Debby Ryan

Article by LANA BERKOWITZ, Houston Chronicle. This story is about Debby Ryan, the star of 16 Wishes, which is out on DVD in a Special Edition for a limited time only  this month at retailers everywhere. When Disney Channel star Debby Ryan heard the words “parade” and “Texas,” she did not hesitate to say yes to the Thanksgiving invitation.

Ryan, who plays Bailey Pickett on The Suite Life on Deck, will be the celebrity co-host for KHOU’s broadcast of the H-E-B Holiday Day parade that begins at 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day at Minute Maid Park.

The 17-year-old said the network people know that she is obsessed with parades. And when it comes to appearances in Texas, Ryan said: “I’m totally already packed and ready to go.”

Ryan lived in Killeen and Germany before her family settled in the Dallas/Fort Worth area when she 10 years old. When she landed the role in the comedy series starring Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Ryan and her mother moved to Los Angeles.

Texas is well-represented on the Disney lot. Selena Gomez and Jennifer Stone of Wizards of Waverly Place,Mitchel Musso of Hannah Montana plus Demi Lovato and Tiffany Thornton of Sonny With a Chance have Lone Star State connections. Also there are extras and people behind the scenes who share Texas roots.

“I love L.A. people. They are very artistic and very fun, but there’s nothing quite like someone who understands craving a good sweet tea and staying home to watch the college game. It’s definitely a different life,” Ryan said. After the parade, Ryan will spend time with family in San Antonio.

Ryan loooooves parades, she says, and this will be her first time as a commentator. “I have a lot of opinions, and I do love to talk,” she said.

Ryan, who starred in and recorded music for the Disney Channel film 16 Wishes, is not sure which path her future will take.

“I actually started out to get into dramatic film acting,” Ryan said, but she has come to love the art of sitcom.

“I’m really finding this amazing magic in the sitcom world that I’m loving and kind of not wanting to leave behind,” she said. “But I would love to expand into producing. Developing maybe a pilot or even like a movie for television. Something like that would really be fun to do.” For the rest of the article, click here.

In the last session of the Filmmaker Forum, Anne Thompson moderated this panel, who said that effect from piracy is more severe on independent filmmakers. The MPA said the studios have a infrastructure in place to protect their content.

The Cinetic Rights Management representative said that digital distribution piracy has become a scapegoat for films that underperform.

The Hurt Locker was sited.

Avatar was the most downloaded pirated movie and sold the most copies too.

Filmmakers and musicians who focus on ways to connect with fans overall experience are most successful.

Hulu.com was created to monetize pirated content. They gave the example of selling bottled water. People do buy fancy water even though they can get it free.

The MPA rep said what keeps him up at night is  that consumers are getting used to getting content from one place – and thinking I can get whatever I want – for free.

Unthinkable with Samuel Jackson went from #3200 to 863 to #3 on IMDB a few weeks before commercial release.

The Unthinkable producer said they expected 800,000 dvd sales but got around 450,000. Producer said “Maybe it didn’t hurt” that it was available on the Internet on pirated sites.

9 inch Nails music ex.  He connects w/ his fan base. Make people feel good about your work and content.

Give them a real reason to buy. 9 Inch Nails put 36 tracks on line for free with a creative commons license and said if you “Want” pay $5 for all 36 songs, then for $10 get a CD, for $75, get deluxe package and for $2500 limited quality available, get the ultra deluxe which they sold out of.

There’s a lot of evidence that VOD doesn’t impact theatrical.

Rainn Wilson has been tweeting about his last film in production, Super. Interesting to see how that affects its success when its finally released. Twitter users seem to want stuff NOW.

On June 30 the MPA seized 9 web sites.

I have to say, I was again struck by the fact that independent filmmakers really have their work cut out for them and yet, there’s something exciting about being able to break the mold and come up with your own model.

At the networking event, I talked to the president of the Association of Film Commissioners International, film commissioners from Lake Tahoe and Utah, (where they just shot 127 Hours,) and someone from the American Humane Society who said they would come when you film anything with animals.

Also met the CEO of the Creative Coalition in NY who brings together artists and entertainers to learn about pressing issues so they can better inform and influence the community and nation.

Finally, I met Thiago Bento, the CEO of Lumiart Brasil. He gave me their short called Piece of Paper. I enjoyed seeing their work, and there were no sub titles, which I appreciated. Check out more at their web site.

I missed Saturday but you can read the keynote address by Lionsgate co-COO and president of its Motion Picture Group, Joe Drake here. Thanks to Film Independent for putting on another great event for our community.

Stephanie & Filmmaker Ondi Timoner at the 2010 Filmmaker Forum

I really enjoyed lunch at the Filmmaker Forum. FIND sets it up so that different industry executives, producers, etc. are spread out at different tables that have signs with their names and then attendees get to sit with people they are interested in talking to and learning from.

I had lunch with filmmaker Ondi Timoner of the unforgettable documentary, We Live in Public. I first saw her and her film at the LA Film Festival in 2008. She’s working on Into the Unknown with Honda, and Library of Dust. I haven’t seen her film Dig yet, either but she and everyone at our lunch table insisted I see it.  (I also noticed a full page ad in the LA Times for Cool It listing her as a Director. Looks like an interesting flick.)

Also I was excited to meet Wendy Cohen from Participant Media at lunch. She worked on Waiting for Superman and spoke on the marketing panel that followed lunch. I’ve always been so impressed with Participant (Oceans, The Cove, An Inconvenient Truth, The Kite Runner, The Informant – it goes on and on.)

Marketing panel thoughts

Think about outreach

Made in LA case study, they tied in activism with film screenings.

Be where conversations are happening.

Add widgets for Facebook and Twitter.

Wendy discussed the FoodInc hashtag example from Participant. They used #foodinc whenever discussing food or foodie related tweets, and their tag was used by others, which also promoted their film.

She says, be a source of other related information, not just info on your film.

A strategic high-level publicist can be hugely important to a film.

You need an advocate, someone besides you who really loves your film.

Blue Lite Jazz example came up a few times during the day. They just earned a significant amount on Kickstarter.

Who is your audience?

Tomorrow I’ll post the final part of this 3 part report.

Robert Baruc at 2010 Filmmaker Forum

Yesterday I attended the Film Independent (FIND) 2010 Filmmaker Forum at the Directors Guild of America in LA.  I was interested in hearing what the experts were sharing with independent filmmakers about the new methods and strategies for prioritizing distribution platforms and the threat of piracy.  There was also a pretty good marketing session and the FIND conference produced an amazing book with the schedule, bios, industry resources and case studies that I’m still reading.

I had a chance to meet Robert Baruc, president of Screen Media Films, a domestic distribution company before his talk where he gave a thorough run down of the current landscape.  He reiterated that he is always surprised about what filmmakers don’t know about distribution before they do a deal. First he covered the difference between a distribution deal and royalties.

Robert says most of the time, theatrical is not the way to go for independent films, but most independent filmmakers really want theatrical.  If that’s the case, maybe start in LA and NY and expand out to the top ten or twenty markets after that.

City Island was mentioned as a successful film that did a slow roll out. The film’s budget was around 6.2 Million.

Then with the DVD market, there’s rentals and sell through. Netflix and Redbox were listed as examples of new, profitable companies.  Apparently RedBox is going to have around 27,000 kiosks by the end of the year.

HBO is more interested in original content then independent films now. Showtime and Stars Encore might be better targets.  Sundance Channel obviously, also shows the films associated w/ their festival and workshops.

His recommendation in discussing international distribution was to split up the rights. That way you have money coming in from two places to see some back end.

Distributors take fees and out of pocket expenses out first, but don’t let them include overhead.

You should always have the right to audit your distributor.

It’s not a bad idea to spend some money and get some buzz on your movie. He said to hire a social media company.

In the distribution case studies session,

Producers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly discussed their case study for The Way We Get By. Their documentary is about 3 retired seniors who greeted or thanked over 1.2 million troops who passed through Bangor, Maine.  The DVD comes out tomorrow, Nov. 2.

Bangor Savings was a key sponsor, spending $100,000 for marketing around local screening and the opening, and in return they got new clients, good will, awards..

Their theatrical window crossed with their VOD offering. They used Wendy at International Film Circuit of NY, who luckily had another successful film at the same time so they piggybacked on Yoohoo Mrs. Goldberg.

The filmmakers said they don’t take no for an answer. No just means yes at some point in the future.

They used marketing students nationally, including Harvard Business School to create marketing plans and statistics. They basically called the professors and pitched the involvement as a worthy project.

They said making film is a small hurdle, getting people to see it is the hard part.

Ask yourself, where is this film going to go?

I was most impressed with this anecodote. Pullapilly actually went to the buyer at Barnes and Noble who essentially said, no, they would never do a deal with them, as they were too small. She then went to president of Barnes and Noble who eventually instructed a distributor to carry them so they could complete a deal. They will now have end caps, etc.

Celline Rattray, President of Mandalay Vision did a case study about The Kids are Alright. She had 13 investors come on as a result of having distribution early on and a studio. Then she lost the distributor and studio but managed to keep the investors. She had a $2M gross corridor in her deal.  Her original budget was 8-9M but she shaved it down to $4.5M.

Embrace self distribution and create your own model was the closing tip. I had a lot of notes, so I’m doing a 3 part report. Part 2 tomorrow.

Richard Walter signs books at 2010 Screenwriting Expo

This past weekend was the 9^th annual Screenwriting Expo at LAX Hilton. Over four days, they offered a jam packed schedule with seminars along with the Golden Pitch Fest which ran in conjunction w/ an expo of schools, instructors and The Writer’s Store.  Here’s some thoughts, a list of resources and a master list of recommended films to watch from all of the above.

I attended sessions from some of the top screenwriting instructors and consultants in the industry and best of all, I finally met Jeff Goldsmith of Creative Screenwriting Magazine, who has been offering informative podcasts of Q&A’s with the best writers in the industry for the past several years.  His sessions are one of the most entertaining and informative resources for screenwriters today.

I was also excited to finally meet Professor Richard Walter of UCLA’s Screenwriting Program.

John August was one of the key note speakers who I found really inspiring. He’s had a dream career ranging from writing Charlie’s Angels to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and worked with directors like Tim Burton.

Another cool attendee was speaker, professional screenwriter Neo Edmund. Neo is a real success story as he attended the first conference and ultimately sold a script and is working as a writer today. He laughed when I asked if he had sold a script at the Pitch Fest when he attended 9 years ago and told me that it was just a lot of hard work and follow up that ultimately led to his success.

Saturday night the final evening’s networking event was topped off by a memorable session of Screenwriter Karaoke, which is actually hosted monthly at Sardo’s in Burbank. Always a good time – thanks to Merrell and Xandy.

I met some terrific people from LA, as well from all over the country and a few from outside the US.  Friend me on Facebook or Follow me on Twitter to stay in touch and keep me posted on your projects, and good luck!

Some Resources from 2010 Screenwriting Expo

1. http://OnThePage.TV
2. http://johnaugust.com
3. http://flyingwrestler.com
4. http://Jdscreenwriting.com
5. http://Marilynhorowitz.com
6. http://Richardwalter.com
7. http://Screenplaymastery.com
8. http://Storysense.com
9. http://Inktip.com
10. http://Withoutabox.com
11. http://karliglesias.com
12. http://nobullscript.net
13. http://scriptwritersnetwork.org
14. http://daramarks.com
15. http://kaplancomedy.com
16. http://covermyscript.com

Comprehensive list of suggested films by various instructors at the Expo (note not all were suggested as good examples – but as examples employing certain devices, etc..)

We are helping promote the upcoming Scottsdale Screenwriting Conference that is taking place Nov. 6. Click here to register.

One of our guest speakers, Professor Richard Walter of UCLA just shared this piece with us for attendees. Enjoy!

Little things look like big things.

Every one of the billions of cells in our body contains enough information in its DNA to replicate the entire body of which it is only the smallest part.

Shatter a substance into its smallest parts, its atoms, and observe there a reflection of something that looks very much like the whole universe, with electrons as planets in orbit around their nuclei, reminiscent of the earth in orbit around the sun.

During part of our upcoming Scottsdale workshop we’ll work our way backwards, that is, we’ll subject the first couple of pages of several scripts to preposterously close scrutiny, shattering it into its parts, extrapolating key screenwriting principles. It’s one thing to consider screenwriting issues in the abstract, and quite another to engage them from the inside, embracing a hands-on approach. In this manner the precepts take on meaning and heft enabling writers to exploit them effectively in plying their scripts.

We’ll see that in screenplays, too, little things look like big things. That is, individual parts of screenplays in many ways resemble the whole picture. Not the whole screenplay alone but also individual scenes within the screenplay have precise beginnings, middles, and ends. Even parts of parts–for example lines of dialogue–should in a sense resemble the entire film of which they are a part.

We’ll demonstrate that even a mere line of dialogue has a clear beginning, middle, and end. We’ll appreciate that this is true even for a line of dialogue that consists of only a single word.

The purpose? To address the single biggest problem afflicting movies: overwriting. Too many words, too many pages, too much description, too many directions to the actors, too many minutes in the movies.

I’m looking forward to working once again with Arizona writers at an event where we’ll explore and apply some of the key principles addressed in my new book Essentials of Screenwriting.

About the Author: Richard Walter

Richard Walter is a celebrated storytelling guru, movie industry expert, and longtime chairman of UCLA’s legendary graduate program in screenwriting. A screenwriter and published novelist, his latest book, Essentials of Screenwriting, is available in stores now. Professor Walter lectures throughout North America and the world and serves as a court authorized expert in intellectual property litigation.  For more information and to order the new Essentials of Screenwriting, visit www.richardwalter.com.

Shelly Mellott, Editor in Chief of Script Magazine, had an important editorial this month, “Net Neutrality and Writers,” in the September/October, 2010 issue. After visiting some of the web sites she suggested for additional information, I thought the following piece by ColorofChange.org said it best.  Please join Shelly and myself in signing a petition and spreading the word.

The Internet has made amazing things possible, like freeing the Jena 6 and electing President Obama. None of it could have happened without an “open” Internet: one where Internet service providers are not allowed to interfere with what is seen and by whom.

Now, Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon — the most powerful broadband providers — are trying to fundamentally change the way the Internet works. They’re seeking to make even bigger profits by acting as gatekeepers over what we see and do online. If they succeed, the Internet would be more like radio and television: a few major corporations would control which voices are heard most easily, and it would be much harder for grassroots groups, individuals, and small businesses to compete with large corporations and well-funded special interests.

The FCC wants to do the right thing and keep the Internet open, but the big providers have been attacking their efforts, with help from Black leaders who have financial ties to the industry. And a recent court ruling just made the FCC’s job even tougher.[1] If the FCC is to preserve an open Internet, they will have to boldly assert their authority and press even harder. It’s why they need to hear directly from everyday people about the importance of an open Internet, now.

Will you join me in sending a message to the Federal Communications Commission supporting their effort to preserve an open Internet? It takes only a moment: http://www.colorofchange.org/opennet/?id=1889-1391115

The FCC is working to create rules that would protect “net neutrality,” the principle that protects an open and free Internet and which has guided the Internet’s operation since it began. It guarantees that information you put online is treated the same as anyone else’s information in terms of its basic ability to travel across the Internet. Your own personal website or blog can compete on equal footing with the biggest companies. It’s the reason the Internet is so diverse — and so powerful. Anyone with a good idea can find their audience online, whether or not there’s money to promote the idea or money to be made from it.

AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon are spending millions of dollars lobbying to create a new system where they can charge large fees to speed up some data while leaving those who can’t afford to pay in the slow lane.[2] Such a system could end the Internet as we know it — giving wealthier voices on the Internet a much bigger megaphone than poorer voices, and stunting the Internet’s amazing equalizing potential.

Buying the support of Black organizations?

President Obama strongly supports net neutrality, and so do most members of the FCC. With so much at stake for Black communities, you would expect Black leaders and civic organizations to line up in support of an open Internet.

But instead, a group of Black civic organizations is challenging the adoption of net neutrality rules. Some of the groups are nothing more than front groups for the phone and cable companies. Others, however, are major civil rights groups — and all of them have significant financial ties to the nation’s biggest Internet service providers. For example, AT&T donated half a million dollars last year to the NAACP, and led a drive to raise $5 million more[3], and boasts of donating nearly $3 million over the last ten years to a number of Black-led organizations.[4] Verizon, meanwhile, recently gave The National Urban League and the National Council of La Raza a $2.2 million grant.[5] Comcast is one of the National Urban League’s “national partners” (Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen now sits on the NUL’s Board of Trustees)[6], and the NUL’s 2008 annual report notes that Comcast donated over $1 million that year.[7] Many of these groups have now filed letters with the FCC opposing or cautioning against net neutrality,[8,9,10,11] and the Internet service providers are using the groups’ support to promote their agenda in Washington.[12,13]

The main argument put forth by these groups is that net neutrality rules would widen the digital divide. They say that unless we allow Internet service providers to make bigger profits by acting as gatekeepers online, they won’t expand Internet access in under-served communities. It’s a bogus, trickle-down argument that has been thoroughly debunked.[14, 15] Expanding access to high speed Internet is an extremely important goal. But Internet service providers are already making huge profits,[16, 17] and if they believed that investing in low-income communities made good business sense, they would already be doing it. Allowing them to make more money by acting as toll-takers on the Internet won’t change that. When these civil rights groups have been asked to back up their arguments, none have been able to do so without appealing to discredited, industry-funded studies.[18] Nevertheless, the FCC has taken notice of what these civil rights groups are saying about net neutrality, and is wary of going against them for fear of being perceived as insensitive to minority concerns.[19]

Now it’s up to you

The FCC wants to do the right thing and implement net neutrality rules. FCC commissioners know, as we do, that the anti-net neutrality arguments coming from civil rights groups are bogus. But they don’t want to appear to be on the wrong side of Black interests.[20] We need to demonstrate that there’s support among Black folks and everyone else for protecting an open Internet. Please join me in telling the FCC that we support net neutrality. You can add your voice here: http://www.colorofchange.org/opennet/?id=1889-1391115 Thanks.

1. http://bit.ly/drWbQ3
2. http://www.savetheinternet.com/threats-open-internet
3. http://bit.ly/akyXZS
4. http://bit.ly/aGOz89
5. http://www.nclr.org/content/news/detail/54262/
6. http://bit.ly/93zDr6
7. http://bit.ly/dnqyq4
8. http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7020141807
9. http://mmtconline.org/lp-pdf/NatlOrgs%20NN%20Comments%20011410.pdf
10. http://colorofchange.org/opennet/jan-letter.pdf
11. http://colorofchange.org/opennet/naacp-letters.pdf
12. http://colorofchange.org/opennet/usindustry-letter.pdf
13. http://bit.ly/d8GdOu
14. http://www.freepress.net/files/nn_fact_v_fiction_final.pdf
15. http://bit.ly/ay0dx7
16. http://bit.ly/9JQSDk
17. http://nyti.ms/cZaGq8
18. http://bit.ly/cpPA51
19. http://huff.to/awKtvk
20. http://huff.to/awKtvk

Using Social Media for Business

Digital Media Recommendations & Resources

Linked In (http://linkedin.com )

• A “must” social media site for business networking.
• Give & request recommendations for colleagues past and present.
• Review discussions to see if you can add value posting content.
• Update regularly and consider automating status with other platforms.

Facebook (http://facebook.com )

• Create a basic profile; use privacy settings carefully.
• Consider creating a page for your business.
• Like and join a range of pages to learn & experiment.
• Create an ad just to see in depth demographics of users.
• Business posts should be relevant. Ask questions. Run contests.

Twitter  (http://twitter.com) (http://tweetdeck.com)

• Get your business and personal handle TODAY
• Monitor (and follow) clients, prospects, competitors, and industry information

FourSquare (http://foursquare.com)

• GPS based mobile application ideal for restaurant, hotel, retail
• Consider creating a “Special Nearby” deal for customers
• Give discounts to loyal customers and encourage tips

YouTube (http://youtube.com )

• 2^nd biggest search engine after Google
• Great way to introduce yourself, your business or product and separate yourself from your competition
• Keep them brief between 1-3 minutes is ideal

General Thoughts

• You must have a marketing strategy before you jump in. These are simply new tools in your toolbox.
• Consider hiring an intern or assign social media to monitor, post content that you create.
• Develop company social media guidelines for your employees.
• Be authentic.  Use photography & videos to maximize impact & differentiate yourself.
• Linking to others, and encouraging links helps increase SEO rankings.

5 Video Ideas

1. Introduce yourself, your business, products and/or services.
2. Ask a happy client to do a customer testimonial.
3. Do a live report from a relevant conference or event.
4. Take videos for a non profit you volunteer for and help promote.
5. Do a How To video for something that you are known for.

Helpful Links for Twitter

http://TwitHawk.com

http://Twitthis.com

http://Tweepler.com

http://Twimailer.com

http://Twellow.com

http://Twitoria.com

http://Exectweets.com

http://Futuretweets.com

http://Twtlong.com

http://Tweetmeme.com

http://Bubbletweet.com.com

http://Twittergallery.com

http://Twtpoll.com

http://Twtvite.com

http://Twtqpon.com

http://Twtbizcard.com

http://Twittergrader.com

http://Rssfriends.com

After you sign up for Twitter, if you follow me and tweet a reference to us and @NAWBOPhx, we’ll follow you!

Suggested first tweet: Thank you for getting my small business (name) on Twitter @LaunchFlix !

Does all of this sound like a lot of effort? It is, but it’s a lot of fun, too, and it can bring results for your business. Remember, you can also hire a consultant or firm to do it for you! Good luck!

For more information, contact us

602-793-6156 phone

steph@launchflix.com

Twitter @launchflix

http://Facebook.com/launchflix

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, has announced the 12 screenwriters and film projects selected for its 11th annual Screenwriters Lab, sponsored by the Writers Guild of America, West.  Taking place in Los Angeles from August 12 until September 16, the Screenwriters Lab is an intensive six-week program designed to help writers improve their craft, and take their current scripts to the next level in a nurturing, yet challenging creative environment.  Screenwriter and producer Meg LeFauve resumes duties as this year’s Lab Instructor, and Lab Mentors and Guest Speakers include Nicole Holofcener (Please Give), Erin Cressida Wilson (Chloe), José Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries), Josh Olson (A History of Violence), and Kay Schaber-Wolf (WGAw).

“Our Labs have always attracted a high level of talent from different backgrounds and disciplines, and this year is no exception,” said Director of Talent Development Josh Welsh.  “With expert guidance from Meg, Nicole, Erin, José, and Josh, our Lab Fellows will not only hone their screenwriting skills, but also move their current projects closer to production.”

In the Screenwriters Lab, Fellows are advised on the craft and business of screenwriting under the tutelage of the Lab Mentors, and are also introduced to established screenwriters, producers and film professionals who serve as one-on-one advisors.  The Screenwriters Lab is provided free to accepted screenwriters, and upon completion, they become Film Independent Fellows, receiving year-round support including access to Film Independent’s annual film educational offerings, on-staff Filmmaker Advisor, and the Los Angeles Film Festival.  In addition, Lab Fellows are eligible to join the Indie Writers Caucus of the Writers Guild of America, West.  Recent projects developed through the Lab include Philip Flores’ The Wheeler Boys, which premiered at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival; Suzi Yoonessi’s Dear Lemon Lima, which premiered at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival; Erin Cassidy and Bruce Pavalon’s We Are the Mods, which won the Best Screenplay award at the 2009 Outfest Film Festival; Beth Schacter’s Normal Adolescent Behavior, which premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival; Scott Prendergast’s Kabluey, which premiered at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival; and Minh Nguyen-Vo’s Buffalo Boy, which was Vietnam’s entry to the 2006 Academy Awards.

The 2010 Screenwriters Lab participants and their projects are:

1.  County Line – A rural North Carolina sheriff attempts to dissolve his corrupt alliance with the top local drug dealer; however, when he suspects that his counterpart is the serial rapist and killer who has recently been terrorizing an entire county, the Sheriff has to figure out how to catch him without causing his own downfall.

Tina Mabry is a writer/director with a MFA in Film Production from USC’s School of Cinema-Television.  While participating in Film Independent’s Project: Involve, Mabry finished developing and writing her short film, Brooklyn’s Bridge to Jordan, which she went on to direct. The film has been screened in more than 50 film festivals worldwide and has won multiple Jury and Audience Awards as well as a Best Director award. Brooklyn’s Bridge to Jordan aired on Showtime, BET J, and was voted the #1 film on the season finale of LOGO’s The Click List 2: Best in Short Film. Shortly after graduating from USC, Mabry co-wrote a feature screenplay entitled Itty Bitty Titty Committee, directed by Jamie Babbit. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival (2007) and won Best Feature Narrative at SXSW (2007). In 2008, Mabry participated in the FIND Directors Lab with her feature film, Mississippi Damned. While playing on the festival circuit, Mississippi Damned has garnered an impressive 11 awards from participation in 13 film festivals, including awards for Best Feature Film and Best Screenplay at the Chicago International Film Festival (2009). Mabry was named among the 25 New Faces of Independent Film in Filmmaker Magazine in July 2009 and was recognized by Out Magazine as one of the most inspirational and outstanding people of 2009.  Mabry was recently featured in Advocate as part of their Top Forty Under 40 issue, which features the top 40 individuals who are raising the bar in their respective fields.

Morgan R. Stiff is a writer/director with a MFA in Film Production from USC’s School of Cinema-Television, and received her BFA from NYU in Dramatic Writing in 2002. While attending USC, she was chosen as a participant of Film Independent’s Project: Involve. As a producer, Stiff has produced fiction and documentary films, as well as promotional videos. Projects include Porcelain (2004), which is currently being distributed by Iron Rod Motion Pictures, Inc.; Hip Hop Homos (LOGO Networks, 2004); and the award-winning Brooklyn’s Bridge to Jordan (Showtime, LOGO, BET J, 2005). As an editor, Stiff has worked on tributes, music videos, fiction films, and documentaries, with those projects including Hope’s Choice (Showtime, 2004) and the award-winning documentary, One Bad Cat: The Reverend Albert Wagner Story (Ovation TV, 2009), which she also produced. In 2007, Stiff participated in the FIND Producer’s Lab with Mississippi Damned and went on to produce and edit the award-winning and critically acclaimed film. She is also the Chief Production Officer of Morgan’s Mark, a production company dedicated to bringing marginalized stories to the mainstream.

2.  Dandekar Finds Home – After being forced into retirement, a kindly Indian man goes on a search to find the beloved car his well-meaning daughters have traded away.

Leena Pendharkar is an award-winning writer and director whose feature film debut, Raspberry Magic, is currently making its way around the festival circuit, and will be released in theaters and VOD (Amazon, Netflix) later this year.  Her short films, both docs and narrative fiction, have won numerous awards including 1^st Prize at EarthVision Film Festival, a Bronze award at WorldFest Houston and 1^st Prize at the Kansas City Filmmakers’ Jubilee.  Her short film, My Narmada Travels, was picked up for broadcast on Al Gore’s network, Current TV.  She has also worked extensively in interactive media, and was recognized for her work with the Wired Magazine Excellence in New Media award.  She teaches filmmaking at Loyola Marymount University and Otis College of Art and Design and holds a Masters in Documentary Film Production from UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

3.  Hey, Hey Johnny – When Will Kennedy finds a dead body outside his bedroom window, the search for the anonymous boy’s identity forces him to discover what it means to be alive, what it means to be in love, and what it means to lose both.

Nicolas Citton is a writer/director who recently completed his studies at Columbia University’s Graduate Film Program. While in school, he co-created the comedy series, This Space for Rent, which was developed with the National Screen Institute of Canada and the Canadian Broadcasting Company. The show aired on CBC Television, and was nominated for numerous awards. This past year, Citton’s feature, That Burning Feeling, was selected for The Canadian Film Centre’s Comedy Lab and developed alongside Just for Laughs Canada. The project is currently in pre-production with Resonance Films. Nicolas has several television and film projects presently in development, including Lust for Life, another comedy series with CBC Television.

4.  In From the Cold – A family races for the edge of communist Poland while being pursued by a Russian agent, 48 hours before martial law is announced and the borders close.

Dominika Waclawiak is a political refugee who escaped with her parents from Communist Poland in the early 1980′s. Since then, she has become a director, writer and visual effects artist, graduating from Cornell University with a Bachelor’s in Architecture and is a former National Science Foundation Young Scholar. Her Visual Effects credits include: the upcoming true stereoscopic feature, Yogi Bear, Night at the Museum: The Battle for the Smithsonian, Land of the Lost, The Incredible Hulk, Evan Almighty, Superman Returns, The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the Oscar-winning films, Happy Feet and The Golden Compass. She has production designed and art directed various independent shorts, music videos and spots for Nickelodeon, MTV and Good Machine. Waclawiak’s directorial debut, a 35mm stop-motion animated short Piekni was completed in 2007 and went on to play at the Slamdance Film Festival, Anarchy Division, Beverly Hills Film Festival and dozens of other national and international film festivals.  The film is currently distributed by Ouat Media in Toronto, Canada. In 2008, she was one of 8 women selected for AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, where she wrote and directed her third narrative short, the VFX fantasy, Gosia’s Witch. Her first feature script, In From the Cold, was a finalist in the 2010 Sundance Screenwriting Lab and is a current quarterfinalist for the Nicholl Fellowship. She is currently writing a feature screenplay, which she is also set to direct, tentatively titled The Sixth Victim, for producer Tracy Mercer (Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman). Waclawiak has studied art, photography and architectural design in Iceland; Norway, in conjunction with the University of Oslo; Sweden, Denmark, Poland and throughout Italy. Her paintings and photography have been exhibited in various galleries in Los Angeles, Rome and New York City.

5.  Look for the Light – A modern day Faustian legend, Look For The Light is a psychological thriller about a war photographer, his spiritual degradation and his search for redemption.

Topaz Adizes is a writer/director and studied philosophy at UC Berkeley and Oxford before turning to film. He has directed a number of award-winning short films including Laredo, Texas (Sundance 2010), Trece Años (Sundance 2009) and City (Winner of Aspen Shorts Film Festival 2007).  Americana, his first feature documentary, shot around the world from Hiroshima, Tirana, Belgrade, Ho Chi Minh City, Istanbul and Havana, explores American identity in a global context.  Adizes has also had valuable experience learning from Steven Spielberg on Munich, Ridley Scott on Kingdom of Heaven, and P.T. Anderson on There Will Be Blood.

6.  Skirt ­- When beautiful, brilliant, ambitious Allie goes to work for a fast-paced political campaign, she finds herself caught romantically between her older female boss and a rakish male colleague.

Chris Mason Johnson is a writer/director and studied filmmaking at Amherst College.  Beforehand, Johnson had a successful career as a dancer in major ballet and modern companies, including William Forsythe’s Frankfurt Ballet and White Oak Dance Project with Mikhail Baryshnikov. After college, Johnson worked as a Script Analyst and Editor for Miramax, Dimension, Fine Line, ABC Family and Disney, and rose to the position of Head of Development at Open City Films in New York (Three Seasons, Chuck and Buck). Johnson made several short films before he co-wrote, directed and produced his first feature film, The New Twenty (2009), which won Best Director/First Feature at Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, Best Screenwriting at FilmOut San Diego, Best Lead Actress at Outfest, and was the Closing Night Presentation at Montreal’s prestigious image+nation Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. The New Twenty had a limited theatrical release in the U.S., was broadcast on MTV Logo, released on DVD by Wolfe Video, and is currently available on iTunes and Netflix. In addition to Skirt, a romantic comedy that won the Grand Prize in the Cynosure Screenwriting Competition (for stories with women and minority protagonists), Johnson is also developing Static, a psychological horror-sci-fi set in a small California town. He was a mentor in Film Independent’s Project:Involve and has taught screenwriting at Amherst College and Rutgers University.

Kate Stayman-London is a writer and a current candidate for an MFA in Writing for Film and Television at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Her first solo screenplay, a baseball sex comedy called Slump Busters, was awarded the Frank R. Volpe Scholarship and the National Association of Theater Owners Scholarship.  She was also selected by Steven Bochco for his five-person pilot class based on her spec episode of Dexter. Before moving to Los Angeles, Stayman-London worked in Washington, DC (and on campaign trails across America) as a political operative for the labor movement, ending with a stint as Deputy Field Director for the AFL-CIO’s 3+ million retirees.  Stayman-London has strong roots in playwriting: at Amherst College, she studied with acclaimed playwright Connie Congdon, and she’s currently writing the book for the next musical from this year’s Ovation Award winner, Erin Kamler.

7.  The Stones – In modern-day Tehran, a progressive youth-culture exists underground, but when a gay Iranian/American boy visits his motherland for the first time, he quickly learns the high price of rebellion in the hard-line Islamic regime.

Ana Lily Amirpour, a writer/director/producer, made her first film at the age of twelve: a horror movie starring the guests of a slumber party.  She comes from a varied background in the arts, including painting, sculpting, and playing bass and singing in a rock band.  Her feature-length script, The Stones, was grand prize winner of the 2007 Bluecat Screenwriting Competition, participant in the 2009 Tribeca All-Access program, and winner of the 2009 Adrienne Shelly Fellowship.  She has directed award-winning short films and music videos, and will direct The Stones as her debut feature film in 2010.  Her 2008 short film Six and a Half, screened at festivals worldwide, including Slamdance, Nashville, Brooklyn, and Milan, and was a Golden Ace winner at the Las Vegas International Film Festival.  Her 2009 short film True Love, a comedy about sex and relationships, won the Audience Award at the 2010 Milan International Film Festival; and her most recent film, Ketab ‘The Book,’ which is an excerpt from The Stones, will screen in 2010 in New York in connection with the Tribeca All-Access program.  Amirpour was recipient of the Dini Ostrov Award in Comedy Writing in 2008 and is most recently a participant of the 2010 Talent Campus at Berlinale.  She finished her MFA in 2009 at the UCLA School of Film and Television.  She is co-founder of Los Angeles based production company, Say Ahh… Productions, creators of cutting-edge film, TV, music video, and web content.

8.  Things We’ve Made – Set in the near future, a human clone shattered by the recent diagnosis of a genetic disease, embarks on a journey to find his original donor and the cure that can save him.

Trevin Matcek is a writer/director and has made movies since he was 10 years old.  A graduate of USC’s Film Production program, his first 35 mm short Sylvia, won the Gold Award for Best Student Short at Houston Worldfest and played at over a dozen festivals around the world. After working several years in post-production, Matcek began directing and editing music videos for bands such as Spoon and Clearlake.  In 2003, he directed “The District Sleeps Tonight”video for The Postal Service, which was Fuse TV’s #3 Video of the Year and nominated by the Music Video Production Association for Best Video under $10,000.  Most recently, he has worked on campaigns for NFL Sports and Sony’s PS3 (Webby^® award-winning).  In 2008, IFP selected Matcek’s script Things We’ve Made as an Emerging Narrative Finalist and was recently accepted in Film Independent’s Directors Lab.  Matcek is also part of the Dublab Collective, helming Vision Version videos for artists The Excepter and Baby Dee.

9.  Working Man – After losing his factory job, an aging assembly line lifer returns to work at his closed plant only to become an unexpected and reluctant hero.

Robert Jury has written feature film screenplays for Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, and HBO Films.  Jury is a past winner of the Walt Disney Studios Writers’ Fellowship and a member of the Writers Guild of America, West.  He has worked in feature development for production companies with deals at Touchstone Pictures and Warner Brothers.  He was a freelance segment producer for ESPN and BET, a production coordinator for Universal Studios Florida and a stage manager for ABC Sports.  Jury has also served as managing editor for a magazine, coached high school football, taught art to kids and produced a video for the American Alligator Association.

10.   Xanadu – An inveterate tomboy doggedly tries to win over the new girl in town, despite the uproarious machinations of her flamboyant older brother.

Susan Austin is a writer and valedictorian graduate of UCLA film school, where she was recognized for her films Voodoo and Tighter, winning the Peter Stark Memorial Scholarship and the Gene Reynolds Award.  She worked as a script reader for Silver Lion Films and Penny Marshall’s Parkway Productions before returning to UCLA for an MFA in Screenwriting.  Austin is currently directing a documentary This American Death, which examines why a “good death” is difficult to achieve, and continuing work on two features including her latest screenplay Viveka, about a white American woman who gets hooked on the idea of an arranged marriage.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

Film Independent is a non-profit arts organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff, and constituents, are comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry leader, or a film lover.

With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent offers free Filmmaker Labs for selected writers, directors, and producers; provides cut-rate services for filmmakers; and presents year-round networking opportunities. Film Independent’s mentorship and job placement program, Project:Involve, pairs emerging culturally diverse filmmakers with film industry professionals.

Film Independent produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international cinema and the Spirit Awards, a celebration honoring films and filmmakers that embody independence and dare to challenge the status quo.

For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org.

#  #  #

Ken Rotcop, Founder of Pitchmart, to Return to Scottsdale Screenwriting Conference

Screenwriting Expert Returns with Chairman of UCLA’s Legendary Film School for the 2^nd Scottsdale Screenwriters’ Conference

Our new friend and mentor, Ken Rotcop, returns in the fall with one of the top ten screenwriting instructors in the industry for a can’t miss session.  Join us!  IFP Phoenix Members receive a discount.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – August 16,  2010 After a successful inaugural event last spring,  it’s the return of the Scottsdale Screenwriting Conference, the Valley’s premiere resource for educating, inspiring and connecting all screenwriters with “the Biz” returns Saturday, November 6 at the Gainey Suites Hotel. This intensive, information-packed  popular conference is for aspiring writers as well as established screenwriters interested in either film or television.

The conference features Ken Rotcop, former creative head of four film studios (Embassy Pictures, Hanna-Barbera, Trans-World Productions, and Cannon Films), winner of the Writer’s Guild Award and the Neil Simon Award, founder of Pitchmart (as featured on Oprah), and author of the best-selling The Perfect Pitch, will speak at the one-day Scottsdale Screenwriting Conference. Rotcop is one of Hollywood’s most successful screenwriters and screenwriting teachers and he is the Grand master at teaching writers how to pitch.  He has supervised production for such celebrated films as The Graduate, Lion in Winter, Carnal Knowledge and Charlotte’s Web.

Joining Rotcop will be Richard Walter, a celebrated storytelling guru, movie industry expert, novelist, screenwriter, and longtime chairman and professor of UCLA’s graduate program in screenwriting. Walter lectures throughout the world and is also the author of ESSENTIALS OF SCREENWRITING: The Art, Craft and Business of Film and Television Writing.

-more-

Walter will summarize the three basic coveted principles that they embrace at UCLA that explain the astonishing success of his students in winning assignments writing the big Hollywood pictures and no small number of he prestigious independent productions as well. Students from Walter’s UCLA program have written more than ten projects for Steven Spielberg alone, plus recent indie Oscar winners such as Milk and Sideways. He’ll also analyze up close a handful of the first two pages submitted by writers at the event. He will look at them cold, the way readers do who read for executives and agents, in order to replicate that experience.

Rotcop will focus on screenwriting instruction, techniques and tricks of the trade required to sell a movie, the inner workings of Hollywood, the art of the pitch, plus much more.

Ken Rotcop’s “Pitchmart” workshop in Los Angeles, guarantees attendees the opportunity to sit one-on-one with 25 literary agents, studio executives, and producers to pitch their own material. Pitchmart is open to anyone who attends the Scottsdale Screenwriting Conference in Arizona.

Attendees who register by September 30, 2010 are eligible for a discounted ticket price of $149 for the conference (includes lunch.) After that, tickets cost $175 for the conference (includes lunch.) Seating is limited.

The host hotel is Gainey Suites Hotel, located at 7300 East Gainey Suites Drive, Scottsdale, AZ.

For more information: http://scottsdalescreenwritingconference.com.  Stay connected by following us on Twitter at @AZScreenwriting or “like” us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/azscreenwriting.

###