PREPARATORY WORKSHOPS
12:30 – 1:00pm Workshop Registration
1:00 – 4:00pm Track A: Financier Workshop
The Ins and Outs of the Movie Business
- Lifecycle of a film from acquiring property to the last broadcast
- Budgeting from line items to sales projections
- Identifying partners with aligned interests
- Avenues for revenue generation
1:00 – 4:00pm Track B: Filmmaker Workshop
Fundraising Guidelines and Tactics
- Understanding capital structure from private lending to equity vs. debt and bridge financing
- Preparing pre-packages and business plans
- Utilizing online tools such as crowd-funding
- Approaching and pitching to lenders and investors
- Closing the deal
DAY ONE - WEDNESDAY - MARCH 7, 2012
7:30 - 8:30am Registration & Networking Breakfast
8:30 – 8:45am Opening Remarks
8:45 – 9:15am State of the Industry Keynote: What Does it Take to Finance Films in Today's Market?
- What new capital will emerge nationwide and globally?
- Economic trends in the past six months and implications on the industry
- What is needed to finance independent films today?
- What new structures are emerging to get deals done?
- Working with studios: exploring co-financing and distribution opportunities
- Will 2012 be the year of M&As and IPOs?
9:15 – 10:15am Private Capital: Enticing Financiers to Go Beyond Vanity Investing
- Are there new pro-investor models for high net worth individuals, private family offices, private equity, and hedge funds evolving in the industry?
- If so, what deal structures have worked in recent months?
- And what structures have failed?
- This panel of experts will share examples and address practical approaches to get private capital flowing into viable film projects.
10:15 – 10:45am Refreshments and Ice Breaker Session
10:45 – 11:45am Hybrid Options: Utilizing Alternative Methods of Financing to Fill the Gaps
The debt market is finally loosening up and lenders are beginning to provide capital once again. Additionally, new film funds are emerging to provide creative ways for filmmakers to raise capital at all levels of the deal structure including senior debt, gap, P&A, mezzanine, and tax credits. This group of financiers will address the most efficient alternative avenues getting projects made today.
11:45 – 12:45pm Soft Monies: Monetizing on New Tax Incentives and Subsidies
How can producers and lenders continue to monetize on soft money in 2012 with government funding on the decline? This panel of experts will provide strategies on how to acquire tax subsidies, credits and rebates and what states and countries to work with. Additionally, gain insight on how some producers are getting creative with select case studies.
1:45 – 2:15pm Finance and Co-Production Opportunities with China
Currently, filmmakers are limited by government restrictions preventing them from maximizing their profitability in the growing Chinese market. They are either limited by the film quota or are limited by a low retention rate of the box office. However with last year's box office surge, U.S. players are trying a new strategy, which is to play by China's rules. During this session, gain insight into what it takes to get movies made in China and what financiers from China are looking for when investing in Hollywood films.
2:15 – 3:00pm Exploring Additional International Co-Production Partnerships
Partnering with other producers and financiers has always been a crucial strategy used for financing films, minimizing cost, and attaining worldwide distribution; however, it is increasingly playing a bigger role in the development of new projects and becoming a more complicated process with the globalization of the film market. This group of filmmakers and film funds will discuss:
- Ways to identify the right partners when considering international co-production projects
- Structures for profit participation; strategies for monetizing subsidies across borders
- Present examples of recent international co-productions.
3:00 – 3:30pm Networking Break
3:30 – 4:30pm Pre-Sale Strategy Session: Talent Acquisition and Management
Beyond the genre, script and target market, the talent tied to projects heavily impacts pre-sale and distribution deals. During this session, experts will address how to navigate through Hollywood talent agencies and talent deal making:
- Strategies for securing rights to a project at less cost
- How to reach out to talent and their representatives
- How to compensate expensive talent, when you can't pay their quote
- When are you on the hook for fees?
- The art of the escrow agreement and the pay or play clause
- What if your actor shows up for work but won't sign their agreement?
- Whose movie is it, the director's or the financier's?
- When is talent an essential element and what can you do to protect your film?
4:30 – 5:30pm Increasing the Upside: Aligning with the Right Partners
- Protecting intellectual property
- New trends in film insurance and completion bonds
- International auditing issues and innovative collection and disbursement strategies
- Investment partnerships with brands, music publishers, post-production facilities
5:30 - 7:30pm Networking Reception
DAY TWO - THURSDAY - MARCH 8, 2012
8:00 – 8:30am Networking Breakfast
8:30 – 8:45am Recap of Day One and Introduction to Day Two
8:45 – 9:15am Keynote Presentation on the Era of Digital Innovation
This keynote presentation take a historical look on the impact of technological advancements and consumer behavior on the economic performance of the film industry and forecast when electronic delivery platforms might begin to offset traditional home video revenues.
9:15 – 10:15am The Distribution Evolution: Creating New Revenue Streams in the Multi-Media Age
Securing pre-sales and distribution domestically and internationally can be a challenge, so what are the most innovative strategies getting movies into theatres, home video, VOD, PPV, cable, Internet broadcasting, computer games, airlines, cloud content, and other ancillary markets? Hear what new business models sales agents are exploring to stay ahead of the curve. And hear from acquisition experts on what's grabbing their attention at the major film markets.
10:15 – 10:45am Networking Break
10:45 – 11:45am From P&A to D&A: Marketing Movies on a Budget
The final key to a movie's success is its promotional reach. This session will address:
- 360 marketing strategies
- How to work with digital media to reduce P&A cost
- Ways to optimize social media outreach
- Brand partnership opportunities past post-production
11:45 - 12:30pm Closing Keynote Conversation
12:30pm Forum Concludes