Oscar®– and Emmy®-nominated American film director Kirby Dick has been tabbed as the second Keynote Speaker for WESTDOC: The West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference, it was announced today by co-founders Chuck Braverman and Richard Propper.
The third annual conference is being held Sept. 9-12 at the historic and remodeled Culver Hotel and the Pacific Theaters in Culver City, Calif. Dick will address the conference on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 10 a.m., in a moderated format about producing and directing theatrical documentaries today.
A film director, producer, screenwriter and editor, Dick is best known for directing documentary films, receiving an Academy Award® nomination in the “Best Documentary Feature” category for directing “Twist of Faith” (2004). His 2009 film “Outrage,” released by Magnolia Pictures, was nominated for an Emmy. The Tucson, Ariz. native also has received numerous awards from film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and Los Angeles Film Festival.
“Kirby Dick is one of the few people successfully and consistently producing theatrical documentary films today,” says Braverman, Academy Award-nominated producer/director and WESTDOC co-founder.
Dick co-founded Chain Camera Productions and Chain Camera Pictures in 2001. His most recent film, “The Invisible War” (2012), is a groundbreaking investigation into the epidemic of rape within the U.S. armed forces, the institutions that perpetuate and cover up its existence, and its profound personal and social consequences. The film won the “Audience” award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2006, he directed “This Film Is Not Yet Rated,” released by IFC Films, which became a breakthrough expose of the highly secretive MPAA film ratings system. The film ultimately compelled the MPAA to make long overdue changes in the way it rates films.
In addition to Dick’s participation on Sept. 11, WESTDOC also announced details of its first confirmed panels and speakers participating in the 2012 schedule via its official website at: www.thewestdoc.com/schedule.html. In order to bring attendees the best in Documentary, Realty and Digital presentations and panels, more panels and speakers will be continually added to the schedule until WESTDOC‘s opening date Sept. 9. All panel names, descriptions, times and locations will be continuously updated on the website, and can be linked to Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
WESTDOC: The West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference (Sept. 9-12, 2012) gathers producers and directors of non-fiction/documentary and reality television programming with executives who create such programs. Recognized as the premier conference of its kind on the West Coast, more than 100 industry speakers are expected to participate in the three-day WESTDOC 2012 conference consisting of panels, case studies, social events and exclusive networking sessions. More than 30 panels are planned regarding financing, conceiving and selling a documentary or reality TV one-off or series. Contemporary topics covered also will include distribution models from theatrical presentation to digital platforms.
The list of networks confirmed to participate in WESTDOC 2012 keeps growing, including ABC, A&E, Animal Planet, BBC, Bravo, CMT, Discovery Channel, Documentary Channel, ESPN, GSN, KCET, MTV, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, OWN, Ovation, Oxygen, PBS SoCaL, Spike TV, Style, Sundance Channel, SyFy, TLC, Veria Living, VH1 and WE TV.
PitchFest is WESTDOC 2012’s climactic all-day event where 12 finalists of documentary and reality producers pitch new works in progress directly to funders and network development executives in front of a live audience for potential acquisition, licensing or co-production funding. The pitches include at least three minutes each of video and verbal pitching, not exceeding eight total minutes. This year’s cash prize to the PitchFest winner will be increased from $7,500 to $12,000, thanks to the generous support of competition sponsor The Gilbert Group at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management-Bank of America. The PitchFest entry deadline for 2012 is August 15, and details are available at: www.thewestdoc.com/pitchfest.
In addition to PitchFest, WESTDOC 2012 features two more unique networking opportunities that have been extremely popular with attendees: Face Time, the 10-minute, one-on-one opportunity to pitch a network executive of producer’s choice, and The Sit-Down, 30-minute intimate overviews of individual networks and production companies outlining what executives and producers are focusing on today and, more importantly, what they’re looking for tomorrow.
An exclusive Master Class opportunity also is available for attendees featuring industry veteran and business guru Peter Hamilton, in his only West Coast appearance in 2012. Hamilton’s session on “How to succeed in the booming U.S. Factual Television Market!” will be held Sunday, Sept. 9 inside the Culver Hotel. This class fee is $199 and is in addition to the general WESTDOC 2012 pass.
WESTDOC 2012’s exclusive opening night film screenings, panels, keynote presentation, PitchFest competition and vendor area all will be located at the beautiful Pacific Theaters Culver Stadium 12. Steps away from the theater, the historic and remodeled Culver Hotel will serve as the social center point of WESTDOC 2012, featuring the newly restored “Grand Lobby” and outdoor seating area dedicated exclusively for attendees. Registration information, as well as an updated list of panels, speakers and instructions on how to participate in PitchFest, can be found at: www.theWESTDOC.com, including information on the discounted Guilds & Associations rate now available through August 31, 2012. Conference updates also are posted via WESTDOC 2012’s Facebook and Twitter sites.
