MARK AUERBACH
HOLYOKE – The Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative (BFMC) is pleased to announce that the 2nd Annual Western Massachusetts Film and Media Exchange will feature a diverse series of panels and workshops of interest to the film and video community and the business community who utlize film and video in their marketing efforts at the Exchange on Friday, October 23, from 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. at the Baystate Health’s Whitney Avenue Conference Center in Holyoke, MA.
Cynthia Wade, the Academy Award-winning Berkshires-based filmmaker, will be keynote speaker. Wade won the Oscar for her short documentary “Freeheld”, the story of a New Jersey police officer who was diagnosed with cancer and wanted to give her benefits to her same-sex partner. The documentary has been turned into a motion picture of the same name, starring Julianne Moore and Ellen Page, which opens nationally on October 16. Wade is producer of that venture. She also won an Oscar nomination for her documentary “Mondays at Racine”, the stories of women undergoing chemotherapy. For information on Cynthia Wade: http://www.cynthiawade.com/
According to BFMC Executive Director, Diane Pearlman, panels and workshops include: one panel specifically for businesses, “How Your Business Can Use Video Effectively” which features Allison Werder, president of MassLive, Suzanne B. Hendery, vice president of marketing for Baystate Health, and John Hesslein, station manager of Western Mass News.
Other panels during the exchange will be geared more to filmmakers and their interests. Entertainment lawyer, Fred Fierst, who led a standing room only seminar last year, will bring a panel of lawyers and filmmakers to discuss every legal aspect of getting a project done – from concept to script, to raising the funding, to attaching cast and crew and dealing with the unions, to negotiating and closing the distribution deal, tax credits, and gap financing. Another panel for filmmakers, “Funding Your Film” will include with leaders in crowdfunding and how to source local production grants.
Several panels will be geared to all of the attendees. “How to Market Yourself and Your Business” will be led by Rachael Frank of Gravity Switch of Northampton. Frank will discuss how companies of any size need to find their voice and how to effectively use the digital marketplace to promote themselves and their business.
The “Local Success Stories” panel will feature industry professionals living and working in the region. Participants include Craig Crawford of Cadence Visual Effects whose work can be seen on “Game of Thrones”.
“We also want our businesses to look to our local talent for their projects instead of going out-of-state to New York City or Los Angeles,” Pearlman said.
Businesses will be able to connect with local filmmakers by watching their reels on the exhibit floor, meeting one another during lunch or at the cocktail networking event. There will be a large “connecting” board for businesses and filmmakers to exchange business cards as well.
The exchange will feature a full exhibit hall with many of the latest technologies (cameras, lights, and drones), as well as local production and media companies.
Patrick Berry, president of The Westfield News Group, has been on the Berkshire Film and Media Exchange Steering Committee for two years, and the Westfield News Group is a sponsor.
“I came to print from television and video”, says Berry, “and these are important tools for a successful marketing campaign. There is a lot of creative talent in western Massachusetts, and I believe that programs like this, which introduce business people to the creative resources around them, are good for all involved”.
“This is going to be an exciting and informative event for an industry that is growing in our region,” said Pearlman. “The exchange is a place where filmmakers and businesses can meet and make connections. We have incredible talent in our region and we are able to produce high-level content for much less than if you went to New York or Los Angeles. We are all about keeping production dollars staying here in our state. For those in the business and those who want to know more about it – you can’t afford to miss this.”
Panelists, workshops and participants will be listed at www.berkshirefilm.org. All programs are subject to change.
Tickets for the Exchange are $55 in advance and $65 at the door. Admission includes full access to all exhibits, workshops/panels and demos, along with breakfast, lunch and a networking cocktail party to conclude the conference. Student discounts are available. For tickets, sponsorship opportunities and more information, go to BFMC’s website: www.berkshirefilm.org or call their office 413.528.4223.
