Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/16674
FOR MEMBERS TOP PRODUCERS SHARE INSIGHTS I t’s not oſten one gets to pick the brains of the industry’s top producers. Te Producers Guild of America’s annual Produced By Conference, which was held June 4-6 this year on the 20th Century Fox lot, brought out some of the biggest names in the industry for the opportunity to do just that. In addition to moguls such as Ted Turner and Mark Cuban, and blockbuster producers such as Avatar’s Jon Landau and Mission Impossible’s Paula Wagner, the conference included more than 100 other speakers representing all aspects of the film, television and new media industry. Newly elected PGA presidents Mark Gordon and Hawk Koch, as well as previous PGA president Marshall Herskovitz, were among those sharing their insights with the estimated 1,100 participants. SAG and SAGIndie were proud sponsors of the event. Topics of the conference included financing productions, utilizing transmedia and devising hybrid distribution models. So what do any of these things have to do with acting? “It’s especially important for your membership,” said Vance Van Petten, executive director of the PGA. “You have to learn how to be your own producer. You have to make your own breaks.” It was a consensus among speakers that there are too many talented people out there. Finding a way to put your talents forward, either by self-producing or, even better, partnering with an established producer, is a proven formula. Some other advice from panelists: • Have a compelling story to tell, or attach yourself to one. If you’re wearing the producer’s hat, figure out the windows of distribution that work for your project. A traditional theatrical release may not be the best strategy. • Realize before setting out that the market is more competitive than ever before and money doesn’t flow as freely as it once did. Of course, SAG members realize that no producer, SAG AWARDS CALENDAR including themselves, can hire a SAG actor without a SAG contract. Tey also know it’s an affordable way to have access to the finest actors in the world. “Tere’s nothing better for a producer than to have a good relationship with Screen Actors Guild,” said Dominik Rausch, producer of the SAG-signatory Easy to Assemble. “It’s just so helpful to have SAG backing you up.” PRODUCER Q & A In anticipation of Produced By, producer Marshall Herskovitz spoke with SAG via a Twitter interview, sharing insights into the production process and the actor’s role in it. Te following is an excerpt. SAG: As a producer-director, are you constantly scouting great acting talent? MARSHALL HERSKOVITZ: Yes. Tere are never enough great actors or great writers! Te unsung heroes of this business are the casting directors because they are the ones going to the plays and the shows to find the new talent. I depend upon my casting directors to show me great new talent. SAG: What can an actor do to rise to your attention as a producer? MH: I get asked this question all the time, and I wish there were a definitive answer. It’s really about a kind of “critical mass” of connections, relationships, and opportunities. An actor needs to put him or herself constantly in places where he or she can be discovered — in plays, showcases, student films, etc. I also tell actors that they should develop their own skills as writers and directors and producers. If there’s no opportunity handed to you, then MAKE one! Marshall Herskovitz helped create such series as thirtysomething, My So- Called Life and Once and Again. Among the films he has produced are Legends of the Fall, Traffic and Te Last Samurai. 2010 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 Deadline for Nominating Committee Members to Make Address Changes WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24 Nomination Ballots Mailed MONDAY DECEMBER 13 Nomination Ballots Due at the Elections Firm by 5 p.m. PT THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16 Deadline for Paying November 2010 Dues and/or Changing Address with SAG to be Eligible for Final Balloting THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16 Nominations Announced TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21 Records Pulled for Final Balloting THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30 Final Ballot Information Mailed to Members 2011 FRIDAY, JANUARY 28 Final Ballots Due at the Elections Firm by Noon PT SUNDAY, JANUARY 30 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ® FEDS CRACK DOWN ON INTERNET THEFT harms the entertainment industry. On June 30, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced “Operation in Our Sites,” a crackdown against Internet websites that sell pirated versions of first-run films for viewing, oſten within hours of their theatrical release. In addition to executing seizure warrants against nine domain names, ICE agents seized assets from 15 bank, PayPal, investment and advertising accounts, and executed four residential search warrants in several states. T SHOW SOME LOVE: Are you represented by a terrific agent that goes above and beyond? Send an e-mail to agentquestion@sag.org to give your SAG franchised agent the recognition he or she so richly deserves with a nomination to be SAG Agent of the Month. 14 SCREEN ACTOR - Summer 2010 SAG.org he U.S. Government has struck a blow against intellectual property theſt that