IIFF/NYC Townhall Meeting at NYFA in Manhattan –
Where Film & Finance Meet to Succeed Together
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The Institute for International Film Financing (IIFF) continues its popular series of Townhall Meetings in New York City with another special event at New York Film Academy (NYFA) on Union Square in Manhattan.

This "grassroots" community meeting is designed to foster productive relationships between filmmakers, entrepreneurs and financiers and to provide unbiased insight and education about the business of film. The event 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 proven motto, "democratizing film financing," our regular, 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.: December '07 Bay Area Townhall in San Francisco, CA, December '07 Los Angeles Townhall in Santa Monica, CA, December '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan & December '07 New England Townhall in Providence, RI | November '07 Bay Area Townhall in San Francisco, CA & November '07 New England Townhall in Norwalk, CT | October '07 Los Angeles Townhall in Santa Monica, CA, October '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan & October '07 New England Townhall in Boston, MA | September '07 Los Angeles Townhall in Santa Monica, CA & September '07 New England Townhall in Norwalk, CT | August '07 Los Angeles Townhall in Santa Monica, CA & August '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan | July '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan & July '07 Los Angeles Townhall in Santa Monica, CA | June '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan | May '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan & May '07 Bay Area Townhall in Mountain View, CA | April '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan & April '07 Bay Area Townhall in San Francisco, CA | March '07 New England Townhall in Stowe, VT, March '07 Bay Area Townhall in San Rafael, CA & March '07 New York Metro Townhall in Manhattan | February '07 Townhall West in San Francisco, CA & February '07 Townhall East in New York City | January '07 Townhall in Santa Cruz, CA | December '06 Townhall East in New York City & December '06 Townhall West in San Francisco, CA | October '06 Townhall in New York City | September '06 Townhall in Oakland, CA | July '06 Townhall in Palo Alto, CA | June '06 Townhall in San José, CA | May '06 Townhall in San Francisco, CA | April '06 Townhall at Stanford business school) 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, investment managers, 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 seven presentations plus 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.

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The event will be moderated by Tom Lassu (bio), who helps run the New York Metro chapter of the Institute for Int'l Film Financing (IIFF) and organizes IIFF's monthly Townhall Meetings in New York City.

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New York Film Academy (NYFA)
100 East 17th Street (at Union Square East)
4th floor, Robert K. Hartman Screening Room
New York, NY 10003
(212) 674-4300

Map: See NYFA at 100 E 17th St on a map from Ask, Google, MapQuest, Windows Live or Yahoo.

Closest subway station (ca. 0.2 miles walking distance): 14th Street–Union Square station served by the 4 5 6, N Q R W, and L lines; see all nearby subway stations here.

Subway & walking directions: Take the 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, W, or L train to Union Square and walk three blocks north on Union Square East to the NE corner of Union Square Park; look for NYFA's big red banner on the historic Tammany Hall building that NYFA calls home; turn right (east) on E 17th Street – NYFA's main entrance is just around the corner, on the block between Union Square East & Irving Place.

Our Host:

This month's Townhall Meeting is graciously hosted by New York Film Academy (NYFA), a leading film school headquartered in New York City.

NYFA was founded in 1992 at Robert DeNiro's Tribeca Film Center and has since expanded into a global educational force in filmmaking and acting for film. The Academy was founded on a belief that a top quality education in filmmaking should be accessible to anyone with the dirve and passion to make films. The Academy offers year-round study options at its global headquarters in New York City's Union Square; at Universal Studios in Los Angeles; and in Central London, England; and summer study options in Paris, France; Barcelona and Bilbao, Spain; Florence and Milan, Italy; and at Harvard University, Cambridge; and Universal Studios and MGM-Disney in Orlando. NYFA also announced the opening of a new year-round location for Miami, FL.

Very special thanks go to Jack Newman, NYFA's Director of Outreach and Development, for making this event possible!

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  6:00-6:30 pm ... Registration, welcome and introductions
  6:30-7:50 pm ... Four featured presentations with Q&A (4x 20 min)
  7:50-8:00 pm ... Networking break I (10 min)
  8:00-9:00 pm ... Three featured presentations with Q&A (3x 20 min)
  9:00-9:15 pm ... Networking break II (15 min)
  9:15-10:00 pm ... Moderated panel discussion with Q&A (45 min)
10:00+ pm ... Community time at area restaurant

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1) Hollywood & Finance: What You Need to Know

— by Hal Vogel, CFA (bio), renowned Hollywood & Wall Street analyst; President at investment & consulting firm Vogel Capital Management, running venture capital fund & hedge fund; fmr. Managing Director at investment bank SG Cowen Securities; fmr. First VP & Sr. Entertainment Industry Analyst at investment bank Merrill Lynch for 17 years; ranked by Institutional Investor magazine as top entertainment industry analyst for 10 years; served on NYS Governor's Motion Picture & Television Advisory Board; Adjunct Prof. of Media Economics at Columbia Business School; author of "Entertainment Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis" (7th ed., 2007) … (more)

2) Fiscal Sponsorship: An Alternative Model for Film Financing

— by Arwen Lowbridge (bio), Managing Director at national nonprofit arts service organization Fractured Atlas; helps develop independent artists & emerging arts organizations in critical areas of fundraising, organizational development, self-producing & marketing; Development Consultant at Ontological-Hysteric Theater; Resident Grant Writer at Orlando Int'l Fringe Festival; previously worked as theatrical performer, producer, director, choreographer & stage manager; founded 501(c)3 theater company in Orlando, FL; fmr. Exec. Director of The Temenos Ensemble Theater … (more)

3) The Art of the Pitch: How to Talk to Investors About Film

— by Tony Roberts (bio), independent Registered Financial Professional with publicly traded securities firm Investors Capital Corp.; opened independent office near Wall Street & on Long Island, recruited 40+ brokers to firm, etc.; previously at Long Island's then-largest securities firm Gains Berland (GBI); developed new brokers, grew team to $200+M, selected to GBI's Diamond Achievers Club for 4 years; started career with brokerage Duke & Co., become top account opener; helped expand to Long Island, in charge of developing new talent & teaching art of selling, went from $3M to $25M in under 2 years … (more)

4) Funding & Negotiating Low Budget Agreements: A Guide to Securing Above & Below-the-line Talent for Indies

— by John Contrubis, Esq. (bio), Co-founder & Director at BAT Entertainment, serving business & career needs of emerging & established writers & filmmakers; fmr. legal counsel & Exec. Staff member at WGA East, representing motion picture & TV writers in & around NYC; responsible for WGA's Minimum Basic, Low Budget & Documentary Screenplay Agreements; fmr. Business Agent for Local 161, IATSE; fmr. VP of Congressional Research Employees Association in Washington, DC; fmr. Legislative Attorney at Congressional Research Service (CRS) … (more)

5) Vetting the Film Venture: Think Like a Professional Investor!

— by Peter Curtis (bio), seasoned Finance Professional with 30+ years experience providing financial guidance to individuals, entrepreneurs & corporations incl. nonprofits, small businesses, growing companies & Fortune 1000s; Owner & Principal at financial mgmt firm WGC Limited, helping individual & corporate clients access capital, mitigate risk, structure deals & resolve workouts; assists ventures from Wall Street to Main Street & regularly taps into alternate capital sources for clients through extensive network in Tri-State Area … (more)

6) Building Your Boat: What to Do While You Wait for Your Ship to Come In

— by Liz Foley (bio), Writer/Producer/Director of film & TV for 15 years; Principal at indie film co. Elyria Pictures; producing credits include Bravo TV's "The It Factor", projects for Dean Silvers, Cinemax, Ikea, Florentine Films & Lear Television, numerous award-winning narrative shorts (e.g., "Jeanne & Hauviette"), as well as UNICEF doc narrated by Julia Ormond; currently in production on feature "Bridge of Names" & developing "Funny Peculiar" (starring Rip Torn & Betty Buckley); teaches producing, directing & screenwriting at New York Film Academy (NYFA) … (more)

7) Using Private Placements to Raise Capital for Film Projects

— by Isaiah Cooper, Esq. (bio), seasoned Transactional Attorney with over 15 years of experience & background in tax law; Founder & Managing Partner at Cooper Law in New Haven, CT, providing transactional legal & business advice in connection with complex business transactions; fmr. Attorney at CT-based law firms Gregory & Adams, Pepe & Hazard, and Bergman, Horowitz & Reynolds; fmr. Tax Associate at Gordon, Altman, Butowsky, Weitzen, Shalov & Wein; fmr. professional musician (Principal Trombonist); Member of Connecticut Venture Group (CVG), which connects investors with entrepreneurs … (more)

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– Harold L. "Hal" Vogel, CFA (topic): Mr. Vogel is a veteran Hollywood & Wall Street analyst and the President of Vogel Capital Management, a New York City-based independent investment & consulting firm that manages an early-stage venture capital fund & a hedge fund. Previously, he was a Managing Director in the New York office of investment bank SG Cowen Securities and, for 17 years, served as First Vice President & senior entertainment industry analyst at Merrill Lynch, one of the world's leading wealth management, capital markets & advisory companies. Mr. Vogel has been recognized by Institutional Investor magazine as a top analyst in his field for over 20 years, and received a first-place ranking for 10 years. In 1998, The Wall Street Journal named him No. 1 Casino & No. 3 Entertainment Analyst in its all-star ranking. Mr. Vogel is also the author of "Entertainment Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis" (Seventh edition, 2007) and of its companion volume, "Travel Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis" (2001), both published by Cambridge University Press. A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), he served on the New York State Governor's Motion Picture & Television Advisory Board and as an Adjunct Professor of Media Economics at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business. Mr. Vogel frequently writes & speaks on investment topics related to entertainment & media, leisure, and travel. He holds an MBA from Columbia University & an MA in Economics from New York University. »

– Arwen Lowbridge (topic): Ms. Lowbridge specializes in helping independent artists & emerging arts organizations develop themselves in the critical areas of fundraising, organizational development, self-producing & marketing. She received her BFA in Acting cum laude from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Before turning to arts administration, Ms. Lowbridge worked professionally as a theatrical performer, producer, director, choreographer & stage manager throughout the East Coast. She founded a 501(c)3 theater company in Orlando, FL in 2000. While serving as the Executive Director of The Temenos Ensemble Theater Inc., she organized a capital campaign that yielded over $100,000 in cash, goods & service donations, and converted an abandoned building in downtown Orlando into a non-traditional performance venue. Currently, Ms. Lowbridge works as the Managing Director of Fractured Atlas, a national nonprofit arts service organization. She is also the Development Consultant for Richard Foreman's Ontological-Hysteric Theater Company, and serves as the Resident Grant Writer for the Orlando International Fringe Festival. She is an alumna of The Woodhull Institute's Ethical Leadership training, has participated in panel discussions at the Foundation Center, Dance Theater Workshop, NYU, Opera America & Stellar Network NY, and has been a guest teacher at Columbia University & Pratt Institute. From '04 to '06, she taught fundraising workshops for artists with Fractured Atlas, NYU's Tisch Career Center, the Atlantic Theater Company & Chamber Music of America. »

– Tony Roberts (topic): Mr. Roberts started his financial career with brokerage Duke & Co. in 1995. After successfully completing his Series 7 & Series 63 exams, he became one of the firm's top account openers. Trained by some of the most talented brokers on Wall Street, Mr. Roberts was selected by the CEO to help expand to Long Island. There, he was in charge of developing new talent & teaching the art of selling. In less than 2 years, Mr. Roberts & his team went from $3M to $25M in production. In 1999, he was recruited by top producer Arthur Coffey to Gains Berland (GBI), at the time Long Island's largest securities firm with over 400 brokers under one roof. Along with 10 other producers selected by him, Mr. Roberts was given a staff of 15 and again helped develop new brokers throughout the firm in various sales meetings. He grew his team to over $200M under management and was selected to the Diamond Achievers Club for 4 years in a row. After GBI was taken over by Ladenburg Thalman in 2002, Mr. Roberts decided to go independent with Investors Capital Corp., a publicly traded securities firm comprised of Registered Financial Professionals throughout the U.S. Since then, in less than 5 years with Investors Capital, he has opened an independent office near Wall Street and on Long Island, recruited over 40 brokers to the firm, and helped develop other independent offices in the New York area. »

– John Contrubis, Esq. (topic): Mr. Contrubis graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received his JD from Brooklyn Law School. He began his career as a Legislative Attorney with the Congressional Research Service (CRS). In that capacity, he advised Members of Congress on issues involving Health Care, Consumer Law, Voting Rights, Administrative Law (Executive & Legislative Powers), Labor Law (mostly involving Beck issues) and Campaign Finance. He has been published in the U.S. Congressional Record and elsewhere. In 1997, while still working for CRS, he became Vice President of the Congressional Research Employees Association and represented employees in grievance & arbitration matters and was the legal advisor for the contract negotiating team. Upon his return to New York, he continued working for labor as Business Agent for Local 161, IATSE in 2000. In 2002, Mr. Contrubis joined the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) Executive Staff. One of his first assignments was to resume his legislative work by becoming involved in matters such as media consolidation, which affect the interests of writers. Consequently, he was the author of the WGAE's reply to the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the media ownership rules and met with Members of Congress and their staff to educate them on legislative matters concerning the Guild. As Assistant Counsel at WGA East, Mr. Contrubis represented motion picture & television writers, along with newswriters in the New York metro area. One of his primary responsibilities was the administration of the WGA Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) and the WGA Low Budget and Documentary Screenplay Agreements. As the counsel responsible for the WGA Low Budget Agreement, he appeared on panels to organizations such as NALIP, IFP, AIVF, the Alliance for Community Media, SAG Foundation, Austin Film Festival, DC Film Festival, Trenton Film Festival, NYU Tisch School, NYFA & Texas Bar Association. Mr. Contrubis left the WGA East in 2006 and co-founded BAT Entertainment Inc. to work with, serve & prolong the careers of writers & filmmakers, both emerging & established. »

– Peter G. Curtis (topic): Mr. Curtis is a seasoned finance professional with more than 30 years experience providing financial guidance to individuals, entrepreneurs & corporations — ranging from the arts & nonprofits to small businesses, growing companies & Fortune 1000s. His special talent for vetting ventures enables him to help his clients access capital, mitigate risk, structure solid deals, and resolve workouts. Mr. Curtis has worked with ventures from Wall Street to Main Street, and is thoroughly versed in film-related incentive programs such as the Connecticut Digital Media & Motion Picture Tax Credit. Through the breadth & depth of his network of resources in the Tri-State Area, he regularly taps into alternate capital sources for his clients. He has had his own Hamden, CT-based financial management firm, WGC Limited, since 1992. In his spare time, Mr. Curtis models & acts, starting back in his college days & Army years. Recently, he has appeared in a CT Lottery Commission film, the ESPN special "The Bronx is Burning", and an infomercial with Carney Wilson filmed at Tripeg Studios. »

– Elizabeth V. "Liz" Foley (topic): Ms. Foley has been working as a Writer, Producer & Director in film & television for the last fifteen years. Her producing credits include the "The It Factor", a Bravo television series, as well as projects for Dean Silvers, Cinemax, Ikea, Florentine Films & Lear Television, as well as numerous award-winning narrative short films. Ms. Foley's award-winning short about Joan of Arc, "Jeanne & Hauviette", screened at Anthology Film Archives as part of the New Directors Screening Series. She is currently in production on a feature film "Bridge of Names", about what happens when a disaffected punk rocker meets a visionary preacher and falls in love with the preacher's beautiful fifteen year old disciple. Ms. Foley is also developing a dark comedy, "Funny Peculiar", which stars Rip Torn & Betty Buckley. In 1999 she produced and directed a UNICEF documentary narrated by Julia Ormond. Ms. Foley teaches classes in producing, directing and screenwriting at Five Towns College, Borough of Manhattan Community College and the New York Film Academy (NYFA). »

– Isaiah D. Cooper, Esq. (topic): Mr. Cooper is a seasoned transactional attorney with more than 15 years of legal experience and a background in tax law. He founded & serves as the Managing Partner of Cooper Law LLC based in New Haven, CT. His law firm provides transactional legal & business advice in connection with complex business transactions such as company formation & capitalization (private placements & debt financing), securing intellectual property in a business, acquiring businesses or assets (e.g., software, patents, trademarks & other intellectual property), drafting incentive compensation plans for corporations & LLCs, distribution agreements, manufacturing agreements, shareholder agreements, operating agreements, licensing agreements, etc. Previously, Mr. Cooper was an entrepreneurial business attorney at Gregory & Adams, P.C. in Wilton, CT, working on corporate transactions with a variety of investors, lenders, issuers, buyers & sellers. Prior to that, he gained in-depth experience with private placements & corporate transactions at Pepe & Hazard LLP in Hartford, CT, and was associated with the tax, trust & estates, and business boutique firm of Bergman, Horowitz & Reynolds, P.C. (now Withers Bergman LLP) in New Haven, CT. Mr. Cooper began his law career as a tax associate with Gordon, Altman, Butowsky, Weitzen, Shalov & Wein in 1991 (counsel to Carl Icahn and others, now defunct). Before law school, he worked for 2 years as a paralegal at the products liability firm of Herzfeld & Rubin, P.C. Prior to embarking on a career in corporate law, Mr. Cooper was a professional musician, performing as principal trombonist with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra in Israel, the Friedensorchester (Peace Orchestra), the Santa Monica Symphony in California, and recording music in Los Angeles, Memphis as well as Jerusalem & Tel Aviv (Israel). He received a JD degree from NYU Law School, a MM (Master of Music) from Youngstown State University, and a BFA from State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a Member of the New York State, Connecticut (Executive Member, Technology Law Section) & American bar associations, and admitted to practice before the US Tax Court. He is also a Member of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce and Connecticut Venture Group (CVG), a leading association of venture investment professionals. »

– Tom Lassu : Writer/Producer/Director of independent film & Organizer at IIFF's New York Metro chapter. Mr. Lassu earned a Masters degree from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest with a major in music education & a minor in choir directing. He also studied computer science, mathematics, symbolic logic, computer graphics & film art at California State University, Northridge. Mr. Lassu worked as an elementary school teacher, music instructor, computer consultant, business owner, actor, director, and producer of a documentary & several short films. As part of his heritage & cultural indebtedness to one of his professors in Budapest, he acts as the international representative of the Kovács Method, also called "The Care of Musical Work Capacity", a complex system of training & erudite knowledge that belongs to the science of music pedagogy and forms an integral part of a healthy musician's lifestyle. Mr. Lassu has produced, hosted & directed a public access TV show on Connecticut's NUTMEG TV station. As an actor, he worked on "Stepford Wives", "The Interpreter", theater productions in New York, and short films. His film-related activities also include story development, writing, script-doctoring, directing, producing, research, hiring & supervising, teaching & training, management, logistics, database services (Filemaker), some camera & editing work, and music consultation; he is currently learning about movie scheduling & budgeting. Moreover, Mr. Lassu founded & runs the New York Film Synergy Group. »

*** TO BE FINALIZED SHORTLY ***

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Online registration is available at http://events.filmfinancing.org/nym/?id=011508 (top of this page)

Early bird registration NLT Monday, December 24:
IIFF Member ... $25 if registered online no later than 12/24
Non-member ... $40

Regular registration NLT Monday, January 7:
IIFF Member ... $35 if registered online no later than 1/7
Non-member ... $50

Last minute registration NLT Monday, January 14:
IIFF Member ... $45 if registered online no later than 1/14
Non-member ... $60

On-site registration (at the door):
IIFF Member ... $55
Non-member ... $70

To learn more about membership with IIFF, email our Membership Bureau, or approach an IIFF team member at or after the event.

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Please direct all your questions and inquiries regarding this event to IIFF's online forum at http://forum.filmfinancing.org.

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