8:45am

Opening Remarks, Registration & Exhibit Floor Opens

9:00am – 10:00am

Zilker Ballroom 3&4

Crossover Panel

I’m Every Woman- Women in Film and Music

Introduced by Michelle Lee of Delta Air Lines

We all know it can be lonely at the top, lonely at the bottom…and even in the middle. We’ll explore how women can support each other and bring unity, clarity & a complementary voice to the festival experience & workplace. In fact, our panel of experts have done it quite nicely, thank you. No grumbling allowed. And we play nice with boys too! Bring your business cards.

Moderator: Christine Devine, News anchor/ Author/ Foster care/Adoption advocate

Panelist: Nora Dunn, Comedian/ Actress/ Writer

Panelist: Nia Peeples, Actress/ Singer/ Producer -Invited

Panelist: Inga Dyer, ESQ, Senior Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs, Revolt TV

9:00am – 10:00am

Texas Ballroom 4-7

Film

Get Schooled- Education and The Festival

The relationship between educational institutions and film festivals is symbiotic and serves two masters and many students. How can film festivals establish relationships with post-secondary institutions and their constituents? Join us for a discussion that considers the benefit of these educational collaborations for all those involved.
Moderator: Paul Cohen, Director, FSU College of Motion Picture Arts “Torchlight Program”

Panelist: Keith Bennie, Manager, Adult Learning, TIFF Bell Lightbox

10:15am–11:00am

Track 1

Tech:

Finding the Right Balance Between Digital & Physical Festival Experiences

For user engagement, do digital tactics inspire more emotional connections to a brand than its physical counterpart? This session shares live comparisons of digital and physical experiences, exposes when and why a physical experience is better than digital—as well as how you can improve both to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts..

Moderator: Ted Cohen, Managing partner, Tag Strategic

Panelist: Sean Hoess, Co-founder, Wanderlust

Panelist: Rehan Choudhry, Co-founder, Life is Beautiful

Panelist: Daniel Sol, Co-Founder, Co Director HollyShorts Film Festival

Panelist: Parag Bhandari – Founder/CEO: UG Strategies

10:15am–11:00am

Track 2

Film

Formats, Festivals & Financial Considerations, from Submissions to Screenings

Designed with non-technical Executive Directors and Programmers in mind, this panel will take a look at what it takes to manage your festival’s film assets from filmmaker submission all the way through to final exhibition. We’ll discuss print-traffic challenges introduced by the multitude of digital formats, frame-rates and codecs, the differences between DCP and other file based digital playback methods, and how you can reduce costs and minimize headaches while ensuring a seamless and stress-free environment at each of your screenings.

Moderator: Aaron Owen, Founder/ Executive Producer, Cinematiq

Panelist: Bears Fonte, Executive Director / Programmer, Other Worlds Austin SciFi Film Festival

Panelist: Barbara Blake Hannah – Reggae Film Festival

Panelist: Nina Streich, Executive Director, Global Peace Film Festival

Panelist: Melinda Booth, Executive Director / Programmer, Wild and Scenic Film Festival

11:00am–12:00pm

Last Call: Solution Center & Drawing for Prizes

Scavenger Hunt powered by BrainItch Solutions

12:00pm – 1:00pm

Track 1

Tech:

Sharing Events: How to get them Talkin’

With today’s events, it’s imperative to create “social chatter.” Yes, festivals must give audiences, bands and sponsors the ability to share content, but more importantly, you must create content they want to share. Get insights on what shareable content is, and what it’s not. Bonus! – get a rundown of tips for creating festival content and engagement everyone will be talking about.

Moderator: Ted Cohen, Managing partner, Tag Strategic

Panelist: Christophe Daligault, CMO, FireChat by Open Garden

Panelist: Bart Borrelli, Business Development, CrowdTorch by Cvent

Panelist: Melissa Golding, Digital Content Manager, SXSW Conferences and Festivals

Panelist: Mike Walbert, General Manager, A3C Hip Hop Festival

12:00pm – 1:00pm

Track 2

Film

Special Challenges of Large Film Festivals ($500k + budget)

How do festivals deal with the battle over premieres? Managing talent? What policies should be in place regarding protection from piracy of the film that balances the needs of the distributor vs. the audience? Should festivals function as a distributor? And from an operations standpoint, how is staffing handled? Multiple venues, prints, events and more can be a logistical nightmare.
There are a myriad of issues that larger festivals must contend with. From premieres, piracy, distributors and streaming not to mention all of the operation issues with multiple venues, staff, transportation and scheduling, executing a large film festival is not for the faint of heart . Our panel of experts have seen, done and heard it all. They are prepared to share their secrets on ways to manage a large festival when so much is on the line.

Moderator: Bruno Chatelin, COO, filmfestivals.com & fest21.com

Panelist: Joshua Nordin, Business Development Director, NEPS Worldwide

Panelist:  Beth Caldarello, Operations Manager, Telluride Film Festival

Panelist: Barbara Morgan, Executive Director, Austin Film Festival

Panelist: Tonya Mantooth, Vice President, San Diego Film Festival

12:00pm – 1:00pm

Track 3

Film

Niche, Small and New Festival Track -We want more, more, more….

Where do we start? Show me the money is ground zero. Understanding your identity, budgeting, nonprofit vs for-profit status, community involvement, grants, local sponsorship & using local media & talent to grow your regional festival for pennies on the dollar will be the starter menu..

Moderator: Danette Wolpert, Executive Director, ILLUMINATE

Panelist: Michael Fox, Executive Director, Mendocino Film Festival

Panelist: Michael Coty, Executive Director, Julien Dubuque International Film Festival (CANNED Film Competition, GET REEL Student Film Competition)

Panelist: Chris McDonald, President, Hot Docs

Panelist: Bears Fonte, Executive Director / Programmer, Other Worlds Austin SciFi Film Festival

1:00pm – 2:00pm

Track 1

Crossover Panel

Music & Film Festival  Legal 101- The Firm

The three dreaded words from every festival organizers lips- Call our lawyer. Off the clock but on the ball, our team of lawyers have represented festivals large & small. They are here to walk you through the issues you should be thinking about (contracts, entity organization,  Intellectual property, liability concerns to name a few) & answer your questions (without a meter running).

Moderator: Stephanie Furgang Adwar, Partner, Furgang & Adwar, L.L.P.

Panelist: Christiane Kinney, Attorney, LeClairRyan

Panelist: Tomy McDonald, Entertainment and Media Attorney, TomyLaw

Panelist: Jonathan Blaufarb, Partner, San Francisco Law Firm Counsel LLP.

Panelist: Neeta Ragoowansi, Attorney, Law Office of Neeta Ragoowansi

1:00pm – 2:00pm

Track 2

Crossover Panel

Help! Staffing and Software Solutions

Every festival relies on volunteers and staff to manage their operations (Film or music). What are the pitfalls and benefits that each organization should examine before, during & after engaging staff. What software can facilitate the ease of this complicated management process? Use a professional company or recruit from within? With the law in a state of flux over the use of volunteers and interns, our panel of experts will discuss the legal, operational and budgetary implications of each.

Moderator:  Howard Sapper,CEO, Harmony Festival and Executive Director of Everybody Is A Star Foundation

Panelist:  Beth Caldarello, Operations Manager, Telluride Film Festival

Panelist: Bryan Lhuillier,  CEO, Shiftboard

Panelist: Brett Mossiman, Owner, Pipeline productions (Wakarussa)

Panelist: Chris Hammond, Founder / President, Wine Amplified Festival

2:15pm – 3:30pm

Closing Keynote: Pretty Little Livewires

Nia Peeples & Troian Bellisario. Besides being co-stars on a hit TV series, these women are a powerhouse of unparalleled talent. Besides beauty, brains & brawn, they have directed, produced and starred in any number of entertainment endeavors. Yet they come from two very different generations. As two smart women in the entertainment business, they have a lot to share and teach us about standards of beauty & behavior in our culture. Hear about their latest projects as Troian’s directing partner Tommy Bertlesen joins us for a lively discussion.

Moderator: Laurie Kirby, President, IFFS-IMFCON

Panelist: Tommy Bertlesen, Director

Panelist: Troian Bellisario, Actor/ Filmmaker

Panelist: Nia Peeples, Actress/ Singer/ Producer

3:45pm – 5:00pm

Closing Reception

Hosted by Dark Horse Wine and Lagunitas Brewing Company
Join us at the Texas Foyer and enjoy a cocktail in a space just right for making connections and establishing new partnerships.