November 17, 2009
On Saturday, December 5, the Oregon Media Production Association (OMPA) and Oregon Producers Alliance (OPA) will present “NW Film Financing 2: MOVIE MARKETING,” a one-day seminar designed to give locally-produced films a competitive edge in the international marketplace. Launched earlier this year, this how-to series could not be more timely as the new frontier of digital distribution opportunities emerges, now making it possible for filmmakers and investors to maximize revenue across multiple platforms through a range of alternative distribution channels.
Packed with insider information, “MOVIE MARKETING” will spotlight the tools, tactics and best practices used by Hollywood distributors, as well as guerilla marketers. Participants learn the basics of how to position a film and create compelling key art, websites, media kits, and press releases – as well as build an audience using niche marketing, old media and social media networking. Sure to inspire, a special visual presentation will also reveal the surprisingly simple strategies behind many of the most successful low-budget indie box office hits of all time.
The seminar will be led by former TriStar Pictures vice president Lyla Foggia, who served on the core marketing teams for over 75 major motion pictures, as well as the unit publicist on “E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial,” “WarGames,” and “Splash.” An independent film marketing consultant since 1999, her clients have included Oregon filmmakers Jacob and Arnold Pander on “Selfless,” Susan Hess Logeais on “Not Dead Yet,” Heather Harlow on “Nous Deux Encore” and Neal Miller on “Raising Flagg.” For more information: www.foggiapr.com
The 1st Panel includes two of the country’s most successful self-distributors and guerilla marketers, Kelley Baker and Mike Shiley; filmmaker James Westby, who is successfully leveraging new distribution options through YouTube, Amazon, iTunes and Netflix; local comic book legends and Jacob and Arnold Pander, on the eve of the national roll-out of their first feature. The 2nd Panel includes festival expert Thomas Phillipson of the Northwest Film Center; Nathan DiNiro, Social Media Marketing Strategist presently spearheading the web campaign for Interloper Films’ successful “We Live in Public” and Ken Smith, the Wieden+Kennedy Account Director managing the “Coraline” campaign.
Since 2004, Kelley Baker (“The Angry Filmmaker”) has toured over 200 cities throughout the North America, Scotland, and Ireland, screening and promoting his feature films at art houses, college campuses and other venues, along with conducting workshops. The recipient of a B.A. and M.F.A. in Film Production from the University of Southern California, he has also designed the sound for six Gus Van Sant features, including “Good Will Hunting” and “Psycho,” Todd Haynes’ “Far From Heaven” and Will Vinton’s “The Adventures of Mark Twain.” For more information: www.angryfilmmaker.com
One of America’s most successful DIY filmmakers, Mike Shiley has earned over $1 million from the self-distribution of his 2003 film, Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories, to college campuses, theaters and performing arts centers across the U.S. Since 2004, he has made over 500 appearances in 43 states and seven countries on behalf of his seven feature-length documentaries, which focus on the struggles of the poor and confront the biggest political issues in the world. For more information: www.shidogfilms.com
Acclaimed filmmaker James Westby has written, directed, and edited five feature films — including “The Auteur,” which premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, and “Film Geek,” called “perceptively hilarious” by Entertainment Weekly. He is currently completing filming on “Rid of Me,” starring Theresa Russell, Katie O’Grady and Storm Large. For more information: www.ridofmemovie.com
Renowned comic book creators and illustrators, the Pander Brothers, made their feature film debut with “Selfless.” The award-winning team previously collaborated on 15 music videos (seven of them for Palm Pictures); the concept for Gus Van Sant’s “Runaway” video for Deee-Lite; the award-winning cult classic, “The Operation”; the feature-length documentary, “Painted Life”; and a series of shorts. They are also the legendary artists behind 65 books to date, including three graphic novels, ten series, and 15 stand-alone issues for such major publishers as Marvel, DC Comics and Dark Horse. For more information: www.selflessthemovie.com
The Northwest Film Center’s Regional Services Manager, Thomas Phillipson, coordinates the annual Northwest Film & Video Festival and Festival Tour, programs the Film Center’s on-going Northwest Tracking series and the summer outdoor event Top Down, plus administers the Oregon Media Arts Fellowship. Phillipson is a graduate of the University of Oregon with a BA in Telecommunications & Film. For more information: www.nwfilm.org
The seminar is produced byC.K. Lichenstein II, Christopher Toyne and James WilderHancock. It is sponsored by Gales Creek Insurance, the Governor’s Office of Film and Television and the Red Lion Hotel Portland Convention Center, in association with the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network and the Northwest Film Center.
