The international television and content festival SeriesFest: Season One announced the preliminary schedule of special programming and panels for this year’s inaugural festival, which will be held in the birthplace of cable television, Denver, Colorado.
SeriesFest will present sneak preview screenings throughout the weekend for upcoming TV premieres. Screenings will include a sneak look at the STARZ Original series “Survivor's Remorse,” followed by a discussion with Executive Producer/Creator/Showrunner Mike O'Malley and the cast; screening of the series premiere of USA Network’s “Mr. Robot” followed by a Q&A with Creator and Executive Producer Sam Esmail and actors Carly Chaikin and Martin Wallström; and a sneak preview screening of the series premiere of Fusion’s “Outpost” will screen followed by a conversation with Showrunner Gabriel Leigh.
Panels will include “Heavy Hit-ters: How a Power Team Creates Score and Songs for Film & TV,” “TV in the Digital Age,” “Branding in the Business of Show,” “Showrunner Panel,” “Storytellers Initiative,” and “SAG-AFTRA Presents: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About TV Contracts But Were Afraid to Ask”.
The primary screening venue will be at the Sie FilmCenter, which is the year-round cinematic home of SeriesFest’s partner organization, Denver Film Society. Denver Film Society is a nonprofit cultural institution that produces film events throughout the year, including the award-winning Denver Film Festival and the popular, summertime series Film on the Rocks
Additional screenings, panels and events, including the opening night celebration, will be announced in the coming weeks.
VIP passes for SeriesFest are currently on sale at www.seriesfest.com and individual tickets will go on sale on May 28, 2015 at www.seriesfest.com
Schedule of Screenings & Descriptions
Sneak Preview of the Series Premiere of Fusion’s “Outpost”
Friday, June 19th, Sie FilmCenter in Denver, CO
Conversation with Showrunner Gabriel Leigh to follow
SeriesFest is proud to present the Series Premiere of Outpost, an exciting presentation by Fusion that lives at the intersection of adventure travel and investigative journalism. Outpost brings you local perspectives from faraway places, telling stories about subcultures, environmental awareness, current events and adventure sports. Each season, Outpost spotlights one region of the world. First up is Latin America "like you've never seen it." Topics tackled by Outpost span issues such as illegal loggers in the Brazilian Amazon, to adventures like indigenous kite-surfers in Colombia.
SeriesFest will present two episodes of Outpost, which until now, has only been available to Snapchat users outside the U.S. Outpost Showrunner Gabriel Leigh will join SeriesFest for the show's debut and give his take on the confluence of adventure and the world we live in.
Sneak Preview of STARZ’s "Survivor's Remorse Season Two”
Saturday, June 20th, Sie FilmCenter in Denver, CO
Discussion with Executive Producer/Creator/Showrunner Mike O'Malley and Survivor's Remorse cast members Erica Ash and Tichina Arnold to follow
SeriesFest and STARZ will present a Sneak Look at the upcoming season of the STARZ Original series, Survivor's Remorse. Created by Mike O'Malley and executive produced with LeBron James, Survivor's Remorse follows the life of Cam Calloway (Jessie T. Usher), a hardworking young basketball star who grew up in a tough Boston neighborhood, and is thrust into the limelight after signing a huge contract with a pro team in Atlanta.
The first two episodes of the upcoming Second Season of Survivor's Remorse will screen at SeriesFest. The story of Cam's meteoric rise continues as he and his cousin and confidant, Reggie Vaughn (RonRreaco Lee) wrestle with Cam's sudden windfall, facing the rewards of money, stardom, love, and occasionally, the guilt of having "made it."
STARZ will debut Season 2 of the show on August 22nd.
Sneak Preview of the Series Premiere of USA Network's "Mr. Robot"
Saturday, June 20th, Sie FilmCenter in Denver, CO
Q&A with Creator and Executive Producer Sam Esmail and actors Carly Chaikin and Martin Wallström to follow
The psychological thriller, which will have its Series Debut on USA Network Wednesday, June 24 at 10pm/9C, follows young programmer, Elliot (played by Rami Malek, The Pacific), who works as a cyber-security engineer by day and a vigilante hacker by night. Elliot finds himself at a crossroads when the mysterious leader (Christian Slater, The Adderall Diaries) of an underground hacker group recruits him to destroy the firm he is paid to protect. Compelled by his personal beliefs, Elliot struggles to resist the chance to take down the multinational CEOs he believes are running (and ruining) the world. This contemporary and culturally resonant drama also stars Portia Doubleday (Her), Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory) and Martin Wallström (Simple Simon).
Schedule of Panels & Descriptions
Heavy Hit-ters: How a Power Team Creates Score and Songs for Film & TV
Friday, June 19th, Sie FilmCenter in Denver, CO
Panelists: Composer Daniel Alcheh (SVETLANA)
Score Producer Elliot Hunt (THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS)
Music Consultant Celeste Chada (FIFTY SHADES OF GREY)
Singer/songwriter/producer Robbie Nevil (BOYHOOD).
Moderator: Denver Film Critic, Robert Denerstein, MOVIE HABIT
How can a film’s music be elevated from simply effective to seismic? Add a power team! A power team pools its talents under one roof, harnessing its collective ability to produce a higher-level product than a single creator could.
Come meet Elliot Hunt and Daniel Alcheh, the founding partners of Boulder/Los Angeles-based music house alcheh&hunt, and their core star-collaborators Robbie Nevil (singer/songwriter/producer) and Celeste Chada (music director/supervision consultant).
Combined, the four have covered all aspects of music for television and film: from hit songs to feature films, from trailers and TV series to countless commercials and promos.
Learn what goes into licensing music for picture and collaboratively creating original score, and hear how each of this power team’s members uniquely contributes to the creation of effective visual products by way of infectious earworms and outstanding sound
SAG-AFTRA Presents: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About TV Contracts But Were Afraid to Ask
Friday, June 19th, Sie FilmCenter in Denver, CO
Presenter: SAG-AFTRA Director, TV Contracts Dan Bowser
The television landscape has changed dramatically over the last few years. With more delivery platforms and distribution models being created, it’s an exciting time for both content creators and professional performers.
This presentation, by one of SAG-AFTRA’s TV contract experts, will provide an overview and Q&A on the signatory process, including current rates and rules of engagement, with an emphasis on how to navigate pilot season. You’ll also learn about the benefits of working with professional union talent.
TV in the Digital Age
Friday, June 19th, Sie FilmCenter in Denver, CO
Panelists: Erika Weinstein, Director of Scripted Programming, AMC
Sam Toles, VP of Content Acquisition and Business Development, VIMEO
Moderators: Dani Faith Leonard & Alex Cirillo, Founders of BIG VISION EMPTY WALLET
No longer are the days of rushing home to watch Primetime live. Now more than ever audiences are turning to their computers, phones and tablets to watch their favorite series at the click of a button. So how are content creators and TV platforms adjusting to meet the audience’s desire for binge watching at their own convenience?
Join us as Erika Weinstein from AMC and Sam Toles from Vimeo discuss how TV shows are expanding to multiple platforms and are getting interactive to build and engage audiences. Moderated by Dani Faith Leonard & Alex Cirillo, Founders of Big Vision Empty Wallet, they will also explore how creators with big visions and empty wallets are building audiences and breaking through via web series and digital platforms.
Branding in the Business of Show
Saturday, June 20th, Sie FilmCenter in Denver, CO
Panelists: Amy Janes, CEO, FANOLOGY
Richard Janes, Co-Founder, FANOLOGY and CEO and Co-Founder, GOGOGAB
# this, @that, follow who, LIKE what, mention where…. there are so many ways to engage yourself, your project and your brand that a whole new category of businesses has popped up in the last decade revolving on making an impact on a social level.
Join us as Richard Janes, the founder of Fanology and GogoGoGab, and Amy Janes, the CEO of Fanology, discuss how they’ve successfully boosted social chatter around Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries, Scandal, Dancing with the Stars, and numerous other shows. Together, their mission is to help creators craft their brand story and provide them with in-depth analysis to increase their reach and engagement. Listen as they explain how to utilize the most up-to-date technology to maximize social influence. And learn new tricks that will increase your value to future partners for a greater monetary return on your brand and project.
Showrunner Panel
Saturday, June 20th, Sie FilmCenter in Denver, CO
Panelists: Brannon Braga, Showrunner of STAR TREK: VOYAGER, COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY
Patrick Smith, Showrunner of CHASING LIFE
Randy Zisk, Showrunner of MONK
Have you ever wondered how to get a job in the television industry? Better yet, ever dream what it would be like to run a prime time TV show?
Breaking into the business and creating working relationships is a vital part of a successful career in any industry, let alone the cutthroat industry of entertainment television.
Come join us at our SeriesFest Showrunner Panel and listen to stories from acclaimed showrunners. How did they get their start, what lead them on the path to creating and running some of our favorite shows and find out how you can make a career for yourself, land a job and pave your way in the television business?
Storytellers Initiative
Saturday, June 20th, Eugenia Rawls Courtyard Theatre at the King Center in Denver, CO
Parallel Entertainment and YayBig are honored to partner with Seriesfest to discover creative, fresh comedy writers. We have read hundreds of scripts and it all comes down to THREE!
Come witness the THREE FINALISTS scripts brought to life by professional actors on stage. Laugh out loud with us and be part of the Storytellers Initiative, where one person will win a development deal and the opportunity to have produced a pilot presentation!
About SERIESFEST
SeriesFest is an international celebration dedicated to showcasing the best new pilots from established and emerging content creators. At a time when entertainment is expanding and evolving across multiple platforms, the need for a diverse range of programming is greater than ever. As trailblazers in independent content development, we aim to create a global marketplace for episodic storytelling. The annual SeriesFest takes place in Denver, Colorado—the birthplace of cable television—and brings together industry luminaries, emerging artists, and passionate audiences.
SeriesFest is presented in partnership with the Denver Film Society and receives generous support from Comcast, STARZ, Parallel Entertainment and YayBig.
For more information, visit www.seriesfest.com and follow @seriesfest on Twitter.
