Steve Barr
President, SoCal Film Group

Steve Barr is a graduate with honors of the prestigious BFA professional actors' program at the University of Southern California.  For the last five years, he has worked at Universal Studios in the Labor Relations department, which negotiates and administrates the various Guild and Union contracts.

He is a founding member and President of the SoCal Film Group, an organization of writers, directors, producers, and actors who have taken a "no-permission" attitude toward making their own films.  To date, the group has produced over two dozen short films, ranging from 1.5 minutes to 30 minutes in length, across the spectrum of genres. 

He is currently in a screenplay development deal with Academy Award-winning effects house Digital Domain (Titanic, A Beautiful Mind, Lord of the Rings), executive produced by Academy Award-winning writer/producers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio (Shrek, Mask of Zorro, Pirates of the Caribbean)

He is also in negotiations with Roger Corman's New Horizons to produce his first feature film, a post-apocalyptic actioner called Rider.


Joel Block
Growth Architect

Joel Block is a new breed of executive who specializes in creating, identifying and structuring opportunities for businesses to grow.  As a "Growth Architect," Joel has counseled public and private companies in the manufacturing, distribution and service sectors on creating momentum, controlling growth, increasing sales, launching new businesses and products, and managing risk. 

Joel began his career as a CPA in the Entrepreneurial Services Group at Price Waterhouse.  Since founding Growth-Logic in 1990, he has directed strategic plans, corporate reorganizations and structured workouts, as well as bought and sold companies and raised in excess of $20 million in equity for his ventures.

His clients have included Amgen, The Dallas Cowboy Insider publishing company, Southwest Pacific Corporation and many newspapers and radio stations (including the Los Angeles Times and New York's WABC).  He founded Financial Fax in 1992, a personalized newspaper of selected stock market information, and sold it to the Los Angeles Times in 1995.  He has served as a strategist to top management in these and other companies, and also served as president or publisher for several companies.

Joel has a passion for entrepreneurs and challenges of the business world, and is a frequent speaker at conferences, business meetings and universities.


Kerry David 
Partner, Lucky Crow Films

Producer Kerry David started her career at Paramount Pictures in Business Affairs. After Paramount, she spent three years working for, and traveling with, Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman on such projects as Portrait of a Lady, Peacemaker, Practical Magic, The Blue Room, Without Limits, Mission: Impossible II and Eyes Wide Shut by director Stanley Kubrick. She left Odin to start her own production company, where she set up and Executive Produced Agent Cody Banks and Agent Cody Banks: Destination London for MGM, and most recently she produced the feature film My Date with Drew (Winner of the Audience Award for Best Feature at the HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, and for Best Documentary at the Vail Film Festival). She is currently producing Perfect Match in Vancouver, a romantic comedy written by Allison Burnett (Autumn in New York, MGM).

David is also the Founder of www.indieproducer.net, an on-line film community and ultimate resource for filmmakers.  She started the company with a view to extending a hand to filmmakers outside of the Hollywood system, and spearheaded its growth to include a worldwide screenwriting contest, short film contest and Red Carpet Gala Awards show each year that also honors a member of the entertainment industry with an "Outstanding Contribution to Film" award.  IndieProducer is now in its 3rd year.

David Co-produced the special edition DVD of The Usual Suspect's with Robert Burnett (Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, X-Men 1 and 2) for MGM.  She has been a guest speaker, panelist and moderator at several Film Festivals in America and overseas, and is a member of BAFTA, and WEN.


Clark Peterson
Producer

Producer of the Academy Award nominated Monster starring Charlize Theron, Clark Peterson has produced nearly two dozen feature films and television movies.  A graduate of Stanford University, Peterson began his career working in development and production for legendary producer Roger Corman, where he was involved in a number of independent films.  From there, he joined the Walt Disney Studios as an executive for several years, and then served as a senior production executive and producer at independent companies such as Image Organization, MDP Worldwide, and Interlight Pictures.

Prior to Monster he produced such films as The Watcher with Keanu Reeves and James Spader, Tart with Dominique Swain and Brad Renfro, and Table for One starring Rebecca DeMornay.  In addition, Peterson also created and produced Wes Craven Presents Wishmaster, the top-grossing independent film in the year it was released, and is currently developing a remake of David Cronenberg's Scanners as well as a screen
adaptation of James Ellroy's White Jazz.
                

Chris Gore
Writer, Producer

Chris Gore is a writer, filmmaker, television host and speaker who has built a solid reputation as an outspoken voice in the independent film world.  He has traveled the world to over 100 film festivals having attended his first at the age of twelve and has been a judge at festivals such as Athens, Austin, Edmonds, Florida, Slamdance, and the USA Film Festival. Chris wrote the indispensable "The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide," which has been called "the bible" for film festivals. Self-described as a film activist and a champion of independent movies, Chris earned his reputation as the hilarious, honest, down-to-earth creator of FilmThreat.com (originally a print magazine famous for covering cult flicks, midnight movies, underground shorts and, before a market even emerged, independent films) which was relaunched in 1997 as a web site with over 500,000 readers generating 15 million hits a month. In fact, the Wall Street Journal recently named Film Threat one of the top five movie web sites on the Internet. Recently Chris launched a Film Threat DVD distribution label to promote indie films overlooked by distributors. In addition to Film Threat, his television shows include "Festival Pass with Chris Gore" for Starz Cinema and the Independent Film Channel original series "Ultimate Film Fanatic," a movie trivia game show that tests contestants on their film knowledge as they compete for prizes and the crown of the Ultimate Film Fanatic, which will begin airing in July of 2004. Chris is also the author of a book about unproduced screenplays called "The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made" for St. Martin's Press.

Chris began his independent filmmaking career with the cult short Red starring tough guy actor Lawrence Tierney from Reservoir Dogs. More recently, Chris has turned to producing films such as the World War II action/drama Straight Into Darkness.

He was named one of the 25 Most Influential People in Independent Film by Film Festival Today magazine. Chris recently turned to filmmaking, as the co-writer and producer of the feature comedy "My Big Fat Independent Movie."  Chris lives in Los Angeles and his home on the web can be found at www.ChrisGore.com.

Heather Hale
President and CFO

Heather Hale got on the Hollywood map in 2000 when The Courage to Love, the $5.5 million dollar Lifetime Original Movie starring Vanessa Williams and Stacy Keach, was produced off her spec screenplay.

Since then, she’s written and produced 45 hours of award-winning television, including The Evidence, a news magazine docudrama series that won Best New Series Pilot at the Houston WorldFest in 2001 and Lifestyle Magazine, a holistic health talk show hosted by Clifton Davis that won two Tellys in 2001.

Prior to that, Heather was on the writing staff of two PBS edutainment series, including Psychology and Personal Finance, which won an Emmy in 1999.

Heather is a Jury Judge for the Hartley-Merrill International Screenwriting Competition alongside Ivan Reitman (Ghost Busters, Stripes, Animal House) and Alan Ball (American Beauty, Six Feet Under).

She has taught workshops and sat on panels at various film festivals including Slamdance, Moondance and the Temecula Film Festival. She’s taught classes at the Los Angeles Film School, Learning Tree University and online with TheIndustry.LA. She routinely volunteers her time with emerging screenwriters through organizations including the Scriptwriter’s Network and The Independent Feature Project. She is a mentor for the Film Industry Network.

Heather currently has a project under consideration with HBO and a sitcom pilot being pitched by a Show Runner.

Prior to working in entertainment, Heather formed a privately held mortgage-banking corporation, Approved Mortgage. As CFO, she was instrumental in taking the business from a start-up operation to a thriving business that funded over $2 million per month.

Heather lives in Sherman Oaks, California with two cats and a constantly fluctuating number of fish and plants.

www.HeatherHale.com

Michael Hauge
Script Consultant

Michael Hauge is a script consultant http://www.screenplaymastery.com, screenwriter, author, lecturer and motivational speaker who works with writers, filmmakers and executives on their screenplays, film projects and development skills. He has recently coached writers and producers or consulted on projects for Warner Bros., Paramount, Disney, Columbia, New Line, CBS, Lifetime, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts. He also shares story credit on the feature film Heart of the Atom, now in preproduction with director Luis Mandoki.
      

Michael's award-winning book Writing Screenplays That Sell http://www.screenplaymastery.com/book.htm is now in its twenty-fifth printing for HarperCollins, is a definitive reference book for the film and television industries. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Writers Digest, Scriptwriter Magazine and Screentalk. More than 20,000 writers and filmmakers throughout the United States, Canada and Europe have attended his screenwriting seminars and lectures.

Michael also consults with attorneys, psychologists, corporations and individuals on employing story principles in their presentations and on using popular movies as a model for working with clients and accomplishing both personal and professional goals.


Eve Light Honthaner
Production Supervisor, Author

Eve Honthaner has worked in the entertainment industry as a production coordinator; non-union production manager; staff production executive at three different companies; a freelance production supervisor; and most recently, as a line producer.  She has worked in television, cable and features; on shows budgeted anywhere from $1 million to $250 million and has worked on projects that have been shot locally, throughout the U.S. and internationally.  She has been associated with such companies as:  Orion Pictures, DreamWorks, 20th Century-Fox, Disney and New Regency. 

In 1996-97, Eve worked on the film Titanic.  Dealing with the intricacies of that production was one of the biggest challenges of her career.  During the process, she became quite proficient at what it took to film in Baja, Mexico -- an area that had never before hosted such a large production.  Upon wrapping, Fox asked her to write the operations manual for their new Baja Studios.  Shortly thereafter, she was asked to set-up and run a Mexico unit for a DreamWorks film and has since consulted on many of the other films that have shot (or contemplated shooting) at the Rosarito facility.
    

Eve is the author of The Complete Film Production Handbook, the third edition of which was published in June of 2001.  The book provides a step-by-step guide to setting up and running a production and includes a complete assortment of forms, releases, contracts, checklists and sample pre- and post production schedules.  It has become an industry standard and continues to grow in popularity, as there is nothing else like it on the market.  Her second book is scheduled to be published in January of 2005, and is tentatively entitled Fade In On Reality -- What it Takes To Break In, Hang In & Make It in the Entertainment Industry.
           

Eve also teaches at two different film schools -- a six-week course entitled Breaking In, Hanging In & Making It! -- What You Need To Know When Pursuing A Career In The Entertainment Industry, at USC's Summer Production Workshop program; and a one-week Line Producer-UPM-AD class at The International Film & Television Workshops in Rockport, Maine. 

In November of 2000, she founded the Film Industry Network, a Los Angeles-based networking organization that creates the opportunity for industry professionals to make key contacts, develop solid industry relationships, exchange vital resources and showcase their talents.  FIN hosts informative, passionate and thought-provoking guest speakers, panel discussions and a variety of special programs.  What sets it apart from other industry networking organizations is its commitment to provide its members with support for career growth.      

Eve is a member of the Producers Guild of America.


Shelly Howell
CEO and Secretary

Shelly started her career in advertising in NYC as a Media Planner on Johnson & Johnson business. She quickly moved to Copywriter at Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, creating print and television ads for a wide variety of clients, including American Express, Hardees and General Foods. She went on to a lucrative freelance writing career in Dallas and Kansas City, working for Dr. Pepper, Wal-Mart, and a variety of local businesses.

Shelly created Millennium Productions in 1995, writing and producing industrial and educational videos for diverse industries. But the lure of screenwriting brought her to Los Angeles in 1997, where she’s been writing, optioning and developing comedy scripts with independent producers ever since.

Both Mad Moms In a Minivan and Been There, Came Back, two of Shelly’s scripts, have been semi-finalists in the Chesterfield Film Project, while Mad Moms finished in the top 10% of the prestigious Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.

Shelly recently finished her directorial debut, a short film titled The Perfect Husband, which is the first Storyworks Entertainment production. Produced by both Heather and Shelly, the film will showcase Storyworks at film festivals around the world.

Shelly is an active member of Women In Film and the Independent Feature Project.

Shelly lives in Westlake Village, California with her husband Bill, her son Max and her daughter Casey.


Michael Ingrassia
Director of the Short Filmmaker's Alliance

Michael Ingrassia is began his career in advertising in NYC as an airbrush illustrator for Ted Bates International and Saatchi and Saatchi working on several ad campaigns for Wonder Bread, Maxwell House, Colgate-Palmolive and Philip Morris.  From there he found himself dedicating over a decade in freelance commercial illustration.

In 1990 Michael began working in 3D starting with 3D Studio Max and now makes Maya his tool of choice. Presently he is Studio Director at DigitalWorld FX, a Seattle based Animation and Visual Effects studio. He has been written about in several major trade publications including 3D World magazine and Computer Graphics World magazine.

A passionate short filmmaker himself, Michael created the S.F.A. (Short Filmmaker's Alliance: www.shortfilmmaker.com) as a support forum for aspiring filmmaker's around the globe focusing on independent animated films.

Shortfilmmaker.com captured the attention of a local broadcast producer and is now being transformed into a new cable TV show which premieres on Seattle cable networks Summer 2004.

Michael has been a steady guest lecturer at various colleges and conventions throughout Seattle, Wa. and runs a very successful internship teaching "real world" skills to more than 6 students from various colleges including Vancouver Film School and the Art Institute of Seattle.


Houston King
Producer, Producer's Rep

Houston King recently produced and sold the award winning feature film "The

Trip" This film was distributed in over 50 cities in the U.S. by TLA Releasing and is being sold internationally by here! Films. Houston is currently in production of an animated project called "The Bedbugs Movie" and raised financing for a documentary on Yma Sumac.

Houston's Producing Representative business began with consulting on the publicity and sale of the documentary Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony. Amandla! won the Audience Award for Documentaries and the Freedom of Expression Award at Sundance 2002.  Since then, Houston has acted as a Producer's Representative and found distribution for numerous other features.


John Lee, Jr.
CEO, Entertainment Business Group

John Lee is the CEO of Entertainment Business Group http://www.ebgroup.net and also the author of The Producer's Business Handbook published by Focal Press.  He is also the primary seminar presenter for Entertainment Business Group Seminars.

John has been immersed in every business aspect of feature motion picture development. From producing to distribution, Lee has over twenty-five years of experience. He has bought and sold motion pictures and their various rights within the major markets at MIFED, Cannes, and AFM. He has acquired screenplays and motion picture rights to novels, and negotiated, managed and/or performed virtually every other business function of motion picture development, production, US and foreign theatrical and ancillary distribution, including auditing distributors in the perfection of producers' profits participations. His relationships are extensive and intimate with major production talent, motion picture studios, agents, entertainment banks, attorneys and ancillary licensees.


Roger M. Mayer
CEO, Brooklyn Reptyle Productions, Inc.

Roger has over ten years experience as an award-winning account executive for a major financial lending institution, and has been responsible for closing over $4 million per month in transactions. He also serves as the co-director of the Silver Lake Film Festival, and works for The Sundance Film Festival as the Print Traffic Coordinator. He has been closely involved with Sundance for over five years and is at the top of his field in the studies of film theory and film history.

Roger has produced several shorts including Frank & Mary (2001/Dir. Hector Maldonado), which premiered at the New York Short Film Showcase, Thaw (2000/Dir. Jeff Orgill), which world premiered at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, and the off-Broadway play Supper's Ready (2002/Dir. Hector Maldonado, written by Lee Anderson), which world premiered at HERE in NYC. He is currently producing Boppin' at the Glue Factory (Dir. Jeff Orgill) and Francis Hamper (Dir. Brian S. O'Malley), which are both in pre-production.

Roger has also written, edited, produced and directed numerous industrial training films for a non-profit organization in New York. He wrote the experimental Western Jesus & Tequila (to be completed in 2004) and edited the short Volunteerdance (2001/Dir. Amy Beth Leber) for The Sundance Film Festival. He was the 1st Assistant Director on African-American Idol: The Search for the Next Black Leader (2003/Dir. Greg Wendell Reid), The Objects of My Desire (2003/Dir. Keith Bowden), and The Perfect Husband (2003/Dir. Shelly Howell). Roger has also worked on many music videos for such artists as Marilyn Manson and The Adicts, and manages the rock band Igor Spectre.


Marc Parella

Marc Parella ( http://www.creativefilmfinance.com ) is founder and executive director of Creative Film Finance, a company offering new funding opportunities for the emerging Independent Film Industry. Mr. Parella has worked in the area of financial software
development since 1992 having designed and implemented enterprise data systems for such Fortune 500 companies as Intel, BankOne, Wells Fargo Bank, Fluor Daniels, and Bank of America.

His company Marc Parella Consulting was awarded a two-year contract to develop and manage a series of financial based applications for the City of Phoenix Fire Department.

From 1997 until 2001, Mr. Parella was Publisher and Chief Information Officer for Arioso.com, an internet search engine and portal for the Concert Music Industry. Arioso.com ranked among the top 50 music sites on the internet.

Mr. Parella is also an award-winning concert composer and pianist. He was among three Arizona composers to be nominated by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC for their New Music Initiative Project. His orchestral music has been widely performed by symphony orchestras in Canada and the US.

In addition to receiving his Master's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Mr. Parella studied at the University of Southern California School of Film in Los Angeles.

Eric Presley

Eric Presley is the founder and CEO of Kings View Productions (2003), a Southern California based film production and finance company. Kings View recently financed the feature film SCORCHED, featuring Gary Busey and Andy Dick. Kings View currently represents a multi-million dollar private equity fund and is actively seeking commercially viable low budget film projects. Prior to 2003, Presley resided in Budapest, Hungary where he and partner Janos Juhasz created animation studio CARTOON WORKS, which is currently producing its first animated feature film with a combination of private equity and public financing.

Jacques Thelemaque - http://www.filmmakersalliance.com



Power Networking Lunch - Industry Organization Presentations

Wendy DeRycke - President of CineWomen http://www.cinewomen.org
Dan Gordon - President, Film Industry Network (FIN) http://www.filmindustrynetwork.com
Dina Mande - Co-founder, Group101Films  http://www.group101films.com/home.html
Bill Lundy - Industry Liaison, Scriptwriters Network http://www.scriptwritersnetwork.org
Philippa Burgess - IndieProducers Network http://www.indieproducer.net
Candace Bowen - Women in Film http://www.wif.org
Tracey Wise - Founder, Women's Entertainment Network (WEN)
Jacques Thelemaque - http://www.filmmakersalliance.com
Representative IFP http://www.ifp.org