NEW YORK --

With the selections for the 8th annual SHOOT New Directors Showcase Reel set for the premiere screening at the 8th Annual New Directors Showcase evening event, 6:00-10:00pm, the daytime inaugural SHOOT Directors Symposium progam line up is set as well for earlier in the day from 9:30am-3:30pm. Both events will take place Tuesday, May 11, at the DGA Theatre in New York City. As in years past, the field of directors in the SHOOT New Directors Showcase will represent a wide range of new talent spanning such disciplines as documentaries, features, commercials, alternative media content, music videos and spec fare. In the mix will be unaffiliated newcomers, several with ad agency pedigrees–including one who’s still on the agency side–and even a helmer whose directorial debut earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary.
    The evening will be highlighted by a screening of this years SHOOT New Directors Showcase directors’ work as well as a panel discussion introducing several of the directors to the audience. The discussion will also include insights from a pair of industry professionals: Bonnie Goldfarb, co-founder/executive producer, harvest; and Lora Schulson, co-executive director of content production, Young & Rubicam, New York. Following the panel session will be an After Party at the DGA Theatre.

Daylong Symposium: 9:30am-3:30pm
Springing from and simpatico with the spirit of the New Directors Showcase is SHOOT Directors Symposium, as reflected in an opening session in which two accomplished directors, Laura Belsey and Bob Giraldi, discuss discovering and developing the next generation of directors. Both Belsey and Giraldi have expertise on the subject based not only on their filmmaking credentials but also for their experience as educators. Belsey is a teacher of “Commercial Directing” at the Graduate Film School of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Giraldi teaches “The Project Class” and “Evolutionary Dynamics in Advertising” at the School of Visual Arts, N.Y.

Other sessions will cover such areas as: emerging opportunities for directors in branded entertainment, web content and other fare; creative tools and how they can translate into facilitating new opportunities for both established and aspiring directors; a look at past New Directors Showcase directors and how their careers have progressed; and a session with lauded director/cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, a five-time Academy Award nominee for Best Cinematography.

Combined, the Directors Symposium and New Directors Showcase present an ideal environment for directors, cinematographers, advertising agency creatives & producers, independent and feature film executives, TV, cable, online & mobile executives, production & post company owners, executives, exec producers, brand marketers and other artists and executive members of the commercial, TV and film production communities to capitalize on new business opportunities, share expertise, meet new project partners, initiate creative collaboration, source new possibilities for work and help define opportunities in an evolving marketplace now clearly spanning advertising and entertainment, and the merging of those two worlds.
    Here’s a rundown of the daytime and evening agendas where learning, the latest trends, great new work and networking will take center stage:

9:30am-3:30pm: The Directors Symposium AgendaSeries of panel discussions and Q&A sessions featuring leading directors, agency creatives, production company entrepreneurs, and other leading artists and executives who will share their expertise. (brief panelist bios follow below)

9:20-9:40am: Attendees check in at the DGA Theatre9:45am: Welcome Remarks

10:00-10:40am: The Next Generation: In The Classroom Chair/In The Directors Chair
We kick off the day with two experienced film & commercial directors who are also educators. They will share their career backgrounds, perspectives & insights into being a director today and how they are helping to prepare up-and-coming directors for the real world tomorrow. Training, mentoring and survival tactics for directing advertising & entertainment content in today’s constantly evolving landscape is on the agenda. 
Panelists: 
—Laura Belsey, Shadow Pictures and C Entertainment & teacher, “Commercial Directing”, Graduate Film School of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts
— Bob Giraldi, Giraldi Media & teacher, “The Project Class” & “Evolutionary Dynamics in Advertising”, School of Visual Arts, NY

10:45-11:55am:  Advertising & Entertainment: Key Creative & Business Issues Of Today & Tomorrow
Valuable information and food for thought for directors, producers, ad agencies, commercial & entertainment production/post companies will be provided by leading experts from different walks of the industry who will provide perspectives on the some of the most dynamic issues of the day. Topics to be addressed include: What does the mesh of traditional media and new forms of content, and social media, mean for commercial & entertainment content creators, ad agencies & marketers? What does the incursion of traditional talent agencies and entertainment companies into the marketing sector mean for traditional commercial-making suppliers? What are the changing business models and big legal issues, such as contracts & copyrights? What are clients looking for relative to branded entertainment and return on investment? How do the budget parameters differ from those in the traditional commercialmaking world?
 
Panelists:

—Wayne Best, executive creative director of JWT New York

—Jeffrey A. Greenbaum, Managing Partner, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz

—Stacey Mokotoff, President, Bird Bonette Stauderman Inc.

—Allison (Ally) Polly, Head of Strategy and Brand Partnerships, Filmaka Entertainment Studios

—Kristi VandenBosch, CEO, Publicis & Hal Riney

12:00-12:30pm: Showcase Perspective .
In preparation of tonight’s screening, we take a look back at some select Showcase directors, and how their careers have progressed, providing inspiration for our latest crop of talent.

Panelists:

—Keith Bearden, director, 2008 SHOOT New Directors Showcase 
    —Kevin Kerwin, director, Authentic Films, 2009 SHOOT New Directors Showcase.
Adding some production company perspective is Bonnie Goldfarb, co-founder & executive producer, harvest    

12:35-1:25pm:  Lunch
Casual lunch and conversation downstairs at the DGA Theatre

1:30-2:40pm:  Creative Tools–And How They’ve Opened Up Opportunities
Hear from a cinematographer who was among the first to put the much anticipated Arri Alexa camera–just introduced at NAB–through its paces. Another DP just comes off of a Sundance Channel series directed by and starring Isabella Rossellini for which he deployed the Canon 5D Mark II digital camera. From the high end to the most affordable resources, our panel of experts will discuss some of the various cameras being used today in advertising & entertainment, and their experiences with them spanning long-form, shorts, commercials, webisodes and other forms of content. We’ll delve into digital workflow and the creative flexibility it can afford a filmmaker. And we will eye the potential of 3D encompassing cinema, TV and advertising. Our lineup of panelists addressing a brave new film and digital world will include cinematographers, postproduction and tech experts, and a savvy ad agency production executive. See how cool tools are being deployed on cool work, with info and observations that could help you on future projects.
Panelists:
—Bill Bennett, ASC, cinematographer
—Nick Iannelli, VP, Deluxe Postproduction, Toronto
—Craig Leffel, partner/senior colorist, Optimus
—Sam Levy, cinematographer
—David B. Perry, executive VP/head of TV production, Saatchi & Saatchi, NY & Chairman, 4A’s Broadcast Production Committee

2:45-3:30PM:  In The Director/Cinematographer Chair: Caleb Deschanel, ASC
In February, Caleb Deschanel received the American Society of Cinematographers Lifetime Achievement Award. ASC president Michael Goi said of Deschanel at the time, “For him to receive this honor while still at the top of his field shows the profound influence and respect he has among his peers.” That influence and respect spans Best Cinematography Academy Award nominations for The Right Stuff, The Natural, Fly Away Home, The Patriot, and The Passion of the Christ. He has also shot such notable films as The Black Stallion, Being There, The Spiderwick Chronicles and My Sister’s Keeper. Deschanel’s directorial career encompasses theatrical features, TV programs and commercials. He co-founded commercial production house Dark Light Pictures in 1993 with executive producer Vincent Arcaro. So in an era of crossing over, Deschanel stands out, bringing movie, TV and cinematographer sensibilities to the commercial director’s chair, as well as an entrepreneurial spirit as reflected in his launching of Dark Light. In this one-on-one interview session, Deschanel shares insights into filmmaking and reflects on a career which is still going strong.

3:30pm Directors Symposium Closes

Once the Directors Symposium day-time agenda ends, SHOOT prepares for the evening Showcase while attendees have time to head to their offices for a few hours, have outside meetings or enjoy NYC sites.  Attendees return to the DGA Theater at 6:00PM for the New Directors Showcase evening agenda

6:00-10:00PM: New Directors Showcase Screening, Panel & After-party
From laughter to tears, drama to horror, spots to movie excerpts, dialogue driven to visual effects fantasy–that’s just a sampling of the range of emotions, genres, mediums and styles exhibited annually by a new generation of directors at SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase Event every May. We will screen the work that made the final cut for this year’s Showcase..

Here’s the agenda:

6:00pm-6:20pm Attendees check in

6:30pm SHOOT & DGA Welcome

6:35-7:40pm Debut Screening of the 2010 New Directors Showcase reel

7:45-8:30pm: Meet The New Directors Panel.
SHOOT editor, Bob Goldrich, in a panel discussion with six of the new directors to learn more about them. Two industry pros join the conversation.
Panelists:
—Bonnie Goldfarb, co-founder & executive producer, harvest
—Lora Schulson, co-executive director of content production, Y&R New York
Many of the new directors will be present during the day and evening events and we will ask them each to stand in the audience as their name is called so attendees will have a chance to see the person matching the name.  In addition, we have invited six of the directors to appear on this panel.  They are:
Bill Bruce, RSA
Alex Beh, ONE at Optimus
Varda Hardy, CurrentContentCreation
Ian Allen Lim, unaffiliated
Oliver Power,unaffiliated
Ezra J. Stanley, AboveGreyPictures

8:30-10:15pm The After Party.
Immediately following the last panel, join us downstairs at the DGA for food, cocktails, mingling with industry friends & making new contacts.

Directors Symposium Panelists biosHere’s a lineup of panelists, along with some biographical info:

Panel 1:
Laura Belsey, director, Shadow Pictures and C-Entertainment
Belsey has directed impactful work in short and long-form, a prime example of the latter being her documentary Katrina’s Children. Her ad directing endeavors also span assorted mainstream clients as well as emotionally moving storytelling such as four web videos for Voices of Meningitis out of Publicis Modem, N.Y., and a classic Coalition for the Homeless spot which unfolded to the strains of “New York, New York.” She has been teaching at NYU for four-plus years in a spotmaking class she developed at the request of the school.

Bob Giraldi, director, Giraldi Media
An agency creative who made a successful transition to the director’s chair, Giraldi has a filmography that includes classic commercials, breakthrough music videos (Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It”), feature filmmaking (Dinner Rush), YouTube video sensations (Second Guessing Grandma) and short films (this year’s The Grey Coat). He and exec producer Patti Greaney created the original website StarChefs, featuring celebrity chefs and cookbook authors, which continues as a foremost site used by professionals and food aficionados. Giraldi has been on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts for more than 30 years. He is chair of SVA’s newly formed MPS Independent Short Film Program.

Panel #2
Wayne Best, executive creative director, JWT New York
As executive creative director at JWT New York, Best headed a team which created for client Macy’s the CBS primetime animated Xmas special Yes, Virginia, which garnered stellar reviews and is primed to be an annual holiday television event. Prior to JWT,  he was exec creative director at Taxi NY where under this leadership the AAAA voted Taxi the best small agency in America two years in a row. He earlier worked at Fallon New York, Wieden+Kennedy, KBP, Cliff Freeman and Partners, and Ammirati & Puris on such notable accounts as Fox Sports, ESPN, Starbucks, Pepsi, Time Magazine, SoBe, Virgin Mobile, Staples and Coca-Cola. His work has won One Show Pencils in entertainment, TV, print and radio, Cannes Lions for both traditional and non-traditional content, as well as Clios, ANDYs and Effies, among other awards.

Jeffrey A. Greenbaum, partner in the Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations group at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, and also serves as the law firm’s managing partner.Greenbaum counsels advertisers, media companies, ad agencies and production companies on a wide variety of advertising, marketing, branded entertainment and intellectual property matters. He previously served as chair of the Committee on Consumer Affairs of the New York City Bar, and is currently a Committee member.

Stacey Mokotoff, president/production consultant, Bird Bonette Stauderman (BBS)Mokotoff joined consulting group Bird Bonette Stauderman in 1991, serving in various capacities before becoming its president in July ’09. Her production knowledge spans experience on the production house side of the business as a former exec producer at such shops as Michael/Daniel and Jenkins Covington Newman, and president of Gerard Hameline Productions. She is an authority on training on commercial production, serving marketing personnel at such companies at AT&T, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gillette, Reckitt Benckiser, Kodak and Bestfoods.

Allison (Ally) Polly, head of strategy and brand partnerships, Filmaka Entertainment Studios
At online global talent community Filmaka, Polly brings directors and creators together with major brands such as Ford, Trojan, Mars, Discover and Klondike. In her multi-faceted role at Filmaka, she is responsible for collaborations with agencies and brands, as well as for forging strategic alliances with creative communities and organizations. Her background includes extensive agency experience, including having served as senior VP/creative manager at McCann Erickson. Filmaka is a global digital entertainment studio and robust online creative community for aspiring filmmakerfs.  Filmaka is committed to inspiring, celebrating and rewarding creativity and talent by providing professional opportunities for undiscovered filmmakers and writers from around the world.

Kristi VandenBosch, CEO, Publicis & Hal Riney
VandenBosch joined Riney in 2009, becoming one of the first CEOs of a “traditional” advertising agency drawn from a non-traditional background. Her experience includes leading a regional network for TBWA Worldwide, as North American president of digital agency TEQUILA, as well as managing director tenures at Omnicom’s Direct Partners, and Draft Worldwide. Her integrated marketing services background led to roles on global marketing teams for Nissan, Infiniti, Sony and Pioneer, and her category expertise ranges from automotive to packaged goods, consumer electronics to financial services, dot-coms to fashion.

Panel #3 
Keith Bearden, director. Skunk, Annex & Big Productions
A SHOOT New Directors Showcase helmer back in 2008, Keith Bearden has seen his career progress with continued spotmaking and his feature film directorial debut, Meet Monica Velour, which made its world premiere at the recently wrapped Tribeca Film Festival. Meet Monica Velour was one of just 14 features selected for Tribeca’s Encounters section, which offers original films that reflect pop culture and contemporary issues. Bearden is represented for commercials in the U.S. via production house Skunk, is handled in the U.K. by Annex, and in France by Big Productions.
  
Bonnie Goldfarb, executive producer/CEO, harvestIn 2001, Goldfarb and director Baker Smith founded production house harvest which has earned hundreds of awards, including Cannes Lions, Clios, D&AD Pencils, to name just a few. More than 15 harvest-produced commercials have received AICP Show honors and been inducted into the film archives of MoMA, New York. At harvest, Smith also earned distinction with such accolades as a DGA Award for Best Commercial Director of the Year. Goldfarb is a first A.D./UPM with the DGA, a Women in Film associate member, and an AICP West Coast board member.

Kevin Kerwin, writer/director, Authentic Films
Kerwin earned inclusion into last year’s SHOOT New Directors Showcase due in part to a documentary-style campaign for Akron Children’s Hospital which was recognized with coverage in both the trade (SHOOT) and consumer press (The New York Times). His debut feature, Filmic Achievement, screened at 20 film festivals and will be released this year. Kerwin has won the Milos Foreman Screenwriting Award and the Austin Film Festival’s Best Comedy Screenplay honor.

Panel# 4
Bill Bennett, ASCA lauded cinematographer whose work spans assorted commercials, TV and features, Bennett is also an inventor of camera equipment, and has helped in the conceptual development and design of what became the Arri 435 camera. In August 2004, he had the honor of being the first cinematographer who has made a career of primarily shooting TV commercials to be invited to join the American Society of Cinematographers.

Nick Iannelli, VP, Deluxe Toronto, Iannelli is responsible for a postproduction workflow that meets the creative and technical requirements for filmmakers. A former editor, Iannelli is a key member of the Deluxe Toronto team that has recently launched a range of 3D post services, from dailies through the Digital Intermediate process, re-recording and deliverables. He is currently overseeing the post of two 3D stereoscopic feature films, Saw VII 3D and Resident Evil: the Afterlife.

Craig Leffel, senior colorist/partner, Optimus
An accomplished postproduction artist, Leffel is also deeply entrenched in maintaining a dialogue about the constant changing technology and roles within a post house. He has also served as DP and/or director on a number of agency projects, including commercials, webisodes and music videos.

Sam Levy, cinematographer
Among Sam Levy’s diverse credits are a series of films for The Sundance Channel–Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno (and this year’s Seduce Me sequel), and Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy (which received rave reviews for its cinematography upon its opening at the Cannes Film Festival). Levy recently wrapped Galt Niederhoffer’s The Romantics, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He is also known for lensing the documentary Oasis: Dig Your Soul Out In The Streets, part of the grass-roots campaign from BBH New York, which scored assorted awards, including an AICP Show honor.  Adept as a film shooter, Levy also has amassed extensive digital lensing experience spanning such cameras as RED, Phantom, Genesis, Viper, the Sony F35, Arri D-21, Panasonic HVX 200 models (which he deployed on the Oasis documentary) and the Canon 5D Mark II digital camera (on Rossellini’s Seduce Me series). He is represented by Dattner Dispoto and Associates.

David Perry, executive VP/director of broadcast production, Saatchi & Saatchi, New York
One of the industry’s most respected and knowledgeable agency production professionals, Perry has been with Saatchi since 1989, contributing his expertise to such accounts there over the years as Procter & Gamble, General Mills, JCPenney, Wendy’s, Johnson & Johnson, Becks, Delta Airlines, Burger King, Bell Atlantic and Gallo Winery. He is active in Saatchi New Directors Showcase at Cannes and is chairman of the 4A’s Broadcast Production Committee. Perry earlier served as director of broadcast production at JWT Chicago and Scali, McCabe, Sloves, New York, and was executive producer at BBDO New York.

One-on-One Interview Session:
Caleb Deschanel, ASC; director/co-founder, Dark Light PicturesAn accomplished director/cameraman whose cinematography has earned five Academy Award nomination–for The Right Stuff in 1984, The Natural in ’85, Fly Away Home in ’97, The Patriot in ’01, and The Passion of The Christ in ’05. Among his mentors were such lauded cinematographer as Haskell Wexler, ASC and Gordon Willis, ASC, as well as director Carroll Ballard. Deschanel has also been in the director’s chair encompassing short and long-form content, including features, TV and commercials. He directs the latter through Dark Light Pictures, a spot production house he founded with exec producer Vince Arcaro.

Evening New Directors Showcase Panelist bios
In addition to the six directors mentioned aboe, the Evening New Directors Showcase Panelists are:

Bonnie Goldfarb, executive producer/CEO, harvest
In 2001, Goldfarb and director Baker Smith founded production house harvest which has earned hundreds of awards, including Cannes Lions, Clios, D&AD Pencils, to name just a few. More than 15 harvest-produced commercials have received AICP Show honors and been inducted into the film archives of MoMA, New York. At harvest, Smith also earned distinction with such accolades as a DGA Award for Best Commercial Director of the Year. Goldfarb is a first A.D./UPM with the DGA, a Women in Film associate member, and an AICP West Coast board member.

Lora Schulson, co-executive director of content production, Young & Rubicam, New York
Schulson lives comfortably on the edge of technology and style, and enjoys guiding clients through the constantly evolving media landscape. Before joining Y&R in 2008, she produced some of the most awarded creative of the last decade while at TBWAChiatDay, NY.  Prior to that she was a senior producer in the TBWAChiatDay L.A. office on Apple, Earthlink, Nissan and Sony Playstation.

SHOOT Directors Symposium and the SHOOT New Directors Showcase Event Sponsors
SHOOT is pleased to announce that The DGA along with production companies harvest and ONE at Optimus, and Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, are the 2010 “Lead Sponsors”. Kodak, media & entertainment law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, and ARRI are “Silver Sponsors” SHOOT greatly appreciates the support of the sponsors for making this event possible.

EVENT REGISTRATION INFORMATIONEvent Registration for the Directors Symposium includes the daytime Symposium, lunch, the evening NewDirectors Showcase Event & After Party.  Individual tickets are $35. Use promo code ACTION for $5. discount.Groups of 3 or more automatically receive 10% off each ticket. Further event details and to register, please visit: www.regonline.com/directorsevent  If you do not want to attend the daytime Directors Symposium but would like to see if there are any complimentary tickets available for JUST the evening New Directors Showcase Event, please visit www.shootonline.com/go/rsvp

SHOOT is pleased to be a sponsor of CreativeWeekNYC and to be holding the Directors Symposium & New Directors Showcase as part of CreativeWeekNYC.  From May 10-16 top creative institutions host events to connect, inform, and inspire a worldwide creative community.  Check out the full schedule for other events that may be of interest to you at www.creativeweeknyc.org.

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