Friday, May 13, 2011 – 12:00pm - 7:30pm
12:00 – 12:30pm Registration and Networking @ the Hotel Majestic Barriere
12:30 – 12:45pm Opening Remarks: Introduction of the Program
12:45 – 1:45pm State of the Industry: Film Financing as the Pendulum Swings Back
- What new structures are emerging to get deals done?
- What new capital is available in a recovering market?
- What type of content is receiving emphasis and funding in the studio and independent context?
- Approaches to raising finance in Asia, Russia, India, Europe, and the Middle East
- How effective are vertical companies? Is this model working?
1:45 – 2:45pm Smart Money Strategies: Utilizing Risk Mitigation Across Borders
Reducing risk when structuring a deal is one of the key elements to a successful film investment. This group of experts will address the latest strategies on:
- How to protect the equity
- Working with strategic partners to co-finance and co-produce projects
- identifying high-risk factors and potential problems
- New trends in insurance-backed financing and completion guarantees
- Profit participation as it relates to the equity split between investors and producers/studios
- Risk mitigating factors in deal-closing with talent
- International auditing issues and innovative collection and disbursement strategies
- Investment partnerships with post-production and visual effects facilities
2:45 – 3:30pm Networking Break
3:30 – 4:30pm International Incentives: The Future of Soft Money
Soft money has been more challenging to obtain in the past year due to government cut backs around the world. So this panel of producers, film commissioners, and financiers will discuss the latest in soft money financing challenges and strategies in the face of funding reductions, and offer insight on:
- Rules and regulations for international co-productions and local subsidiary contributions
- The top ten film commissions to consider working with
- Why these are the most beneficial incentives right now
- How to structure these incentives to generate money back to investors
4:30 – 5:30pm Worldwide and US Distribution: Striking a Deal in a Global Marketplace
The effects from the last cycle of too much capital and too many movies are finally beginning to reach some kind of equilibrium and in the new era of smart money, sales agents are exploring new business models to stay ahead of the curve. This panel of distribution specialists will discuss:
- How to survive in the new pre-sales environment
- Investing in P&A to facilitate independent release or studio distribution
- U.S. distribution of foreign language pictures
- What are distributors looking for and able to pay?
- Monetizing on digital delivery platforms
- Marketing strategies for competitive advantage
5:30 – 7:30pm Networking Reception