Contact Institute for Int'l Film Financing (IIFF) for event and ticket information.
This "grassroots" community event of the Institute for International Film Financing (IIFF) features a powerful roster of highly topical speakers from the worlds of film and finance. We are delighted to again welcome real-world financiers among our guests for the evening.
IIFF's one-of-a-kind mission is to sustainably expand the scope & appeal of film financing, and to do so for the benefit of the public at large. True to IIFF's motto, "democratizing film financing," our monthly Townhall Meetings bring together a wide array of professionals from relevant backgrounds in film, finance and beyond for a vibrant evening of insightful presentations and speeches, inspiring discussion and focused networking. Past meetings (e.g.: June in San José | May in San Francisco | April at Stanford) have reliably delivered useful insights into the business of film, provided valuable networking opportunities, and managed to draw large and enthusiastic crowds.
Who should attend? Entrepreneurs, technologists, attorneys, bankers, venture capitalists and other non-film professionals are cordially invited to learn more about independent film. Are you considering taking an active role in film or would you like to expand your current involvement? Don't miss this opportunity to connect with the like-minded... Established and aspiring filmmakers are, naturally, more than welcome to join us as well!
The evening's five presentations & panel discussion will address key issues relevant to filmmakers, financiers, and anyone interested in the economics, business mechanics, and financial dynamics of film. They will be followed by Q&A time. Attendees will also have ample opportunity to interact & network with our distinguished presenters and panelists and amongst themselves.
An informal après-meeting celebration will take place at an area restaurant.
The event will again be expertly moderated by Scott Kirsner (bio | blog) who writes about innovation in publications like the New York Times, Wired, Fast Company, the Boston Globe, Salon.com, and Newsweek. Besides that and organizing conferences on entrepreneurship & innovation, Scott is also working on an "exceptionally fun" book about new technologies that have changed (and continue to change) Hollywood.
Townsend & Townsend & Crew LLP
379 Lytton Avenue
(between Waverly St. & Bryant St.)
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 326-2400
Map: See Townsend's map here and the Google map here.
Public transportation & walking directions: If you plan on arriving by Caltrain, get off at Palo Alto (University Ave) station, walk down University Avenue through downtown Palo Alto, make a left on Bryant Street and a right on Lytton Avenue.
Our Host:
Prestigious IP law firm Townsend and Townsend and Crew has graciously agreed to host this month's Townhall Meeting in Palo Alto at their Silicon Valley offices. Established in 1860, Townsend is a full-service intellectual property firm with over 170 attorneys. Practicing together from offices in technology centers throughout the West, Townsend's attorneys pool their expertise for effective representation. Townsend's goal is to help clients realize value through intellectual property.
The firm represents small entrepreneurs and inventors, as well as multinational corporations, including some of the most recognizable names in the high-technology, biotechnology and life sciences industries, such as Apple Computer, Inc., Applied Materials, Baxter Healthcare, Business Objects, Electronic Data Systems, Hitachi, Oracle Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. to name only a few.
6:00-6:30 pm ... Registration and introductions
6:30-7:30 pm ... Three featured presentations with Q&A (3x 20 min)
7:30-8:00 pm ... Networking break (30 min)
8:00-8:30 pm ... Two featured presentations with Q&A (2x 15 min)
8:30-9:00 pm ... Moderated panel discussion with Q&A (30 min)
9:00-10:00 pm ... Community time at area restaurant
1) The Producers Guild Has Come to the Bay Area: Hollywood Lessons & Insights for Independents
by Steven Hoffman, Vice Chairman at Producers Guild of America (PGA) - San Francisco Chapter; Co-founder & COO at Zannel
Steven Hoffman is COO of Zannel, where he oversees all creative, production and operations. Prior to co-founding Zannel, Steven was the North American Studio Head for Infospace, where he ran the U.S. mobile games publishing & development group. Steven is also a founding member of the Academy of Television's Interactive Media Group and sits on the Board of Governors for the Producers Guild's New Media Council. He was the CEO of Spiderdance, one of Hollywood's leading interactive television studios. Prior to Spiderdance, Steven consulted for R/GA Interactive, designing projects for Kodak, Disney, Intel, AdAge, and Children's Television Workshop. Before that, he ran LavaMind, which developed games published by Microprose, Spectrum Holobyte, McGraw-Hill, and Seiko Epson. While in Japan, Steven worked for Sega, generating new concepts for games and amusement rides. Prior to Sega, he was a Hollywood TV development executive at Fries Entertainment. Steven graduated from the University of California with a BS in EE and went on to earn a Masters in Film/TV Production from USC. Lastly, Steven is author of "Game Design Workshop," a popular book on game design published by CMP in 2004.
2) Movie Distribution Rights over the Internet: the Wild, Wild West
by Richard Hsu, Partner at Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP
Richard Hsu is a Partner in the Palo Alto office of leading IP law firm Townsend and Townsend and Crew. He is Chair of Townsend's Technology Licensing Practice Group, which advises companies on licensing transactions and associated intellectual property (IP) issues. Richard has extensive experience in licensing, development, acquisitions, service, purchase and other partnering agreements for a variety of industries, including semiconductors, life sciences, medical devices, hardware, software, nanotechnology, entertainment, multimedia and telecommunications. In addition to structuring and negotiating technology transactions, he also provides strategic IP advice and advises clients on innovative business strategies. Richard has assisted numerous clients to develop and implement strategies to acquire, protect, enforce and commercialize various forms of IP. A frequent lecturer on licensing and IP issues, he has published a book on patents (Fairmont Press 1997) and written articles for the San Francisco Daily Journal, New York Times, Communications of the ACM and the Los Angeles Business Journal. Richard graduated from Caltech with a BS in Engineering, and from Columbia Law School with a JD.
3) The Bay Area Animation Industry: Current State and Opportunities for Filmmakers & Financiers
by Welbon Salaam, Chairman at ACM SIGGRAPH - San Francisco Chapter
An accomplished traditional artist, poet, and sculptor, Welbon I. Salaam has always made a living as an artist. An Illustrator Draftsman in the US Navy, a Supervising Artist of several Mural projects, and both Group and Solo Gallery showings in New York, Maryland, DC, Virginia, and Florida; art has always been a constant factor in his life. Since 2000 Salaam has been applying his traditional skills and knowledge to the digital form, using the computer as his canvas, and Maya as his tool. His digital career steered him toward LucasArts, before moving on as a freelance digital artist. Salaam has since created CG models, textures, and control rigs for Stanford University, Sony, Motorola, EA, Persistent Visions, and Akorn Studios, among others. He has co-produced TV shows for Gamer Nation TV, as well as the Visual Effects Society Festival video archive DVDs for the past 3 years. Currently, he is producing two independent films, in addition to freelancing his digital skills. Salaam has served on the SF SIGGRAPH Board as Volunteer Chair since 2002. He provides ongoing assistance to plan and execute events, as well as coordinate the efforts of event volunteers. Salaam has written articles, and covered events for the SF SIGGRAPH Newsletter.
4) Outsourcing 3D Animation Production: the Latin American Option
by Javier Quezada, Founder & Managing Partner at OneHemisphere Solutions LLC
Javier Quezada is Founder and Managing Partner of OneHemisphere Solutions, LLC, a company focused on expanding technology trade between North America and Latin America. Javier has a long and successful track record in sales in the US and throughout Latin America. He has lead sales for world-class companies like NEC Solutions (America), NECSAM’s Digital Cinema, Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI), Globix and Exodus. Javier brings a wealth of sales and business development experience to technology companies seeking to develop new markets in the Western hemisphere.
5) Hollywood Profits Redux: Drivers of Motion Picture Profitability
by Thomas Trenker, Founder & Chairman at Institute for International Film Financing (bio)
In his quantitative presentation, Tom revisits and summarizes the conclusions of his series on statistical factors that, alone or combined, predispose movies for profitability. Digging deep into his data, Tom makes the case that small, indie-type film is superior not just on its widely accepted creative merits, including originality, but --perhaps surprisingly-- also on its commercial merits as measured by profitability. As the economics of filmmaking have evolved past Hollywood's traditional "rules of thumb", a new savvy generation of film entrepreneurs and their financiers is well positioned to succeed through innovation.
Online registration is available at http://iiff-townhall-pa.mollyguard.com (top of this page)
Early bird registration NLT July 12th:
IIFF Member ... $20 if registered online no later than July 12th
Non-member ... $30
Regular registration NLT July 19th:
IIFF Member ... $30 if registered online no later than July 19th
Non-member ... $40
On-site registration:
IIFF Member ... $40
Non-member ... $50
NOTE: Non-member portion of attendance fee can be credited towards IIFF annual membership fee.
To learn more about membership with IIFF, email us at membership@filmfinancing.org, or approach an IIFF team member at or after the event.
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The Buzz: It follows a sampling of what others are saying about IIFF meetings... "Wow. Last night was great! I want to thank you again for the inspiring work you do. This is such a big need [...] and you're truly doing the work of angels (literally and figuratively)." — Brant Smith, Producer, Quality of Life "I really must say that I found all speakers very interesting, and I was hanging on their every word. IIFF, the mission and content, seems to be a good fit for me, because it is my dream to run a medium size production house. [...] Thank you, BIG THANK YOU [...], for inviting me to this very quality and important event." — John Henry, Producer & Owner, John Henry Filmworks "Let me again say I think you did a great job putting yesterday's event together -- great crowd, smart presentation, lots of enthusiasm." — David Rosen, Convener & Executive Producer, Digital Independence "Wow! For such a moderate investment, so much information. So much good networking. I hope you are proud of the magic you've created with IIFF." — Kevin Morrison, Writer/Director/Producer of independent film & TV "I just wanted to say thanks for another great and informative meeting. The speakers were impressive and I made some good contacts." — Jesse Ford, Founder & Executive Director, Group Hug Productions "IIFF and FilmAngels has really impressed me so far with its focus on the independent film community. I've traveled and interacted with film organizations around the world [...]." — Jin Woo Joo, Founder, Cinemasports Would you like to speak out? Send your comments to team@filmfinancing.org. |
Please direct all your questions and inquiries regarding this event to team@filmfinancing.org.
Having trouble with Mollyguard or PayPal? Please use our alternative payment option or, if that fails, get help in IIFF's online forum. (You can also notify us by email well in advance of the event and register on-site.)
Link to this page:
http://iiff-townhall-pa.mollyguard.com
Keep in touch:
Join our online forum and discussion mailing list at http://forum.filmfinancing.org
The Institute for International Film Financing (IIFF) is an innovative, independent social-impact organization that endeavors to bridge the gap between the worlds of filmmaking and finance for the benefit of all stakeholders – including the public at large.
IIFF was founded by Thomas Trenker in 2003 and incorporated in California as a not-for-profit, public benefit corporation. Headquartered in San Francisco, IIFF currently has chapters in the SF Bay Area, New York City, New England, Florida, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, London, and the Pacific Northwest.
Help us expand further, or join our online community at http://forum.filmfinancing.org to keep in touch with a growing number of filmmakers and financiers!
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