Tuesday, October 16, 2018

3:45 PM - 5:00 PM

Track III: Herscher Hall, Guerin A, Live Webcast

The TV/Film/Video - Platforms and Partnerships - Developing Hollywood Content as Brand and Distribution Package

Miriam Mintz, Director of Development, JASH (Group Nine Studios)

Mike Gabrawy, Chief Creative Officer, Arclight Films

Folayo Lasaki, Head of Marketing, SoulPancake, div. of Participant Media

Philip Shafran, Director, Content Activation, Brand and Business Development, America’s Funniest Home Videos

Larry Namer, President/CEO, Metan Global Entertainment Group

Megan Jones, Associate, Clark & Trevithick, Moderator

Folayo Lasaki is a marketing executive, creative, and content marketer who specializes in creating innovative campaigns for digital and traditional media. Currently Folayo is Head of Marketing at SoulPancake, the award-winning digital media and production company founded by actor Rainn Wilson, now a division of Participant Media. At SoulPancake Folayo oversees brand, content, and social media marketing as well as communications, distribution, and strategic partnerships. A 15-year entertainment industry veteran, Folayo has held marketing positions for companies including Variety, Landmark Theatres, Hollywire TV, Film Independent, IFP, and FILMMAKER Magazine. Folayo is also Principal + Founder of entertainment marketing and communications firm,

Striped Elephant. Folayo is a graduate of Pepperdine University and UCLA, and resides in Los Angeles. She can often be found making a mess in the kitchen, or waxing poetically about women and diversity in media.

Mike Gabrawy is Arclight Films’ Chief Creative Officer. Most recently Gabrawy produced the highly anticipated Hotel Mumbai starring Dev Patel and Armie Hammer, the true-life survival thriller Jungle starring Daniel Radcliffe, released through eOne October 20th, 2017, and the martial arts thriller Triple Threat starring Celina Jade and Michael Jai White released in 2018 by WellGo USA. He also serves as an executive producer on the action-adventure film Guardians Of The Tomb starring Kellan Lutz and Li Bingbing currently in post-production. Before coming to Arclight Films, Gabrawy was responsible for acquiring and developing the Sony PlayStation game Resident Evil via his production and development position at Constantin Films which then became the hit film starring Milla Jovovich released through Screen Gems. Mike’s additional credits include Fantastic Four, Independence Day, A Little Princess, Outcast, Reclaim, Silver Surfer, Stargate, Naked Gun 33 1/3, and Bait 3D.

Philip Shafran, Director, Content Activation, Brand and Business Development, America’s Funniest Home Videos: Shafran has over 15 years of experience working with brand recognition, retention, audience engagement and social outreach - driving consumer’s consumption of content through multi-channel platforms and traditional media networks. Shafran manages the monetization of television’s largest collection of user-generated (UGC) videos through expanding distribution and forging new partnerships via emerging channels, platforms and markets. He develops and manages off-air marketing initiatives for the Vin Di Bona brand, which includes “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” the highest co-viewed and longest-running primetime entertainment show in the history of the ABC network. Shafran is responsible for creating and extending revenue streams for the company and all its assets through meaningful digital partnerships, strategic planning, technological innovations and creative development.

Miriam Mintz is the Director of Development for JASH/GroupNine Studios. She has worked at IFC in development in both their linear and digital space, having worked on Comedy Bang! Bang!, Portlandia and Documentary Now!. Previously she worked at Comedy Central producing stand-up specials with Tracy Morgan, Bridget Everett and Artie Lange as well as special events and series like Adam Devine's House Party and a Super Bowl Special with Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele. She is a graduate of NYU Tisch.

Larry Namer,  President/CEO, Metan Global Entertainment Group: An entertainment industry veteran with over 45 years professional experience in cable television, live events and new media, Larry Namer is a founding partner of Metan Global Entertainment Group (www.metanglobal.com), a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for Chinese speaking audiences in China and abroad. MGEG recently launched the inspirational competition series The Bruce Lee Project in China, in conjunction with Company Films (co-owned by Keanu Reeves and Stephen Hamel), Bruce Lee Entertainment, LLC (Shannon Lee’s production company) and Benaroya Pictures. Mr. Namer was involved in creating the series’ original format and currently oversees sales and development for the project. The company recently launched the MGEG Film Fund I and serves as managing partner. Recipient of many industry awards, Mr. Namer is the co-founder of E! Entertainment Television, a company now valued at over $3.5 billion USD, and the creator of several successful companies in the United States and overseas. Among those companies are Comspan Communications that pioneered Western forms of entertainment in the former Soviet Union and Steeplechase Media that served as the primary consultant to Microsoft’s MiTV for developing interactive TV applications.

Megan Lisa Jones is a tax attorney at Clark & Trevithick, A.P.C. who advises on business, estate planning and complex structuring issues. She has extensive transactional and fundraising experience.  Ms. Jones has both a J.D. and an LL.M. in tax from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Undergraduate work was completed at Pepperdine University. Megan focuses on advising clients on a wide range of tax and other structuring and administrative legal issues.  Having worked as an investment banker for Lazard Freres and Needham & Company, her grasp of financial complexities provides a solid foundation for transactional, valuation or fundraising issues.  She has sold businesses from inside and outside trusts, handling complex partnership, S Corporation or public company issues.  Her expertise includes both domestic and international estate planning.   Megan’s clients include individuals, businesses and not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Jones is a member of the Beverly Hills, the San Fernando, the Los Angeles and the American Bar Associations. She is a continuing education instructor for Loyola Law School, CEB, Pincus Professional Education, PFAC and NBI, among other organizations, and speaks at numerous conferences. Ms. Jones is a STEP member, has written three books and has a California real estate broker’s license.  Megan is an education advocate and on the board of the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.