Best in Fest

Rob Feldman is a Ringo-Award nominated comic book creator, animation producer and NFT artist best known for his print and online comic, Cyko KO and web animated series, Dr. Shroud. Having produced content for the likes of Warner Brothers, Fangoria, Starlog, Top Cow and Mystery Science Theater, Rob's recent work of NFT drops and streaming through the blockchain-based partner Theta Network have...

Linda Malik is a writer/screenwriter/storyteller living in Los Angeles, CA. Originally from Denmark, she worked as a professional ballet dancer for 12 years before an injury put a stop to her career. She went back to school in the U.S., where she earned a B.A and M.A in Radio and Television (Screenwriting) from San Francisco State University. She has written several screenplays, mostly dramas - sh...

Amanda Frolich, aka Action Amanda, is an award-winning children’s entertainer, early years educator, health and fitness expert, best-selling author and Government advisor. This year marks Amanda’s 30th year in business as the CEO of Amanda’s Action Club. From starting in a small community centre, Amanda has grown to working globally. Her impressive client list includes some well-known stars includ...

Judy Korin fuses her backgrounds in graphic design and filmmaking to contribute to visually powerful and socially impactful works. In addition to producing REBEL HEARTS (2021, max/discovery+) which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, she is a producer of the documentary series THE LINCOLN PROJECT (2022, Showtime) and the Netflix original documentary THE GREAT HACK (2019, Sundance premiere), w...

A Line Producer is the unsung hero of a film production.  Full of responsibility and, of course, stress, the job of a line producer is crucial and really challenging.  In this episode Leslie breaks down the whole job from beginning to the end leaving no stone unturned.  This is a must listen!

Today Ledslie talks to Dianah Wynter.  Wynter was born and raised in New York. She directed Intimate Betrayal (1999) , HappySAD (2009) , and Daddy's Girl (1996) , for which she received an Emmy nomination. Her stage directing credits include the world premiere of The Interrogation of Nathan Hale at South Coast Rep, Mules at San Francisco's Magic Theatre and American Conservatory Theatre...

Patrick Rizzotti, is a veteran film producer and founder of Crossroad Productions. Crossroad's finds projects that can crossover to multiple entertainment platforms during its lifespan. Rizzotti originally co-founded Fortress Features in 2004 - 2017 and developed over 100 feature film and television projects during the next 14 years. The goal of Fortress was to create a environment where film...

McKenzie is a filmmaker, actor, and poet based in Chicago. Driven by a revolutionary sensibility, her work uses rich imagery and a deeply personal lens to explore the lives, relationships, and dreams of those who experience marginalization based on their identities, frequently returning to themes around longing and ambition, with her storytelling rooted in sensuality, everyday magic, and the beaut...

Corey Grant was born in Joliet, Illinois. He attended Norfolk State University and Virginia where he received his BA in Communications. After graduating and working for NBC, he decided that film was his ultimate goal and he moved to Washington, DC to attend Howard University to receive his Masters in Film. While attending Howard, he founded New Breed Entertainment and wrote, produced and directed...

Grant Garry is a filmmaker, actor, and owner of the production company Wesley Curtis Productions. He is the director of the new documentary Meet Me Where I Am - Which explores the topic of grief through individual stories of loss, love, and hope.  Grant earned his degree in Theatre Arts from Loyola Marymount University. He has studied improv at The Groundlings School, acting in musical theater wit...

Heidi Nyburg After a career in tech as a product manager for Netflix, Heidi pivoted to screenwriting for television and film. A 2022 HUMANITAS finalist, & WIF top 10, Heidi’s writing focuses on female-driven dramas and dark comedies that explore themes of motherhood, having/not having it all, and sometimes, murder. She’s won several respected contests, has been featured on The Blacklist fo...

Naida Valencia originally hails from the West Coast of the US, but holds a strong identity within her Chilean and Colombian heritage. A theater virtuoso from the age of 9, she attended The Northwest School of the Arts, as well as the acting division of UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television. Since then her career has been an eclectic mixture of marketing, management, writing, event...

Mark Salyer is an award-winning producer and director whose work in the arts and multi-media explores intergenerational themes, stories and mythology of the Appalachian Mountains where he is from and the LGBTQ+ experience. As an actor and director in the theater, Mark has won numerous awards and performed across the country and abroad. His Hedwig in the Atlanta premier of Hedwig and the Angry Inch...

Today Leslie has on John Wayne S III, Tyawanna Smith, Kristine McPhearson the creators of the sports documentary "Ballin' Aboard" to talk about how to market a film in todays industry. Ballin Aboard is the journey of five Champion and top-tier American athletes playing basketball in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and Euro-Leagues.

Marianna Vargas Gurilieva was appointed Film Commissioner of the Dominican Republic Film Commission (DGCINE) in 2021, a position dedicated to regulating, developing, and promoting the Dominican film industry. A Magna Cum Laude graduate in Law of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), Vargas continued her studies obtaining a L.L.M. in Business Transactions at Erasmus Universit...

Julia Morizawa is a writer/producer with over 20 years of experience in film, television, new media, theater, and fiction podcasting. Produced projects include JESUSCAT (OR HOW IACCIDENTALLY JOINED A CULT) (feature film), SIN & LYLE (short film), TWENTY-TWO (play), and AMERICAN COMEDY HORROR STORY: ORPHANAGE (fiction podcast). Her current project, DRAGONFLY (animated short film), was award...

Franklin Ritch is an independent filmmaker, writing, directing, and editing with a passion for unique ideas and sharp storytelling. Since high school, Franklin has developed a vast filmography of short films, web series, and features. Collaborating with Emmy-winning cinematographer, Britt McTammany, Franklin’s early short, BEDRIDDEN (Fantastic Fest, 2018), kicked off a marathon of short film produ...

Katherine graduated as a medical biotechnologist (MD in Bioсhemistry and Molecular biology) and worked briefly in a Cancer Research Center. But due to serious circumstances, she moved to Hong Kong and spent the next 12 years as an interior designer and small-form architect, heading her own studio Cheshire Cat and founding a construction company Berling Co. Deciding to expand her activities, she ent...

Andria Wilson Mirza is the Director of ReFrame, the screen industry's gender equity coalition founded and led by Sundance Institute and Women In Film. Since joining the organization, she has expanded their mid-career talent accelerator and launched the ReFrame ReSource , an industry-leading initiative to create connections across Hollywood’s diversity advocacy sector. Previously, Andria was E...

Clay Epstein has over twenty years of experience as an Entertainment Executive. Since launching his own company in 2016, he is the President and Owner of Film Mode Entertainment, a worldwide sales and distribution entity with a producer friendly initiative. In addition to bringing films to audiences around the globe, Clay executive produces many of the company’s titles. As an Executive Producer, C...

Mary Jane’s films have screened at the Toronto, Venice, Berlin, Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals and have received numerous awards and nominations, including several appearances on the National Board of Review ‘best of’ list, a BAFTA best screenplay win for The Station Agent and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for Richard Jenkins in The Visitor.  Mary Jane received the Independent Spi...

Antti Kaarlela is a Finnish screenwriter, producer and a production company CEO. Antti has studied and lived in many different places around the world, including Rome, Italy and New York City, US. Antti set a production company called Whatevergroup in 2011 together with his namesake Antti Kairakari and a fellow entrepreneur Aleksi Puranen and since then Whatevergroup has produced for example the 2...

It's all about virtual production in this episode with one of the industry experts, President of Roninfilms Virtual Production Joan Webb. Roninfilm Virtual Production pioneered in Unreal Engine as early adopters with 2 Epic Games/Unreal Engine MegaGrants, becoming evangelists, leading speaking engagements at NAB, AFM, CineGear, VES, Wacom, ASUS, Poppy Jasper Film Festival, and over 35 article...

Alex Schmider is an Emmy, Peabody, and Critics Choice Award recognized film producer and the Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD, the nation’s leading LGBTQ media advocacy organization. His producing credits include CHANGING THE GAME (Hulu), DISCLOSURE (Netflix), FRAMING AGNES (Kino Lorber), STAY ON BOARD: THE LEO BAKER STORY (Netflix) and upcoming CHASING CHASING AMY. He is an active...

David Stump brings over 25 years of experience as a Producer, Director, Director of Photography, Visual Effects Director of Photography, Visual Effects Supervisor and Effects Cameraman. He has extensive experience in high definition film and video photography, content creation, CGI and visual effects production. He has won an Emmy Award and an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Acheivement...