The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has announced the headlining sessions for its tenth annual Produced By Conference (PBC 2018) in Los Angeles, which include “Conversation With: Samantha Bee & Jason Jones,” “Conversation With: Kevin Feige,” “Conversation With: Jim Gianopulos,” “Larry Gordon: Uncensored,” and the previously announced “360 Profile: The Handmaid’s Tale.” The Produced By Conference will be held Saturday, June 9, and Sunday, June 10, at Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles.
“Conversation With: Samantha Bee & Jason Jones” invites the team to share their experiences behind the Emmy®-winning series and first political talk show hosted by a woman “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” and their critically acclaimed scripted comedy series “The Detour.”
“Conversation With: Kevin Feige” features an in-depth discussion with the president of Marvel Studios and creative force behind some of the biggest blockbusters of the past decade, including the recent box-office juggernaut “Black Panther.”
“Conversation With: Jim Gianopulos” is an open talk with the Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures and industry leader who has overseen the production of countless Hollywood films including “Avatar,” “Titanic,” “Deadpool,” and “Hidden Figures.”
“Larry Gordon: Uncensored” features a candid discussion with the prolific producer behind classics such as “Field of Dreams,” “Die Hard,” and “Hellboy” about the hard, ground-level realities of getting movies made.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Produced By Conference is honored to welcome panelists from every point on the media spectrum, ranging from next-generation digital creatives like Jack Davis (“The Birch,” “The Look-See”) and Michael D. Ratner (“Cold As Balls,” “The 5 Quarter”), to such established voices as Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures”), Dan Harmon (“Rick and Morty,” “Community”), Jordan Horowitz (“La La Land,” “Counterpart”), David Lancaster (“Whiplash,” “Nightcrawler”), and Lynette Howell Taylor (“A Star is Born,” “Captain Fantastic”). After its inaugural success, the “Producers Mashup,” which gives conference attendees the chance to network and ask direct questions of a variety of veteran producers and development executives, is confirmed to return this year.
Produced By 2018 features a broad range of programming, including mentoring roundtables, workshops and networking events. In addition to the “Conversations With…” and “360 Profile” series, PBC 2018 panels encompass an incredible variety of topics. The program to date includes the following sessions:
- 360 PROFILE: THE HANDMAID’S TALE
- THE ART AND CRAFT OF PITCHING
- THE ART OF PRODUCING ANIMATION
- BUILDING YOUR INDIE FEATURE TOOLKIT (Sponsored by Panasonic)
- CONVERSATION WITH: SAMANTHA BEE & JASON JONES
- CONVERSATION WITH: KEVIN FEIGE (Sponsored by Pinewood Atlanta Studios)
- CONVERSATION WITH: JIM GIANOPULOS
- FINANCING YOUR FILM: HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT PARTNERS
- THE INNOVATION PANEL: PRODUCING ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS
- INSIDE THE ENTERTAINMENT CLOUD: TECHNOLOGY, EFFICIENCY AND BETTER MOVIES (Sponsored by Cast & Crew)
- LARRY GORDON: UNCENSORED
- POWERFUL VOICES: TELLING STORIES THAT REWRITE THE RULES
- PRODUCING AN INCLUSIVE INDUSTRY: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
- THE STREAMING REVOLUTION (Sponsored by ARRI and Technicolor)
- WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT’S NOT COVERED? LESSONS LEARNED IN MANAGING RISKS AND COSTS IN YOUR PRODUCTION (Sponsored by HUB Entertainment Insurance)
- WHAT MAKES A DOC A DOC? EXPANDING ART FORMS
* Additional Sessions to be Announced
Additional speakers, moderators, and mentors have also been added to the line-up for the tenth annual Produced By Conference. In alphabetical order, the new additions are:
- Nnamdi Asomugha, Principal/Producer, Iam21 Entertainment; “Crown Heights,” “Beasts of No Nation”
- Fenton Bailey, Co-Founder, World of Wonder Productions; “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures”
- Mark Ballin, Partner, Claim Specialists International
- Randy Barbato, Co-Founder, World of Wonder Productions; “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures”
- Amanda Barclay, Scripted Development Executive, YouTube Red
- Samantha Bee; “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” “The Detour”
- John Berkley, President, Cast & Crew Entertainment Services
- Dan Bucatinsky, Partner, Is Or Isn’t Entertainment; “Who Do You Think You Are?,” “The Comeback”
- Jack Davis, Co-Founder & CEO, Crypt TV; “The Birch,” “The Look-See”
- Johnny Derango, Producer/Director of Photography; “Small Town Crime,” “Everyone is Doing Great”
- Kevin Feige, Producer, Marvel Studios; “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War”
- Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO, Paramount Pictures Corporation
- Andrew Goldberg; “Big Mouth,” “Family Guy”
- Larry Gordon, Principal, Lawrence Gordon Productions; “Field of Dreams,” “Die Hard”
- Mitch Gross, Cinema Product Manager, Panasonic USA
- Jorge R. Gutiérrez; “The Book of Life,” “El Tigre, The Adventures of Manny Rivera”
- Dan Harmon, Executive Producer/Writer/Partner, Starburns Industries; “Rick and Morty,” “Community”
- Jordan Horowitz, Principal, Original Headquarters; “La La Land,” “Counterpart”
- Lynette Howell Taylor, Founder/Producer, 51 Entertainment; “A Star is Born,” Captain Fantastic”
- Bob Jellen, Managing Director, HUB Entertainment Insurance
- Jason Jones; “The Detour,” “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”
- Glenn Kennel, President and CEO, ARRI, Inc.
- Rachel Klein, Producer/Director/CEO, Fire Starter Studios; “30 for 30 The Fab Five,” “NEA: United States of Arts”
- David Lancaster, CEO, Rumble Films; “Whiplash,” “Nightcrawler”
- Peter Oillataguerre, President, Physical Production, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
- Sherri Potter, President, Global Post-Production, Technicolor Production Services
- Michael D. Ratner, President & CEO, OBB Pictures; “Cold as Balls,” “The 5th Quarter”
- Rubin Simkhayev, VP, Underwriting Manager, Chubb Insurance
- Beatrice Springborn, VP of Content Development, Hulu
* The above speakers are subject to change.
Reaching across film, television and new media, the Produced By Conference is an educational forum conducted by acclaimed producers, including numerous Oscar and Emmy award winners, as well as the next generation of creative entrepreneurs. It is the only conference specifically created by producers, for producers. Early bird registration at a discounted rate is available here and ends April 15.
In addition to Paramount Pictures Studios, sponsors to date include: AMC Networks; ARRI; BEN, Branded Entertainment Network; Box; Cast & Crew; Delta Air Lines; Film in Illinois; Film Shasta: Film US Virgin Islands; Final Draft; Florida Office of Film & Entertainment; GreenSlate; Honolulu Film Office; HUB Entertainment Insurance; Massachusetts Film Office; Panasonic; Pinewood Atlanta Studios; Produce Iowa; Technicolor; and VER.
Produced By Conference 2018 is chaired by PGA members Betsy Beers, Ian Bryce, Tracey Edmonds, and Rachel Klein. The team is Supervising Producer, Barry Kaplan (EKG, Inc.), Program Director, Madelyn Hammond (Madelyn Hammond & Associates), and Sponsorship Director, Diane Salerno (Six Degrees Global), and Marketing Director, Julie Giles (greenHAT Digital).
The 2018 Produced By Conference is made possible by The PGA Foundation, the Producers Guild of America’s charitable entity. The Produced By conferences are the cornerstone events that epitomize the Foundation’s core mission, to educate and inspire those working in the producing profession.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More