured at Sundance and Cannes. As the founder of Cinelaunch—a film finance tech platform—and a partner at Esme Grace, the boutique media finance firm behind films like Michael Mann’s Ferrari, Chris develops high-caliber, character-driven projects. His recent executive producer credits include Captivated (starring Al Pacino, Toby Kebbell, and Katie Holmes), Kristallnacht (starring Clive Owen), and Night Comes (starring Dafne Keen).

Mega Matrix is the first publicly traded company in America specializing in short drama streaming. We are among the pioneers to introduce short dramas as a new form of online entertainment.

Producer with more than 15 years of experience in the film and videogame industry. He has produced “Amanece la noche más larga”, “Cafunè” and “Morti”. He has been nominated four times in the Official Selection at the Malaga Film Festival, winning two awards, and twice at the Goya Awards.

He is the co-writer of the critically acclaimed biographical film BRONSON, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Tom Hardy as the notorious British criminal. More recently, Brock co-wrote the feature film THE MUSTANG alongside the director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, starring Matthias Schoenaerts, Bruce Dern and Connie Britton. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Focus Features. It was a critical success and holds a certified fresh approval rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Brock co-wrote Idris Elba’s directorial debut YARDIE for StudioCanal, based upon the British crime novel of the same name. The film was screened in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. His further film credits include THE MARRIAGE OF REASON & SQUALOR directed by Jake Chapman and PUBLIC SEX directed by Simon Ellis.

Earlier in Brock’s career, his stage play HERE IS MONSTER was nominated for the Verity Bargate Award. The premiere production was staged by the Show of Strength Theatre Company and directed by Mark Ravenhill. Brock served as a production executive at the UK Film Council, where his production credits include THE CONSTANT GARDENER, THE PROPOSITION, YOUNG ADAM, GOSFORD PARK and Mike Leigh’s VERA DRAKE.

Brock is currently in development on several feature and television projects, including for Freemantle, Iconoclast, Two & Two, BBC Films and Minor Realm.

Ryan Broussard, Wrapbook’s VP of Sales and Production Incentives, has worked with productions of all sizes—from the largest studio features to the smallest independent projects—to help them optimize their production-incentive strategies and make the most of their budgets.

Broussard’s career in production payroll began sixteen years ago. In that time, he’s worked at payroll companies like Entertainment Partners, where he served as Senior Account Specialist; CAPS, where he served as Tax Incentive Manager; and Media Services, where he served as Vice President of Sales and Production Incentives. He has worked on production incentives from nearly every possible angle, developing innovative reporting measures to facilitate faster audits, advising countless productions on state tax incentives, and even helping some states and local jurisdictions design their incentive programs.

Broussard combines his industry-leading expertise with an emphasis on client service. He has helped clients budget their projects to ensure production incentives are applied correctly, and he has worked directly with clients’ financial institutions to help productions secure financing using incentives. He maintains active relationships with every major film office.

As a well-regarded industry expert, Broussard has hosted numerous online tutorials, webinars, and educational videos, and he has served as both guest and host numerous panels and events for leading industry festivals like SXSW, AFM, NPACT, and more.

Andi Isaacs joined the film department faculty at the University Nevada, Las Vegas in the fall of 2022, focusing on producing and production classes. Isaacs teaches the popular Business of Hollywood class, where students can learn about everything from development to delivery through the practical lens of finance, legal, business affairs, sales and marketing, as well as the administrative and logistical issues of working in film. In addition, Isaacs teaches Adaptations and Intellectual Properties, discussing where to find stories as a Producer. Isaacs also oversees the new internship program for UNLV, arranging for students to have hands on opportunities with professional film and television companies. Isaacs loves teaching at UNLV Film. UNLV is one of the most diverse universities in the nation, and her hope is to help her students find ways for their stories to be heard.

Before transitioning to education, Isaacs previously served as the Executive Vice President and Head of Physical Production for one of the film industry’s highly successful independent studios, Summit Entertainment, from its inception in 2006 until its sale to Lionsgate in 2012. Capitalizing on Summit’s modern view of a studio and its processes, Isaacs used this platform as a way to make adjustments to traditional studio practices as well as mentoring the next generation of executives in the feature film production arena.

Prior to joining Summit Isaacs spent almost two decades being an “industry go to person” when it came to challenging film productions or those that needed a new hand to guide an in-process production to the finish. She filled this role in various production related capacities for Walt Disney Pictures during her tenure from 2003 through 2006, and as freelancer in all areas of production both domestically and internationally including production supervisor, accountant, and studio representative for both independent and major studios.

Some notable films that can be found on Isaacs’ resume include NOW YOU SEE ME, PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, WARM BODIES, RED, TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, ECLIPSE, BREAKING DAWN 1 AND 2 (THE TWILIGHT SAGA), LETTERS TO JULIET, KNOWING, THE HURT LOCKER, IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 AND 3, NATIONAL TREASURE, KING ARTHUR, SOMEONE LIKE YOU, ANNA AND THE KING, THE PACIFIER, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, PHILADELPHIA AND SCENT OF A WOMAN.

Simon Williams has been a film financier for over ten years, executive producing more than 50 films and closing over $750M in transactions. Williams is Managing Partner at Ashland Hill Media Finance, the UK and US-based entertainment financing company he runs alongside fellow film financiers and producers, Joe Simpson and Jonathan Bross. Since its 2022 launch, Ashland Hill Media Finance has invested more than $220M across 32 deals. The slate of Ashland Hill-financed films includes The Magic Faraway Tree, based on the best-selling book series by beloved children’s author Enid Blyton, written by BAFTA nominee Simon Farnaby, directed by Ben Gregor, and starring Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders and Rebecca Ferguson; Timothy Woodward Jr.’s Eyes In The Trees, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Rhys Meyers; Rupert Sanders’ reimagining of The Crow, starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA twigs, and released in theatres by Lionsgate; John Maclean’s Tornado, starring Academy Award nominee Tim Roth; The Venice+TIFF selection Harvest, directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari (Attenburg, Chevalier), starring Caleb Landry-Jones, Harry Melling and Rosy McEwen; The horror-comedy The Scurry, directed by Craig Thomas and starring Ella Purnell, Rhys Ifans, Paapa Essiedu and Antonia Thomas; and Philip Noyce’s action thriller Fast Charlie, starring Pierce Brosnan and Academy Award nominee James Caan in his final on-screen performance.

Williams is co-founder and partner of Palisades Park Pictures. Led by CEO Tamara Birkemoe, Palisades Park Pictures is a global entertainment company focused on the distribution, production, and financing of high-level, quality commercial content for a worldwide audience.

Williams is also a co-owner and Partner at Horizon Distribution, a film distribution company for airlines and other ancillary channels that is a joint venture with US all-rights distributor Vertical Entertainment. To date, Horizon has released over 100 feature films on over 50 airline companies throughout the world. Prior to Ashland Hill Media Finance, Williams was Fund Managing Director for Ingenious Media’s flagship independent film financing fund, Shelley Media, where he managed all aspects of the production and exploitation of film and television projects. As Senior Financial Analyst at the hedge fund RP Capital Group, he managed a team of analysts responsible for deal origination, structuring, closing, and monitoring. He began his career at Allen & Overy LLP where he trained as an accountant in global finance.

Williams holds a Masters Degree in Mathematics from The University of Exeter and is also a CFA® charterholder.

Treadwell / Kelly Casting comprises two experienced Casting Directors, Jennifer K.M. Treadwell and Monica Kelly. TKC was launched in 2017 and the duo has cast for both television and film including major studio projects at Disney, Paramount, HBO, Lifetime and Netflix and several low budget independent movies that are now streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Paramount + and Tubi. Recent low budget film credits include THE CURSE OF THE NECKLACE (Warner Brothers/Tubi), KILLER RENTAL (currently in the festival circuit), HOLIDAY IN THE VINEYARDS (Netflix), THE WRATH OF BECKY (Theatrical Release / Paramount +), A CHRISTMAS MYSTERY (HBOMAX). Prior to launching their own casting company, Jenny and Monica were Associate Casting directors in two major Television casting offices, working on critically acclaimed productions for over 10 years.

Treadwell / Kelly Casting comprises two experienced Casting Directors, Jennifer K.M. Treadwell and Monica Kelly. TKC was launched in 2017 and the duo has cast for both television and film including major studio projects at Disney, Paramount, HBO, Lifetime and Netflix and several low budget independent movies that are now streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Paramount + and Tubi. Recent low budget film credits include THE CURSE OF THE NECKLACE (Warner Brothers/Tubi), KILLER RENTAL (currently in the festival circuit), HOLIDAY IN THE VINEYARDS (Netflix), THE WRATH OF BECKY (Theatrical Release / Paramount +), A CHRISTMAS MYSTERY (HBOMAX). Prior to launching their own casting company, Jenny and Monica were Associate Casting directors in two major Television casting offices, working on critically acclaimed productions for over 10 years.

Clay Epstein has over twenty years of experience as an Entertainment Executive. Since launching his own company in 2016, he is the President and Owner of Film Mode Entertainment, a worldwide sales and distribution entity with a producer friendly initiative. In addition to bringing films to audiences around the globe, Clay executive produces many of the company’s titles. As an Executive Producer, Clay is instrumental in working with filmmakers in the early stages of pre-production to help build the financing, and creative elements to achieve these successes worldwide. To better help producers and directors who may be less experienced, Film Mode has an active consultancy division, offering producers expertise and guidance on financial models, marketing, and distribution strategies.

Film Mode represents over 70 independent feature films worldwide, with a client base that spans the globe. Recent successes include BREACH starring Bruce Willis, AS THEY MADE US starring Dustin Hoffman, and Candice Bergan, CRYPTO starring Kurt Russel, LITTLE PINK HOUSE starring Catherine Keener, and MONSTROUS starring Christina Ricci.

Prior to launching Film Mode, Clay was SVP Sales & Acquisitions at Arclight Films. He was instrumental in representing high profile films such as Paul Schrader ’s DOG EAT DOG starring Nicolas Cage, and the Spirig brother’s PREDESTINATION starring Ethan Hawke. Earlier in his career, Clay represented prestigious titles such as TSOTSI (2006, Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language,) and THE LAST STATION (2010, Academy Award Nominee for Best Performance by an Actress.) Clay earned a BA in Fine Arts, from California State University, Northridge majoring in Film Production and minoring in Italian Language.

Clay holds the elected position of Chairman of Independent Film and Television Alliance, lectures at UCLA Extension and film festivals worldwide. He’s a member of PGA, FIND, BAFTA LA, and the Australian Academy Cinema Television Arts.

Mimi Steinbauer launched Radiant Films International, a full-service film sales company, in 2012.

The Radiant slate includes the Sundance Film Festival Closing Night Film, RUDDERLESS, William H. Macy’s feature directorial debut, starring Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, and Selena Gomez; MADAME BOVARY, a remake of the iconic period drama starring Mia Wasikowska and Paul Giamatti; HUNGRY HEARTS, a double winner at the Venice Film Festival starring Alba Rohrwacher and Adam Driver; PLUS ONE, a romantic comedy starring Maya Erksine and Jack Quaid which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival; the upcoming horror comedy BORDERLINE starring Samara Weaving executive produced by Margot Robbie and her team at LuckyChap Entertainment; and WILDCAT directed and co-written by Ethan Hawke, starring Maya Hawke, Laura Linney, Steve Zahn and Liam Neeson which played at both Toronto International Film Festival as well as Telluride Film Festival in 2023.

Steinbauer previously held the position of President at Hyde Park International, overseeing the licensing and distribution operations for the company’s in-house productions, acquisitions and international sales. Hyde Park’s projects included GHOST RIDER 2: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE starring Nicolas Cage, the acclaimed Sundance title BLUE VALENTINE, starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, as well as MACHETE, a Robert Rodriguez film starring Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez.

Just prior to joining Hyde Park in 2008, Steinbauer completed a second Masters degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution and International Peacekeeping at Pepperdine University, School of Law. While attending Pepperdine, Steinbauer maintained her day-to-day connection to the international film business, working as a sales consultant for Voltage Pictures, as well as evaluating sales collateral for select banks and financing entities. As a sales consultant, she licensed major international rights for Kathryn Bigelow’s Academy Award winner THE HURT LOCKER.

From 2000 to 2005, Steinbauer was President of International Sales and Distribution at Franchise Pictures. There she managed all aspects of international distribution and marketing, overseeing single picture financing, as well as overseeing the sales team for a diverse US$100M+ slate including such pictures as David Mamet’s SPARTAN and the Bruce Willis/Matthew Perry sequel THE WHOLE TEN YARDS.

Prior to running Franchise International, Mimi Steinbauer was Vice-President of Distribution at New Line International where she handled international licensing and distribution for such films as the Academy Award winning THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, RUSH HOUR 2 and THE NOTEBOOK.

In 1997, Steinbauer joined the newly created Village Roadshow/Warner Bros production JV, where she coordinated the distribution of the entire slate through Warner Bros International, including overseeing the international rollouts of the Academy Award winning film THE MATRIX and the George Clooney film THREE KINGS, among many other titles.

Steinbauer started her work in international distribution at Capella International and subsequently ran Trimark International Television (now Lionsgate), where she was integral in multiple large library acquisitions of TV series, documentaries and made-for-TV movies.

After growing up in Vienna, Austria, Steinbauer completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology at Williams College in Massachusetts and attended The American University in Cairo, Egypt. She began her film career as an Assistant Director and Script Supervisor, working in both film and television throughout Austria and Germany. She moved to Los Angeles to attend The Peter Stark Program at USC Film School, where she completed a Master’s degree in Film Producing. She has studied at Le Cordon Bleu, is a certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor, a Reiki Master and world-renowned sound healer. Steinbauer teaches an annual Women’s Negotiation Workshop and has acted as a Teaching Assistant at the Harvard Program on Negotiation. Steinbauer also volunteers at Operation USA, a highly respected international disaster relief organization based in Los Angeles.

Equipped with 15+ years of industry experience and a passion for the power of film, Tiffany Boyle is dedicated to bringing dynamic stories to life onscreen. She serves as the President of Packaging & Sales at Ramo Law, leveraging her deep knowledge of the independent film space to bring hundreds of films and documentaries to fruition. Tiffany is also a Producer on Paul Schrader’s feature, OH, CANADA (starring Richard Gere, Jacob Elordi, & Uma Thurman), which premiered this year at Cannes Film Festival. This is just one of the many projects she has overseen for Vested Interest, a production company she founded alongside her Co-Partner, Elsa Ramo. Together, the duo seeks to discover, develop and produce unique filmmaking voices and stories. Their other credits as EPs include Cannes 2022’s Un Certain Regard Jury Prize Winner and Film Independent 2023 Spirit Awards Best International Film JOYLAND; Paul Schrader’s THE CARD COUNTER (Oscar Isaac & Tiffany Haddish); CHICK FIGHT (Malin Akerman & Bella Thorne); the 2022 SXSW documentary MAMA BEARS; Mary Dauterman’s feature directorial debut, BOOGER; and DEAD SHOT (Felicity Jones & Mark Strong).

Originally from Kansas, Sav Rodgers is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and pop culture documentarian whose feature directorial debut CHASING CHASING AMY (Tribeca ‘23) explores the complicated legacy of Chasing Amy (1997) and its profound impression on his life. The TED Talk he gave in 2018 kickstarted this filmmaking journey, and spurred the writing of scripts that center on highly specific, surprising stories about queer people. His screenplays have been recognized by GLAAD, Outfest, ScreenCraft, among others. Named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Media List in 2024, Sav is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Transgender Film Center, a nonprofit aiming to help trans creators bring finished films to audiences around the world. Sav is a proud University of Kansas graduate and still sports KU baseball caps wherever he goes.

Alex Schmider is an Emmy®, Peabody, and Critics Choice Awards recognized producer and the Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD where he educates, advises, and consults on transgender and nonbinary characters, storylines, marketing campaigns, and gender inclusion on digital platforms. A member of the Producers Guild of America and the Television Academy, his producing credits include Changing The Game (Hulu), Disclosure (Netflix), Framing Agnes (Kino Lorber), Stay On Board: The Leo Baker Story (Netflix) and Chasing Chasing Amy. Most recently, he was named one of DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40.

Sami Arpa is the CEO and Co-founder of Largo.ai. He holds a PhD in Computational Aesthetics from EPFL, Switzerland, and has pursued a parallel path in the film industry as a director and producer. He has founded Sofy.tv, which was acquired by Cosmoblue Media in 2023.

Dr. Breven Warren passionately believes in the power of the independent filmmakers, storytellers and artists. She is currently working on her second doctorate on independent film finance and success strategies. She has contributed to new technologies in the entertainment industry, including leading blockchain and fintech solutions. She actively operates a mentorship filmmaker program, currently in its 17th year and has a wealth of experience working at prestigious filmmaker organizations including Sundance Institute, Film Independent, AFI and Outfest. She has built film mentorship programs and urban farming initiatives, founded in art and ecology. Breven also serves on film programming teams and juries throughout the year. Breven is a proud PGA Producer and is also honored to be a member of SAG-AFTRA since 1989. Breven’s passion for serving and supporting independent filmmakers, storytellers and artists is grounded in her ongoing efforts to be a more transparent and transformative leader with each opportunity. Breven hopes to add value to independent filmmakers and contribute to their personal success strategies.

Ali Weinstein is Content Lead for the Sustainable Entertainment Alliance, advising on climate storytelling content strategy for coalition member studios like The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery and more. Additionally, she is a TV writer and co-founder of the Hollywood Climate Summit, where she’s programmed dozens of panels with high level talent and experts, educating Hollywood on the power of culture to solve the climate crisis. As a writer, she firmly believes every story is a climate story, which is evident in her previous work on NBC’s “Law & Order: For the Defense,” Netflix’s “Glamorous,” AMC’s “Orphan Black: Echoes” and the Web3 video game “Wildcard.” Ali has been a speaker at cultural hubs like COP28, SXSW, and NYC Climate Week, and featured in the Atlantic, Forbes, Newsweek, L.A. Times, NPR, The Hollywood Reporter, and Rolling Stone for her climate efforts in entertainment.

Heather Fipps, Co-Founder of the Hollywood Climate Summit and Senior Program Director at The Redford Center, is a leading force in climate storytelling, media literacy, and environmental advocacy. As a tenure-track Professor at California State University Los Angeles, she founded an innovative social impact filmmaking program. As a filmmaker and impact advisor, her work spans platforms like Netflix, BBC, Hulu, CBS, PBS, National Geographic, and collaborations with organizations such as Deaf West, the California Air Emissions Board, REI, the League of Conservation Voters, and the U.S. Department of Health. Heather has spoken on storytelling’s vital role in addressing the climate crisis at the Clinton Foundation, National Science Foundation, and United Nations.

Lee Jessup is an Adjunct Screenwriting Professor and career coach for screenwriters, specializing in guiding emerging and professional scribes toward long-standing and prolific screenwriting careers in both TV and feature writing. Lee has provided consulting services to NBC International, the Universal Writers Program, the Final Draft Big Break Contest and Inevitable Foundation, and is an adjunct professor focusing on the Business of Screenwriting with the David Lynch Graduate School of Cinematic Arts. Her one-on-one coaching clients include everyone from showrunners and studio writers to contest winners, TV writing fellows as well as writers just starting out. She is the author of the best-selling books Breaking In: Tales From the Screenwriting Trenches and Getting It Write: An Insider’s Guide to a Screenwriting Career. Never far from the industry, Lee resides in Los Angeles with her husband, two kids and two rescue dogs.

Cassian Elwes is an expert in producing, arranging financing and finding distribution for independent films. He began his producing career with 1984’s “Oxford Blues” starring Rob Lowe and Ally Sheedy and quickly went on to make another 29 films, including “Men At Work,” with Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen, and “The Chase,” again with Sheen.

In 1994, Elwes joined William Morris and headed William Morris Independent Film for 15 years. He arranged financing for indie hits such as “Slingblade” and “The Apostle,” both of which were nominated for multiple Academy Awards. “Monster’s Ball” was their historic follow up as Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. In the end he had arranged financing and distribution for 283 films during his tenure at William Morris.

Since leaving William Morris 10 years ago, Elwes has either produced or executive produced more than 70 films such as David Lowery’s “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”, which was nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Feature, Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine” starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, for which Williams was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, and the hit period drama “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” which featured an all-star cast headed by Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.

He also executive produced J.C. Chandor’s “All Is Lost” starring Robert Redford and executive produced and arranged financing for the Academy Award winning hit “Dallas Buyers Club” directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, starring Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner.

Most recently, Elwes produced both the multiple Academy Award nominated “Mudbound”, directed by Dee Rees, which Netflix distributed, and Dee Rees’ latest film, “The Last Thing He Wanted,” starring Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck and Willem Dafoe, which Netflix will distribute. “Dreamland,” starring Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer, and Evangeline Lilly, and “Best Sellers,” starring Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza, are in currently in post-production.

Chris McGurk is chairman and CEO of Cineverse, a publicly traded entertainment company on a mission to uplift storytellers and entertain fans with the power of technology.

Cineverse distributes content across all windows and platforms, from theatrical to digital to physical, and most recently released the breakout box office success, Terrifier 3 which opened at number 1 and was lauded by the Ringer as an “indie horror hit.”

McGurk has enjoyed a long and transformative executive career in the film, TV and streaming content industries. Before joining Cineverse in 2011, McGurk was the founder and CEO of Overture Films and CEO of Anchor Bay Entertainment. Prior to that, McGurk served in several executive leadership roles including Vice Chairman and COO of MGM Studios, President and COO of Universal Pictures and President of The Walt Disney Motion Picture Group.

of Marketing, she tells the story of Cineverse – overseeing the strategy and execution of all marketing, communication and creative initiatives for the company across releases, products, brands and business lines. Lauren leads a customer-obsessed team to build engaging and effective title, brand, business and consumer narratives – supporting revenue generators with measurable, data driven results.

Most recently her team designed and executed the campaign for the highest grossing unrated movie in history, Terrifier 3, which opened at No. 1 at the box office thanks in part to what Forbes referred to as a “Masterclass in niche marketing.”

Prior to Cineverse, she has held senior roles in the technology space, including at SaaS startup Tangelo.ai, along with various marketing, product, creative strategy and filmed entertainment positions, including VP Creative Affairs at Broad Green Pictures.

Lauren also has a number of producer credits to her name spanning independent and major studio releases. This includes The Transfiguration, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the 2018 Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, Wish Upon, directed by Jon Leonetti (Annabelle), starring Joey King and Ryan Phillippe, as well as Bad Santa 2, Break Point and Learning to Drive.

Additionally, Lauren is an advisor to the top-rated entrepreneurial course, “NUVention: Arts & Media” at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering. Self-described as “Funny, Ha Ha,” is a graduate of the Second City Chicago, and lives in Southern California with her husband—actor Jerry Minor—and their son.

Thomas K. Arnold is the publisher and editorial director of Media Play News, one of the five Hollywood trades and the only one to focus on home distribution: streaming, digital transactional, and disc. Arnold is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, summits and other events, including CES, Digital Hollywood and events produced by trade groups OTT.X and DEG. He has appeared on television to talk about home entertainment issues on CNN’s “Showbiz Tonight,” “Entertainment Tonight,” and the G4 network’s “Attack of the Show.” Arnold is a veteran journalist who has been published in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the San Diego Union-Tribune, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, San Diego Magazine, Billboard, Ad Age, the San Diego Reader and various other local, national and regional publications.

Chris Gore is a comedian and writer who was a regular on G4TV’s Attack of the Show. He is also the founder of Film Threat, the author of several movie books including the Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, writer/producer of the feature comedy My Big Fat Independent Movie.

Chris has appeared as a film expert on MSNBC, E!, CNN, Reelz Channel and has also hosted shows on FX, Starz, IFC as well as G4TV’s Attack of the Show.

As an author, Chris has written “The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made” (St. Martin’s Press) and “The Complete DVD Book” (Michael Wiese Publications). His book “The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide” (Random House) is considered the bible of the industry and is required reading at film school.

His stories have appeared in magazines, online and trades such as The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Video Business, Total Movie, Spin, Details, Men’s Health, ChinaShopMag.com, WaywardNerd.com and Playboy.com.

Richard “RB” Botto is the Founder and CEO of Stage 32, a working screenwriter, best-selling author, actor and producer. As the CEO of Stage 32, RB oversees the world’s largest online tech platform connecting and educating the global entertainment industry with over 1 million members in the community. Stage 32 is the education partner of Netflix, the American Film Market, Canon and the Cannes Film Festival Marche du Film. As a screenwriter, RB has sold feature screenplays and recently set up a television series he created at Amblin. As a producer, his films have played at dozens of festivals including Cannes, Sundance, SXSW and Raindance. As an actor, his latest film On the Corner of Ego and Desire recently premiered at the Raindance Film Festival. 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 has hit #1 in 6 different film and business-related categories. The book can be found on Amazon and Audible, where it has garnered over 100 5-star reviews.

RB has been a keynote speaker and panelist all over the world at such festivals and conferences as the Cannes Film Festival (France), American Film Market (US), Tribeca Film Festival (US), Austin Film Festival (US), SXSW (US), Cinequest (US), Winston Baker (US), Hollyshorts Film Festival (US), Raindance Film Festival (UK), FOCUS (UK), Hamburg Film Fest (Germany), Trinidad & Tobago Film Commission (Trinidad), Fest Festival (Portugal), Black Nights Film Festival (Estonia), USC (US), Columbia University (US) and Harvard (US) on the business of the entertainment industry.

Jeff Deverett defines himself first and foremost as an independent filmmaker. Over the past 15 years Jeff has independently financed and produced nine feature films in the budget range of $700k to $1.4M. Three of his movies, FULL OUT, FULL OUT 2 – YOU GOT THIS!, and KISS & CRY were picked up by Netflix for worldwide distribution. Jeff co-wrote and directed five of these movies and won the Best Director Award for his movie GOD INCORPORATED at the Chandler International Film Festival.

In addition to being a film Producer & Director, Jeff spent the first 25 years of his film career in the Film Distribution business, selling & marketing movies & TV shows. Having worked for several major media companies and ultimately founding and owning his own film distribution company, Jeff has attended hundreds of film festivals and film markets worldwide and has focused mainly on family genre films and children’s programming including iconic brands BARNEY, BOB THE BUILDER, THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE, and many more.

Jeff is an Adjunct Professor in the film/TV department at SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY where he teaches two courses on the business & legal aspects of filmmaking including financing, budgeting, scheduling, distribution, marketing, and film tax credits. With a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School (Toronto, Canada) and a finance degree from University of Toronto, Jeff is well versed in all aspects of Law, Finance, Intellectual Property and film Producing. Jeff has recently been recruited by UCLA EXTENSION where he will begin teaching two courses in 2025, FILM PRODUCING, and FILM LEGAL ISSUES.

As a Professional Film Consultant, Jeff provides guidance and insights to hundreds of indie filmmakers worldwide who need assistance in getting their projects financed, produced, and distributed & marketed with a focus on both artistic and financial success. Jeff is the Founder and CEO of THE INDIE FILM COMMUNITY, an online platform for film education and guidance. In 2023 Jeff authored & introduced Assembly Bill 1421(AB-1421) to the California State Legislature to create a financial tax credit incentive program for films with budgets under $1.0 million.

Jeff is extremely passionate about filmmaking and loves to share his years of experience and knowledge with aspiring students & filmmakers.

A Juilliard trained actor turned award-winning producer, Woertendyke is the founder of Noble Gas Media and the regular producing partner of David Corenswet, Dane Elcar, and others. NGM’s first feature, sci-fi horror BRIGHTWOOD earned 94% Fresh on RT, was called “a masterclass” in The Guardian, became a viral touchstone on #horrortok where non-sponsored content about the film saw 12M+ views, and did 5x in sales vs. budget from TVOD in the first two Qs of release. Other recent projects include REAL LIVE GIRL (dir. by Corenswet, written by BAFTA nom Manon Gage), MILQUETOAST (dir. by Eliza Huberth, starring Vella Lovell and Kayhun Kim), DAD’S RUNNING CLUB (dir. by Claire Siebers, starring Alex Breaux), and WOMAN IN THE SKY, his own documentary (DP’d by Corenswet) about abstract expressionist Jon Schueler and Magda Salvesen, his widow who’s kept his legacy alive. ‍He’s producing Elcar’s second feature, a techno-thriller with horror elements, and was this year’s Keynote Speaker at Juilliard’s Entrepreneurship Symposium, “Creativity as Business” hosted out of Lincoln Center. As a performer, Max’s credits include “Succession”, “Longmire”, an upcoming “Untitled Marvel show”, and Tony, Obie and Audelco winning plays. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son.

Since 2006, Paul Bales has been the Chief Operating Officer and Partner at The Asylum, a production and distribution company based in Burbank, California.

The Asylum finances, produces and releases 25 films per year through its direct pipeline to the nation’s top retailers and its network of international partners. Since its founding in 1997, The Asylum has released more than 500 films and built a library of over 300 original productions, including top-rated series’ for Syfy and Netflix, and, the Sharknado franchise.

Prior to joining The Asylum, Paul was National Director of SAGIndie, the Screen Actors Guild outreach program for independent producers. He is a Board Member of the Independent Film & Television Alliance.

EFURU FLOWERS is a dynamic force in film distribution, sales, and production, with a career that began at John Singleton’s New Deal Productions. This experience laid the foundation for a passion for bringing compelling stories to audiences worldwide.

As the founder of Flourishing Films, a sales, distribution, and production company, Flowers has orchestrated the release of diverse content, including features, shorts, and documentaries that have screened at prestigious festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca, Cannes, Hot Docs, Toronto, ABFF, and BlackStar. Recent titles distributed by Flourishing Films include Three Ways, Holiday Hideaway, Ayiti Mon Amour, Right Near The Beach, Paper Friends, Dreamstates, A Moving Image, The Revolution Won’t Be Televised, and Night Shift.

In addition to distribution achievements, Flowers has produced and executive produced a range of acclaimed projects, such as Hulu’s Three Ways; Fox’s presentation of Kim Cole’s stage play Homework; Sundance Official Selection Night Shift starring Tunde Adebimpe (The Idol) and China Shavers (Judas and the Black Messiah); Urbanworld’s ‘Til Death with Tamala Jones (Castle) and Sherman Augustus (Into the Badlands); and ABFF’s Looking For Me, featuring Dayna Dooley (Insecure, The Upshaws).

Most recently, Flowers launched Flourishing Films’ YouTube movie channel, further expanding the company’s reach. Her latest production, Summer of Violence (2024), marks the feature directorial debut of Nicki Micheaux (Good Trouble, In The Dark, Lincoln Heights), and premiered in theaters, starring Kasey Inez (The David Project) and Jahking Guillory (Kicks, On My Block).

Flowers is an alum of the Producers Guild of America’s The Power of Diversity program, Sundance Institute’s Financing Intensive, and Berlinale Talents (Sales & Distribution).