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Stage 32 + Vail Film Festival Present: Women in Film - Personal Stories

Hosted by Top Female Filmmakers
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Top Female Filmmakers

Webinar hosted by: Top Female Filmmakers

Meet the Panelists of Women in Film: Personal Stories Lesley-Ann Brandt - Actor, Producer Actor: Netflix's LUCIFER South African born actress, activist and supermom Lesley-Ann Brandt stars on Netflix’s global hit series LUCIFER and had a breakout role on the Starz hits, SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND and SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA. Brandt's other credits include the film DRIFT opposite Sam Worthington, Fox's GOTHAM and the dark comedy, KILLING WINSTON JONES starring opposite Richard Dreyfuss, Danny Glover and Jon Heder. Alexandra Barreto - Producer, Director, Actor Filmmaker: LADY HATER (Tribeca Film Festival), TOO LATE (Robert Forster & John Hawkes) Actor: THE FOSTERS Alexandra's directorial debut, LADY HATER, premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. The Audible Original Series she directed stars Meg Ryan, Rachel Bloom, and Sam Richardson, and her film TOO LATE starred Oscar nominees John Hawkes and Robert Forster. As an actor, she is best known for her five-year run on THE FOSTERS. She currently can be seen on the FX hit MAYANS MC.   Robin Bronk - Producer Producer: POLIWOOD (Barry Levinson) Robin Bronk is the CEO of The Creative Coalition, the leading nonprofit arm of the entertainment industry. Ms. Bronk produced the feature film, POLIWOOD, directed by Academy Award-winner Barry Levinson, and executive produced Before You Know It, starring Alec Baldwin, Mandy Patinkin and Judith Light. Ms. Bronk speaks at colleges and universities as well as the Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, and Tribeca film festivals and serves on the New York Cultural Task Force, as well as the boards of The White House Project and The Close Up Foundation, and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and Women of Washington. Leslie Alejandro - Director, Filmmaker, Celebrity/Fashion Photographer, Activist Filmmaker: SMILE (Dances with Wolves Film Festival)   Leslie premiered her first horror short SMILE at Dances with the Wolves Film Festival in 2019. She was previously partner and executive editor of a fashion magazine. Her work has been featured in Vanity Fair, GQ, Vogue, Glamour, Men’s Health, The Wrap and more. As activist she has been a member of the Human Rights Campaign for more than a decade and actively campaigns for the inclusion and visibility of people of color “above and below the line” in the entertainment industry. Mali Elfman - Producer Producer: THE PARTY'S JUST BEGINNING, written, directed by, and starring Karen Gillan (JUMANJI, AVENGERS, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) Mali Elfman is a prolific producer of feature, short form, and episodic content. She recently produced THE PARTY'S JUST BEGINNING, written, directed by, and starring Karen Gillan (JUMANJI, AVENGERS, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY). Ashleigh Snead - Producer Producer: THE RANGER (SXSW), SCARE PACKAGE, THE PALE DOOR Ashleigh has years of business and production experience, both in and out of the film industry. With an MBA from NYU and an entrepreneurial spirit she launched two successful children’s clothes companies before making the switch to film. She has worked as a producer on eight feature films, including the 2018 SXSW punk rock horror hit, THE RANGER, Shudder's summer 2020 horror/comedy anthology release, SCARE PACKAGE, and witchy western THE PALE DOOR coming to theaters this Fall. Your Moderator: Amanda Toney - Producer & Managing Director at Stage 32 As Managing Director for Stage 32, Amanda oversees operations and business development for the global business. She has curated over 1,200 hours of online education created exclusively for Stage 32, and works with hundreds of entertainment industry executives from around the world to serve as educators and mentors. She has spearheaded partnerships with such prestigious organizations as the Cannes Film Festival Marché du Film, American Film Market, SXSW, Austin Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Hollyshorts Film Festival, PGA, WGA and DGA, as well as brands such as AT&T, Peerspace, Pond5, Mandy, Bondit Media Capital and her personal favorite partnership, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which is the official vodka of Stage 32. As a producer, Amanda has worked on the psychological thriller What Lies Ahead starring Rumer Willis and Emma Dumont; Chick Fight, starring Malin Akerman, Alec Baldwin and Bella Thorne, Metaphorms, a Hungarian film, which premiered at the Raindance Film Festival and Dolphin Girl, an entire Stage 32 production in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Film Commission. She recently sold an unscripted show to a major US network. Amanda has spoken all over the world at the Cannes Film Festival (France), Hollyshorts Film Festival (US), Raindance Film Festival (UK), Hamburg Film Fest (Germany), Trinidad & Tobago Film Commission (Trinidad), Fest Festival (Portugal) and Harvard (US) on the business of the entertainment industry. Full Bio »

Webinar Summary

Stage 32 and Vail Film Festival have joined forces to bring you an exclusive FREE virtual Q&A with top female filmmakers from the festival! Now, no matter where you live in the world you can tune in!

The 2020 Vail Film Festival took place online from May 15-17, and had a special focus on female filmmakers. In addition to film screenings, the festival included filmmaker Q&A sessions, a filmmaking workshop, and a women in film panel discussion featuring leading female producers, actors, and directors. The 2020 film program will showcase narrative features, documentaries, short films, and student films. This year's lineup includes films starring Simon Pegg, Annette Bening, Juno Temple, Alexandra Daddario, Wendie Malick, Danny Trejo, Maggie Siff, Sabrina Carpenter, Natalie Zea, Jay Mohr, Jason Ritter, Kristen Vangsness, Rose McIver, and more.

The lineup for the 2020 Vail Film Festival is unparalleled, and we encourage Stage 32 members to attend the virtual festival and support their fellow filmmakers. As part of our partnership, Vail Film Festival is offering Stage 32 members an exclusive 25% off discount on all-access passes to the online festival. Stage 32 members can use the code stage32 at checkout. For more info and to purchase a pass to the online Vail Film Festival please visit: www.vailfilmfestival.com

What You'll Learn

As part of our partnership, we are incredibly excited to host a FREE virtual panel alongside Vail Film Festival entitled "Women in Film: Personal Stories" - now available on demand. The discussion focuses on the panelist's personal filmmaking journeys. They talk about the lessons they've learned and share tips they've picked up from their experience in the film industry. The panel features seven powerhouse female voices of entertainment, including:

  • Lesley-Ann Brandt - Actor, Producer (LUCIFER, SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND, SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA)
  • Alexandra Barreto - Producer, Director, Actor (THE FOSTERS, MAYANS MC)
  • Robin Bronk - Producer (POLIWOOD, directed by Academy Award-winner Barry Levinson, BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, starring Alec Baldwin, Mandy Patinkin, & Judith Light)
  • Leslie Alejandro - Director, Filmmaker, Celebrity/Fashion Photographer, Activist (Leslie's work has been featured in Vanity Fair, GQ, Vogue, Glamour, Men’s Health, The Wrap and more)
  • Mali Elfman - Producer (THE PARTY'S JUST BEGINNING, written, directed by, and starring Karen Gillan)
  • Ashleigh Snead - Producer (THE RANGER, SCARE PACKAGE, THE PALE DOOR

Moderated by our very own Amanda Toney - Producer & Managing Director, Stage 32 (WHAT LIES AHEAD starring Rumer Willis and Emma Dumont)

About Your Instructor

Meet the Panelists of Women in Film: Personal Stories

Lesley-Ann Brandt - Actor, Producer

Actor: Netflix's LUCIFER

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Stage 32 is the Official Networking Education Partner of Vail Film Festival

South African born actress, activist and supermom Lesley-Ann Brandt stars on Netflix’s global hit series LUCIFER and had a breakout role on the Starz hits, SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND and SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA. Brandt's other credits include the film DRIFT opposite Sam Worthington, Fox's GOTHAM and the dark comedy, KILLING WINSTON JONES starring opposite Richard Dreyfuss, Danny Glover and Jon Heder.

Alexandra Barreto - Producer, Director, Actor

Filmmaker: LADY HATER (Tribeca Film Festival), TOO LATE (Robert Forster & John Hawkes)

Actor: THE FOSTERS

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Stage 32 is the Official Networking Education Partner of Vail Film Festival

Alexandra's directorial debut, LADY HATER, premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. The Audible Original Series she directed stars Meg Ryan, Rachel Bloom, and Sam Richardson, and her film TOO LATE starred Oscar nominees John Hawkes and Robert Forster. As an actor, she is best known for her five-year run on THE FOSTERS. She currently can be seen on the FX hit MAYANS MC.

 

Robin Bronk - Producer

Producer: POLIWOOD (Barry Levinson)

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Stage 32 is the Official Networking Education Partner of Vail Film Festival

Robin Bronk is the CEO of The Creative Coalition, the leading nonprofit arm of the entertainment industry. Ms. Bronk produced the feature film, POLIWOOD, directed by Academy Award-winner Barry Levinson, and executive produced Before You Know It, starring Alec Baldwin, Mandy Patinkin and Judith Light. Ms. Bronk speaks at colleges and universities as well as the Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, and Tribeca film festivals and serves on the New York Cultural Task Force, as well as the boards of The White House Project and The Close Up Foundation, and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and Women of Washington.

Leslie Alejandro - Director, Filmmaker, Celebrity/Fashion Photographer, Activist

Filmmaker: SMILE (Dances with Wolves Film Festival)

 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Stage 32 is the Official Networking Education Partner of Vail Film Festival

Leslie premiered her first horror short SMILE at Dances with the Wolves Film Festival in 2019. She was previously partner and executive editor of a fashion magazine. Her work has been featured in Vanity Fair, GQ, Vogue, Glamour, Men’s Health, The Wrap and more. As activist she has been a member of the Human Rights Campaign for more than a decade and actively campaigns for the inclusion and visibility of people of color “above and below the line” in the entertainment industry.

Mali Elfman - Producer

Producer: THE PARTY'S JUST BEGINNING, written, directed by, and starring Karen Gillan (JUMANJI, AVENGERS, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY)

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Stage 32 is the Official Networking Education Partner of Vail Film Festival

Mali Elfman is a prolific producer of feature, short form, and episodic content. She recently produced THE PARTY'S JUST BEGINNING, written, directed by, and starring Karen Gillan (JUMANJI, AVENGERS, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY).

Ashleigh Snead - Producer

Producer: THE RANGER (SXSW), SCARE PACKAGE, THE PALE DOOR

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Stage 32 is the Official Networking Education Partner of Vail Film Festival

Ashleigh has years of business and production experience, both in and out of the film industry. With an MBA from NYU and an entrepreneurial spirit she launched two successful children’s clothes companies before making the switch to film. She has worked as a producer on eight feature films, including the 2018 SXSW punk rock horror hit, THE RANGER, Shudder's summer 2020 horror/comedy anthology release, SCARE PACKAGE, and witchy western THE PALE DOOR coming to theaters this Fall.

Your Moderator: Amanda Toney - Producer & Managing Director at Stage 32

As Managing Director for Stage 32, Amanda oversees operations and business development for the global business. She has curated over 1,200 hours of online education created exclusively for Stage 32, and works with hundreds of entertainment industry executives from around the world to serve as educators and mentors. She has spearheaded partnerships with such prestigious organizations as the Cannes Film Festival Marché du Film, American Film Market, SXSW, Austin Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Hollyshorts Film Festival, PGA, WGA and DGA, as well as brands such as AT&T, Peerspace, Pond5, Mandy, Bondit Media Capital and her personal favorite partnership, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which is the official vodka of Stage 32.

As a producer, Amanda has worked on the psychological thriller What Lies Ahead starring Rumer Willis and Emma Dumont; Chick Fight, starring Malin Akerman, Alec Baldwin and Bella Thorne, Metaphorms, a Hungarian film, which premiered at the Raindance Film Festival and Dolphin Girl, an entire Stage 32 production in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Film Commission. She recently sold an unscripted show to a major US network.

Amanda has spoken all over the world at the Cannes Film Festival (France), Hollyshorts Film Festival (US), Raindance Film Festival (UK), Hamburg Film Fest (Germany), Trinidad & Tobago Film Commission (Trinidad), Fest Festival (Portugal) and Harvard (US) on the business of the entertainment industry.

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If you received a confirmation that your webinar is on Zoom, you will receive a separate email from Zoom with further instructions for participating in the live webinar. Your login link will not be in your Stage 32 profile. If you did not receive your link via Zoom please email support@stage32.com.

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Q: What is the format of a webinar?
A: Stage 32 Next Level Webinars are typically 90-minute educational broadcasts that take place online using a designated software program from Stage 32. Your webinar will be taught by a working industry professional with in-depth teaching on a topic. If you are able to attend live you will be able to ask your Stage 32 Educator questions during Q&A.

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How to Effectively Use Comps In Your Film or TV Business Plan

How to Effectively Use Comps In Your Film or TV Business Plan

Have you ever been asked, “what are the comps” for your project? Or, what’s the “this-meets-that”? Potential investors are always looking for the next big idea, and if your project aligns with past box office success in terms of story, genre, tone, budget, and more, you’ll be able to win those producers over. Having a Comps Report can provide real industry data to push your sales pitch over the top. Short for “comparable,” comps are films similar to your project that prove you have a viable idea to investors. So why can’t you pick a box office success as your comp and call it a day? Because it takes more than knowing titles. You need to understand different markets, different platforms, why those comparable films did well in some areas and not others, and more. An unrealistic report can even do more harm than good by driving away the people who could help your film produced. To walk you through creating your comp report is Bruce Nash, founder and President of Nash Information Services, LLC., the premier provider of movie industry data and research services, including comp analysis and international sales projects for feature films and real-time tracking of the industry through its OpusData service. Since its launch in 1997, Bruce and his team have served over 1,000 clients, with projects ranging from big-budget Hollywood hits to Oscar-winning dramas to low-budget films from first-time producers. In this webinar, Bruce Nash will teach you what quality analysis is, what comps are and how best to choose them, the four key questions to ask when compiling a comp report, and how to understand today’s market. Bruce will also include where you can find free online tools to help assemble your comp report.  Don't miss this chance to learn from one of the best in the business.  

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