PITCH-A-PRO Night
Deadline to register is 12:00 noon on Tuesday, April 23rd.
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024, 7-9pm (Virtual on Zoom)
$15 WIFSBA Members
$30 Non-members
Are you a screenwriter with a completed script or a director with a project looking for a producer? Are you a producer looking for a partner? Then come to our Pitch-A-Pro Night when you can present your 2–3-minute pitch to the producer or other industry professional of your choice in a Zoom breakout room (verbal pitches only with no digital visuals, please). If there is space and time, you may be able to pitch more than one executive. At the end of the evening, at least 3 lucky people will get a chance to pitch all of the professionals at once before the entire audience. Register quickly as there are only 10 slots per industry pro. If the limit is reached, you will be notified to choose a different pro or to get your money back. Deadline to register is 12:00 noon on Tuesday, April 23rd.
Industry Professionals to Pitch To:
DAVID GREENBERG (Producer/Director/Screenwriter at Gillder Frontier) feature producing, writing, and directing debut, Stomping Ground, premiered at The Philadelphia Independent Film Festival in 2016 and is being distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures. In spring 2021, David co-produced the feature Seclusion, which came out in 2023. He and the other producers at Gillder Frontier are currently reviewing screenplays for their next production. With over 60 screenwriting credits to his name, he specializes in producing, writing, directing, and watching ultra-low-budget indie films.
LOOKING FOR: David is looking for ultra-low-budget screenplays and genre material -- horror, crime, drama, and offbeat comedy.
MARC MANUS is a former award-winning photojournalist who attended USC film school before entering the field of artist representation. His first job was with manager Cathryn Jaymes, who represented Academy Award-winning writer/director Quentin Tarantino, among others. Over the last twenty years, Marc has held positions at various management companies including Zero Gravity (Netflix’s OZARK) and, most recently, World Builder Entertainment (DreamWorks Animation’s TROLLS franchise) as a founding partner. Now at Persistent, Marc continues to guide a select roster of creators from around the globe who have book, film and television projects at the major networks, streamers and studios. His credits as a producer include JOSIE, starring Sophie Turner, and the forthcoming horror-thriller DON’T MOVE, alongside Sam Raimi (EVIL DEAD) and Hammerstone Studios (BARBARIAN).
LOOKING FOR: Marc is looking for features and TV pilots in the action, horror, thriller, or sci-fi genres.
GARY RUBIN, domestic film sales agent & indie film consultant, has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of film distribution and acquisitions, and he has worked for such companies as:
- Artisan Entertainment – where he worked on The Blair Witch Project
- October Films
- iN DEMAND
- Cohen Media – where he worked on such movies as My Old Lady and Deli Man.
- And his own First Independent Pictures – where he co-financed, Executive Produced and distributed David Mamet’s Edmond.
He recently started GRC, a sales agency and consulting company, where among many titles, he and his clients are responsible for the success of the self-distributed 2022 theatrical release of the acclaimed documentary, The Automat, now found on HBOMAX.
He also provides consulting and coaching services for projects in early stages. In addition, he consults with candidates for self-distribution. Note: he does not provide notes on scripts.
LOOKING FOR: GRC offers content sales, distribution sales and strategy, and consulting on all phases of production and distribution. Looking for films that are high-end festival candidates, or have been through the festival circuit and are still looking for a buyer; in addition, projects looking for distribution and producers looking for finance and distribution strategy for their projects. More info here: https://www.grconsultingcareercoaching.com/
Genres include: thriller, action, comedy, black comedy, prestige drama, documentaries, select foreign films. Some animation. No horror.
BRETT TAKESHITA is a Los Angeles-based creative executive and filmmaker who received a B.A. in Film & Television Production, and a minor in Film, Television & Media Studies from Loyola Marymount University. After graduation, he freelanced for 3 years by producing, directing, and writing wild comedies before switching gears and serving as a Junior Executive in Original Programming at Hallmark Media. Across their 3 channels, he helped oversee nearly 40 films through development, production, and postproduction.
He currently serves as Original Content Manager at Tubi, where he has shepherded over 60 projects to fruition, including the #1 Originals’ franchise THE STEPMOTHER and the cult adult animated series THE FREAK BROTHERS (Pete Davidson, Tiffany Haddish, Woody Harrelson). He is excited about his multiple upcoming releases this year including gritty western THE THICKET (Peter Dinklage, Juliette Lewis) and the fresh NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD reboot called FESTIVAL OF THE LIVING DEAD (Camren Bicondova, Andre Anthony).
LOOKING FOR: Brett is looking for younger skewing features (Gen Z space/18-24). Genre projects like comedy, thriller, horror, action, sci-fi, etc. No slow burn dramas. Female-led and diverse stories are highly welcomed! He is also open to published book-to-screen projects.
MARIAH HALL is a creative executive at Tubi focused on sourcing new projects and the development of titles in the current slate. She has touched thousands of projects across her time at Tubi, and has had the pleasure of building the Originals slate from the ground up from pitch through delivery as one of the two founding members on the team. She has worked previously in production (Tubi, Marvel, QC Entertainment), international and domestic acquisitions (Tubi, Myriad Pictures), domestic sales (Cineverse), film festival programming (Tallgrass Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival), and has dabbled in producing her own projects after graduating from Chapman University with a degree in Creative Producing and Business.
She’s passionate about helping underrepresented filmmakers as best she can behind the scenes with her business-minded background and driving them to audiences who would appreciate their creative vision. While she loves projects of all genres and scopes, the way to her heart is through great comedic timing and character-driven stories.
LOOKING FOR: Mariah is looking for younger skewing features (Gen Z space/18-24). Genre projects like comedy, thriller, horror, action, sci-fi, etc. No slow burn dramas. Female-led and diverse stories are highly welcomed! She is also open to published book-to-screen projects.
NADYA PANFILOV is a literary manager at Writ Large, an LA-based entertainment management and production company that specializes in writers, directors, and actors in film and television. Nadya started at Writ-Large as an assistant where she quickly rose through the ranks.
Before working at Writ Large, Nadya worked in the TV department at Parkes+MacDonald where she started out as an intern and climbed her way to a Coordinator under their first look deal with Universal Studios. While at Parkes+MacDonald she helped sell two shows to NBC, one to STARZ and the last project she had the honor of working on is pending release from Amazon.
Nadya was born in Uzbekistan and has spent the last twenty years trying to figure out how to fit into the microcosm of the United States. Her saving grace was film & television and went on to graduate from Chapman University with a degree in Screenwriting.
LOOKING FOR: I am open to action, thrillers, high concept comedies, female led action, writers from ex-Soviet countries, film & TV. Grounded genre, procedurals/prestigurals, ongoing horror. No limited, no period.
RICH PELUSO is Executive Vice President and Head of AFFIRM Films, AFFIRM Television and AFFIRM Originals for Sony Pictures Entertainment. In this role, he oversees development, production, acquisition and distribution of faith-based and inspirational film and TV content. His recent credits as studio executive include the 2023 films JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM, BIG GEORGE FOREMAN, BIRTHRIGHT OUTLAW and 5000 BLANKETS, and the new Kendrick Brothers’ film, THE FORGE, releasing August 2024.
LOOKING FOR: He is looking for faith-based/inspirational/family content - both broad theatrical and scripted series.
JEAN LIU CHRISTEN, a former publishing executive, is a L.A.-based producer and writer, regarded for championing artists and respected for keeping an eye on the bottom line. Her company, 8C Entertainment, has a slate of projects representing valuable IPs by New York Times bestselling authors and screenplays by Emmy winners. Jean refined her eye for fresh content and original voices in story development with companies like Mandeville, The Gotham Group, and Entertainment Lab. Her commitment to innovation, collaboration, and balancing the importance of the creative process with the practicality of commercial success, makes Jean a sought-after producer.
LOOKING FOR: Jean is looking for feel-good, family-friendly film and TV projects in the vein of Hallmark or Lifetime.
BRENDAN KENNEY is a Los Angeles based writer and producer who previously worked as a development executive for Bruna Papandrea's and Reese Witherspoon's production company Pacific Standard. He’s most recently started his own production company Everyday Films. As a producer he has projects set up with Fifth Season, Made Up Stories, Clubhouse Pictures, Flower Films and John Wells Productions. Most recently Brendan served as a producer on Justin Chon’s feature film JAMOJAYA that made its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The short film INVINCIBLE directed by Vincent René-Lortie has been nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2024 Oscars. He is currently in pre-production on a feature film starring Mary-Louise Parker and Phillip Ettinger called GALILEE that will be directed by Jesse Harris.
LOOKING FOR: Brendan is looking for feature thrillers in the vein of FAIR PLAY or FATAL ATTRACTION. He is also looking for Rom-Coms.
ANTONIA ROMAN is the CEO at That's So Funny Entertainment, a production company that brings creative ideas to life through Film, TV, Audio and Theater. Her credits include the Show Talent-Talent Show, Boricua in the House, Colorblind and Lose to Win to name a few. She is also an author, producer, director and has a background in the music industry.
LOOKING FOR: We are currently looking for FAITH BASED Feature scripts along with Comedic/Dramatic TV Series PILOTS. She is also open to published book-to-screen projects.
***For your protection, we require you to register your work with the WGA or US Copyright Office. You will be asked to sign a release form before pitching any of our professionals.
Participant acknowledges that some of the executives are in the business of creating and developing videos and receive various proposals relating to potential projects, ideas and concepts. Industry pros may be independently developing projects substantially similar and even identical to the submission. Therefore, any similarity between a submission and any element in any current, future, or existing industry pro's project, or creative work would be purely coincidental. Industry pros will not, and have no obligation to, treat any submissions as confidential or proprietary, and will incur no liability with respect to the submission. ***
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at bod-admin@wifsfba.org with the Subject Line: Pitch-A-Pro.
