Future of Film Podcast

What is the future of distribution in an age of unprecedented content, competition and connectivity? Find answers in this special episode of Film Disruptors, recorded live at the 2019 Glasgow Film Festival where I was joined by a panel of experts: Mia Bays, Director at Large of Birds' Eye View year round agency that campaigns for gender equality in film. Ben Johnson runs Gruvi, a mediatech company that helps entertainment businesses reach and engage online audiences. Lee Shelton, responsible for all digital marketing activity across the Curzon group which is a leading boutique cinema, digital platform and distribution here in the UK. Eve Gabereau, Founder and CEO of the new female-led distribution company Modern Films. With audiences increasingly overwhelmed by a vast proliferation of content, from short form to box sets, the challenge to capture attention and engagement for films other than the biggest blockbusters is ever increasing. Yet with these changes, also comes the opportunity to target consumers with higher accuracy and to reach them directly, potentially at much lower cost. What do these trends mean for independent film and how should storytellers approach distribution in 2019? Discover more about this and other podcasts at www.futureoffilm.live

What is the future of distribution in an age of unprecedented content, competition and connectivity? Find answers in this special episode of Film Disruptors, recorded live at the 2019 Glasgow Film Festival where I was joined by a panel of experts: Mia Bays, Director at Large of Birds' Eye View year round agency that campaigns for gender equality in film. Ben Johnson runs Gruvi, a mediatech company that helps entertainment businesses reach and engage online audiences. Lee Shelton, responsible for all digital marketing activity across the Curzon group which is a leading boutique cinema, digital platform and distribution here in the UK. Eve Gabereau, Founder and CEO of the new female-led distribution company Modern Films. With audiences increasingly overwhelmed by a vast proliferation of content, from short form to box sets, the challenge to capture attention and engagement for films other than the biggest blockbusters is ever increasing. Yet with these changes, also comes the opportunity to target consumers with higher accuracy and to reach them directly, potentially at much lower cost. What do these trends mean for independent film and how should storytellers approach distribution in 2019?

Rikke Ennis has been at the forefront of the international film business for more than two decades, most recently as CEO of the market leading Nordic sales company, Trust Nordisk. In 2018, Rikke founded REinvent Studios, a new mini-studio specialising in the packaging, sales and finance of films and television for the global market. And in 2019 Rikke has also launched a new pay-per-view digital streaming service called NutAlone. In this episode, we discuss the current international business, new financing strategies and how and why NutAlone is reimagining the business of video on demand. This episode was recorded live at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival and is brought to you in collaboration with Berlin based FilmTech Office and EFM Horizon. The FilmTech Office is a Berlin based co-working space for creatives & entrepreneurs in film, storytelling and tech. Find out more at: www.filmtechoffice.com. EFM Horizon is the conference and networking programme of the European Film Market of the Berlinale focussing on the future of the media business.   Find out more at: www.efm-berlinale.de Discover more about this and other podcasts at www.futureoffilm.live

Sarah Smith is CEO of Locksmith Animation which she launched with Julie Lockhart in 2014 with backing from Liz Murdoch. Described as the UK’s only high-end feature animation studio dedicated to making films for a global family audience, Locksmith recently signed a major multi-year output deal with 20th Century Fox. In this episode Sarah shares how she built the business, moving into this entrepreneurial space from her career as a multi-award winning director and writer. She also talks about her time as a senior executive at Aardman Studios - where she was not only instrumental in securing a game-changing Sony Pictures Deal but for who she also directed the family classic and box office smash Arthur Christmas. In a wide ranging conversation, we also cover #TimesUp in relation to animation, new tech innovation in the space as well as Sarah’s powerful and practical tips for navigating the Hollywood machine. Discover more about this and other podcasts at www.futureoffilm.live

Alan Gershenfeld is a master storyteller, World-Builder and Game Designer who is currently Co-Founder and President of E-Line Media, an impact gaming company that builds games to help players understand and shape the world. In this conversation we discuss storytelling strategies, new synergies between games and films (Alan also has extensive film experience), VR, AR and the practice of World-Building, as Alan has recently partnered with Alex McDowell’s Experimental Design in this field. And we also talk about Impact and Alan shares the extraordinary case study of NEVER ALONE, showcasing the power of games to drive social change. Discover more about this and other podcasts at www.futureoffilm.live

Félix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphaël head up Felix & Paul Studios (@felixandpaul), the Emmy Award-winning immersive media entertainment studio based out of Montreal and L.A. Genuine pioneers of immersive storytelling and VR, Felix and Paul are artists, entrepreneurs and storytellers who originate gamechanging work across a variety of genres in partnership with organisations and individuals including Barrack Obama, Universal Pictures, Fox Searchlight, LeBron James and Cirque du Soleil. In this episode we get ‘under the hood’ of the Felix and Paul's creative and business strategy and explore the future and now of immersive media, including the commercial prognosis for VR in 2019. We also learn about their role as technologists and how the development of new tech in house forms a key function in their quest to create greater immersion and push the boundaries of storytelling. Discover more about this and other podcasts at www.futureoffilm.live

Kamal Sinclair (@kamalsinclair) is Director of the Sundance Institute’s New Frontier Lab Programme and an internationally recognised expert in new storytelling and Emerging Media. In this 2-part interview Kamal reveals how creators are embracing technologies like AI and VR in remarkable new ways to give life to their stories. In a conversation that covers film, arts and technology, we also talk diversity and Kamal eloquently deconstructs some of the pervasive myths and misconceptions around creators and entrepreneurs in technology and media. This is part two of two. Discover more about this and other podcasts at www.futureoffilm.live

Kamal Sinclair (@kamalsinclair) is Director of the Sundance Institute’s New Frontier Lab Programme and an internationally-recognised expert in new storytelling and Emerging Media. In this 2-part interview Kamal reveals how creators are embracing technologies like AI and VR in remarkable new ways to give life to their stories. In a conversation that covers film, arts and technology, we also talk diversity and Kamal eloquently deconstructs some of the pervasive myths and misconceptions around creators and entrepreneurs in technology and media. This is a two part episode. Discover more about this and other podcasts at www.futureoffilm.live

Melissa Silverstein (@melsil) is the irrepressible and inspirational change-maker and founder of Women and Hollywood; the initiative that educates, advocates, and agitates for gender diversity and inclusion in the global film industry. Towards the end of a seismic year in the battle for equality, Melissa shares her uncompromising take on the fight, the industry and what still needs to be done to make change happen. In a wide ranging interview, Melissa also talks about audiences, distribution, the Athena Festival (which she also runs) and shares her inspiring advice for emerging storytellers. Part Two of Two. Discover more about this and other podcasts at www.futureoffilm.live

Melissa Silverstein (@melsil) is the irrepressible and inspirational change-maker and founder of Women and Hollywood; the initiative that educates, advocates, and agitates for gender diversity and inclusion in the global film industry. Towards the end of a seismic year in the battle for equality, Melissa shares her uncompromising take on the fight, the industry and what still needs to be done to make change happen. In a wide ranging interview, Melissa also talks about audiences, distribution, the Athena Festival (which she also runs) and shares her inspiring advice for emerging storytellers. Part One of Two. Discover more about this and other podcasts at www.futureoffilm.live