Monday, March 29 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM Track I: The Film and Television Producer – Strategic Concepts in Business Development: Understanding Platforms & Branding - Cable/Satellite, DVD, Broadband & Wireless The role of the television and feature film producer, from network reality and series show and studio film producer to the sports, cable and satellite producer, the definition of what it means to be in business, to develop programming, to package and produce is being impacted by multiple forces – from the crisis of digital piracy to the windfall profits of the unexpected boom in the DVD market, from the retrenching international market to the expanding appetite and opportunities of wireless, cable and satellite and the impact of broadband delivery to the home and finally, to the implications of digital cinema, both as a production tool as well as a distribution and display technology. In this session, we will touch on all of these ideas and attempt to sketch out an overview of what it means to be work in television and feature film marketplace. Digital distribution – cable, satellite, DVD, Wireless and Broadband is creating a new world with an expansive appetite for programming. Surviving and thriving in that environment is the challenge at hand. Adrian Sexton, Executive Director, Business Development, Lions Gate Entertainment Keith Hindle, VP Integrated Marketing and Interactivity, FremantleMedia North America (American Idol) Sarah Nettinga, Managing Director, Film, Television and Music Entertainment, NASCAR Carl Bressler, President, Bressler Adventures and Strategic Endeavors Bernie Morris, CEO/Founder, Magnetic Film Douglas Scott, co-founder & Partner, MATTER, Moderator Adrian Sexton is the Executive Director of Business Development for Lions Gate Entertainment (AMEX: LGF), which creates, produces and distributes a broad range of motion picture, television and other filmed entertainment content worldwide. He spearheads Lions Gate’s interaction with strategic technology partners in digital cinema, wireless, high definition, piracy and digital media marketing. Working closely in corporate development with Lions Gate’s CEO and Vice Chairman, Sexton helped complete a $350 million credit facility with JP Morgan, involving the acquisition of Artisan Entertainment. Prior to Lions Gate, he worked at Sony Pictures Entertainment, HBO Pictures and 20th Century Fox in their corporate and creative departments. Sexton graduated with a dual B.A. in Government and English from Cornell University and received his Masters in Film from the University of Southern California as a Phi Kappa Phi fellow. Keith Hindle, Vice President Integrated Marketing and Interactive, FremantleMedia North America: FremantleMedia is the world’s largest television production company with over 200 original productions on air in over 40 countries. It is the TV content division of the Bertelsmann media corporation and part of the RTL Group, Europe’s largest broadcaster. Keith oversees the interactive and show integration activities of Fremantle in the US, including brands such as American Idol and The Price is Right. He previously worked for Fremantle in London and Germany where he managed international M&A, and prior to this worked for Time Warner, Unilever and Shell Oil. Keith holds an honors degree in business and a post-graduate finance qualification (CIMA). He is a former Scottish junior chess champion, is married and lives in New York City, and is aged 33. Sarah Nettinga, Managing Director, Film, Television and Entertainment, NASCAR: Sarah Nettinga is Managing Director, film, television and entertainment, NASCAR Digital Entertainment. In this role, she has positioned and elevated NASCAR’s presence within the entertainment industry. The Los Angeles based Entertainment Group Nettinga oversees is responsible for the development and oversight of original film and television concepts for NASCAR and for connecting the sport to celebrity talent and the music industry. Nettinga is instrumental in NASCAR’s continuing efforts to grow its audience and further expand into mainstream entertainment. Responsible for strategically partnering with entities that will increase NASCAR’s overall presence within the entertainment industry and connect the sport to all facets of the entertainment, Nettinga is responsible for the formation of partnerships with studio, network and record label partners in production, marketing and publicity efforts. Nettinga has served as producer, production consultant and marketer on a number of recent film and TV projects, including three major motion pictures (Executive Producer for Columbia Pictures’ Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Disney’s HERBIE: Fully Loaded in 2006; and Warner Bros.’ NASCAR 3D: The Imax Experience; ) as well as landmark television projects (NASCAR DRIVERS: 360, DRIVEN TO WIN on Biography Channel.). On behalf of NASCAR, Nettinga has established on-going creative relationships with television partners such as FX, E!, A&E, TNT, ESPN, Biography Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel and MTV Networks. She has also fostered NASCAR’s unparalleled association with celebrities from all parts of the entertainment industry, leading a division that continues to create celebrity and music ties with personalities ranging from Will Ferrell, Nic Cage, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Red Hot Chili Peppers to Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Lenny Kravitz and Kelly Clarkson. For Kelly Clarkson, Nettinga secured an unprecedented relationship with the artist that will touch all parts of the sport and continue throughout the entire season. Nettinga brought over a decade of entertainment industry experience to NASCAR, working in production, programming and marketing capacities for motion picture studios Warner Bros. and Sony, as well as a number of major television stations. Douglas Scott is founding partner and executive creative director of MATTER, a New York based branded entertainment production company. Most recently he executive produced BLENDER Sessions, a five-day music series in Park City, Utah featuring Nelly, Macy Gray, Liz Phair and Pete Yorn. He also co-executive produced "Diddy Runs the City" with Sean Combs for MTV and executive directed the fundraising efforts for this program, which raised $2 million for New York City children. This initiative was supported by Nike, Pepsi, McDonalds, Time Warner, Viacom, Lincoln and Foot Locker. Prior to this, Scott was Executive Vice President, Marketing and Branded Entertainment Creative Director at Hypnotic. At Hypnotic, Scott created and executive produced the highly acclaimed Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival and was also charged with developing innovative branded entertainment campaigns for numerous Fortune 500 companies including Reebok, Ford Motor Company, Nintendo and Toyota. In April of 1997, Scott joined the Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX), where he was acting CFO and SVP, Sales & Marketing. While there, he was responsible for developing and producing the Company's annual Academy Awards event, which was supported by Toyota, Pepsi and Sun Microsystems, launching a weekly radio show on CBS Radio and structuring content syndication relationships with Access Hollywood, Advertising Age, Entertainment Weekly, and other national media outlets. From 1995 thru 1997, Scott was President and COO of ArtView a global network of galleries, auction houses and museums and was responsible for developing and executing highly successful strategies for e-commerce and inventory management in partnership with GE Capital. In 1993, Scott co-founded the Red Herring magazine where he served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Scott is an active speaker at industry conferences, contributor to industry publications and has guest lectured at business schools and universities. He holds a B.S. in Economics from University of Maryland, College Park. Carl Bressler, President, Bressler Adventures and Strategic Endeavors: Carl Bressler has a proven gift for recognizing talent and providing the appropriate framework for it to be nurtured, empowered and fully expressed. Carl was founder/CEO of the technical talent agency, Montana Artists, which he sold in December of 2003. In the 15 plus years of building and operating his company, Carl was never a day late in meeting payroll. In the recent sale of the company, no employee lost their position and no client lost their representation. With vision and determination gleaned from a background in music management and concert production in Detroit, he built Montana from a phone and a table in 1989 to a major industry player with over 200 clients. Today that agency represents creatives who have made major contributions on such recent films as Mystic River, Lost in Translation, Open Range, The Fighting Temptations, Cold Creek Manor and Bad Boys II and on such television shows as Six Feet Under, Sex and the City , Cold Case, Joan of Arcadia, Everwood, Without a Trace, and The O.C. In 1998, Carl was an executive producer on the independent, critically acclaimed, SMOKE SIGNALS - which won the Audience Award and the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and was purchased by Miramax Films and distributed throughout the world. Carl enjoys his limited partnership investments in restaurants around Los Angeles currently including Jones, Grace, Dolce and Table 8. Carl's ability to sculpt and imbue a passionate sense of direction into people and projects and mentor them through challenging circumstances to successful fruition is his best skill. In the early 90’s, Carl was a pioneer in the area of representing new media artists in the entertainment arena and has spoken over the last decade at emerging technology/new media conferences around the world. He currently serves on the advisory board of new startup Transplant Connect and privately consults individuals and businesses on singular strategy and vision. Carl continues to look for ways to combine smart business, fun, warmth and a heartfelt sensibility in all of his endeavors. Bernie Morris, CEO/Founder – Magnetic Film: Bernie Morris is founder and CEO of Magnetic Film, a Los Angeles based branded entertainment production company. Magnetic is a hub for advertisers looking to secure a global audience base in motion picture films. The company is currently in active development on two branded film franchises and is providing an opening for advertisers to take a controlling equity stake in its films. In short, the company creates original properties, marrying the best story ideas with the right brands. Prior to launching Magnetic, Morris was President and co-founder of Kevin Spacey’s Trigger Street Productions, a film, theatre and new media production company. In 2002 Morris and Spacey launched Triggerstreet.com, a web-based filmmakers and screenwriter’s community dedicated to discovering and showcasing new and unique talent - and securing sole sponsorship for the site from Budweiser. With a background in the entertainment and advertising industries, Morris spent several years as a European production consultant to US producers and actors, among his clients were Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Al Pacino. He also worked at advertising agency Wunderman Cato Johnson were he oversaw accounts for brands including British Airways, Pepsi, and United International Pictures (UIP). Morris holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business from the University of London. Among Morris’s credits as producer are ‘The Big Kahuna,’ ‘The Iceman Cometh,’ ‘Cobb’, and ‘ The United States of Leland’ which will be released by Paramount Classics on April 2, 2004.