Winston Baker’s Inaugural Film & Television Finance Forum Venice will bring together leaders in the entertainment industry to discuss the State of the Film & Television Finance.

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PROGRAM

Join us for an afternoon of diverse discussions where award-winning Film & Television Executives from around the world explore emerging trends, innovative finance strategies, international partnerships, sales & distribution trends, and essential tools for staying ahead. They will offer invaluable insight into the ever-evolving world of entertainment finance, new content trends, share firsthand accounts of their journeys in the industry and their unfiltered advice.

(2:00pm – 2:05pm)
WELCOME ADDRESS

Amy Baker, CEO & Co-Founder - Winston Baker

(2:05pm - 3:00pm)
State of the Industry; State of Finance

A series of conversations focusing on the both the day to day processes of getting things made, and also addressing the larger challenges and opportunities in film and television packaging, financing, and distribution.  

Three industry experts, all currently and actively doing this work, will offer their expertise and experiences in a series of 20-minute rotating fireside chats.  

Speakers:

Benjamin Kramer - Co-Head of the Media Finance Department, Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Christian Vesper - CEO, Global Drama, Fremantle

Lorenzo Gangarossa - Award-Winning Producer

(3:00pm - 3:30pm)

Beyond Borders: Exploring the Benefits of Successful International Co-Productions and Partnerships

Navigate the complexities of international collaborations with insider tips from those who've mastered the game. Learn how to transform cultural differences into creative strengths and financial advantages.

Whether you're crafting local language content, aiming for global appeal or looking for incentives to help with your budget, this session is your passport to elevating your projects on the world stage. Don't let borders limit your vision – join us and unlock the power of international partnerships to bring your compelling stories to life across continents.

Step into the  world of storytelling where creativity meets global opportunity. Our panel of International Executives is ready to unveil the secrets of successful cross-border collaborations.

Discover:

• Partner Alchemy: Identifying global partners who amplify your vision

• Emerging market gold: Tapping into unexplored territories

• Future-proofing your projects: Upcoming trends in international partnerships

• Show me the money: Accessing new funding streams and irresistible incentives

• Crystal Ball Insights: The future landscape of global partnerships

Moderator

Harris Tulchin - Entertainment Lawyer, Producer and Author

Speakers:

Mounia Wissinger - SVP, Global Marketing & Publicity, Protagonist Pictures

Stan McCoy - President and Managing Director, MPA EMEA

Wayne Borg - Managing Director Media Industries, NEOM

Benjamin Kramer - Co-Head of the Media Finance Department, Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Benjamin Kramer is Co-Head of the Media Finance department at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). He works in the Los Angeles office and specializes in the packaging and representation of independently financed film, television, and digital content. In addition, he consults with select class-leading producers and financiers on their media investments. In just the past five years, films packaged and/or sold by CAA Media Finance have generated approximately $4 billion at the worldwide box office.

He has been deeply involved in the independent packaging, financing, and sale of films including A REAL PAIN, IT’S WHATS INSIDE, SING SING, NYAD, THE REVENANT, BIRDMAN, SICARIO, JOHN WICK, GREENLAND, SOUND OF METAL, GREYHOUND, THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY,HONEY BOY, WIND RIVER, MUD, END OF WATCH, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, THE ICE ROAD, BEGIN AGAIN, DUMB & DUMBER TO, DRINKING BUDDIES, BAD WORDS, SING STREET, and AMERICAN HONEY, among many others.

Under the leadership of Kramer and Roeg Sutherland, CAA Media Finance has become one of the largest suppliers of feature films into the U.S. theatrical marketplace, brokering more than 100 financing and distribution deals per year for films with budgets ranging from $100K to more than $150M. The Media Finance team works with filmmakers, producers and production companies, financiers, and sales agents, forging strategic partnerships around the world. Media Finance’s long-standing work across the global entertainment arena includes extensive experience in architecting and sourcing financing for entities such as Elevation (Canada), Library Pictures International, Wild Bunch International (France), NEON (U.S.), FilmNation Entertainment (U.S.), RT Television (Brazil), AC Nordic (Scandinavia), Elysian Film Group Distribution (UK), and Asbury Park Pictures (U.S.).

Kramer began his career at the William Morris Agency. He joined CAA in 2005.

A Los Angeles native, Kramer graduated from Wesleyan University with degrees in Political Science and Film Studies.

Christian Vesper - CEO, Global Drama, Fremantle

Vesper’s role sees him build on Fremantle’s impressive portfolio of scripted drama, films and dailies throughout the world including North American operations, with direct oversight of  Fremantle’s scripted labels, including Miso Film (Face to Face, The Investigation), Wildside (My Brilliant Friend, Eight Mountains, C’Ancora Domani), The Apartment (Priscilla, Bones and All, Supersex, The Hand of God), and Element Pictures (Poor Things, The Favourite, Normal People, Conversations With Friends). In the US this also includes Dante Di Loreto (Mosquito Coast, Fellow Travelers) and his slate, Richard Brown’s Passenger label, and Sarah Condon and her Fair Harbor label.  

In addition, Christian and his team oversee Fremantle’s impressive roster of talent partnerships and deals, which includes Kristen Stewart’s Nevermind Pictures, Luca Guadagnino, Paolo Sorrentino, Angelina Jolie, Rachel Weisz and Polly Stokes’ Astral Projection, Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín’s Fabula, BAFTA-winning Roughcut TV, Stefano Sollima’s AlterEgo, BAFTA-winning Me+You Productions, Edward Berger and his label Nine Hours, Johan Renck and Michael Parets’ Sinestra, and Patrick Daly’s Caledonia Productions.   

Christian joined Fremantle in 2016 as Executive Vice President and Creative Director, Global Drama, and was promoted in 2020 to President, Global Drama. He was previously drama chief at Sundance TV where he oversaw critically acclaimed international productions including Jane Campion’s Top Of The Lake and Hugo Blick’s The Honourable Woman, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Olivier Assayas’ Carlos, Ray MacKinnon’s RECTIFY and Deutschland 83. 

 Lorenzo Gangarossa - Award-Winning Producer

Jury Prize in Cannes 2022 and Golden Bear in Berlin 2023 winning Producer with more than 40 films and 15 series produced over the last 15 years. Producing credits include: tv series such as THE YOUNG POPE and THE NEW POPE by Academy Award winning director Paolo Sorrentino HBO-SKY-CANAL, WE ARE WHO WE ARE by Academy Award Nominated Director Luca Gudagnino for HBO-SKY, MY BRILLIANT FRIEND by Saverio Costanzo, HBO-RAI, THE GOOD MOTHERS by Stephen Butchard and directed by Julian Jarrold winner of the Golden Bear for Series in Berlin 2023, IL MIRACOLO by best selling author Niccolo Ammaniti for Sky-Arte and ANNA for Sky and released on AMC, features include PAVAROTTI Ron Howard's feature documentary, and ITALY IN A DAY by Academy Award Winning Director Gabriele Salvatores and Executive Produced by Ridley Scott, RIFKIN’s FESTIVAL by Academy Award winning director Woody Allen, Cannes 2022 Jury Prize winner and Best Italian Movie 2023 Donatello Award film THE 8 MOUNTAINS by Academy Award Nominated director Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch, Italian Box Office Hit LIKE A CAT ON THE MOTORWAY by Riccardo Milani, and THERE IS STILL TOMORROW by Paola Cortellesi that opened the Rome Film Festival 2023, won three awards at the Festival and grossed more than 46M euros at the European Box Office. 

Upcoming films include CONCLAVE by Academy Award winning director Ed Berger and various others that will be soon announced. 

Lorenzo has a degree in International Law, a Master Of Art In Producing a the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield UK and was an alumni of the INSIDE PICTURE programme.

Mounia Wissinger - SVP, Global Marketing & Publicity, Protagonist Pictures

Mounia is a well-respected and seasoned marketing and publicity executive who began her career in international sales and marketing, before specializing in domestic and international publicity. After leading the international publicity department at Studiocanal, she joined Netflix in Amsterdam, where she managed EMEA and global projects. She then reconnected with marketing and communication through her own company, Challenge Accepted, before joining Protagonist Pictures in 2018.

Stan McCoy - President and Managing Director, MPA EMEA

Stan McCoy is the President and Managing Director of the region encompassing Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) for the Motion Picture Association, responsible for policy, operations, advocacy, and personnel across the territory. As a specialist in intellectual property and innovation policy, Stan’s key responsibility is to work with partners across the region to promote policies and enforcement practices that help the region to enjoy the jobs, growth, and cultural dividends of a vibrant creative sector.

Stan joined the MPA in April 2014 as Senior Vice President & Regional Policy Director, following over a decade of government service. Prior to joining the MPA, Stan served as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Before joining USTR, he worked at the law firm Covington & Burling in both Brussels and Washington D.C.

Stan received a Bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.”

Wayne Borg - Managing Director of Media Industries, NEOM

Wayne Borg is an accomplished international executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in the media and creative industries. As Managing Director of Media Industries, he is spearheading the development of the regional epicentre for screen production, gaming, digital publishing and industry vocational training, supporting the wider ambitions of NEOM.

Borg's extensive career has taken him across Australasia, Europe, Asia, the United States, and the Middle East, where he has gained valuable cross-border cultural expertise and experience in both mature and emerging markets. He has led key divisions of iconic international media and entertainment companies to commercial success and has driven strategic and policy initiatives for governments in the media, cultural, and creative industries.

 Borg has also served as a successful non-executive board director for media startups and companies in production, gaming, digital publishing, events, media education, training, and entertainment. His extensive knowledge of the media sector, content creation, and the creative industries economy is complemented by his deep understanding of digital and emerging technologies, convergence, multi-screen environments, and their impact on industry and consumers. He is well-versed in the commercial and strategic drivers of these sectors.

Before joining NEOM, Borg was President and General Manager of Fox Studios in Los Angeles and previously led Fox Studios Australia. He has served on the Board of Ausfilm, as a Screen Producers Australia Councilor, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Producers Guild of America. He also sits on the International Advisory Board for Open University UK and is a non-executive director at MBC Games Studio.

Earlier in his career, Borg held leadership roles at twofour54/Abu Dhabi Media Zone Authority, Universal Pictures International, Warner Bros./Time Warner, The Walt Disney Company, and PepsiCo. He began his career in his native Australia with Unilever as a marketing trainee.

Harris Tulchin - Entertainment Lawyer, Producer and Author

Harris E. Tulchin is a veteran entertainment lawyer, producer, producer’s rep, author, and professor of motion picture law with over 40 years of experience in the industry.  He has been an adjunct professor of entertainment law at Southwestern University Law School and an arbitrator for the Independent Film & Television Alliance.  A former studio General Counsel and Business Affairs Executive, Tulchin has produced or executive produced over 20 motion pictures, sold or licensed hundreds of films, and is the co-author of a book considered one of the bibles of the motion picture industry entitled "The Independent Film Producer’s Survival Guide." Some of the completed films and international co-productions he has executive produced and/or furnished legal and business affairs services for include: Marlowe, starring Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, and Diane Kruger, directed by Neil Jordan; The Comeback Trail, directed by George Gallo starring Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Morgan Freeman; Home, directed by Franka Potente starring Kathy Bates, Jake McLaughlin, Lil Rel Howery, and Stephen Root; The Devil’s Double, directed by Lee Tamahori, starring Dominic Cooper and Ludivigne Sagnier; The Third Person, directed by Paul Haggis starring Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Olivia Wilde, Adrien Brody, Maria Bello, and Kim Basinger; Killing Season starring Robert De Niro and John Travolta; and Singularity directed by Roland Joffe and starring Josh Hartnett and Tamsin Egerton.

Amy Baker - CEO and Co-Founder, Winston Baker

As CEO of WINSTON | BAKER, Amy Baker oversees the company’s global strategic planning, business development and vendor relationships. Amy Co-Founded the FILM FINANCE FORUM® in 2008, which provides the leading series of events dedicated to bringing seasoned finance and entertainment executives together from around the globe. Winston Baker is a renowned leader in the entertainment industry, known for curating content and organizing Forums worldwide. Amy has successfully organized sold out conferences, film festival programming and private events across the United States, Europe, Saudi Arabia, China, Pacific Asia and Latin America, along with a lineup of exciting virtual programs. 

Prior to establishing Winston/Baker, she was at SRI which was acquired by ALM. At ALM, as Vice President of Business Development, Amy provided finance executives and marketers with targeted channels for reaching decision-makers within the legal, entertainment, healthcare, sports and tech sectors. In her previous position, Director of Business Development at RPMC, she worked with entertainment, music, and sports companies, creating event marketing programs, travel incentive services, sweepstakes, and media promotions. 

Amy lived for many years in Europe, while working as a professional Model before receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with Honors from New York University. Amy proudly sits on the National Board of Advisors for the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida since 2018. She has recently started producing and developing projects for Film and Television.

How do you find us?

You can find the Spazio Incontri on the 3rd floor of the beautiful Hotel Excelsior on the Lido.

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