BritWeek Film and TV Summit To Take Place 3/29

The BritWeek Film and TV Summit, a co-production between the Los Angeles chapter of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Variety, is committed to exploring how entertainment breaks through and crosses over in the U.K. and U.S. The return of this popular conference series will focus on the latest trends in production, distribution, finance and marketing, as they relate to connecting to today's audiences on both sides of the pond.

See the agenda below for more information:

8:00 - 9:00 Registration

9:00 - 9:15 Welcome Remarks

9:15 - 10:00 a.m. The Movers and Shakers of Mainstream Breakthroughs
Top film producers and distribution executives will talk about what it takes to achieve mainstream success with labor-of-love projects that might have seemed initially tricky to market. This premiere, kick-off
session will look at how such films are made, distributed and marketed to wide audiences.
*Brit-leaning The King's Speech generated hot box office everywhere-can this be duplicated with future projects?
*Are their new trends in distribution and promotion to drive success on both sides of the pond?
*What are the stories behind marketing these films to broader audiences?
*What has been coming out of the film festival circuit that has potential to be breakthrough material?

Confirmed Speakers:
Stuart Ford, CEO of IM Global confirmed
Lynette Howell, producer from Blue Valentine and Owner/Founder of
Silverwood Films
David Linde, Producer
Rebecca Kearey, EVP International Marketing and Distribution at Fox
Searchlight
Alex Walton, President of International Sales and Distribution at
Exclusive Media

10:00 - 10:45 From the Trenches: Film Finance and Distribution Tips
The recent dismantling of the U.K. Film Council raises a lot of questions for how British projects will be developed and produced. However, there are a number of firms who remain interested in financing British works, and remain champions overall of quality fare from U.K., US and elsewhere
*Who are the major finance players and what do they need to see before investing in a project?
*What are their demands for film budget, cast and storylines?
*With DVD sales falling, what is the best way to assure backers you can make the right revenues with projects?

Confirmed Speakers
Hal Sadoff, Head of International and Independent Film at ICM
Jay Cohen, Partner and President of Film Finance and Distribution at
Gersh
Celine Rattray, President of Mandalay Vision and Producer of The Kids
Are All Right
Jon Amiel, Director and Writer
Andy Weltman, Executive Vice President, US Production, British Film
Commission

10:45 - 11 a.m. Networking Break

11:00 a.m. - 11:45 Branded Entertainment and Boosting TV Revenues
For the first time, the U.K. is allowing product placement on a limited basis into its shows on commercial networks.
*What are lessons to be learned from the U.S., who've been pioneering and exploiting this area for years?
*How do you include brands creatively and seamlessly?
*Which shows are getting it right? How do you avoid going overboard and producing long-form product commercials?

Confirmed Speakers
Phil Ashcroft, CEO and President of Island Nation Media
Hal Burg, VP of Branded Entertainment at Platinum Rye
Chantal Rickards, Head of Programming and Branded Content at MEC
Chad Bennett, VP of Brand Development and Production at Reveille
Brett Lyons, President of Match Entertainment

11:45 - 12:30 p.m. Keynote Q&A with Ian McShane

12:30 p.m. - 1:45 lunch

1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. What Does it Take to Make International Cross-Over TV
Truly successful TV needs to attract fans all over the world - what is critical in making shows that connect with both U.S. and UK audiences?
* How are companies approaching their latest big budget projects, such as Camelot, The Borgias and Game of Thrones, in the U.S. and the U.K?
*For British imports, such as Showtime's Shameless, what are strategies to translate and make and market shows for U.S. audiences?
*What is the state of the international distribution marketplace for TV - which countries are buying what? Are their commonalities in what is in demand?
*What opens doors or raises interest for U.K and U.S. cross-over TV?

Confirmed speakers:
Craig Cegielski, President of GK-TV at GK Films
Noel Hedges, SVP of Sales and Acquisitions, the Americas, at ITV
Global Entertainment
Carrie Stein, Head of International Management & Packaging, 3 Arts
Entertainment

2:30 to 3:15 p.m. Navigating Digital Tools for Production and Distribution Success
Traditional theatrical distribution and funding is becoming more challenging for anything that's not a special effects bonanza. How is technology helping people think out-of-the-box on their projects?
*Is there a way to benefit from new video-on-demand models?
*How can you use crowd-source services like Kickstarter to raise money to produce your films?

Confirmed Speakers:
Peter Hoffman, CEO of Seven Arts Pictures
Michael Murphy, EVP of Gravitas Ventures
Michael London, Founder of Groundswell Productions
Greg Seigel, SVP Entertainment Development at Break Media
Steve Woolf, VP of Content at Blip.tv

3:15 - 3:30 p.m. Networking Break

3:30 - 4:15 p.m. The New Reality Show: Attracting Today's Viewers
*What are the tricks in keeping long-running reality shows relevant? 'American Idol' has successful made over its formula this season with new judges - what are other strategies to freshen up a reality fixture?
*How do you launch a new show, such as upcoming 'The X Factor' with so much clutter and competition? Non-fiction programming is as popular as ever. But what is the key to a strong debut?

Speaker confirmations:
Nick Emmerson, President of Shed Media U.S.
John Hesling, SVP of Programming at BBC Worldwide
Simon Andreae, Senior VP of Development and Production, West Coast at
the Discovery Channel
Joe Swift, Director of Development at TLC

4:15 - 5:00 p.m. Interview Q&A with Sir Ben Kingsley

5:00 p.m. Networking Reception

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles
Hilton Hotels & Resort
Jaguar
Screen International

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