Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Noon – 1:00 PM

Session II: Guerin A, in Herscher Hall, Live Webcast

The DealMaking Process: From Feature Film, Reality TV & Specials to Web Series and Indie Film Making

Andrew Sugerman, Producer, “Conviction,” “Any Day,” “The Divide,” “Prozac Nation,” and Exec. Produced, “Shopgirl”

Steve Foster, Head of Original Content, Adaptive Studios

Brian Beckmann, CFO, Arclight Films

Nick Vallelonga, Writer/Producer/Director/Actor, “Green Book”
Brian Currie, Writer/Producer/Actor, "Green Book"

Raúl Campos Delgado, co-founder, The Original Content Society

Michael Berk, Emmy Award Winning Producer, “Soul Surfer,” “Baywatch” TV and Movie , Moderator

Steve Foster, Head of Original Content, Adaptive Studios: Steve Foster is the head of original content at Adaptive Studios, overseeing development across the company’s television, film, publishing and digital arms. Before joining Adaptive, Foster was Director, Development at HBO Films, responsible for helping shepherd projects through the development and production process. While there, Foster’s roster of films included Confirmation, starring Kerry Washington, Wendell Pierce, and Greg Kinnear, helmed by Rick Famuyiwa and written by Susannah Grant; Clear History, written by and starring Larry David with Greg Mottola directing, and also starring Jon Hamm, Kate Hudson, Danny McBride, Michael Keaton and Eva Mendes, and worked on such films as Behind the Candelabra, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Michael Douglas

and Matt Damon; Bessie, written and directed by Dee Rees and starring Queen Latifah; the Phillip Noyce directed Mary and Marthastarring Hilary Swank and Brenda Blethyn; and the upcoming Paterno, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Al Pacino. Prior to HBO, Foster worked at Scott Free as Vice President, Production, where he helped oversee the development and production of several films including

Brian Beckmann serves as CFO at Arclight Films, the leading international sales company for theatrical, television, and home entertainment licensing. Beckman’s prolific career profile includes 20 years’ experience as CFO, including 8 years at Arclight, working for start-up firms, as well as, established companies ranging from small businesses to publicly traded companies. Beckmann has successfully led several companies through financial and operational turnarounds, managed all facets of a start-up organization and is an accomplished strategist within growth-oriented companies.  He has worked in a variety of industries from film/entertainment, media/advertising, manufacturing, to advanced technology. Arclight Films’ slate include the upcoming Hotel Mumbai starring Dev Patel and Armie Hammer, the critically acclaimed First Reformed starring Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried, and Jungle based on the harrowing true story of survival in the Amazon starring Daniel Radcliffe.

NICK VALLELONGA - DIRECTOR/ WRITER / PRODUCER / ACTOR  -  Nick Vallelonga wrote the script with Peter Farrelly & Brian Currie and also is one of the producers on GREEN BOOK for Steven Spielberg's Amblin and Participant Media,  with Peter Farrelly directing. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini and will be released in the fall of 2018.  Other recent credits include Directing and Producing  UNORGANIZED CRIME, a TV Pilot starring Chazz Palminteri.  Nick developed and was a one of the producers on I AM WRATH starring John Travolta, Christopher Meloni and Paul Sloan which received a theatrical release in 2016.  He was one of the producers on  VIGILANTE DIARIES which starred Paul Sloan, Michael Madsen, Michael Jai White, Jason Mewes, Quentin Rampage Jackson, James Russo and Danny Trejo, which also received a theatrical release in 2016 and was purchased by HBO.  Nick was one of the producers and co-starred in the SYFY film, DOOMSDAY DEVICE in 2016.  Nick Line Produced CHOCOLATE CITY, which starred Vivica Fox and Michael Jai White and which was picked up by Paramount and released theatrically in 2015.  Nick Directed and Produced STILETTO starring Tom Berenger, Stana Katic, Michael Biehn, William Forsythe, Diane Venora, Tom Sizemore and Kelly Hu.  Nick Directed and Produced the indy Western, YELLOW ROCK, starring Michael Biehn and James Russo.  Yellow Rock won many film festivals including the The Wrangler Award for Best Film and Best Director at the prestigious National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Andrew Sugerman, Producer, “Conviction,” “Any Day,” “The Divide,” “Prozac Nation,” and Exec. Produced, “Shopgirl.”: Andrew Sugerman has been involved in the production of a diverse range of motion pictures as a producer over the past thirty years. His own production, “Conviction,” based on a true story, starring Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell and Minnie Driver, directed by Tony Goldwyn, was released in October 2010 by Fox Searchlight and received many awards and critical praise. He is producer of the feature film, “Any Day,” released in May, 2015, directed by Rustam Branaman, starring Sean Bean, Eva Longoria, Tom Arnold and Kate Walsh. Mr. Sugerman was recently co-executive producer of the one-hour drama series, “The Divide,” for AMC Studios and WEtv, with the pilot written by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Tony Goldwyn, which premiered in July, 2014. He executive produced the 2011 release, “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer,” based on the best-selling children’s book series and starring Heather Graham, directed by John Schultz. Recently completed, for release in 2013 is “Crazy Kind of Love,” which he executive produced, starring Virginia Madsen, Anthony LaPaglia, Zach Gilford and Eva Longoria, directed by Sarah Siegel-Magness. Over the last few years he executive produced “Death Sentence”, starring Kevin Bacon, directed by James Wan, released by Twentieth Century Fox, and the thriller “Premonition” with Sandra Bullock, which was a highly successful release from Sony Tristar. He also executive 2 produced “Shopgirl,” which has been released by Disney, starring Steve Martin, Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman, directed by Anand Tucker, as well as the comedy “Grilled” for New Line Cinema, starring Ray Romano and Kevin James, directed by Jason Ensler. In 2006 he executive produced the hit family road-trip comedy “Johnson Family Vacation” starring Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams and Bow Wow, for Fox Searchlight. Mr. Sugerman produced Walter Hill’s boxing drama “Undisputed,” starring Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames and Peter Falk, released by Miramax. He also produced the comedy “Boat Trip,” starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Roger Moore, Vivica A. Fox and Will Ferrell, released by Artisan. He served as line producer on the caper comedy “The Whole Ten Yards,” starring Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet, directed by Howard Deutch, released by Warner Bros, which followed the action-thriller “Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever,” starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu, directed by Kaos, also from Warners. He also line produced the drama “Prozac Nation,” based on the Elizabeth Wurtzel novel, starring Christina Ricci, Jessica Lange, Anne Heche, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Jason Biggs, directed by Erik Skoldbjaerg, released by Miramax. Mr. Sugerman’s extensive line producing credits also include “The Prophet’s Game,” starring Dennis Hopper, Stephanie Zimbalist and Sondra Locke; “Kimberly,” starring Gabrielle Anwar, Sean Astin, Molly Ringwald, Patty Duke and Lainie Kazan; “The Sterling Chase,” starring Alanna Ubach, Jack Noseworthy and Nicholle Tom; “Michael Angel” starring Dennis Hopper and Richard Greico, “Blue Motel,” starring Sean Young, Soleil Moon Frye and Robert Vaughn; and “Spiders” starring Lana Perillo and Josh Green. He also executive produced “Love Kills,” starring Mario Van Peebles, Leslie Ann Warren, Daniel Baldwin and Louise Fletcher. As a producer and executive producer, Mr. Sugerman’s credits also include “McCinsey’s Island,” “Mercy Street,” “Somebody Is Waiting,” “Savate,” “Spilt Milk” and “Deadly Rivals,” among others. Additionally an accomplished director and writer, Mr. Sugerman shared the writing credit for the story of the NBC Family Special, “A Place at the Table,” starring Danny Glover and Lukas Haas; and he directed the feature film comedy “Basic Training,” starring Ann Dusenberry and Marty Brill. 3 His television credits include producing the movie thriller, “Payoff,” starring Keith Carradine and Harry Dean Stanton, for Showtime; and the feature comedy “Working Trash,” starring Ben Stiller and George Carlin, directed by Alan Metter, for Fox Network. Further TV credits include executive producing the special “The Bulkin Trail,” starring David Hasselhoff, and producing and directing “The Hayburners.” He also produced and directed “Mandy’s Grandmother,” starring Maureen O’Sullivan, which was released theatrically and garnered an Academy Award nomination. Mr. Sugerman is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Producers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America.

Michael Berk, Emmy Award Winning Producer, “Soul Surfer,” “Baywatch” TV and Movie: After graduating from UCLA Michael Berk wrote and produced a dozen movies for television, including The Incredible Journey of Dr. Meg Laurel, the first 3-hour movie ever on network television and the highest-rated movie of the year, and the Golden Globe nominated Ordeal of Dr. Mudd. Together they won 4 Emmy Awards. Michael Created and Executive Produced Baywatch, the Guinness Book of World Records “Most watched television series in history”, and produced the Baywatch Movie for Paramount starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. Michael co-created the Las Vegas International Film Festival CineVegas, and the Vegas On Demand VOD Channel on Comcast and other cable systems, for which he was awarded the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Award in Entertainment. Michael launched the Cannabis Lifestyle Media Channel WeedTV, and cofounded Green Leaf Farms, a Cannabis Company with multiple licenses in Nevada and California to grow and manufacture cannabis products for medical and recreational use. Michael wrote the feature film Soul Surfer that received an “A+” Cinema score, won the Movie Guide Award as most inspirational movie of the year, and became the highest grossing surf movie of all time, and the feature film SPF18 featuring Goldie Hawn, Keanu Reeves, Patricia Arquette and Molly Ringwald. Over his film and television career, Michael Berk’s diverse roster of credits have garnered multiple Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Nominations, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Christopher Award, the Red Cross Spirit Award, the Ark Trust Award, and the Heal The Bay Environmental Award. You know those signs above storm drains that read “NO DUMPING: DRAINS TO OCEAN” with a picture of a dolphin? Michael invented that for a “Heal The Bay” episode of Baywatch.

Paul Bernon is a Co-Founder and Partner of Burn Later Productions and began his producing career with the Joe Swanberg film DRINKING BUDDIES, starring Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson and Anna Kendrick.  Since then, he has gone on to produce 18 features and documentaries including: THE INTERVENTION (Paramount), RESULTS (Magnolia), ADULT BEGINNERS, (Radius, Universal), LEMON (Magnolia), and SMALL CRIMES (Netflix). His documentary BEST KEPT SECRET, which deals with adults with autism aging out of the Newark school system, won a Peabody Award in 2014. His latest films include A KID LIKE JAKE (IFC Films), starring Claire Danes, Jim Parsons, Octavia Spencer and Priyanka Chopra; HEARTS BEAT LOUD (Gunpowder & Sky), starring Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, and Toni Collette and the upcoming films’ SUPPORT THE GIRLS (Magnolia), starring Regina Hall, Brooklyn Decker and AJ Michalka and MILE 22 (STX Films), starring Mark Wahlberg, Ronda Rousey and John Malkovich. Paul began his business career working at a real estate investment trust and then acquired his first shopping center at the age of 24. He is now a Managing Partner at Rubicon Real Estate, LLC, which owns and manages approximately 1.5 million square feet of investment property across the United States. Paul is an active volunteer in Democratic politics. He is a board member and co-founder of the Creative Council at EMILY’s List, and a member of the National Finance Committee at the Democratic National Committee. Paul was formerly finance chair for the campaigns of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Attorney General Martha Coakley, and the Massachusetts Democratic Party. He is a past recipient of the Visionary Leadership Award from the Jewish Community Relations Council, and has lectured at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, the University of Southern California, and Boston University about politics, film finance, production and entrepreneurship in media. Paul graduated from Boston University with a degree in Film Studies, and earned a Master’s of Science in Real Estate from New York University. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America, and divides his time between the Los Angeles and Boston offices. http://burnlater.com/

Raúl Campos Delgado, co-founder, The Original Content Society: After several years as a buyer in international content markets, Raúl Campos co-founded and served as CEO of BluePrint, the company responsible for the development and production of 23 Netflix original comedy specials.  Campos was in in charge of several comedy projects for local and global markets such as Late Night Express, Golria´s and Dementia, developing close to 30 different original fiction and unscripted formats along the way.  As a showrunner with strong creative chops, he directed the Netflix standup specials and is currently head writer ofSobreviví, directing three of its first-season episodes. When YouTube Originals sought to create its first series for Spanish-speaking markets globally, it turned to a trio of Mexico City innovators responsible for nearly two dozen Netflix specials. The Original Content Society (OCS), led by digital pioneers Raúl Campos, Félix de Valdivia and Jan Suter, was established in February 2018 to specialize in premium comedy for multicultural audiences.  As reported by Forbes, the company was tapped to launch YouTube Premium into Spanish-language original programming, starting with the comedy series Sobreviví (I Survived).  The show is groundbreaking on other fronts: as the first Mexico-shot sitcom about a comedian (a female one, no less) and as the first American-style, single-cam sitcom made in the territory. Premiered October 3 on YouTube Premium, Sobreviví stars popular Mexican comic actress Sofía Niño de Rivera as a fictional version of herself surviving the not-so-glamorous life of a female standup in Mexico City (its initial eight episodes draw material from her own life, akin to Tina Fey and 30 Rock).  Created by Raúl Campos, Félix de Valdivia and Sofía Niño de Rivera, the half-hour scripted series also stands out as a bilingual effort – shot primarily in Spanish, with some English scenes, subtitled in both as needed. Guest stars include Conan O’Brien and a roster of popular Latin American talents. Passionate about exploring unknown territory, the partners in The Original Content Society are the comedic minds behind 23 Netflix comedy specials featuring rising Mexican standup talents.  They include two for Sofía Niño de Rivera – the 2016 special Expuesta (Exposed), shot inside a 19th-century classic small theater, the popularity of which segued to Selección Natural (Natural Selection) in 2018, featuring the comic in a 10,000-seat venue, which led to a sold-out U.S. tour.  Other specials spotlight such generational comedians as Carlos Ballarta and Ricardo O’Farrill, who starred in the milestone project Abrazo Genial (Great Hug), the first-ever Spanish-language standup comedy special produced for Netflix.  Unrestricted to their native Mexico, the partners produced comedy specials in other countries including Hay Gente Así (There Are People Like This) with Ricardo Quevedo in Colombia, Estupidez Compleja(Complex Stupidity) with Malena Pichot in Argentina, and Grandes Fracasos de Ayer y Hoy (Great Failures of Yesterday & Today) with Jani Dueñas in Chile, named one of “the Best Stand-Up Specials of 2018” by Vulture. Late Night Express, starring OCS partner Félix de Valdivia, broke fresh ground as the first-ever late-night show focusing on YouTubers and other social media celebrities as guests.  Airing on Mexico’s Proyecto 40 broadcast channel, the series steadily grew in popularity over four seasons while expanding from a 15-minute novelty into a one-hour mainstay. With the sale of their previous company, BluePrint, and its library of 500+ hours of content, the partners embarked on a new venture focused on premium comedy.  Among other multilingual projects in development at The Original Content Society revealing its bent toward the darkly irreverent: a scripted “narcomedy” about the relationship between Tijuana and San Diego, a satiric sports series described as Anchorman meets Rain Man, and an animation project with a unabashedly adult theme.  The company is also looking to expand into theatrical film with an initial parody action concept, among others, while seeking to explore Mexico-America-Europe co-productions pushing the boundaries of comedy, a language shared around the world.