The American Film Institute (AFI) has appointed producer Michael Lumpkin–who’s been executive director of the International Documentary Association for the past six years–as director of AFI DOCS, the Institute’s annual documentary festival in Washington, DC. Also announced today is the return of AT&T as the festival’s presenting sponsor.
With nearly three decades of experience in the film community as a producer, documentarian and IDA exec director, Lumpkin brings a versatile perspective to AFI DOCS, a well-rounded appreciation for the impact of the art form and a thorough understanding of AFI.
“I’m honored to be joining one of the world’s top film organizations and expanding the rich history and proud tradition of AFI DOCS,” said Lumpkin. “Six wonderful years at IDA solidified my passion for documentary films, and I look forward to bringing that passion to AFI.”
Lumpkin had previously served for more than 25 years as both executive director of Frameline and festival director for the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. He has also been a member of Frameline’s board of directors and co-produced the highly acclaimed documentary The Celluloid Closet. He has participated as a juror for the Sundance Film Festival and served in an advisory capacity for numerous film festivals around the world.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More