Program

 PROGRAM & SCHEDULE

All events will take place at The W Hotel. Those confirmed for the pre-conference screening of The Best and The Brightest and the Pitch Session with Cherise Fisher will receive a confirmation email with the location.

Friday March 4, 2011
2-4PM
 
Pre- Conference Screening – The Best and the Brightest
5
 
Registration
7-8
 
Welcome Cocktail Party
8-9:30
 
“What Inspires You” Music Lounge and Performances Featuring:
 
 
 

Saturday March 5, 2011
8:30AM
 
Registration
9:45-10
 
Welcome & Introductions
10-10:55
 
Panels I (concurrent sessions)
 
 
 
 
 
A. It’s All About the Music: An Examination of the D.I.Y. Approach to a Music Career. There’s a lot of talk these days about the do-it-yourself artist who rises from the trenches through his own blood, sweat, tears and twittering ability – but how realistic is this?  What can and should an artist do on his own and when should he bring in reinforcements?  How much time should an artist spend updating his Facebook status v. writing great music?  This panel will look at the various facets of a music career – booking/touring, mastering/recording, social networking, songwriting/publishing, management, record label/distribution – and examine what can be done by a resourceful musician and what a professional can bring to the table, depending upon the goals and level of the artist in question. Join us for unique insights from these industry professionals:
  • Mike Errico, Songwriter & Producer
  • Kristelia Garcia, Universal Music Group
  • Suzanne Hilleary, President, WACBIZ
  • Kevin Kiernan, Vice President, eCommerce and Direct to Consumer Sales, SONY BMG
  • Wesley Radez, Business Director, Virgin Mobile USA
  • Matthew Ringel, Managing Partner, New Era Media & Marketing
  • George Steel, General Manager & Artistic Director, NY City Opera
 
 
 
 
 
B. Case Study: The Making and Marketing of The Best and the Brightest.  Four Yale 93ers were at the core of a creative team that made The Best and the Brightest, the upcoming outrageous comedy starring Neil Patrick Harris: Director and Co-Writer Josh Shelov, Co-Writer Michael Jaeger, Composer Ted Masur, and the mighty actor John Hodgman. The film is a wildly edgy farce about getting one's child into a private kindergarten on the Upper East Side. It also stars Amy Sedaris, Kate Mulgrew, Bonnie Somerville, Jenna Stern, Bridget Regan, Peter Serafinowicz, and Christopher McDonald. The panel will discuss the making, marketing, and distribution of an independent film in the era of Web 2.0.
  • Ted Masur, Composer
  • Kate Mulgrew, Actress
  • Josh Shelov,Writer, Producer
  • Jenna Stern, Actress
  • Patricia Weiser, Producer
 
 
 
 
11-12
 
Panels II (concurrent sessions)
 
 
 
 
 
A. Brave New Digital World. Our panel of leading media executives is at the forefront of the ever-changing digital landscape. Join us for a lively discussion that will cover the challenges and opportunities content providers are facing today. How do these leaders take care of the day-to-day while planning for the next Twitter, Tumblr or Foursquare? How do they pick which technologies to focus on? What drives these decisions within their organizations? How are mobile phones and wireless tablets like the iPad changing how content is produced, distributed, monetized and consumed? Get to know these influentials and how they think and lead during times of tremendous uncertainty and change.
  • Blake Eskin, Web Editor, The New Yorker, Host, New Yorker Out Loud
  • Dan Goldman, Senior Director of Corp. Finance, WNET
  • Susan Holden, CFO Mother
  • Sara Tomassi Lindman, Exec. Vice President, Program Strategy, MTV
  • Jamie Trowbridge, Founder & President, Tierra Innovation
 
 
 
 
 
B. Narrative Storytelling in Theater, Film & TV. At the heart of any compelling project is a “great story.”  But how does one determine the best medium to tell that story: is it meant for film; television; stage; as a webisode series? How do writers shape their craft and actors alter their performances to the specific demands of these various media?  How do producers and directors take advantage of this array of choices to bring to their projects to life?   What do you do when you have a stage adaptation of a film for which the original source material was a play? Join us as we address these issues as part of the creative process and with writers, actors, directors and producers working in multiple media.
  • Steve Bodow, Co-Exec. Producer and former Head Writer, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
  • Ron Gregg, Senior Lecturer and Programming Director, Yale University Film Studies
  • David Henry Hwang, Writer, M.Butterfly, Golden Child,  AIDA, Disney's Tarzan, Golden Gate
  • Jack Lechner, Exec. Producer, Blue Valentine, The Crying Game, The Full Monty, Lyricist, The Kid
  • Elizabeth V. Newman, Director/Producer, EVN Productions
 
 
 
12-1PM
 
Power Lunch: Networking by industry tables. Don’t be shy. This is your opportunity to meet, mingle and make a deal…or just eat lunch. It’s up to you!
 
 
 
1:10-2:10
 
Panels III (concurrent sessions)
 
 
 
 
 
A. Cents and Sensibilities: The Creative and Development Process in Commercial and Non-Profit Theater. What does it takes to get downtown credibility and meet uptown box office expectations? This panel will examine the creative and development process in both commercial and non-profit theater. Join these professionals for an in-depth discussion about the creative process, creative decision-making, new ways to develop work, picking partners wisely and successful ways to approach collaborative relationships.
  • Anne Hamburger, Co-Founder, Big Heart Theatrical
  • Ruth & Steve Hendel, Hendel Productions
  • Asher Richelli, Executive Director, Page 73 Productions
  • Jack Thomas, Producer, Bulldog Theatrical
 
 
 
 
 
B. Indiewood: The New York Filmmaker
Many say that the industry is now all in Hollywood. But tried and true New York independent filmmakers know that if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. This panel will discuss the facts and fiction of working in New York versus Los Angeles (or Toronto, for that matter), how to start a career in the Big Apple, when or if it's necessary to move to the left coast to get to the next stage of your career, and whether location even matters in the age of online storytelling. We will also discuss what opportunities lie in NYC, how to make the most of your resources, and how being in NYC further inspires their art. Moreover, we'll talk to folks that have planted their feet in the city that never sleeps and to those who live, dream and create on both coasts. 
  • Lisa Collins, Writer/Director, Oscar's Comeback, Grass is Greener
  • Chip Hourihan, Producer, Frozen River
  • Akua Murphy, Development Exec., IndieVest Pictures, Associate Producer, Saint John of Las Vegas
  • Claudia Myers, Writer, Kettle of Fish, Wild Oats
  • Doreen Oliver, Producer, Development Exec., The Woodsman, Shadowboxer
  • Ira Sachs, Writer/Director, Last Address, Married Life, Forty Shades of Blue
 
 
 
2:20-3:20
 
Panels IV (concurrent sessions)
 
 
 
 
 
A. So You Want to be a Writer? The Inside Scoop on Publishing Success. Hear from top publishing executives and authors on exactly what you need to know to get an agent, excite an editor, develop a winning platform and think out of the box when it comes to marketing your work and your brand. Learn from these insiders about the changing landscape of the publishing industry, the impact of digital media and what you can do to land on top.
  • Michael V. Carlisle, Agent, InkWell Management
  • Cherise Fisher, formerly Editor in Chief of Plume
  • Nicholas Roman Lewis, President, The Roman Group
  • Geoff Shandler, Editor in Chief, Little, Brown and Company
  • Lorin Stein, Editor of the Paris Review
 
 
 
 
 
B. HBO Documentary Films Presents: "Why Are Documentaries Usually So Tragic?" HBO Documentary Films consistently creates award-winning films that are emotionally charged and usually profoundly sad.  Why do documenataries need to be so tragic? On this panel, top HBO doc filmmakers discuss the different approaches used to connect to audiences.  Through the intimate stories of individuals affected by the impact of war, to those touched by historic disasters such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, to the devastating loss of a child to suicide, the panelists reveal what it takes to create powerful film experiences.
  • Jackie Glover, VP, HBO Documentary Films Programming
  • Marc Levin, Producer, Triangle:Remembering the Fire
  • Matthew O'neill, Producer/Director, Baghdad ER
  • Dana Perry, Producer/Director, Boy Interrupted
 
 
 
3:30-3:45
 
Break
3:45-4:45
 
Keynote Interview: In Conversation with Sheila Nevins, President, HBO Documentary Films. As an executive producer or producer, she has received 23 Primetime Emmy® Awards, 26 News and Documentary Emmys® and 31 George Foster Peabody Awards. During her tenure, HBO’s critically acclaimed documentaries have gone on to win 21 Academy Awards®. Ms. Nevins will be interviewed by Lisa Cortés, Executive Producer of the Academy Award® winning film Precious.
4:45-6:30
 
Networking Closing Reception