During its Cineposium conference this week in Los Angeles, the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) informed attendees that its 2011 Locations Trade Show will be held in conjunction with the Producers Guild of America’s Produced By Conference. The Locations Show is thus slated for June 3-5, 2011. The Locations venue will be a major as yet undisclosed studio in Southern California.
Reaching across the film, TV and new media industries, the Produced by Conference is an educational forum that drew more than 1,100 people last year, engaging noted producers as well as the next generation of creative entrepreneurs. The AFCI is an educational and showcase event with film commissions and support services companies from around the world showcasing their wares to the production community at large. The coming together of the two events makes sense on several fronts.
Producers Guild president emeritus and Produced by Conference event co-chair Marshall Herskovitz related, “The Produced By Conference is an important initiative for the Guild as it brings together our amazing producer community for two days of learning and networking. By partnering with AFCI, we hope that the Produced By Conference will be an even more invaluable experience.”
Produced By Conference event co-chair Gale Anne Hurd said, “we believe our collaboration with AFCI will enhance learning opportunities and provide the increasingly important global perspective. The other co-chair is Rachel Klein.
AFCI CEO Lawrence Brownell stated, “The ability for producers and the industry to network with commissioners that are providing $2.5 billion in annual funding around the world is a perfect synergy for the entertainment community.”
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years. Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation. EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.” Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.” 34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More