2014 Schedule
Interactive: March 7–11  •  Film: March 7–15  •  Music: March 11–16

Mentors: Digital Media

#sxsw #FilmMentor

From Interactive programs, to digital marketing - the digital age runs the gamut of directions filmmakers can go to bring their films to the masses, take the audience deeper, etc. Talk to those at the forefront of their respective digital fields.

Sign Up Here: http://mentor.sxsw.com.

Mentor session signup is open to all Film, Gold and Platinum badge holders at a first-come, first-served basis. Registrants who signed up online must check-in 30 minutes before your mentor time slot to guarantee your spot. Limited on-site signup is also available for a small number of mentor sessions spots and will begin 30 minutes before the first time slot of each session.

Presenters

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Andy Signore

VP, Programming

DEFY Media

Andy Signore is the VP of Original Programming at Defy Media, a leading digital media company formed by the 2013 merger of Alloy Digital and Break Media, programming their family of channels which include ScreenJunkies, SMOSH, AWEme and Break.com. He is the creator and director of many of the company’s hit shows including “Honest Trailers",“The ScreenJunkies Show”, “Speakeasy with Paul F. Tompkins", and “Man at Arms” on the new AWEme channel which has amassed more than 1 million subscribers in less than a year.

An expert in developing branded entertainment, celebrity shorts and pop culture commentary, Andy has mastered viral strategy, tallying more than 350 million views of original content for which he continues to direct, produce, write and edit.

Prior to joining Defy Media, Signore worked as a producer with Disney Internet Media Group, as a member of the Original Content Development team for Disney.com, and as the Director of Digital Content & Distribution with The Collective.

Andy’s work has garnered numerous accolades, including LA Weekly’s “Best Online Video” Award 2009 and “Best Spoof” at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards for the viral video “United 300.”

Andy graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Cinema from Columbia College.

46729

Brian Behm

Motion Design Dir

Rooster Teeth Productions

Brian is Motion Design Director at Rooster Teeth Productions in Austin, TX. He oversees screen graphics for all of the various RT productions and other special projects. In addition to his work at Rooster Teeth, Brian has been a visual effects supervisor on SXSW films My Sucky Teen Romance and Blue Like Jazz.

When he’s not designing, Brian and his wife enjoy hunting new food trailers and being involved in the Austin film scene.

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Eric Stein

Dir of Programming & Acquisitions

Warner Bros

Eric B. Stein is a leading industry professional in the new media distribution space, with over 14 years of proven success in licensing, programming, business development and strategy from both sides of the negotiation table. He has a broad, deep and relevant knowledge of new media distribution opportunities in the film, television, gaming and music space. Throughout his career Eric has worked with established content producers and distributors, playing an integral role in the transformation from traditional content distribution into the vast avenues of the new technology platforms.

Eric is currently at Warner Bros. as the Director of Programming and Acquisitions for Digital Distribution, responsible for the development of programming strategies for the ongoing management of WB owned content as well as the worldwide Third Party Acquisitions for VOD, EST, Wireless and Online Businesses. In his previous role at Warner Bros., Eric was responsible for business development, broadband client management and the licensing of digital rights for film, TV and most recently PC games In this role, Eric was instrumental in the initial development and contract negotiations of the emerging Manufacturing On Demand (MOD) and PC Downloadable Games businesses.

Prior to Warner Bros., Eric worked for Hewlett Packard in Digital Entertainment Services where he oversaw their content licensing strategy (research, negotiation, etc.) and business development for the Video Merchant Services project, which enabled traditional brick-and-mortar retailers to enter into New Media distribution by utilizing private label online stores and selling new media products to consumers online. Eric has been a consultant for numerous companies in New Media Distribution regarding licensing, business development and strategy.

Eric was an original founder of CinemaNow where he oversaw and developed all aspects of programming and content acquisition including the research and negotiation of libraries for the leading international online Video-On-Demand distribution service.

Eric has been a lecturer at USC and UCLA on the topics of Cinema, Entertainment Studies, and Performing Arts as well as guest speaker to the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) New Technology Opportunities Committee. Eric is a Member of Coleman Research Group’s Elite Executive Forum on Entertainment Industry and New Media to aid institutional investors.

Eric is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where he received his BA in Film Studies and attended the University of London/Imperial College, London, UK.

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Ingrid Kopp

Dir, Digital Initiatives

Tribeca Film Institute

Director of Digital Initiatives at the Tribeca Film Institute where I oversee the TFI New Media Fund, TFI Interactive and the Tribeca Hacks series. Storytelling + technology + design.

24796

John Bernstein

Sr Producer

John Bernstein is a producer of Short Form Content at Walt Disney Studios. During his time at Disney, John has produced and developed shorts, documentaries, and interactive for a range of film and television projects including the Blu-ray and DVD releases of THE MUPPETS, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, ABC's LOST, Marvel's AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D and releases from MIRAMAX during the years they were under the Disney umbrella. He was a part of the development team for Second Screen projects, and is involved in a number of digital initiatives. As a festival veteran, John helped run the Atlanta Film Festival, served on the programming team of AFI Fest, and was a short film screener for Sundance for a decade. During his years as a freelance journalist, John was a writer/photographer for Detour, Rough Cut, and served as contributor to indieWIRE during its formative years.

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Kerrin Sheldon

Exec Dir

Humanity TV Xeno Productions

Kerrin Sheldon is an entrepreneur, filmmaker, and cofounder of the short documentary series and iPad app Humanity.TV, as well as the media agency Xeno Productions.

A self-taught filmmaker, Kerrin, along with his cofounder, launched HumanityTV by traveling through Asia for eight months and filming more than 30 short documentaries on fascinating locals. HumanityTV is now set to launch a first-of-its kind travel documentary iPad app this spring. Sheldon is also the cofounder of Xeno Productions, a video and media agency whose clients include Marriott, Budweiser, Nascar, Facebook, Renaissance Hotels, and more.

Sheldon's video and written work has been featured on The New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Fast Company, and Huffington Post.

When he isn't traveling the world shooting short documentaries for HumanityTV or clients, Sheldon can be found scuba diving, running marathons, hiking in West Virginia, or hanging out with his filmmaking wife, Elaine.

8663

Logan Mulvey

CEO

Amplify

Logan Mulvey is the C.E.O. & co-founder of GoDigital, a digital distribution company based in Los Angeles. Mulvey’s duties include overseeing GoDigital’s content operations team, acquisitions, marketing initiatives, as well as global product management and release strategy for both new and catalog titles. In 2012, Mulvey was named one of the Hollywood Reporter’s 35 under 35. IndieWire's Anne Thompson calls Mulvey, a "wunderkind,” describing his prowess in the digital space.

Before, taking on the role as C.E.O., Logan created marketing campaigns for dozens of award-winning films and platinum-selling artists as GoDigital’s Chief Marketing Officer.

Prior to his work at GoDigital, Mulvey produced music videos for some of music’s top selling artists, including Master P, Lil’ Romeo, Death Cab For Cutie, Switchfoot, and Ashley Tisdale.

Logan is on the board of directors of the Entrepreneurs Organization and on the board of advisors of the San Diego Film Festival. He is a mentor at SXSW, and a frequent speaker at digital entertainment conferences, including Variety’s BRIC Summit, Digital Hollywood, Variety’s Film Finance Summit, and the New York Film Commission at the Sundance Film Festival, among others. Logan holds a BA in Communications from Loyola Marymount University.

About GoDigital:

Launched in 2008, GoDigital has built one of the industry's premier digital distribution networks and has distributed over 400 films through their output arrangement with Lionsgate and direct deals with iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Playstation, Vudu, Fandor, DISH, and Avail-TVN. In 2012, GoDigital acquired Might Entertainment, creating a full-service digital distribution company with dedicated acquisitions, sales, marketing and technical operations teams with a library of over 1,000 catalog films. Following a highly lucrative capital infusion from Preferred Ventures, GoDigital also recently partnered with 108 Media, a Toronto-based sales company, to handle all distribution for the Canadian company. GoDigital's latest titles include the Josh Gad and Hilary Duff comedy "She Wants Me", horror-comedy “The Selling”, as well as a range of topical documentaries including Javier Bardem's "Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony", the oil spill expose “The Big Fix”, and the popular CNBC-featured documentary, "Unraveled."

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Rebecca Sosa

Head of Digital Distribution

A24 Films

Rebecca oversees VOD, DVD and ancillary opportunities for A24, the studio that released Harmony Korine's SPRING BREAKERS, Sofia Coppola's THE BLING RING and James Ponsoldt's THE SPECTACULAR NOW. Prior to A24, Rebecca worked as the Programming Manager at FilmBuff devising digital release strategies for films and crafting the best approach to maximize exposure and revenue to platforms around the world. She has also held various roles at WE tv, City Lights Pictures, Focus Features, ABC News 20/20 and Seventeen Magazine. Rebecca is originally from the great state of Texas and now resides in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

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Zachary Soreff

VP & Creative Dir

Sawyer Studios





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