Award-winning film festival circuit favorites “Jason Becker, Not Dead Yet,” “Off Label” and “Big Boys Gone BANANAS!**” will be exclusively screened for attendees on Sunday, Sept. 9, to kick off the third annual WESTDOC: The West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference (Sept. 9-12) in Culver City, Calif., it was announced today by WESTDOC co-founders Chuck Braverman and Richard Propper.nnWESTDOC’S exclusive opening-day documentary screenings have brought forth hand-picked independent documentaries which were discovered at documentary festivals around the world. The Sundance Film Festival favorite “Catfish” was screened prior to its release at WESTDOC 2010, with the director and producers providing Q&A to a packed house of conference delegates and VIP ticket holders. This year’s selections were picked from some 100 possible films discovered at Hot Docs Canadian International and Full Frame documentary film festivals.nnThe conference’s film screenings, panels, keynote presentation, PitchFest competition and vendor area all will be located at the beautiful Pacific Culver Stadium 12 Theaters in Culver City, and all films will run on new Sony 4K digital projectors. The theaters are directly adjacent to the historic and remodeled Culver Hotel that will serve as the social center point of the conference.nn”These three films are the best of the best curated from popular documentary festivals worldwide,” says WESTDOC co-founder Braverman, Academy Award®-nominated producer/director. “The three will be eligible for this year’s Oscars®.”nnDetails for the three documentary films scheduled to be exclusively screened at WESTDOC 2012 on Sunday, Sept. 9, are as follows:nn• 2 p.m. “Jason Becker, Not Dead Yet“ Directed by Jessie Vile, the feature-length documentary tells an incredible story of a guitar legend who refuses to give up on his dream of being a musician despite the most incredible odds. When doctors diagnosed 19-year-old rock star Jason Becker with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, they said he would never make music again and that he wouldn’t live to see his 25th birthday. Twenty-two years later, without the ability to move or to speak, Jason is alive and making music with his eyes. It has been recognized with honors at five film festivals thus far, including the winner of “Outstanding Achievement” in Music at the Newport Beach Film Festival and “Best Documentary” at Chicago International Movies and Music Festival 2012.nnnn• 5 p.m. – “Off Label“ “Off Label” uses the personal stories of human guinea pigs – those who test and take pharmaceutical drugs – as a launching pad for a deeper exploration into the ways these drugs are marketed, sold, consumed, and ultimately treated with the same reverence as a religious belief in the United States. The film incorporates a multitude of visual styles and presents deeply personal stories set against a uniquely American landscape haunted by the ever-present commercialization of medicine and personal identity. An official selection at the Tribeca, Hot Docs, Sheffield Doc/Fest and the San Francisco International Film Festival, “Off Label” was directed by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher and produced by Anish Savjani and Vincent Savino.nn nn• 8 p.m. – “Big Boys Gone BANANAS!**” Directed by Fredrik Gertten and produced by Margarete Jangård, this documentary chronicles the true story of their small Swedish film production company being forced to face off against multi-billion dollar fruit giant Dole Food Company, Inc. when their controversial 2009 film “BANANAS!*” was to be stopped at any cost. From lawsuits to bullying scare tactics and media control, the story altogether reveals a dreadful eye-opener about what a big corporation will do in order to protect its brand. The film has been an official selection of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and Sundance Film Festival.nnnnWESTDOC: The West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference (Sept. 9-12, 2012) gathers producers and directors of non-fiction/documentary and reality television programming with executives who create such programs. Recognized as the premier conference of its kind on the West Coast, more than 100 industry speakers are expected to participate in the three-day WESTDOC 2012 conference consisting of panels, case studies, social events and exclusive networking sessions. More than 30 panels are planned regarding financing, conceiving and selling a documentary or reality TV one-off or series. Contemporary topics covered also will include distribution models from theatrical presentation to digital platforms. nnThe list of networks confirmed to participate in WESTDOC 2012 includes: ABC, A&E, Animal Planet, BBC, Bravo, Cooking Channel, CMT, Discovery Channel, DIY Network, Documentary Channel, E! Entertainment Television, ESPN, Food Network, G4, GSN, History Channel, KCET, Lifetime, Logo, MTV, NBC, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, OWN, Ovation, Oxygen, PBS SoCaL, Spike TV, Style, Sundance Channel, SyFy, TLC, Travel Channel, Tru TV, USA Network, Veria Living, VH1, WE TV and YouTube, with more added daily.nnPitchFest is WESTDOC 2012‘s climactic all-day event where 12 finalists of documentary and reality producers pitch new works in progress directly to funders and network development executives in front of a live audience for potential acquisition, licensing or co-production funding. The pitches include at least three minutes each of video and verbal pitching, not exceeding eight total minutes. This year’s cash prize to the PitchFest winner will be increased from $7,500 to $12,000, thanks to the generous support of competition sponsor The Gilbert Group at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management-Bank of America.nnIn addition to PitchFest, WESTDOC 2012 features two more unique networking opportunities that have been extremely popular with attendees: Face Time, the 10-minute, one-on-one opportunity to pitch a network executive of producer’s choice, and The Sit-Down, 30-minute intimate overviews of individual networks and production companies outlining what executives and producers are focusing on today and, more importantly, what they’re looking for tomorrow.nnAn exclusive Master Class opportunity also is available for attendees featuring industry veteran and business guru Peter Hamilton, in his only West Coast appearance in 2012. Hamilton’s session on “How to succeed in the booming U.S. Factual Television Market!” will be held Sunday, Sept. 9 inside the Culver Hotel. This class fee is $199 and is in addition to the general WESTDOC 2012 pass.nnRegistration information, as well as an updated list of panels, speakers and networking opportunities can be found at the conference’s official website at: www.theWESTDOC.com, including information on the discounted Guilds & Associations rate now available through August 31, 2012. Conference updates also are posted via WESTDOC 2012‘s Facebook and Twitter sites.
Chuck Braverman Founding Partner Contact Chuck via email 310-616-5084 ext. 711 Richard Propper Founding Partner Contact Richard via email 310-616-5084 ext. 712 Karin M. Martenson Director of Programming Contact Karin via email 310-616-5084 ext. 713
ABC Fine Wine and Spirits Embraces Dry January With Cheeky New Ad Campaign
Bacon & Eggs, the creative shop known for its witty, imaginative and disruptive advertising, has created an innovative campaign for ABC Fine Wine and Spirits that playfully tackles the Dry January's impact on its business head-on. Through the campaign, Florida's largest family-owned wine and spirits retailer proudly proclaims its support for Dry January even as it shares its extensive selection of wines, spirits, premixed cocktails and beers found within 127 stores across the state. In the campaign's signature spot, ABC Fine Wine and Spirits cheekily announces its enthusiastic support for Dry January, then proceeds to describe its tantalizing array of velvety cabernets, perfectly frosted IPAs, and smooth whiskeys — all while insisting, of course, that viewers "definitely shouldn't" indulge in these libations during the month. "Most alcohol retailers either push non-alcoholic alternatives or go quiet during Dry January," explains Kia Zomorrodi, founder and chief creative officer of Bacon & Eggs. "We wanted to flip the script and create something that would resonate with both those participating in Dry January and those who aren't. The campaign's reverse psychology approach lets ABC own the conversation while showcasing its impressive selection in an entertaining way." The campaign arrives as ABC Fine Wine and Spirits aims to maintain brand engagement during a traditionally quiet period for alcohol sales. "This campaign perfectly captures our brand personality while acknowledging the reality of Dry... Read More