Happy Friday, Creative Army!

The Cannes Film Festival in France is right around the corner!

For those of you who missed it, we recently announced the official Cannes 2024 Stage 32 events schedule and partnerships right HERE on the Stage 32 Blog. Being involved each year in coordinating industry-leading panels with remarkable expert panelists from all over the world is one of our greatest honors and pleasures. This year, we're particularly proud of the lineup that we've put together and we can't wait to present them to Cannes attendees in the Film USA Pavilion.

Below, you can read all the details about these panels and the incredible panelists leading them!

Announcing the Official Stage 32 + Cannes 2024 Panels:

Friday, May 17

Panel at Film USA

3:00pm - 5:00pm

Stage 32 Presents: In Competition - Meet the Producers from this Year’s In-Competition Films

Being chosen as an official selection of the Festival de Cannes is one of the most prestigious achievements in the entertainment industry, and this year the line up includes some of the best films the festival has ever seen. Getting a film from script to screen is a difficult task, and getting chosen as an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival is extraordinary. Join us as we talk with the producing teams of some of this year’s films to learn more about how the projects came together and what makes them stand out from the crowd.

Moderator: Richard Botto - CEO of Stage 32

Panelists:

• Daniel Bekerman, APPRENTICE (Official Selection)
• Steve Demmler, OH CANADA (Official Selection)
• Jesse Burgum, BIRD (Official Selection)

Monday, May 20

Panel at Film USA

3:00pm - 5:00pm

Stage 32 Presents: State of the Industry - Post-Strike Dealmaking for Actors & Writers

Last year’s strikes rocked the industry, and while production is ramping back up the landscape has changed. This panel of industry experts will address the changes and challenges actors and writers now face while assembling projects in this evolving industry, offering strategies for successful dealmaking in the post-strike era.

Moderator: Martin Petrov - Director of WoFF

Panelists:

• Richard Botto - CEO, Stage 32
• Jack Sheehan - President, Archstone Films
• Adhrucia Apana - Producer, ARMORED

Monday, May 21

Panel at Film USA

3:00pm - 5:00pm

Stage 32 Presents: To Stream or Not to Stream: That is the Distribution Question

Stage 32 Presents: To Stream or Not to Stream: That is the Distribution Question

This Stage 32 expert panel will explore the pros and cons of distribution deals, ranging from theatrical to streaming to self-distribution, providing insights into the best options for producers today. They will tackle questions such as whether the back-end pay from the days of peak TV is truly a thing of the past and if mid-budget films can ever find a successful opening weekend in theaters again. Explore the market trends and options from a conversation with these unique perspectives.

Moderator: Emma Louis Smith - ACCA, Finance Strategist, Monaco

Panelists:

• Lee Broda - Executive Producer, APPRENTICE (Official Selection)
• Tiffany Boyle - President, Ramo Law, OH CANADA (Official Selection)
• Sara Elizabeth Timmins - Producer, Life Out Loud Films
• Amy Baer - Executive Producer, APPRENTICE (Official Selection)

Meet Our Expert Moderators & Panelists:

Richard Botto - CEO, Stage 32

Richard "RB" Botto has created the online platform and marketplace designed to democratize the entertainment industry, Stage 32. By leveling the playing field for all film, television, and digital content creators and professionals worldwide, Stage 32 provides networking and training opportunities as well as direct access beyond the gatekeepers.

RB is also a producer whose films have played at dozens of festivals around the world including the Sundance-award-winning feature ANOTHER HAPPY DAY, written and directed by Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. He was on the producing team of WHAT LIES AHEAD starring Rumer Willis and Emma Dumont, and Rain Beau’s End starring Ed Asner and Sean Young. He is the Executive Producer on projects with Gidden Media and National Lampoon. Through Stage 32 he has helped incubate CHICK FIGHT, starring Malin Akerman and Alec Baldwin, produced by Yale Productions and Ramo Law, and 10-31, produced by Eli Roth and Orion Pictures and CRUSHED on Tubi.

As a working writer, RB sold his original television series to a mini-major studio and attached an A-list showrunner from Apple at the helm. He works on active writing assignments and has sold two feature film scripts.

As an actor, he began his career as a theater actor in New York and his latest film On the Corner of Ego and Desire premiered at the Raindance Film Festival.

Additionally, RB's #1 best-selling book Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, was published by Routledge under the American Film Market Presents banner, is available on Amazon and Audible, where it has garnered over 100 5-star reviews.

RB has been a keynote speaker and panelist all over the world at such festivals and conferences as the Cannes Film Festival (France), American Film Market (US), Tribeca Film Festival (US), Austin Film Festival (US), SXSW (US), Cinequest (US), Winston Baker (US), Hollyshorts Film Festival (US), Raindance Film Festival (UK), Hamburg Film Fest (Germany), Trinidad & Tobago Film Commission (Trinidad), Fest Festival (Portugal), Black Nights Film Festival (Estonia) and Harvard (US) on the business of the entertainment industry.

Martin I. Petrov- Director of World of Film International Festival

Graduate of the School of Film & TV Studies of Glasgow University in Scotland, Martin has been actively involved in the film industry for the past ten years. After making a start in the press and PR team of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece, he programmed for the Glasgow Youth FF and worked on several projects before establishing WoFF: World of Film International Festival Glasgow where he's served as Festival Director for the past ten years.

Appointed as a Festival Coordinator of Animaze: Montreal International Animation Film Festival in early 2015, Martin shares his time between festival travels, content producing, and hosting industry events at major film markets.

Emma Louise Smith- ACCA, Finance Strategist, & Executive Producer

Emma Louise Smith is an ACCA chartered accountant, trained in international finance and audit legislation with Saffery Champness. She spent several years in advising UNHWI’s (Ultra Net High Worth Individuals), based between Monaco and Switzerland, advising on the structuring of investments and assets and managing projects and teams. A seasoned finance professional who has managed the production fund and budget for the UNHCR-funded collaboration with IEFTA since 2018 she’s credited as Finance Manager on several UNHCR/IEFTA films including BEYOND THE RAGING SEA currently airing on Netflix. Emma’s film work started in 2021 when she was asked to join the feature documentary LATIN FOUR PLUS as Executive Producer and as a Producer on the feature documentary POUR THE WATER. In her consultancy work, Emma sources equity or gap financing for films across a budget range of 1M – 20M+ and as a brand strategy director, she sources additional revenue or reduces production budgets for studios and broadcasters utilizing branded content and product placement deals.

Daniel Bekerman- Founder & President of Scythia Films, Executive Producer of APPRENTICE (Official Selection)

Daniel Bekerman is a producer based in Canada with broad experience in creative producing, financing and service production. Recent production THE APPRENTICE which is an official selection of the 2024 Festival de Cannes; THE WITCH, a US/Canada co-production, won the Best Director Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and made major sales to Universal and A24; and BANG BANG BABY, a musical directed by Cannes Residency alumnus Jeffrey St. Jules, starring Jane Levy, Justin Chatwin and Peter Stormare, won the Best First Feature Film Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival and Canadian Screen Awards. PAY THE GHOST, directed by Uli Edel and starring Nicolas Cage, was recently released theatrically across the world.

Steve Demmler- Executive Producer of OH CANADA (Official Selection)

Steven Demmler spent more than a decade working in finance, facilitating deals in a variety of asset classes for globally distributed investors. He worked for many years on the Emmy-winning crew of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. The films he has written, directed, or produced have been screened in festivals internationally. He is the Executive Producer of OH CANADA, an official selection of the 2024 Festival de Cannes which stars Uma Thurman, Jacob Elordi, and Richard Gere. Steven completed his graduate studies at NYU Stern and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Jesse Burgum- Founder & CEO, Pinky Promise, Executive Producer of BIRD (Official Selection)

Jesse Burgum was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota and is classically trained via the Guthrie BFA Actor training program and Shakespeare’s globe education in London. During the 2020 COVID pandemic, she founded the production company Pinky Promise on the belief that the best stories are yet untold. She was the producer on the well received indie HONK FOR JESUS, SAVE YOUR SOUL and I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU starring Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells which premiered at SXSW. Jesse is currently the Executive Producer on BIRD starring Barry Keoghan which is premiering in competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Richard Botto - CEO, Stage 32

RB's full bio is included above in the Moderators section.

Jack Sheehan- President of Archstone Films

Jack Sheehan had stints at Sony and Universal before entering the WME mailroom and getting accepted into the storied Agent Trainee Program in the Motion Picture group. Jack then joined Lotus Entertainment where he rose to Vice President Sales and Acquisitions and handled deals on films such as Halle Berry’s “Kidnap”, Keanu Reeves’ “Replicas”, and “Z for Zachariah” with Chris Pine & Margot Robbie. From there he was brought on to Archstone as President of Worldwide Sales & Development where he helps the team build out a slate of films and series and runs their sales and acquisitions businesses.

Adhrucia Apana- Filmmaker, Founder of Curiosity Entertainment, & Executive Producer of ARMORED

Adhrucia Apana is a Filmmaker and a Founder of the production company Curiosity Entertainment/GP of Curiosity Media Finance. Curiosity is home to the next production from famed television creator Mark Williams (Ozark) and "Funny Girl" written by Anthony McCarten (Theory of Everything, Bohemian Rhapsody) to be directed by Nisha Ganatra (High Note, Late Night). Her creative slate for Curiosity includes projects in conjunction with the Neese Brother's (The Umbrella Academy), Kevin Fox (Law & Order SVU, Raising Kanan), and a co-production with Alcon Entertainment and Nazrin Choudhary (Fear of the Walking Dead).

Adhrucia's releases include the EMMY nominated, THE SURVIVOR starring Ben Foster directed by Barry Levinson, CAPONE starring Tom Hardy, and NEEDLE IN A TIMESTACK starring Cynthia Ervo, Leslie Odom Jr, Orlando Bloom, and Freida Pinto, directed by John Ridley which she Executive Produced. Adhrucia has worked as an Executive in Film/TV supporting over 30 film and television shows.

Adhrucia is an active member of the diversity initiative lovingly called "Stone Soup" started by Rotten Tomatoes founder Patrick Lee and Goldhouse focused on elevating Asian and South Asian voices in the Entertainment Industry and beyond, and has served or been an advocate and volunteer for Los Angeles based non-profits Young Storytellers and Project Paper Bag. She is a founding member of the Producers Guild of America's Social Impact in Entertainment (SIE) board and an Advisory Board Member to the MOVE Network NFT Platform.

Lee Broda- Founder of LB Entertainment & Executive Producer of APPRENTICE (Official Selection)

Lee Broda is recognized as one of the most prolific female independent producers in Hollywood. As a celebrated producer and actor, Lee's intelligent and passionate creative drive is known globally. Significantly, as the founder of LB Entertainment, which develops, finances, and produces major independent films, she has shepherded over thirty-five films to success.

Lee's films have premiered in the world's top film festivals including Sundance, Venice, Toronto, Tribeca, SXSW, BFI, and New York Film Festival, and have been distributed worldwide, garnering international recognition, and winning many awards.

Tiffany Boyle- President at Ramo Law, OH CANADA (Official Selection)

For more than 10 years, Tiffany Boyle has leveraged her business-oriented sales and packaging skills to bring hundreds of films and documentaries to fruition. Through her critical review of content and strategic use of Ramo Law resources, Tiffany creates successful content packaging that bridges the needs of both client and industry demands.

Tiffany connects filmmakers with producers, co-producers, executive producers, co-finance partners, distributors, agencies and other industry representatives. She has brought in financing or leading sales on films such as Paul Schrader's THE CARD COUNTER, Executive Produced JOYLAND, the first official Pakistani selection in the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, and serviced financing and sales on romantic crime DIE IN A GUNFIGHT; she led the sales and packaging for INITIATION (SXSW 2020) and ONE OF THESE DAYS (Berlin 2020); and she recently served as Executive Producer on films including, LINE OF DUTY starring Aaron Eckhart, bringing in financing in post, MAMA BEARS where she brought in financial donations to the film as well as WME to represent and find distribution for the film, Mayim Bialik's directorial debut AS THEY MADE US, and BORDERLAND starring Felicity Jones, currently in post-production.

Tiffany discovered the feature film CHICK FIGHT starring Bella Thorne, Malin Ackerman & Alec Baldwin through Stage 32 from a writer who lives outside of Los Angeles, Joe Downey. Through a tremendous effort on Tiffany's part, including working with 6 executives in the Stage 32 community, CHICK FIGHT was released in theaters and on Amazon. She also produced WHAT LIES AHEAD, starring Rumor Willis and Emma Dumont after the Film's writer/producer William Viglione connected with Tiffany on Stage 32.

Experienced with project budgets ranging from micro-sized to $30 million, Tiffany has helped to establish and expand high-value sales and packaging resources, uniquely accessed outside of the traditional management company and agency model, since joining Ramo Law in 2009. With this experience, she has been able to help foreign production companies and investors create a foothold in the US marketplace.

Sara Elizabeth Timmins- Producer, Founder of Life Out Loud Films

Sara Elizabeth Timmins is a veteran film and television producer who recently was on the producing team, along with Mark Wahlberg’s production company, of the Emmy-nominated HBO series MCMILLIONS. Her latest film, THE UPSIDE OF FALLING DOWN, was introduced at Cannes and stars Antonia Gentry (GINNY & GEORGIA), Calum Lynch (LORD OF THE RINGS, BRIDGERTON), and award-winning director Oran Zegman (HONOR SOCIETY, MARRIAGE MATERIAL).

She established her production company Life Out Loud Films to create quality, inspiring impact films that champion women. Her films have been seen in theaters, HBO, The Hallmark Channel, Starz, Showtime, and internationally. She has worked with Oscar & Emmy-winning talent like Jane Seymour, Ellen Burstyn, Chris Cooper, Josh Lucas, and Mackenzie Foy, as well as writers like NY Times Best Selling Author David Baldacci. Every film she has produced has featured award-winning talent and secured international distribution. She has leveraged her success and experience in producing to educate and inform the global entertainment industry through producing Stage 32 education and her consulting firm No Film School. No Trust Fund. No Problem.

Sara Elizabeth has spoken worldwide about the entertainment industry, including Stage 32 Education, the Cannes Film Festival Marche du Film, FilmTT in Trinidad and Tobago, and the Black Nights Film Festival: TV Beats Edition in Estonia.

Amy Baer- Founder and President of Gidden Media, Executive Producer of APPRENTICE (Official Selection)

As Founder and President of Gidden Media, Amy Baer leads a team of creative and business professionals whose mission is to create stories that entertain, inspire, and empower diverse and mature audiences across streaming and theatrical platforms. Gidden Media has produced several successful films, including LAST VEGAS (2013), MARY SHELLEY (2017), BRIAN BANKS (2018), PURPLE HEARTS (2022), and JERRY & MARGE GO LARGE (2022). Their next film, THE APPRENTICE, is currently an Official Selection for competition in the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. It will be released later this year. Prior to Gidden Media, Amy launched CBS Films in 2007 for CBS Corp, and spent the previous 17 years at Sony Pictures Entertainment, overseeing such films as MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING (1997), ADAPTATION (2001), SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE (2003), THE HOLIDAY (2006) and MONEYBALL (2011). With over 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry, she has a proven track record of delivering high-quality content that resonates with audiences and generates revenue worldwide. Over the course of her career, the films she has supervised and/or produced have grossed more than $2 billion worldwide.

Additionally, Amy is a part-time lecturer at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film & Media Arts, where she shares her insights and expertise with the next generation of filmmakers and industry executives. Since 2018, she's also served as Board President of Women in Film, a 50-year-old nonprofit focused on advocating for and advancing the careers of women working in the screen industries to achieve parity and transform culture.

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