Big Screen Symposium & Script to Screen

Being prepared for international sales with the best materials possible; what international publicists’ pitches look like; multicultural marketing in the North American context; what it’s like doing Zoom junkets; coming out the other side of Covid; cultural competence, and other global issues to be aware of.

In this session Hello World we hear from two publicists working in the US. Gemma Gracewood who is Editor-in-Chief at Letterboxd, and a founding member of the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective talks to David Magdael a Publicist who has over two decades in PR and marketing for award-winning documentary films, indie features and broadcast content. Followed by Michelle Huff Elliot Co-Founder and Partner at Strategic Heights Media in korero to Brooke Hawe the communications manager at 387 Entertainment.  Michelle manages strategic publicity campaigns for high-end clients, she talks to Brooke about what international publicists’ pitches look like and multicultural marketing in the North-American context.

This Podcast is part of The A-Z of Screen Publicity workshop sessions.  The two-day workshop was run by Script to Screen in partnership with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) and was held on 7 & 8 May 2021 in Auckland.

From Takaro Tribe’s talking dolls to Kiri & Lou fan-made birthday cakes; from Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s Instagram stickers to Officer O’Leary and Officer Minogue delivering Covid safety messages, fan service can take many forms. A dive into fans, fandom, merchandise, cosplay, fan-cons, and the delightful power of letting your audience chart your course—all the way to a sequel, a franchise, a spin-off and beyond.

In this session, Tamar Münch asks the Writer, Actor, Producer of Paranormal Activity Paul Yates, and Sacha Judd Director of Hoku Group and Super-fan how they Embrace the Meme. This korero covers the importance of Engaging with Fans.

This Podcast is part of The A-Z of Screen Publicity workshop sessions.  The two-day workshop was run by Script to Screen in partnership with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) and was held on 7 & 8 May 2021 in Auckland.

A deeper dive into the world of creating online buzz and meeting audiences where they already are. Which social channel is right for your story—and why you don’t have to use them all. Empowering your artists as your social superstars. How to pivot when you find an unexpected audience. Gifs, memes & quirky bits, and how to take Gen Z into account (aka not be cringe).

In this session The Digital Marae, Kenny Williams a Brand and Marketing Strategist talks about creating an online buzz for your project and taking an Iwi approach to building a community. This korero is all about making sure your sh*t is valid on social media

This Podcast is part of The A-Z of Screen Publicity workshop sessions.  The two-day workshop was run by Script to Screen in partnership with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) and was held on 7 & 8 May 2021 in Auckland.

Despite the power of social, conventional media still plays a pivotal role in connecting your stories to Aotearoa audiences. Hear how today’s editors approach coverage of arts and entertainment for their audiences, and how you can get a story placed.

Simon Day, Commercial Editorial Director at The Spinoff, Kate Rodger Entertainment Editor and Film reviewer from NewsHub, Carmen Parahi Pou Tiaki Editor at Stuff, and Lisa Taouma director and producer at Coconet TV and Tiki Productions, in a korero about MAPPING AOTEAROA’S MEDIA LANDSCAPE IN 2021.

This Podcast is part of The A-Z of Screen Publicity workshop sessions.  The two-day workshop was run by Script to Screen in partnership with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) and was held on 7 & 8 May 2021 in Auckland.

In May 2021 Script to Screen partnered with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective to present the A to Z of Screen Publicity Workshop. The workshop’s purpose was to support the industry to increase discoverability by audiences for the shows being made. The sessions were recorded and this is one of ten that you can listen to. Opening remarks were made by Jackie Dennis Executive Director at Script to Screen, Gemma Gracewood founding member of Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective and Amie Mills Head of Funding at NZ On Air.

Mā te huruhuru te manu ka rere (with feathers the bird can fly)

What do publicists do? In two case studies, we look at the holistic role of a publicist - why bringing them in early and keeping them through unit and release bridges the gap between your project and your audience (and provides care of artists along the way). What a publicist needs from you to make it happen.

In this session publicist and mentor, Sue May spoke to Ainsley Gardiner, Co-Director, Cousins; Chris Henry, Managing Director of 818 and PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE, Roseanne Liang, Director of Shadow in the Cloud and Creamerie; and Courtney Mayhew, Publicist from matter about THE CREATOR / PUBLICIST RELATIONSHIP: Setting Yourself Up for Success with Culturally Competent Connectors.

This Podcast is part of The A-Z of Screen Publicity workshop sessions.  The two-day workshop was run by Script to Screen in partnership with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) and was held on 7 & 8 May 2021 in Auckland.

H

He aha te mea nui o te Ao? (What is the most important thing in the world?) He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!

People (audience), people (publicists), people (creatives)

Who is your target audience? How do you know? Statistics or Intuition? How does what they think, feel and do connect with the story you have to tell, and how can you transform that alignment into a devoted throng?

In this session A IS FOR AUDIENCE Gemma Gracewood who is Editor-in-Chief at Letterboxd, and a founding member of the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective spoke to Rueben Wiremu Senior Manager, TVNZ Marketing, Amatailevi Stella Muller Director at Bright Sunday and Stephen Smith Head of Audience Strategy at Radio New Zealand about Creating a Real Connection Between Your Story And Its Audience.

This Podcast is part of The A-Z of Screen Publicity workshop sessions.  The two-day workshop was run by Script to Screen in partnership with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) and was held on 7 & 8 May 2021 in Auckland as part of the  A-to-Z of Screen Publicity programme.

In the wake of Covid-19, the Government announced a screen sector recovery package. This package includes a Premium Productions for International Audiences Fund of $50m to support the production of high-quality feature films or series dramas that tell strong Aotearoa New Zealand stories with international appeal.

Got a script in development? Have you thought about your audience? Listen to this Script to Screen TALK and find out what local distributors consider before they take on a project for distribution. Having a strong script and a great filmmaking team is not enough. Most often, unlocking NZ Film Commission production funding depends on a commitment from a local distributor. Hear from Mark Chamberlain at Transmission, Andrew Cozens at Madman, Nigel Forsyth at Studio Canal and Kevin Gordon at Rialto Distribution. Entertainment lawyer, Sarah Cull talks to the panellists about what they look for and why, including genre and story elements, team, and at what stage of development they like to get on board. This talk took place on Wed 3 July 2019 at Te Auaha in Wellington, New Zealand.  This TALK podcast was made possible thanks to the support of the New Zealand Film Commission and White Studios the New Zealand Film and Television School.

Many of us long to see ourselves and our communities represented on screen. Filmmakers are in the unique position of being able to bring to life the diverse characters and worlds we want to see. But with power comes responsibility. It can be a hard task navigating the balance between staying true to your story while satisfying the audience’s expectations for your character. Especially if those characters are the first of their kind on screen. In this TALK Shuchi Kothari (Coffee & Allah, Apron Strings, A Thousand Apologies), Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa (Three Wise Cousins, Hibiscus & Ruthless) and Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu (Waru, Ani) share their experiences finding the sweet spot between great stories and responsible representation moderated by Dr Suzanne Woodward. This talk took place on Tuesday 21 May 2019 at Galatos in Auckland, New Zealand.