Jane is a storyteller. Through her company, FilmMcQueen, she has brought numerous shorts and 3 feature films to life, winning 18 awards and another 8 nominations by envisioning strong characters in visceral environments. She has worked in film with actors such as Lukas Haas, David Arquette, Candis Cayne, Wilson Cruz, Theo Rossi and Necar Zadigan, as well as Emmy-winning sound wizard, Andy D'Addario ("Mozart in the Jungle"), Emmy award-winning DP Per Larsson ("The Amazing Race") and musician C...
7 years ago, Jason co-founded Spectrum Laboratory (aka Spec Labs), along with Garth Herberg, and what an amazing wild ride it’s been! Spectrum Laboratory was founded in 2015 with the idea of creating original works of film, music, and animation with autistic and neurodivergent artists looking to gain experience and an education of what it would be like to work in the entertainment industry. Jason and Garth started Spec Labs with the idea of creating professional content with their autistic an...
Cathy’s career as a professional actor span over 3 decades. Her strong comedic ability paired with one of the quickest wits has kept her gainfully employed in the entertainment industry. McAuley considers herself a journeyman actor as she has been able to successfully weave theater, television, film, and voiceover into her ever evolving body of work. McAuley also holds an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the University of Hawaii. Cathy is blessed with the nicest guy on the planet she calls h...
As President of the Orange County Asperger's Support Group, Judy is driving programming to help individuals and families dealing with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's improve their quality of life. In this role, Judy has uniquely developed the use of Toastmasters to help those with ASD improve communication and enhance social interaction. am a co-chair on the Thompson Policy Institute OC Transition Initiative where I am part of the business outreach group. I am currently focused on expa...
Three years ago, Cynthia discovered her deep passion for storytelling in the form of screenwriting, and ever since, her stories have focused on empowering and celebrating the human experience and spirit. Cynthia weaves magic into her stories and characters by using her rich, familial heritage, ancestral faith, and generational resilience.In 2021, Cynthia made her directorial debut with the award-winning film, "Dukkha," a film based on her journey to sobriety that she created as a mentee in th...
The industry has undergone a major shift in Hollywood and the job of Executive Producer and Showrunner is not what it once was. Fortunately, Leslie digs deep with Christian Jean to discuss the state of the industry.
Sam Okun Productions is a film and television development and financing company specializing in the discovery and production of forward thinking content with broad international and multi-generational appeal. In collaboration with other leading production companies, financiers, and film studios, Sam Okun and his team consistently strive to push boundaries with modern adaptations of classic novels by some of the most world renowned best selling authors while also working with young, up and com...
Why are you giving away festival rights to distribution companies? Let's discuss. In this episode, Leslie goes deep into the 5 things that are a must know before signing a distribution deal.
Author of Breaking In: Tales from the Screenwriting Trenches from Focal Press and Getting It Write: An Insider’s Guide To A Screenwriting Career published in 2014, Lee Jessup is a career coach for screenwriters, with an exclusive focus on the screenwriter’s professional development. Her clients include working film and television writers including showrunners and A-list studio writers, writers who sold feature specs, original pilots and pitches to major studios and networks, as well as contes...
Brian Beckmann serves as CFO/COO at Arclight Films, the leading worldwide sales and production company for theatrical, television, and home entertainment media. Beckman’s prolific career includes over 30 years of experience as a CFO/COO, including 13 years at Arclight. He has worked in a variety of industries from film/entertainment, media/advertising, to advanced technology. He is well versed in all aspects of film finance, distribution, tax incentives, and production operations....
Sean joined GFM Animation to develop and expand the slate of 2D and CG animated movies. We not only help finance, pre-sell and distribute films – but also help in setting budgets, tweaking scripts and artwork for sales and production, sourcing studios, overseeing schedules and key milestones.With a 20 year career in animation and VFX, Sean Feeney brings considerable knowledge and extensive experience. His credits include shows produced with Disney, Splash, M2/LEGO, Anima, Mattel, Hasbro and t...
Colletti's first produced feature, which was also his directorial debut, "Safe House," was the official selection of six major film festivals around the world: Slamdance, Slamdance Cannes, Hollywood Black Film Festival, San Francisco Black Film Festival, German Verzanbet Film Festival and Febiofest in Prague.With a film background in editing, Colletti's transition from the editing room to behind the camera has been seamless. He brought with him fifteen years of studio feature film experience,...
Daniel Carsenty:Berlinale Talents alumni Daniel Carsenty wrote and directed the thriller 'After Spring Comes Fall' in 2015. It won the award for Best Feature at the Zsigmond Vilmos Festival.His second film, 'The Devil's Drivers', a documentary about a Bedouin smuggler, premiered at TIFF in 2021, won the Special Jury Award at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, and was nominated by the Cinema for Peace Foundation for Best Documentary.A graduate of the American Film Institute directing progr...
Alexis IaconoGrowing up Bayside, Queens, New York, Alexis' artistic sensibilities have been shaped by a world-class theatre and arts community. Her early stage work included playing Elle in The Meadowlark, portraying Fay Wray (King Kong) She has studied at New York City's HB Studio and the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Alexis Iacono has been brought to the attention of mainstream audiences worldwide for her Female Goblin voice character in the 2011 World of Warcraft Cataclysm video game an...
Jon is a filmmaker who works primarily on short and feature narrative films. After starting out working in production departments and as a script supervisor on indie films in New York City, he began writing, directing, and producing my own and others' movies. He is particularly interested in dark comedy, thriller, and horror satire films about people navigating powerful societal pressures. Aside from his film work, he is a co-founder and board member of Yspaniola, an education and human right...
Michael Friberg is an award winning editorial and commercial photographer who somehow figured out how to make films despite the fact that the camera equipment is significantly more complicated than stills cameras. His work has appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Esquire, The New Yorker, Time Magazine , Wired, GQ and many more. He has photographed projects on Syrian refugees in the Middle East, celebrities, water and environmental issues in the West, and everything in between....
BriGuel, Brianne and Miguel, are a NYC artist couple. The duo produces bilingual, genre borderless music, and film. While collaborating with MusicPromoToday BriGuel released seven singles and two EPs, as well as launched a documentary movie that was featured on Tribeca Film Festival.
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 20 films, written and sold 25+ screenplays, and has starred in many films.The roster of films produced by Malloy over the years includes, 2022's Rear View Mirrors, starring Erika Christensen, Pene...
Writer, producer and teacher. Born in Madrid, the son of film director Carlos Saura and film teacher and journalist Adela Medrano, brother of film director Saura Medrano.Either as executive of the film companies LolaFilms and Iberoamericana Films, or as executive producer for the film production companies Zebra Producciones and La Fiera Corrupia, Antonio Saura has produced many films in recent years, including Carlos Saura's Salomé (2002) (Best Artistic contribution Montreal 2002), Antonio He...
Clay Epstein is President of Film Mode Entertainment, a worldwide sales and production company he launched in March 2016 which aims to present 10-15 theatrical titles a year.Prior to founding Film Mode, Epstein spent several years at Arclight Films as Senior Vice President, Sales and Acquisitions. While there, he represented such feature films as Dog Eat Dog, Paper Planes, Predestination, and Last Knights.Before joining Arclight in 2012, Epstein worked at The Little Film Company where he serv...