NW Film Financing 3: Film Distribution

Gary Rubin, an avid supporter of the independent film community, often contributes advice and commentary to Baseline /Studio Systems Research Wrap Blog. <http://www.blssresearch.com/research-wrap?detail/C6/best_films_of_the_decade>

Filmmaker Panel I

• Paul Bernard  ("Leverage")

• Amber Geiger  ("The Auteur" "Film Geek")

• Susan Hess Logeais  ("Not Dead Yet")

• Thad Smith  ("Everyman's War")

Legal / Business Panel II

• Justine Avera  (Risk Management)

• Danny Costa   (Independent Distribution)

• Jeffrey Hardy  (FilmProfit®)

• James Swisher  (Entertainment Lawyer/Producer)

• Gene Zimmerman (Home Video Distribution) 

• (Photographs & Biographies below)

08:30 - 12:00 noon: Registration & Workshop (15 min. break w/ coffee and snacks)

12:00 - 1:00pm: Lunch break (No host lunch)

1:00 - 4:30pm:   Panels 1 & 2 (15 minute break w/ coffee and snacks provided)

4:30 - 6:30pm. Registrants are invited to a networking session over hosted appetizers provided by Crave Catering and "The First Round" at the invitation of Pacific Grip & Lighting and Gearhead Grip + Electric (No host bar also available.)

We thank The Mark Spencer Hotel for making a few room packages available for $60 plus tax per night  to assist our "out-of-town" colleagues (long distance only.)  Packages are limited.  First come first served. Please contact James WilderHancock directly at <wilderhancock@gmail.com> 

For event information call OMPA at 503-228 8822

Produced by James WilderHancock, C.K. Lichenstein II and Christopher Toyne

The "NW Film Financing Series"  is being sponsored by The Mark Spencer Hotel,  Ater Wynne LLP Attorneys at Law,  Gales Creek Insurance,  the Governor's Office of Film and Television and Picture This Production Services, in association with the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network and the Portland Mayor's Office of Film & Video.

     More information can be found at  <http://www.markspencer.com>

 More information can be found at <http://www.aterwynne.com/>

" More information can be found at <http://www.galescreek.com/>

             More information can be found at <http://oregonfilm.org/>

More information can be found at <http://www.pixthis.com/>

    More information can be found at <http://www.oen.org/>

More information on the  Portland Mayor's Office of Film and and Video   can be found at

<http://www.portland.com/mayor/?c=40421> 

Justine Avera is a commercial insurance professional and risk management consultant based in Portland Oregon. She can be seen at numerous seminars and workshops partnering with local attorneys and CPAs, and has authored insurance guides and resources for arts & cultural organizations, human resources consultants and local retailers.  She is also a professional freelance photographer with a studio in SE.

Her goal when working with a client is to be an integral and valued part of their strategic planning team, to develop a risk and asset protection plan to maximize opportunities, to research and implement procedural or contractual changes to limit potential liabilities, and provide diagnostic tools for the client to better map their risk landscape on an ongoing basis.

Her 15 years of experience as a commercial lines insurance agent has given her a lot of front line experience, learning first hand from many claims situations and even more often celebrating the successes of her clients. Her specialties include Intellectual Property, High Tech, Manufacturing, Arts & Cultural Organizations, Non-profits, Publishing, Film Production, China Practice, Arts & Entertainment.

Paul Bernard has extensive experience working as Assistant Director, Producer and Director in the Film industry. He produced and Directed the independent feature "Loose Women." In the film he called upon such talents as Charlie Sheen, Keith David, and Giancarlo Esposito. Next he Exec-Produced "Mixing Nia," starring Isaiah Washington (Romeo must Die, True Crime), Karyn Parsons(Fresh Prince of Bel Air). The film was received well at festival screenings in the Toronto International Film Festival, New York Women's Film festival, while being awarded Best Picture at Worldfest-Houston, and the Acapulco Film Festival.

Bernard is now in development with several scripts in a Producer capacity to be shot in the next two years. The first being David Duchovney's "Bucky F***ing Dent", David Morse's "Emily Goodbody" , Dan Ireland's "Little Bohemia" and Dean Devlin's "One little Problem."

In the last 3 years, he has produced a number of films including the feature "High Times' Potluck," written by Victor Colicchio (Summer of Sam) featuring Jason Isaacs, Jason Mewes, Dan Lauria, and Tommy Chong. The film was scored by John Nau and Mark Bryan of "Hootie and the Blowfish.". "Passionada," directed by Dan Ireland (A Whole Wide World) and starring Jason Isaacs and Emme Rossum. Paul served as Co-Executive Producer, re-teaming with his partner James Scura. Following "Passsionada" Paul served as one of the Producers on the digital feature "Swimming Up Stream" starring Michael Moriarty and Matt Czuchry, "Venus & Vegas" starring Donald Faison and Jon Pilito and "Leo", starring Joseph Fiennes, Elisabeth Shue, Sam Shepard, and Dennis Hopper. "Leo" is a 2002 official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival. He is currently one of the Associate-producers on Bart Freundlich's new film "Trust the Man" starring Julianne Moore, Maggie Gyllenthol,David Duchovney and Billy Crudup.

Bernard has worked as an Assistant Director on numerous films including: "Spanglish" "Day After Tomorrow," "The Patriot," "Any Given Sunday," "Three Kings," "The Siege," "Godzilla," "Mars Attacks," "Mission Impossible," "Die Hard With A Vengeance," "City Hall," and "Interview With A Vampire." In doing so he had the opportunity to work closely with talented directors and producers such as Doug Liman, Oliver Stone, Woody Allen, Michael Ritchie, Brian DePalma, Tim Burton, Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin, Neil Jordon, Michael Mann, James Brooks, John Sigleton, Doug Liman among many others.

In addition to his film experience, Paul has numerous commercial credits and has worked in music, serving as Line Producer and Production Manager for the Grateful Dead Summer Tour 92', Billy Joel PBS concert 93', and Pete Towndsend Psycho Derelict 93'.

He received a Bachelor of Arts in Media/Film from the University of South Carolina, where he now teaches on occasion. Paul currently serves as one of the heads of the University of South Carolina Film Board. 

More information on "The Auteur" can be found at <http://theauteurmovie.com/>

More information on "Film Geek" can be found at <www.filmgeek.com>

Jeffrey Hardy, president of FilmProfit, LLC, is the co-author of FilmProfit software and the sole author of The FilmProfit Guide To Film Distribution Deals, a respected primer to the deals in the key film distribution markets Mr. Hardy has acted as an expert resource for Hollywood Reporter, Fortune Magazine, The Washington Times, WSYR radio and The Black Film Report, among other publications, and interviews with Mr. Hardy have appeared in The Independent magazine, Black Talent News, Cue Magazine and FACES Magazine. His products and projects have been profiled in In Motion Magazine, MacWeek Guide to Desktop Video, Film/Tape World, Release Print Magazine, Movie Business Report and other industry publications, and FilmProfit contributed to The Independent Film and Videomaker's Guide (2nd ed.).

He has presented multiple all-day workshops for the Institute for Independent Film Finance and lectured by invitation to Media and Entertainment MBA students at The University of California Berkeley, he was the moderator and an organizer for the inaugural NW Film Financing Workshop and has lectured on the East and West coasts for the Independent Feature Project. He has appeared by invitation before the California Film Commission, National Media Network, Creative Financing Conference, The Boston Film and Video Foundation, Black Hollywood Film Festival, and other organizations as a lecturer and panelist on creative and business issues for independent films.

About FilmProfit <http://filmprofit.com/>

FilmProfit ® is an entertainment analysis and business planning firm that has been providing guidance and services to filmed media, television and convergence producers, distributors and financiers since 1987. Our filmmaker clients typically arrive at FilmProfit during their process of preparing a film project or projects for successful funding, while our finance clients typically arrive here seeking to find strategies for successful motion picture or media investments. We're not just about numbers; we're about strategy. Institutional memory and current information drive our consulting. We believe that information plus synthesis equals excellent business planning.

Our goal at FilmProfit is to provide producers, distributors and financiers of filmed entertainment with the highest quality information, reports and guidance in support of their mutual business and artistic success. Based on our years of ingesting and analyzing the specific details of film business structure and the macro view and micro view of the economics of film performance, FilmProfit can offer you in-depth guidance as well as money and time-saving packages, all the way up to full business plans.

Susan Hess Logeais: "If somebody doesn't want to put me in front of the camera, I'll get behind it," says Susan Hess Logeais, the writer, producer and co-star of "Not Dead Yet."

That's exactly what happened when this Portland, Oregon former Hollywood actress, age 51, decided to give it another shot.  Prior to leaving the entertainment industry in 1990, Logeais had accomplished in 15 years what few people achieve in a lifetime. Beginning at the age of 17, the classically trained ballerina spent a year performing with the San Francisco Ballet under Artistic Director Michael Smuin.

Then, in 1978, she began a seven-year stint during which she graced over a dozen magazine covers - including Italian, English, and German versions of Vogue, Marie Claire, and Elle; walked the runways in Paris, Milan and New York; starred in countless fashion spreads; and appeared as the face of Karl Lagerfeld perfume, among other exclusive brand.  In 1984, Logeais scaled back her modelling to pursue her passion: acting. During the years that followed, she co-starred in four network television movies, a Sidney Sheldon mini-series for CBS, the 2 hour 2nd season opener for "Miami Vice," and episodes of "Knightwatch," "Spencer: For Hire," and "Christine Cromwell."

Finally, after years of being in front of audiences and the camera, Logeais decided to step behind the lens, and began learning the craft of screenplay writing. At the same time, she formed her own production company, Two Chicks with Cameras, and co-directed and produced a series of short films.

Soon after, Logeais travelled to France, where she met her husband, Olivier. She had her first child at the age of 38, and second at 40.  In 1998, they moved to Southern Oregon, and then to Portland in 2003, where her desire to create films rekindled.

Teaming up with local talent and crew, she produced her screenplay "Not Dead Yet" as a SAG ultra low budget feature. The project was funded entirely from her own resources, earned during her career as a model and actress.  Her goal in producing the film was threefold; to see one of her screenplays produced; to star in a feature film; and to produce a story that would encourage women over 40 to embrace themselves and the wisdom their age represents.

"Not Dead Yet" was completed in early 2009 and has won two Best Feature awards - from the Rhode Island International Film Festival and the Baltimore Women's film Festival, plus was an official selection of the LA Femme Film Festival.

In addition to promoting the film on the festival circuit, Logeais has begun outreach efforts to arrange special event screenings for the film, offering it to women's organizations as a fundraising, educational, and social gathering tool. The experience of distributing her film has ignited another desire in Logeais, that of social activism. To that end she is busy designing a web site that can act as a clearing-house for the information, networking opportunities and future films that she is determined to share with her core audience - women and the men that love them.  <http://www.notdeadyetthefilm.com/>

Thad Smith, Producer and Director, is the tour de force, director and executive producer behind Everyman's War, the tale of his father's heroic machine gun squad during World War II's Battle of the Bulge. Smith is an award-winning commercial director with a long list of national commercials and productions under his belt. 

He co-founded the commercial film production company One-Eighty Films in 1999. After fast-paced success under that banner, Smith conceived X Factor Advertising, an international marketing firm specializing in the healthcare and military sectors. X Factor's work spans 12 countries and includes advertising campaigns for many Fortune 500 Companies. Smith has created concepts and business models that have won praise throughout the industry for their forward thinking approach. Smith's creative talents and solid production experience enabled him to launch X Factor Entertainment Group. This new venture was conceived solely to develop, produce, and market entertainment products.  Thad Smith produced Everyman's War, under the One-Eighty Films and X Factor Entertainment Group banners. <http://www.everymanswarthemovie.com/> 

James Swisher, Entertainment Lawyer and producer, oversees formation and financing of production entities and all audio elements in post. Throughout productions he conducts all negotiations to include foreign sales and domestic distribution. He has extensive experience forming and operating creative entities, primarily in film and music, through his law practice and independent production activities. He provides strategic management consulting to foreign and domestic companies, to realize technical and creative strategies, securing investment and manifesting exit events for those businesses.

He is a Film Producer and has numerous production credits in film ("Lost on the Bohemian Road," "Anoosh of the Airways," "Film Geek," "After...;"  "Reconcile" and "Overdrawn!") and television ("The Creative Life" and "Farm Matters.") He is the founder and owner of both Resistor Records and Resistor Studios, plus a series of emerging software opportunities. He just finished Executive Producing the independent film, "After.Life" with Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci and is currently Producing Pastor Shepherd with Danny Trejo. His background in the music industry was invaluable in securing the platinum selling group, The Crystal Method, for the "After...;" soundtrack. He also has a number of films in development and production, including "Mind Scan" and "Mask of the Black Death," both being Kurosawa influenced properties, with various agencies in Hollywood.

James Swisher earned his Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco. He has a Bachelor of Arts In Political Economy from The University of California at Berkeley and earned an Associate Degree in Electrical Engineering while serving in the United States Air Force. He is a licensed and practicing Oregon lawyer and sits on the boards of a variety of technical and creative companies.  More information on his NuTech can be found at  <http://www.nutech.com/>

Gene Zimmerman has 22 years experience in the Home Video Industry, twelve of which were as Regional Vice President for Ingram Entertainment, the largest entertainment wholesaler in the United States. During this period he worked closely with the major studios- Walt Disney, Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox; as well as independent labels such as Lionsgate, Image, First Look Pictures, Magnolia Pictures, Genius, Vivendi, etc. The primary goal was to develop and implement sales and marketing strategy for new movie releases to the U.S. DVD and Blu-Ray market.  

Otter Creek Motion Pictures is a movie company that acquires and distributes movies to the home video market. Growth expectations and goals are realistic; keeping overhead low while maximizing film sales. We strive to avoid the downfalls of our competitors; over-expanding, unrealistic and unobtainable goals, and frequent mergers. A great story, eye-catching artwork and a creative campaign are still the keys to a films success. We want to be the best supplier of great secondary titles in the business.

<info@ottercreekmp.com>