Looking for your big break, dream of your name in lights or covet a place on the big screen? For those wanting to get discovered, The East Coast X Film & TV Festival, running Aug. 21-24 in Virginia Beach, Va., is the place to be. More than a film festival, this event creates an unprecedented opportunity for actors, filmmakers, producers and others seeking to enter the movie and television industry to meet and connect with key decision-makers. Set against the backdrop of the 52nd Annual Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championships (ECSC), the second-longest, continuously-run surf contest in the world, and taking place in the middle of countless extreme action sports exhibitions, ECX is the must-attend event for those looking to make it big.
"ECX was created to connect emerging actors, production crew and filmmakers to the resources they need to achieve their dreams," said Karen Spencer, ECX co-founder. "The festival provides a networking platform for anyone who wants to be discovered - filmmakers looking for distribution, producers looking for financing, actors looking to connect with casting directors and anyone who is a fan of film and television."
Daily workshops, seminars, and panel discussions led by award-winning industry professionals will teach cutting-edge techniques and help burgeoning professionals perfect their craft while screenings of select submissions will give novice filmmakers the chance to let their work shine. More than 20 casting directors, producers, television executives, talent agents, modeling scouts and venture capitalists are slated to attend, participate and moderate. Currently, the roster is comprised of well-known casting directors including Erica Arvold (Arvold Casting), Donna Belajac (Donna Belajac Casting) and Dana Salerno (Finncannon and Associates); television executive Nic Valcour (New Dominion Pictures); producers Randy D. Nordstrom (Focus Digital Media Group) and Robert Stephens (eleven 22 Entertainment); producer and special effects coordinator Scott Hansen (Digital Thunderdome); and several modeling and talent agents including Karen Spencer (Spencer & Associates).This group has been responsible for numerous award-winning hits and box office blockbusters such as Lincoln, The Fault in Our Stars, The Silence of the Lambs, Homeland and will provide casting for the newly announced Meg Ryan-directed film, Ithaca.
Seminars and workshops will provide detailed, insider information to set hopefuls on the path to discovery. With session names like "Making Your Child a Star," "How to Break Into the Business for Actors," "Get a Grip - Learning How to Become a Part of the Production Team" and "How to Get Funding for Your Project," the educational value of ECX is unparalleled. Live auditions in front of casting directors, talent agents and modeling agents and Shark Tank-like pitch opportunities to venture capitalists, directors and producers round out the schedule. All sessions will take place inside two neighboring oceanfront hotels, the Ramada
Virginia Beach Oceanfront at 615 Atlantic Avenue and the Beach Quarters Resort at 501 Atlantic Avenue.
For those looking to submit a film, ECX is using Withoutabox, an online application submission service for film festivals; deadline for submissions is August 3. Given the festival's location in the midst of ECSC, the selected film screenings should cater to adrenaline junkies of all ages: action sports, comedies, horror, documentaries - anything with attitude. Screenings go beyond the conventional theater setting, allowing movie-goers to choose between an outdoor screen or indoor theater.
Tickets are on sale now. The Actor's Pass (Red) is $150 for all four days and includes film screenings, workshops, seminars and audition panels with casting directors and modeling and talent agents. The Production Pass (Blue) is also $150 and includes the film screenings, workshops, seminars and pitch panels with film and television executives, development teams and venture capitalists. An All Access Pass is $250 for the entire event and allows attendees to participate in both the acting and production tracks. Passes for the film screenings only are $20 per day or $50 for all four days. Tickets may be purchased through the ECX website,
www.ECXFest.org.
Event sponsors include the
Virginia Film Office; Focus Digital Media Group; Spencer & Associates; Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championships; SkyCamUSA; Gold Key/PHR;
Virginia Beach Jaycees; Marcari, Russotto, Spencer & Balaban, P.C.; New Dominion Pictures; Anne
Chapman Casting; Arvold Casting; Donna Belajac Casting; FantomWorks; and Modelogic/Wilhelmina. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.
The East Coast X Film & TV Festival is part of "ICE on the Beach in August," a cutting-edge inaugural summit on technology and innovation. ICE stands for "Innovation, Culture and Extreme Sports" and is the umbrella term for a two-week stretch in
Virginia Beach, Va., which begins with the Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championships from August 17-24 and concludes
Labor Day Weekend.
For more information, email info@ecxfest.com, visit www.ECXFest.org or keep up with the latest on the event's Facebook page, ECX Film & TV Festival.
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