Global Industry Spotlight

Global Industry Spotlight is a conversational series focused on providing resources and insight for the creative entrepreneur.

Bio: Elliot began playing the violin at the age of four, piano at eight, guitar at 12 and the computer at 20. He enlisted in the Army National Guard in order to study music. Five years later he had received a Bachelor's in Music Composition and a Master's in Cinema Audio Production.

His accomplishments include:

- Composing the Official Soundtrack for Trackmania by Ubisoft Nadeo.

- Scoring over 80 films, documentaries, animations and video games.

- Work heard in campaigns for United Airlines, Spiderman: Far From Home, The Chicago Advertising Federation, GMC, The Godrej Group, Chevrolet Motors, and The Goodman Theatre and Joffrey Ballet.

- Self-Releasing two solo electronic albums as "Ramova."

- Appointed as a Platoon Leader at the 1744th Transportation Company leading 60+ soldiers.

- Researching and creating a new business model for the game audio industry.

- Founding Unlock Audio.

Visit Unlock Audio: www.unlockaudio.com

Global Industry Spotlight is a conversational series focused on providing resources and insight for the creative entrepreneur.

Bio: Scott Lynch is the founder and head of XR development at VOYRE, an immersive media company focused on using stories and technology to democratize experiences. By integrating stereoscopic 3D 360 video and interactive game engines, VOYRE helps organizations tell stories that transport the viewer into exciting new worlds. Before he became dangerously obsessed with virtual reality, Scott directed and produced commercials, documentaries and music projects. His projects have screened at film festivals all around the world, gathered 10’s of millions of views online, and have won numerous awards including six regional EMMY’s.

The movement in marketing series looks at the actions, strategies and tools companies and entrepreneurs can utilize to help them achieve their business goals.

Instagram and Youtube are very valuable marketing tools if you understand their capabilities. Many companies and entrepreneurs do not understand all that these tools can do for their companies. Please join us for this workshop led by Miljan Vukovic, Sr. project manager and Chief of Staff at Idea Booth.

Bio

Miljan is a seasoned project manager in the advertising and marketing industry working on projects across social media, content creation, website development, experiential marketing, and has worked with national clients across consumer packaged goods, cannabis, financial institutions, real estate, hospitality, and food service industries.

In addition to his day job of marketing, Miljan invests in and manages his own real estate portfolio. Miljan is also a big believer in the psychology of people and has spent over 500 hours in the last 4 years studying on topics such as clinical psychology, human behavior, and why we do the things we do.

Global Industry Spotlight is a conversational series focused on providing resources and insight for the creative entrepreneur.

Bio: Actor/writer/producer with 13 years involvement in the industry

- President of Peanut Productions (Producer/financing Beta, Signing Out, Camouflage, Wild Game, The Thing About Harry, Herstory)

- Strategic partner providing counsel and critical analysis in business development, investor relations, marketing strategy for major tech unicorn project44

- Summa Cum Laude graduate with a BA from USC

- Expert in film production process: casting [Mary Vernieu], locations management [HBO], directing, producing, financing, and others

- Adriana brings a vivacious and memorable energy to the process of content creation and is a master of fostering relationships and network connections. An amalgamation of her experiences in the entertainment industry and the tech world, Adriana brings unmatched grit and tenacity to each project.

Global Industry Spotlight is a conversational series focused on providing resources and insight for the creative entrepreneur.

Bio: Sophia has cinema in her blood. She was born and raised in Hong Kong and her parents were part of Hong Kong’s bustling film industry in the 1950’s-1970’s. Her father Wong Tsao-she, or Wang Zhao-xi, was an award-winning editor with the Motion Picture and General Investment Co. Ltd, which later became Cathay Organization (HK) Ltd. Sophia’s mother Yu Wan-fei , was an actress with Sil-Metropole Organization Ltd. Growing up in a “film family,” Sophia became both interested in, and an advocate for, Asian film.

But it was in the early 1990’s where that love of film launched her own career in the industry. While working in Beijing, Sophia launched a Sophia’s Choice movie series, bringing Chinese films and cultural exchange with the film’s actors and directors to Beijing’s expatriate and diplomatic community.

During a two-year stay in Sydney in the late 1990’s Sophia curated two independent retrospective Chinese and Hong Kong film festivals on behalf of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office and the People’s Republic of China Consulate in the city. In 1999, Sophia also became the Hong Kong Consultant for Italy’s Udine Far East Film Festival (FEFF). She continues to support the festival as the official Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese translator for the festival’s VIP guests.

In 2000, Sophia relocated to Chicago with her husband, Michael, and they have made Chicago their permanent home. Inspired by Chicago’s diverse and vibrant culture, Sophia applied her business acumen to supporting Chicago’s arts community. She was Managing Director of the Chicago International Film Festival (2000-2007), Executive Director of Fulcrum Point New Music Project (2007-2013), and Managing Director of Redmoon Theater (2013-2014).

She launched Sophia’s Choice as a non-profit vehicle for the biannual Chicago film festival, Asian Pop-Up Cinema, in 2015.

As well as her years of expertise curating and promoting Asian film, Sophia has extensive business experience. Before she made cinema her number one passion, she spent a decade working for Swiss multinational Marc Rich & Co. as Managing Director of its Hong Kong and Beijing offices. She also worked as the Beijing-based Country Director of a U.S. agribusiness trade association.

Global Industry Spotlight is a conversational series focused on providing resources and insight for the creative entrepreneur.

Bio: Anna has worked in communications & video marketing for many years before founding Video Sherpa, a software platform that enables companies to create original video content in-house without the need for outsourced video production support. She is passionate about helping companies take control of their video content and enjoying the positive impact it has on their business.

Global Industry Spotlight is a conversational series focused on providing resources and insight for the creative entrepreneur.

Bio: Mary Landaverde is a seasoned executive with 20+ years of experience in the industry. Her diverse background includes expertise in brand strategy and management, marketing, licensing, and strategic partnerships.
She was Founder/President for Clout 5, a brand management and licensing agency working with some of today’s biggest brands and celebrity personalities in fashion, sports, television and film. She also headed up the Licensing division at Playboy Enterprises where she oversaw all direct-to-retail and third-party partnerships for Playboy’s entertainment licensed programs for the U.S. and the U.K. Prior to that, she was Director of Licensing and Strategic Partnerships for private equity firm, Hilco Consumer Capital, where she oversaw licensing, marketing and new business development and strategic partnerships for brands: Miss America, Atari, among others.

As CEO of Indistry, Mary provides strategic leadership for the company, to establish long-range goals, strategies, and policies, in addition to overseeing and evaluating the company’s fiscal function and performance. She also oversees the brand vision, strategy, and strategic partnerships for the network.

Global Industry Spotlight is a conversational series focused on providing resources and insight for the creative entrepreneur.
Bio: Founder and Principal of Nomic Consulting, Erika R. Knierim is an attorney and finance professional with 13 years experience, helping artists and institutional clients move into the 21st Century. As blockchain technology matures and NFT’s become a high-growth sector of the digital asset economy, she prepares clients for the opportunities this emerging technology provides and the complex challenges it presents. She helps individual, corporate and institutional clients understand what NFTs are and how they work, develops a customized go-to-market strategy and connects clients with specialized teams of legal, finance and tax professionals to make sure clients are protecting themselves and their art.

Bio: Grant founded Westcott after discovering a fundamental problem in the music industry, that rights holders do not have access to the information they need to make informed marketing decisions and grow their business. She discovered this after running the PR, marketing, and digital distributors for Barrington Levy’s Grammy Nominated album. 
Westcott Multimedia is an evolution of Grant’s work experiences from Next Big Sound to writing from Billboards Streaming Twitter Charts and Forbes to working as an entertainment analyst at an investment firm in New York. Prior to starting Westcott, Grant managed Global Playlist strategies at Universal Music Group. 
Grant has a master's degree in Music Business from New York University, an undergraduate degree in Entrepreneurial Studies, and a Certificate of Entertainment Law from the University of Osgoode Law School.

Bio: A veteran of Chicago's music industry, Stefanie currently serves as General Manager of Fort Knox Studios, a 125,000 SqFt Music Rehearsal and Creative Arts Facility on Chicago's Northwest Side. The largest of its kind in the Midwest, she is responsible for the executive management, marketing and operations of the 140-room space that plays host to hundreds of national touring acts each year and is home to some of Chicago's top local talent. 

Prior to joining the Fort Knox Studios team, Stefanie worked as the Marketing and Events Manager for the Music and Tech Incubator, 2112 Chicago, and has worked side-by-side with notable Chicago music organizations such as Women In Music, Guitars Over Guns and Little Kids Rock. 

Originally from Maine, she obtained her bachelor's degree in Music Business Management at Columbia College Chicago as well as studied Journalism at Indiana University. In her free time she loves to travel, play the harmonica and read/collect books.