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Expect a program of speakers and topics that meets or exceeds the high standards set by past Film Financing Townhalls in the Pacific Northwest region (e.g., IIFF's August '10 Townhall Vancouver or IIFF's June '10 Townhall in Seattle).
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IIFF/PNW Townhall Meeting at Front Street Pictures in Downtown Vancouver -
Where Film & Finance Meet to Succeed Together
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*** Don't miss other film financing events in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York ***
The Pacific Northwest chapter of the Institute for International Film Financing (IIFF) continues its monthly educational forums and networking sessions with a powerhouse panel of finance experts, local filmmakers and film advocates. We are pleased to be collaborating with a new partner this month, Front Street Pictures, located close to the heart of downtown Vancouver.
This grassroots community get-together has been carefully designed to foster & inform productive relationships between attending professionals and to provide unbiased insight & education about the business of film (and film financing in particular). The event features a powerful roster of highly topical speakers from the filmmaking and financial industries. We are delighted to welcome real-world financiersamong our guests for the evening!
IIFF's one-of-a-kind mission is to sustainably expand the scope & appeal of film financing, and to do so for the benefit of the public at large. True to our proven motto of "democratizing film finance," IIFF's regular Townhall Meetings bring together a wide array of professionals from relevant backgrounds in film, finance and beyond for a vibrant evening of insightful presentations and speeches, inspiring discussion and focused networking. Past meetings (e.g.: January '08 Bay Area Townhall in San Francisco, CA, January '08 Los Angeles Townhall in Venice, CA & January '08 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan |December '07 Bay Area Townhall in San Francisco, CA, December '07 Los Angeles Townhall in Santa Monica, CA, December '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan & December '07 New EnglandTownhall in Providence, RI | November '07 Bay Area Townhall in San Francisco, CA & November '07 New England Townhall in Norwalk, CT | October '07 Los Angeles Townhall in Santa Monica, CA, October '07New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan & October '07 New England Townhall in Boston, MA | September '07 Los Angeles Townhall in Santa Monica, CA & September '07 New England Townhall in Norwalk, CT |August '07 Los Angeles Townhall in Santa Monica, CA & August '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan | July '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan & July '07 Los Angeles Townhall in Santa Monica, CA | June '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan | May '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan & May '07 Bay Area Townhall in Mountain View, CA | April '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan & April '07 Bay Area Townhall in San Francisco, CA | March '07 New England Townhall in Stowe, VT, March '07 Bay Area Townhall in San Rafael, CA & March '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan | February '07 Townhall West in San Francisco, CA & February '07 Townhall East in New York City | January '07 Townhall in Santa Cruz, CA | December '06 Townhall East in New York City &December '06 Townhall West in San Francisco, CA | October '06 Townhall in New York City | September '06 Townhall in Oakland, CA | July '06 Townhall in Palo Alto, CA | June '06 Townhall in San Jose, CA |May '06 Townhall in San Francisco, CA | April '06 Townhall at Stanford business school) have reliably delivered useful insights into the business of film, provided valuable networking opportunities, and managed to draw large and enthusiastic crowds.
Who should attend? Entrepreneurs, technologists, attorneys, bankers, investment managers, venture capitalists and other non-film professionals are cordially invited to learn more about independent film. Are you considering taking an active role in film or would you like to expand your current involvement? Don't miss this opportunity to connect with the like-minded! Established and aspiring filmmakers are, naturally, more than welcome to join us as well!
The evening's seven presentations plus panel discussion will address key issues relevant to filmmakers, financiers and anyone interested in the economics, business mechanics and financial dynamics of film. They will be followed by Q&A time. Attendees will also have ample opportunity to interact & network with our distinguished presenters and panelists, and amongst themselves.
An informal après-meeting celebration will take place at an area restaurant.
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The event will be moderated by HARVEY KAHN (LinkedIn profile | brief bio), the founder of Front Street Pictures, where he has many independent titles to his credit, many with worldwide stars, including, "We Don't Live Here Anymore," starring Naomi Watts and Mark Ruffalo, which was a competition selection at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival; "The Deal," starring Christian Slater and Selma Blair, which premiered at the 2005 AFI Film Festival; "Nobody's Baby," starring Gary Oldman and Mary Steenburgen, which premiered at Sundance; "The Proposal," starring Jennifer Esposito and Stephen Lang; and "Water's Edge," starring Nathan Fillion and Chandra West. Harvey started his career in the entertainment industry at the Disney Channel and was its first director of publicity. Before entering the film/TV industry, he worked on political and social issue campaigns in California and Washington, DC. He also worked in investigative journalism.
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Front Street Pictures
1950 Franklin St.
Vancouver, BC V5L 1R2
Canada
Phone: 604-257-4720
Map: See a map of 1950 Franklin Street at Google.
Our Host:
This Film Financing Townhall is graciously hosted by Front Street PIctures, a highly acclaimed independent production company with over twenty titles to their credit, including the upcoming, "The Traveler," with Val Kilmer. Front Street features approximately 6600 square feet of usable production space, where they offer a multitude of top notch production services to media and film producers of all type, including: four state of the art Final Cut editing suites, complete tax credit and post accounting services, full Canadian immigration visa support, and all mainstream grip and electrical services.
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7:00 PM ... Kick-Off & Welcome
7:00-8:00 PM ... Four Featured Presentations with Q&A (4x 15 mins)
8:00-8:15 PM ... Networking Break I (15 mins)
8:15-9:00 PM ... Four Featured Presentations with Q&A (4x 15 mins)
9:00-9:15 PM ... Networking Break II (15 mins)
9:15-10:00 PM ... Moderated Panel Discussion with Q&A (45 mins)
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1) "PUBLIC FILM FINANCING IN CANADA: What happened and what will happen."
-- by EARL HONG TAI. Earl is an independent consultant offering business and finance advice, specializing in the Entertainment and Media space. In the early part of his career, he started out in the traditional fields of Chartered Accountancy and Corporate Finance. During these first 10+ years, he helped companies with their financing strategies, from private stage through to going public. His clients included companies from a variety of sectors such as: media/entertainment, software, gaming, retail and hospitality, both domestic and international. From there, Earl transitioned into his second career as a Media and Entertainment executive. Most recently, from 2002 to 2010, he was Telefilm Canada's Western Region Director, where he led the agency's Film, TV and New Media financing operations, business development, and public relations activities in the West. He was also Telefilm Canada's first National New Media Sector Head from 2002 to 2006, where he led the development of the New Media Unit's business and investment practices.
2) "PRIVATE FINANCING: Where Canadian filmmakers can get private financing and what they need to do."
-- by MICHAEL OLSEN. Michael is the CEO at TriStar Film Finance. He has over twenty-five years experience in financial services, business development and sales experience, in addition to expertise in strategic marketing, networking alliance development and relationship management. He established TriStar Film Finance in 2008, with offices in Vancouver, Toronto and recently in L.A. It was formed to service an untapped niche in the marketplace. It provides producers with one-stop-shopping for film financing, corporate structuring and business services, primarily for lower to mid-budget film and television productions. It also intends to exploit the financial potential of brand integration (aka product placement) for this tier of production. Since TriStar was officially launched in July of 2009, the Vancouver-based company has provided $2.5 Million in film financing and services to three independent feature films, including: Paradox, a sci-fi thriller starring Kevin Sorbo; Daydream Nation, a romantic comedy, starring Kat Dennings, Josh Lucas and Andie MacDowell; and Blood: A Butchers Tale, a vampire/horror film starring Aaron Douglas and Kim Coates.
3) "INTERNATIONAL FILM FINANCING: Will Asian money invest in N. American projects?"
--by RAYMOND MASSEY. Raymond is the founder of the Anji Bridge Fund, a bridge between Canadian producers and Chinese venture capitalists. Raymond is a central pillar of ANJI. His impeccable credentials are rooted in gifted artistic ability and family pedigree. In a storied film career, he has produced more than 20 major films in various genres including "Iron Road", the biggest budget Canada-Chinese co-production to date. His films have been broadcast, exhibited and featured at major festivals around the world including Toronto, Venice, Sundance, New York and the Los Angeles Asian Film Festival. Named after his grandfather, Raymond Massey is also the nephew of the Right Honourable Vincent Massey, former Governor General of Canada. He sits on the board of the Canadian Film Centre and is the current Chairman of the Massey Foundation.
4) "3D OR NOT 3D: Is 3D the savior for independent film? Is it where the money goes now?"
--by GAVIN WILDING. Gavin is the Managing Director of Kerner Studios (Canada) and has a long track record in production and distribution. A n award-winning producer, Gavin has almost 20 feature and television credits. Originating in Award winning television commercial production, with Gavin's 16 year old production company, Rampage Entertainment, the company graduated into long form productions in the mid 1990's and was nominated by the Business Development Bank of Canada as "Exporter of the Year" in 2005. Gavin's latest productions, prior to joining Kerner, include the Tom Green, Brooke Shields' Disney production of BOB THE BUTLER, the Jason Statham action picture CHAOS and Charlize Theron's BATTLE IN SEATTLE. Around 2007, Gavin recognized the challenges facing the independent production business, with the decline in demand for independent product and free downloading on the web, and therefore began to explore alternative options in the 'New Media' sectors. This led to discovering 3D technologies and the Kerner Group.
5) "TECHNOLOGY & FINANCING: The current and future trends in technology development and their impact to investment decision making."
--by BILL MAK. Bill is an interaction designer and innovation entrepreneur, a design visionary and an industry leader on innovation and interactivity in the digital realm. He currently works within IMI Studios, a global design collaborative that guides business leaders on envisioning and creating the future. Prior to 2007, Bill spent 15 years with Microsoft leading a wide range of products and design initiatives, including Windows Natural Interaction, TabletPC and User Experiences. He also chairs the Industry Design Society of America and is a sought-after public speaker on design, innovation and user-interface. A Calgary-native born to a Hong Kong immigrant family and a graduate of the Master of Design program at the University of Calgary, Bill splits his time between Vancouver and Italy.
6) "GET IT IN WRITING: What an investor's lawyer is looking for."
--by AREN ALTMAN. Aren is an entertainment lawyer and practices from his own firm that he established in 2003. Alongside his membership in the Law Society of British Columbia, Aren is also called to the State Bar of California. After becoming a lawyer, Aren returned to school for two years to study photography and film at Emily Carr University. Over the past 7 years Aren has advised a broad spectrum of artists and entrepreneurs, in both traditional and new models of the arts and entertainment business. Aren works closely with his film production clients through development, financing, production, and distribution.
7) "HOW TO TRANSLATE PASSION INTO SUCCESS: What else do you need in addition to talent and creativity?"
-- by SEAN O'REILLY. Sean is an energetic and passionate visionary who has demonstrated his leadership, creativity, intelligence, humanity and resourcefulness as the founder and C.E.O. of Arcana Studios. As a lifelong fan of comic books, Sean’s dream was to become a comic book creator. In 2004, Sean realized that dream by creating Arcana Studios, a comic book and graphic novel publisher. In one short year, Sean took his studio from a one-person operation in his basement to an award winning publisher with over 150 graphic novels produced for Simon & Shuster, Harper Collins, Random House, Stone Arch Books, American Girl, KISS, Scholastic, and Arcana. Arcana won the Shuster Award for Outstanding Publisher in 2005, as voted by the retailers and readers. He personally authored and published the Moonbeam Award winner for Top Children’s Graphic Novel in 2008 and 2009, The Clockwork Girl and The Gwaii respectively. The Clockwork Girl was also Foreword Magazine’s Top Graphic Novel of 2008 as presented at Book Expo America. Recently, Arcana was named one of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Top 25 Exporters in 2009.Now partnered with Hollywood powerhouse William Morris Endeavor, Sean just wrote and produced two Lion’s Gate Films, Circle of Pain and Beatdown. Sean also produced and directed a series of original animated shows for SpikeTV and is developing Gearhead with Gale Anne Hurd (Terminator, Aliens). Sean is currently producing his comic The Clockwork Girl as a $4.5M animated project distributed by CJ Entertainment. Arcana also works with Disney as an official vendor and at Universal Studios managing and producing comics to film.
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Online registration is available at http://pnw.filmfinancing.org/083110 (top of the page)
Early bird registration (ends 2 weeks before event):
IIFF Member ... C$25
Non-member ... C$40
Regular registration (ends 1 week before event):
IIFF Member ... C$35
Non-member ... C$50
Last minute registration (ends 1 day before event):
IIFF Member ... C$55
Non-member ... C$70
On-site registration (at the door):
IIFF Member ... C$70
Non-member ... C$90
To learn more about membership with IIFF, email the membership bureau, or approach an IIFF team member at or after the event.
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IIFF and its sister company, FilmAngels, the world's first professional angel investor group for film, accept all independent film finance proposals. Simply hand yours to this event's moderator or leave it with the registration desk upon check-in. There have been plenty of success stories surrounding attendees who have secured varying investments for their projects after submitting. Acceptable materials include: business plans, cash flow analyses, revenue projections, cast attachments, distribution agreements and letters of intent. Cast is the single most important factor, followed by distribution agreements and existing funding placements. Electronic documents are always best, but paper will do as well.
Feel free to ask, or email our FilmAngels liaison directly!
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Please direct all your questions and inquiries regarding this event to IIFF's online forum athttp://forum.filmfinancing.org.
Having trouble with Eventbrite (this site), PayPal or Google Checkout? Get help in IIFF's online forum. (You can also notify us by email well in advance of the event and register on-site.)
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Want to learn about the ever-changing world of film finance, meet leading financiers, and attend our events for free? We need interns. Forward your resume to the intern coordinator, along with a good reason for applying. Flexible part-time positions and school credit are available. Must be dependable, computer savvy and have strong writing skills.
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The Buzz: The following quotes are samples of what others say about IIFF meetings… "Wow. Last night was great! I want to thank you again for the inspiring work you do. This is such a big need […] and you're truly doing the work of angels (literally and figuratively)."— Brant Smith, Producer, "Quality of Life" "I really must say that I found all speakers very interesting, and I was hanging on their every word. IIFF, the mission and content, seems to be a good fit for me, because it is my dream to run a medium size production house. […] Thank you, BIG THANK YOU […], for inviting me to this very quality and important event."— John Henry, Owner, John Henry Filmworks "Let me again say I think you did a great job putting yesterday's event together – great crowd, smart presentation, lots of enthusiasm."— David Rosen, Executive Producer/Convener, Digital Independence "Wow! For such a moderate investment, so much information. So much good networking. I hope you are proud of the magic you've created with IIFF."— Kevin Morrison, Writer/Director/Producer of independent film & TV "I just wanted to say thanks for another great and informative meeting. The speakers were impressive and I made some good contacts."— Jesse Ford, Founder & Executive Director, Group Hug Productions "IIFF and FilmAngels has really impressed me so far with its focus on the independent film community. I've traveled and interacted with film organizations around the world […]."— Jin Woo Joo, Founder, Cinemasports "Thanks so much for hosting such an interesting program last week. I am always inspired by the creativity, and most recently, by the commitment to 'a better world'. It keeps my cynic's heart at bay! […] again, my heartfelt thanks for your mission and execution. Well done!"— Teri Cundall, Founder & President, Propville.com "The event was great, very helpful."— Marc Perez, Co-President & Founding Partner, Sirk Productions "[…] I greatly enjoyed attending last night's event and found it very informative - certainly something that's been missing in New York so far."— Michael Gunther, Director/Producer, Triboro Pictures "Great presentation tonight. Lots of energetic discussions and questions."— Campbell Dalglish, Prof. of Screenwriting, MFA in Film & Video at CUNY "Thanks so much for tonight's event. It was really inspiring and incredibly informative."— Elizabeth Foley, Founding Faculty Member, Producing Dep't at NYFA "I enjoyed this evening's Townhall presentation and found it very informative."— William Doll, Writer/Director, World Stage Pictures "Your Townhall mtg was stimulating. You managed to attract the right target audience, and I loved your choice of speakers."— Sandra Schulberg, Founder, Independent Feature Project (IFP) "I attended the New York Townhall Meeting and just wanted to thank you for setting up such an informative colloquium. It was my first IIFF event and I look forward to attending more in the future."— Blythe Frank, Producer, "Kettle of Fish" (Michael Mailer Films) "Thank you again for a wonderful event last night."— Morgan Pehme, Co-Founder & CEO, Merlion Entertainment "I'm just writing […] pertaining to the IIFF meeting last night, which I found both entertaining and informative and also promising of great things to come from IIFF in the near future!"— Thomas Woodrow, Producer, Furnace Films "I attended the IIFF town hall last week in New York and came away impressed. Thank you for putting together such an excellent panel of speakers. I found [Thomas Trenker's] presentation especially useful. As a former quant at Putnam Investments, I tend to dig into the numbers and [Mr. Trenker's] analysis was illuminating."— Robert Milacci, Executive Producer, Sinestra Pictures "I very much enjoyed the seminar last Saturday in Stowe, VT. It was a lot of driving in one day (3.25 hrs. each way…), but worth it. […] Thanks again for a very enlightening day."— Marjorie Short, Oscar-nominated Writer/Producer/Director, Short Productions "Just a note to say Larry Meistrich had a good time last night and was impressed with the quality of the group."— Jeff Silverstein, President of NEHST Access + Learning, NEHST Studios "As it turns out, my producing partner [producer/director Leszek Burzynski] attended your IIFF meeting in Santa Monica on July 16. He was quite impressed with the presentations."— Terrance Sweeney, Partner & Producer, Winning Team Studios "I just wanted to say thanks again for putting on such a great forum last night. […] I really enjoyed the occasion and especially the presentations. They were extremely relevant and really strong, credible presenters."— Gordon Clark, CEO, The Movie Portfolio Fund "First, I wanted to say how much I really enjoyed your premier IIFF/LA seminar…!"— Frank Sacks, Founder & Principal, The Frank Sacks Company "I had a very enjoyable experience. The seminar was extremely professional and well put together."— Adam Tantleff, Founder, President & Executive Producer, Sinestra Pictures "THANKS […] There are no organizations or groups that I have come across that are doing what you and Film Angels are doing."— J. Martin, Co-Owner, 24 Bros Entertainment "I cannot express enough gratitude toward the great job that you are doing to help talented filmmakers realize their dreams. God bless you!"— Mara Vardanyan, Producer, Roman Pictures "Your seminars are FIRST RATE!"— Rowan Joseph, President, Greenwood Hill Productions "Thanks for organizing a great event. I thought it was a very interesting group of speakers."— Tricia van Klaveren, Producer/Exec. Producer & Principal, Fully Loaded Pictures "[T]hank you for a terrific meeting last night…"— Greg Lejnieks, Actor/Filmmaker, Art Dealer & fmr. Pro Soccer Player "First of all, thank you for hosting the Film Financing seminar. Very, very informative. I hope you have another one very soon."— Richard Beaty, Writer/Producer/Director & Co-Owner, Cielo Azul Films "Just wanted to say 'thank you' for last night's IIFF meeting. […] The slides look great […]. I look forward to the next meeting."— Robert Pratten, Founder & Writer/Director, Zen Films "I'm a big fan of all you're doing with IIFF… very inspiring to filmmakers."— Thomas Mignone, Director/Writer, DOOM Incorporated "Thank you for hosting the [Workshop] last week. It was very informative and [the instructor] was spectacular. I learned a lot and met several fantastic people."— Lisa McTigue, Producer/Director, Three Masked Peeps Productions "Thank you for inviting us to present to your [FilmAngels] groups in both Palo Alto and San Francisco. The attendees were warm and educated investors. You've done a terrific job gathering people with a passion for film."— Julie Richardson, Producer, "Collateral" (Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx) "I must thank you for sending [Workshop instructor] Dr. Patrick O'Heffernan down to Los Angeles last month. It was the best $200 I have ever spent on a seminar. [S]ince Patrick has both raised money and invested money, his perspective was simply invaluable!!!"— Rosser Goodman, Director, KGB Films "It was another great event and I appreciate all your work […]. Thank you."— Paul Oja, Writer/Director, "Bus Trip" "First, I simply must say what an amazingly informative session it was and well carried out by [Workshop instructor] Tricia van Klaveren and her guest speakers. It packed a memorable punch. […] I had never heard of IIFF previously and now look forward to more of the same from you guys."— Teo, CEO, Cool Room Entertainment "You assembled an impressive group of speakers (and characters). […] I think we share a strong desire to help filmmakers."— Darren Ehlers, COO, Scenechronize "I really enjoyed [Workshop instructor Kaiser Wahab's] class. A great value. Thank you for sharing your knowledge."— Bob Rudis, Director of Photography & President, Tubular, Inc. "Last night was incredible. Really learned a lot. The moderator was perfect. Thank you for everything. I made some great contacts."— Daniel Lir, Director/Producer/Editor/Shooter, Dolce Films Would you like to speak out? We want to hear from you. Send us your comments by email. |
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Copyright © 2010 Institute for Int'l Film Financing (IIFF). All Rights Reserved.
The Institute for International Film Financing (IIFF) is an innovative, independent social-impact organization that endeavors to bridge the gap between the worlds of filmmaking and finance for the benefit of all stakeholders – including the public at large.
Founded by Thomas Trenker in 2003 and headquartered in San Francisco, IIFF has chapters in the Bay Area, New York City, New England, Florida, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, London, the Pacific Northwest, the Lower Midwest, the Southwest and the Great Lakes Region.
Help launch or run an IIFF chapter in your area! We make it easy and worthwhile. Email the chapter development team and tell us about yourself. Or join our online community at http://forum.filmfinancing.org to keep in touch with a growing number of filmmakers and financiers.
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