Prepping for international markets and festivals

Wednesday, April 3, 2024
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ET / 9:00 am to 10:30 am PT

On Wednesday, April 3, 2024, producers logged on for a workshop facilitated by Eric Y. Lapointe, the President of And Now Global, an international distribution & development consulting company. The workshop is geared at up and coming producers who want to maximize their opportunities when attending international TV markets and/or film festivals. Throughout this workshop, we will introduce different international events for the TV and film industry and how to ensure that you don’t leave anything up to chance. We will outline different types of pitches and share our best tips on how you can prepare for any scenario at these live conferences. While we continue to experience hybrid + virtual events, this workshop will also consider advice on how to connect and engage online at the same time.  

Eric Y. Lapointe is the founder of Vancouver’s And Now Global, a company specializing in TV/Digital distribution, and development consulting. With over 15 years of industry experience, including roles at major brands Just For Laughs and Cirque du Soleil, Lapointe’s international expertise is the cornerstone of the business. Over the past decade, Lapointe has focused on Foreign TV & VOD sales, successfully licensing 4000+ TV hours across 100+ countries. 

The global market of buying and selling feature films

Tuesday, April 16, 2024
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ET / 9:00 am to 10:30 am PT

On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, producers joined Tania Sarra, a veteran film exec and ex-MGM Studios Director, for a behind the scenes dive into sales and distribution from a finance and strategic perspective. The industry is in a constant state of flux. Between the rise of streamers, the fall of their profits, cable TV cord-cutting, the epic strikes that created a cacophony of wide-ranging effects and the post pandemic theatrical business still trying to find its feet, it feels harder than ever to navigate the changing landscape of feature film. But there is a way to understand what makes it tick and whether your projects will fight or flight against the realities of the global market. Tania will also explore the way deals have evolved and how to evaluate your content against these factors, rooted in the business behind the film business: distribution.  

Tania Sarra has worked as an executive in the film industry for 14 years. Her vast media background which began in PR grew to senior roles across the film industry, breathing life into feature films through international rights sales, acquisitions and content strategies that meet the demands of the global market. She has held leading roles on sales teams for UK based indies and executive produced their original productions. Most recently she spearheaded all the buying and distribution for MGM Studios across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Networking

International co-production roundtables

On Wednesday, May 8, 2024, the STAR Producer Program hosted a virtual networking event where CMPA members had an opportunity to learn from established producers about their experiences tackling international co-productions.

This networking event featured five CMPA producers who have successfully navigated international co-productions. These producers hosted small groups in breakout rooms to present a brief case study about their international co-production and, for the majority of the allotted time, took questions from attendees.

The featured producers were:

• Babe Nation Films: Katie Bird Nolan, upcoming feature film, Bonjour Tristesse, Canada/Germany
• Cream Productions: Kate Harrison, CSA-nominated non-fiction series, Stuff the British Stole, Canada/Australia
• Fae Pictures: Shant Joshi, award-winning feature film, In Flames, Canada/Pakistan
• Intuitive Pictures: Ina Fichman, Academy Award-nominated documentary feature, Fire of Love, Canada/Germany
• Vérité Films: Jeremy Porber and Virginia Thompson, recently released kids series, Louise Lives Large, Canada/Ireland/Belgium

Resources

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