Best in Fest

Jacob Rachinski is a 1st AD, line Producer and now a Covid-19 Compliance officer with a ton of on set experience.  If you are a new filmmaker and you want to cut out about a billion potential mistakes you will probably make early on in your career, then you want to listen to this episode.  

http://www.lafemme.org

In this information packed episode Leslie speaks with Sales Agent Jenny Hayden about the best ways to get the industry interested in your independent film.  This is straight from an industry professional who has been in this world her entire career.  You don't want to miss her advice. 

More about Jenny:

Jenny Hayden has over twenty years of experience in the acquisition and distribution of award-winning television programs, films, and home video / DVD releases across all platforms in the US and globally. She's built a library from a catalog of 25 hours to a catalog of 2000 hours with sales in over 180 countries selling to name-brand networks including the BBC, Ch4 UK, ITV UK, S4C (Wales), TV2 Denmark,  Viasat, Discovery US, Discovery International, France 5, Halogen TV, Outside Television, Scripps Networks, Globosat Brazil, Prisa TV Spain,  RAISAT Italy, TVB Hong Kong, Living Channel New Zealand, Fox Australia's Lifestyle Network, Voice of America and more.  

Today she is focusing her efforts in working as a consultant and marketing/ sales agent representing filmmakers and television producers, while also developing her own original concepts.  

You will see Jenny's most recent consulting work on the big screen beginning on February 15th where she was a producer on the theatrical release of the Oscar-Nominated Short Documentaries.

How do you write a great script that integrates well and allows the audience to accept the unacceptable? In this episode, Leslie has on Screenwriter James Napoli to break down his writing process Step by Step.  If you're a writer or wanna be writer than you can't miss this episode of Best in Fest!

More About James Napoli

James has a master’s in film from the London Film School. He began his career on a one-year temp assignment re-cataloguing the coverage library of the Walt Disney Studios, and there learned how to do coverage from some of the most accomplished union script readers in Hollywood. For over twenty years, he has been providing coverage to agencies, production companies and private clients in Los Angeles.

In the early 2000s, James followed around his two award-winning short films as writer-director on the festival circuit. He went on to be the Head Writer for the XM/Sirius program “New Frequency,” a live radio theater show which culminated its four-year run at the Roxy Theater on the Sunset Strip. James wrote nearly one hundred original short radio plays for the project.  At the same time, he created original drive-time content, including a long-running rock and roll parody series, for the nation’s largest syndicator, Premiere Radio Networks. 

He is the author of the humor best-seller “The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm,” and recently devised and co-hosted a comedy podcast called “Movies Not Movies.”  His new serialized detective story “Plea from a Dead Silhouette” is set in 1988 Boston and features private eye Maggie Dunne. 

James has optioned several screenplays and is currently shopping an original dramatic pilot with his producing partner. He has completed two new screenplays, an environmental crime thriller and an independent oddball romance. 

Producer/Actor Suzanne Johnson talks about her film "The World Without You" with Leslie in this episode of Best in Fest.  The conversation quickly goes to how an Independent can further his or her career and Suzanne gave nuggets of gold. Build the right team and spend what you must to get them was the advice, because your film and career will depend on it.  Suzanne gives anecdotes about her casting director Valerie McCaffrey and publicist Deborah Gilels and much more.

In this episode Leslie speaks with multi award winning screenwriter Ben Sztajnkrycer.  Listen in as they unravel the mystery of a great script and how to write one.  Don't miss it.

BEN SZTAJNKRYCER is an award winning screenwriter who works in both the U.S. and Canadian film industries. His supernatural thriller "Refuge" was shot in 2021, with Renny Harlin (“Cliffhanger”) directing and Yariv Lerner ("Angel Has Fallen"), Gary Lucchesi (“Million Dollar Baby”), Rob Van Norden ("The Protege") and Michael McKay ("Brahms: The Boy II") producing. He recently penned a horror adaptation for producer Jeremy Bolt (“Resident Evil”) and director Sylvain White (“Slender Man”), and is adapting a major videogame for producer J.J. Baronnet (“Assassin’s Creed”). Ben is a graduate of UCLA’s Screenwriting MFA Program where he won The Screenwriters Showcase Award, the department's highest honor. In addition, he has worked as a creative executive at Walt Disney Feature Animation, and has taught screenwriting since 2009.

Don't miss this episode! If you want to sell your independent film to a distributor or are looking for investors,  this episode is essential for you.  Leslie LaPage, the Director of LaFemme Film Festival and the host of Best in Fest, takes control and gives a detailed and specific outline of what you need to provide in every page of your Look Book.

For the past fifteen years Leslie La Page has produced, directed and line produced for Film, TV, Music Videos, commercials and Theatrical productions.

Ms. La Page has produced features nationally and internationally in both the independent and commercial markets.

Ms. La Page has over eight years of production background in independent films, and has served as producer, line producer and film production coordinator on numerous independent feature films for independent production companies as well as Black Entertainment Television Action Pay Per View (BET). While at BET she line produced their entire slate of original programs which aired on their network and received international and domestic video releases. She line produced commercials and promos for the HBO, Lifetime TV and BET, MTV and Nickelodeon.

Her production experience also involves her in the areas of marketing, developing scripts, creating promotional copy as well as promotional feature spots and trailers.

With a passion for film and filmmaking since childhood, Daniel decided to move to California in 2000 with an interest in the film business.

After graduating at Cal State Northridge in 2006, he realized that young filmmakers had very little access to industry professionals, and few options for screening their films. And thus, the HollyShorts Film Festival was born. Now in its 18th year and Academy Award Qualifying in 3 categories, HollyShorts has quickly become the most influential short film festival in the World, with Daniel guiding it as Festival Director and lead programmer and the HollyShorts Monthly Screening Series, which takes place each month at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres.

Aside from HollyShorts, Sol also battled daily with domestic exhibitors as a theatrical sales executive at Lionsgate from 2008-2014. Mr. Sol is also the co founder of the premium Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV content channel BITPIX (www.bitpixtv.com) along with co-founder of the production company 88th Street (https://www.88thstreetproductions.net).  He proudly serves on the Film Augusta Advisory Board.  Sol is also an Executive Producer of the short films THIRST, currently airing on Hulu, and DESMONDS NOT HERE ANYMORE, and is the Festival Co Founder of the 7th annual Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival. 

Do you think a development executive turned screenplay writer might have some good advice? Then this episode is for you. Leslie sits down with Garrick Dion  from LA-based management/production company 5X and the conversation is FIRE!!!

More about Garrick:

Having started his career as an intern for THE MATRIX producer Joel Silver, Garrick Dion has over 25 years of experience in the Film & Television industry.  After a decade of working as a studio development exec for WB, New Regency and Artisan/Lionsgate, he migrated to “the other side of the desk”, as a screenwriter and consultant on various projects for WB (including the Nicholas Sparks adaptation A WALK TO REMEMBER), Mandalay, Endgame and the SyFy Channel, before ultimately returning to development and production, albeit this time in the world of “high net worth”, financier-backed independents.  Over seven years as SVP of Development for Bold Films, he helped produce such successful features as Dan Gilroy’s NIGHTCRAWLER, Nicholas Winding Refn’s DRIVE and Damien Chazelle’s Sundance- and Academy Award-winning WHIPLASH, while at Vancouver-based BRON Studios he was the company’s first LA hire and worked on a vast slate including the Jason Reitman films TULLY and THE FRONT RUNNER and Josh Trank’s CAPONE, as well as started and oversaw in-house genre label The Realm, for which he produced the sci-fi feature PROSPECT (based on the SXSW award-winning short) and the darkly comic thriller VILLAINS, both released through Gunpowder + Sky.  Currently, he is partnered with Scott Einbinder (HITMAN’S BODYGUARD) and Seth Nagel (LAID TO REST) in LA-based management/production company 5X.  Obsessed since childhood with storytelling, and film in particular, he is a graduate of Ithaca College and originally from Cape Cod, MA.

In this episode Leslie dives deep with Co-founders of Dances with Films  to discuss what film festivals are looking for and how to improve your chances as a filmmaker to get your film accepted.

LESLEE SCALLON & MICHAEL TRENT // Co-Founders 

A Regent Scholar at New York University, Michael Trent began his career as one of the youngest stage managers to receive an Equity production contract with Broadway and touring credits includ- ing the Julliard based Acting Company (touring arm of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.) and Lee Theodore’s American Dancemachine. He has written, directed and produced a multitude of projects around the globe – from Sacramento to Singapore including numerous years helming the MOVIEGUIDE® Awards which airs on the Hallmark Channel. He lives with his wife in Washington, DC. 

Leslee Scallon got her start by moving to Hollywood at nineteen from a small town, where she literally went to a three room schoolhouse. After that small start, she did receive a DramaLogue Best Actress Award, as well as the honor of accepting that award on the same stage as Shirley MacLaine. Similar to Michael, however, she found producing and writing to be a true love, especially after the sage advice of the late Carrie Fisher, “get behind the camera, it’s more fun there.” 

Together Leslee and Michael have produced and directed many shows, including the THALIANS, working with amazing legends such as the late Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher; Dick Van Dyke; Shirley MacLaine amongst others. Their first feature INDEMNITY was the catalyst for DWF and has made for tremendous opportunities of working with amazing creative minds and visionaries. 

Leslee has been the key moderator of the Industry Panels and “Chats With” series of talks done at the festival, as well as asked to be on panels for her expertise in navigating the film festival world. She lives in Studio City with her lovely daughter, Jocelyn. 

Leslie and Deborah Gilels discuss the real truths about marketing your Indie film from a PR Professional in Hollywood.  Now, not every Publicist is a marketing person and not every marketing person is a publicist.  In this episode, they also discuss promoting vs selling a film using a press release, niche marketing, social media, pitching to trades and much more.

More About Deborah:

Deborah Gilels has run a successful PR/Media Consulting company for the past 16 years, assisting writers, filmmakers, and actors with PR and Marketing activities including promoting feature films, shorts and documentaries, by way of public relations, marketing, project development, and distribution strategy, repping documentaries and feature films in the international marketplace.

Among the films she has successfully launched are: Keiko the Untold Story of the Star of Free Willy, the award-winning documentary The War on Kids, and the Chazz Palminteri- Andie MacDowell family drama Mighty Fine for Lionsgate.  In the anime space, Gilels ran FYC campaigns for the award-winning features Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms and Liz and the Blue Bird (Satellite Award nominee), the short Lacrimosa and documentary The Gilligan Manifesto. She also was the lead publicist on Fathoms release of Hayao Miyazaki’s Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, the award-winning A Silent Voice, Millennium Actress and Sound! Euphonium.  She has also done publicity for anime series Lupin 3rd Part 4 on Adult Swim in May 2017, Lupin the 3rd Part 5, Megalobox on Crunchyroll and Cartoon Network and theatrical release for the feature Penguin Highway. Gilels has also led publicity for the DVD/VOD releases for several titles. 

Other recent films include:  The World Without You starring Radha Mitchell, PJ Byrne and James Tupper,  Hajji starring The Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand, Pooling to Paradise, starring Taryn Manning and  Jonathan Lipnicki, Violet is Blue: A Tale of Gibbons and Guardians, Echoes From the Attic, Once is Enough and the LA Emmy winning documentary To Climb a Gold Mountain.

Gilels has successfully promoted films in festivals such as Dances With Films, LA Femme International Film Festival, HollyShorts, Starz, Toronto International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, New Filmmakers (LA and NY), St. Louis, UN Film Festival, Heartland, Cannes, and has represented feature films and documentaries in markets such as AFM, Anime Expo, Berlin and MIP-TV. 

She executive produced the award-winning documentaries Bearing the Torch: Politics & the Games for ESPN/Hearst Entertainment.   Prior to that, as a development executive and producer Gilels collaborators included actors Robert Duvall, Jenna Malone, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Rachel Leigh Cook; writers and directors A. Scott Berg, Michael Hirst, and Paul Verhoeven. Companies and producers such as: Mike Macari, Disney, ESPN, Wind Dancer Films, Lionsgate and New Line Cinema/TV. 

She has also held executive positions at Fox, Warner Brothers TV and PFG Entertainment. In that capacity, the films  she has worked on as a development executive include: Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead starring Christina Applegate and David Duchovny, Crossing the Mob starring Jason Bateman, Showdown in Little Tokyo starring the late Brandon Lee and Cary- Hiroyuki Tagawa, Penthathlon starring Dolph Lundgren, and A Slight Case of Murder starring William H. Macy.