Decision-Maker Roundtables

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Decision-Maker Roundtables 2023

Friday, October 13 & Saturday, October 14

These roundtable meetings are small gatherings (5 people maximum) with industry leaders who have expertise in developing, financing, distributing, and promoting feature films. This is the best way for you to get intimate access to top executives in the independent entertainment industry.

  • Each meeting will last 50 minutes
  • Open to registered pass holders only
  • Limited spots available and are approved on an individual basis

How to Apply

Registered and approved Industry Days badgeholders will receive an email with a link to submit their application.

Industry Decision-Makers

Industry decision-makers will include: (subject to change)

  • Andrew Carlin, Head of Theatrical Sales, Oscilloscope Laboratories
  • Jenny Halper, EVP, Head of Creative at Maven Screen Media
  • Angela C. Lee, Director of Artist Development at Film Independent,
  • Ana Leocha, Creative Executive, Tango Entertainment
  • Nikki Love, SVP of Development & Production, Scripted, for ALLBLK & WEtv
  • Kiva Reardon, VP, Film at PASTEL
  • Whitney Spencer, Director of Marketing and Distribution at Kartemquin Films
  • Mary Trier and Jackie Ward, Senior Associate Attorneys, Ramo Law PC
  • Yvonne Welbon, founder and CEO of the Chicago-based nonprofit Sisters in Cinema, documentary producer

Industry Decision-Maker Bios

headshot: Andrew Carlin

ANDREW CARLIN currently serves as the Director of Theatrical Distribution and Sales for Oscilloscope Laboratories. Prior to that, he was the Head of Theatrical Sales for Music Box Films from 2012-2015. He has worked on the theatrical releases of over a hundred and fifty films, including The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Trilogy, Oscar Nominee Monsieur Lazhar (2012), Oscar Winner IDA (2015), and Oscar Nominee Embrace Of The Serpent (2016). He is also an Executive Producer of the 2022 documentary After Antarctica.

headshot: Jenny Halper

JENNY HALPER is EVP, Head of Creative at Maven Screen Media, where her credits include The Kindergarten Teacher, Driveways, American Honey, Skin, A Mouthful Of Air, and the pandemic anthology WITH/IN. She currently oversees a slate of projects across film and TV, with a focus on complex female characters and women in front of and behind the camera. As a screenwriter her scripts have placed three times on the Black List, on the Athena List, received grants from Film Independent and the Tribeca Film Institute, and New York Stage and Film (in association with Powerhouse Theater). She has developed series with Freebird Films and Significant Productions, along with Rooney McP (Justified), and features with Social Construct and Highly Flammable. As a fiction writer, she is an Our Stories Emerging Writer Award winner and Pushcart Prize nominee and her story collection has been a finalist for the St. Lawrence Book Prize and the Hudson Prize. She works as a mentor for Stowe Story Labs, the Athena Labs, and NYSAF, among other places. A graduate of Northwestern University and Emerson College, and a founding member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, she is represented by Untitled Entertainment and CAA.

headshot: Angela Lee

ANGELA C. LEE is a Spirit Award-nominated producer whose film Songs My Brothers Taught Me, Chloé Zhao’s debut feature, premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes. She also produced the fiction short The Row (w/d Philiane Phang), commissioned by Indigenous Media and distributed by Condé Nast Entertainment. Angela is currently developing the debut fiction feature films for writer/director Philiane Phang, Oscar-nominated director Bing Liu, and Grammy-nominated director Andrew Thomas Huang. She is a 2018 Women at Sundance Fellow and has been supported by the Berlinale Talents and Co-Production Market, Film Independent, IFP, PGA Diversity Workshop, SFFilm, Sundance Institute Creative Producing Lab and Fellowship, and the Center for Asian American Media. Angela is also the Director of Artist Development at the arts non-profit Film Independent, where she oversees the fiction and non-fiction labs and programs including Fast Track finance market, Fiscal Sponsorship program, and Project Involve. A native Chicagoan, Angela graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics.

headshot: Ana Leocha

ANA LEOCHA is a producer and development executive who has worked at Tango Entertainment since 2018. She was a co-producer on Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun, Andrew Seman’s Resurrection, Sarah Adina Smith’s The Drop, and Randall Park’s Shortcomings, and most recently an associate producer on Aza Jacob’s His Three Daughters. Ana works across film and television. She is passionate about emerging filmmakers and new voices.

headshot: Nikki Love

NIKKI LOVE is the SVP of Development & Production, Scripted, for ALLBLK & WEtv, AMC Network’s popular streaming service for Black TV and film. Love serves as a liaison between the network and content providers during script development, production, and post-production to ensure quality and premium programming for ALLBLK and is the on-set executive for all scripted original series. Nikki is a passionate advocate for multicultural voices and a valuable contributor to the company’s DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) objectives. Her shows highlight diverse creators and gender-equal productions with women and underrepresented artists commanding the top roles. Her work has earned her a 2021 Luminary Award from NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications), 2022 Top Women in Film/TV Award as a Production Pacesetter and 2022 Wonder Women Award.

headshot: Kiva Reardon

KIVA REARON is Vice President of Film at PASTEL, the filmmaking collective founded by Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak. Previously, she held the positions of Associate Director of Film Programs at the Academy Museum and Lead Programmer of Contemporary World Cinema at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). She has also worked with Hot Docs, the Miami International Film Festival and the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). In 2013 she founded cléo journal, a publication dedicated to film and feminism, which ran until 2019. Her writing on film has appeared in multiple magazines, newspapers and online. She has spoken at institutions around the world and served on numerous international festival juries.

headshot: Whitney Spencer

WHITNEY SPENCER is a story architect and community developer, a southerner, and the Director of Marketing and Distribution at Kartemquin Films. At Kartemquin, Whitney’s work is multifaceted: she develops and executes a consistent and effective brand message alongside senior leadership to ensure the organization’s mission resonates with its community to bring about change; she cultivates a pipeline of strategic partnerships to further the work of the organization; and she supports filmmakers to ensure that the message of their project can meaningfully access its intended audience. Whitney supports in the management of campaigns for broadcast, digital, print, and social facets as part of individual film festival and distribution strategy. Understanding a filmmaker’s vision and goals is a top priority for her as she partners with creatives to present their work as part of a compelling campaign and release strategy that connects with diverse audiences. Whitney’s goal is to support in the development of dynamic stories that create intimate and genuine experiences for filmmakers, participants, and viewers especially BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled makers.

headshot: Mary Trier

MARY TRIER works primarily with production companies and creators on film and television projects, directing clients through varied development stages, whether it be through industry norms or complex chain of title issues. She oversees business and legal affairs at Imagine Entertainment alongside Elsa Ramo, offering legal guidance on projects like Netflix’s tick, tick…BOOM! and Hillbilly Elegy, and also advises Imagine Kids & Family, Imagine Documentaries, Imagine Impact, Hello Sunshine, Boardwalk Pictures, Balboa Productions, and Funny or Die. Mary recently provided general counsel for the Laugh Out Loud/Sundance Women Write Now Fellowship and has worked on titles such as Skydance’s Grace and Frankie and the film Arkansas starring Vince Vaughn and Liam Hemsworth. Mary was named in Variety’s “Hollywood New Leaders of 2022,” and was selected as a “Rising Star” in Super Lawyers Magazine from 2021-2023. She’s licensed in both California and Illinois, and has previously worked for Paradigm Talent Agency, Entertainment Studios, and The Film Collaborative.

headshot: Jackie Ward

JACKIE WARD primarily represents producers and production companies, focusing on rights grants, acquisitions, and clearances of all forms, including complex chain of title, life rights, and fair use matters. Jackie strives to guide clients through all stages of a production’s life cycle, starting at the development-stage rights acquisition and continuing through distributor delivery. Prior to joining Ramo Law in 2023, she gained substantial experience at a boutique entertainment law firm working as production, financing and distribution counsel for both scripted and unscripted film, television, podcast and digital content productions.

Headshot: Yvonne Welbon

YVONNE WELBON (she/her) is an award-winning filmmaker and founder and CEO of the Chicago-based nonprofit Sisters in Cinema, inspired by her documentary of the same name, about the history of Black women feature film directors. She has produced and distributed dozens of award-winning films, including Living With Pride: Ruth Ellis @100. Welbon’s work has been broadcast on PBS, Starz/Encore, TV-ONE, IFC, Bravo, the Sundance Channel, BET, HBO, Netflix, and iTunes, and screened in over 100 film festivals around the world. Projects in development include The Spies Who Loved Me, a thrilling exposé on surveillance that focuses on the six years she lived in Taipei, Taiwan; and American Pride, a Black lesbian coming-of-age series set on the south side of Chicago. She has taught at the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and Bennett College, where she chaired the Journalism & Media Studies Department.

2023 Industry Days Sponsors & Supporters

logo: Adobe Premiere Pro 217x75Logo: All Senses GoLogo: Camera Ambassador 172x150Logo: Caption Consulting 164x150logo: CineCity Studios 156x125Logo: Cinelease 270x100Logo: Dark Matter Coffee 125x125Logo: Illinois Production Alliance 125x129logo: Nielson 215x40Logo: Panavision 185x85Logo: Light Iron 275x75Logo: Periscope Post & Audio 154x50Logo: Revolution Brewing 355x100Logo: SAG Indie 163x100logo: Sanpellegrino 213x100Logo: The Seeker 210x75

Additional Support

Logo: NEA 293x100Logo: Illinois Arts Council - 133x100logo: Illinois Film OfficeLogo: DCASE Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events 311x100Logo: DCASE/Chicago Film Office (202) - 450x75

This program is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.