The New York Film Academy’s Producing Program held its second Advanced Producers Pitch Fest for calendar year 2016 on Wednesday, May 18 at the Andaz Hotel in West Hollywood. Since 2008, MFA Producers have gathered to pitch their slate of projects to industry guests from a variety of entertainment companies in and around Los Angeles. NYFA welcomed several film and television insiders, who enjoyed an evening of pitching and viewing film teasers and television series sizzle reels from 25 plus graduating producers from the MFA, BFA and AFA in Producing Programs.
The producing students represent a wide range of international countries, including Scotland, England, Mexico, Estonia, Turkey, India, Sweden, Serbia, Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras, United States and China.
Industry participants on hand for the Producers Pitch Fest included:
- JOHN BENITZ, founder of Wildhorse Studios, an international film and television production company, specializing in projects in both English and Spanish languages
- DAVID STREIT, producer with credits including “Rivers Edge” and “Internal Affairs”
- TONY BAKER, award-winning screenwriter, with scripts optioned and produced by Tom Nunan (“Crash”) and Jim Smith (“Ren and Stimpy”)
- DOUG COONEY, feature screenwriter for Paramount Pictures and Sony Animation and television writer for the Disney Channel and the Discovery Channel.
- DANIEL FRANKLIN, showrunner, specializing in children’s programming, and screenwriter
- DAVID STERN, prolific television writer and producer whose credits include “The Wonder Years,” “The Simpsons,” “Monk,” and “Ugly Americans.”
- MICHAEL BARLOW, producer and former executive at Paramount Classics and Orion Pictures
- MIKKO HE, producer at the global commercial production company giant IW Group Inc.
- MARK RICHARD SMITH, writer, development executive and former VP of International Distribution at LD Entertainment.
- JACOB HORN, producer with credits including the television series “Toasted”
- BILL MCADAMS, producer with credits including “House Across the Street” and “Gallows Road”
- PAUL BROWN, television producer and screenwriter, with credits including “The X-Files” and “Quantum Leap”
- JOHN MORRISSEY, producer with credits including “American History X” and “Kingdom Come”
- JORDAN BRINGERT, producer and screenwriter, and Executive Board Member of the junior division of the Hollywood Radio & Television Society
- HENRY PRIEST, film and television producer and Director, Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles
- ALEJANDRO SERI, screenwriter and director, with directing credits including “Placibo Effect” and the documentary “Fernando: In the Moment”
Many thanks to our industry guests, and congratulations to our producing students for a successful event!