Welcome to the 2020 Panel information page for the 12th Annual Lady Filmmakers Festival! Special thanks to our wonderful speakers taking the time out to share their industry experiences and insights with our filmmakers and audience. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed pre-recording this year’s panels and we hope you will too! Panels are curated and moderated by Patricia DiSalvo Viayra.
All Panels are exclusive events shared on Film Festival Flix and included with All Access Passes! Panels available for all 10 days September 25th-October 4th, 2020
Lady Filmmakers Program A - Producing Panel
Producing Panel
Available Virtually for Pass Holders
September 25th - October 4th
Discussion with producers and professionals who have worked recently with Covid safety measures, getting their projects from script 2 screen, funding and more! Pre-recorded and taking questions in advance from pass holders.
Elizabeth Blake-Thomas,
Writer/Director/producer
BIO:
ELIZABETH BLAKE-THOMAS is a British award-winning storyteller and philanthropist based in Los Angeles, having recently directed her 8th feature film. Her latest feature Evie Rose, starring Oscar-nominated actress Terry Moore, follows the heartwarming story of an unusual friendship during the final days of a 100-year-old woman’s life. Elizabeth is the founder and resident director of entertainment company Mother & Daughter Entertainment, whose motto is “Making Content That Matters”, putting focus on each project starting a conversation amongst viewers. Through MDE, Elizabeth established the MD Foundation Initiative, a campaign to mentor and employ undiscovered filmmakers through fellow philanthropic pledges.
An Official Ambassador of Awareness Ties for Human Trafficking, Elizabeth hopes to raise more awareness to the horrific nature of human trafficking and help put a stop to it. Her award-winning short film UNSEEN, which addresses the role technology plays in the facilitation of child trafficking, was awarded "Best Short Film" by Film Threat's Award This! and is currently available on all platforms. Being a female director, Elizabeth strives to make projects with at least a 50/50 female cast and crew. A regular on panels at Sundance, Cannes and Toronto International Film Festival, Elizabeth mentors wherever possible, ensuring she sends the elevator back down to all other female storytellers.
Directing Showreel: https://vimeo.com/401574242
Giovanna Morales Vargas
Giovanna Morales Vargas, Director
GUILTLESS SYNOPSIS: (NEW FILM)
When 16-year old Samantha has the house to herself over the weekend, she plans a romantic night for her and her girlfriend. However, when an intruder makes his way into her home, it's fight or flight on a night that will change her life.
BIO:
Giovanna Morales Vargas is an award-winning filmmaker and a journalist originally from Colombia whose work focuses on exposing social and women issues through visual storytelling.
In 2020 Giovanna released her writing feature and directorial debut, A Perfect 14, which won for Best Documentary Award at the Twin Cities Film Fest in Minnesota, the Lady Filmmakers Festival in Los Angeles and the FIC AUTOR International Film Festival in Guadalajara Mexico, and earned her the Storyteller Award at the Women Texas Film Festival. The film also won the Founder's Award at the Miami Fashion Film Festival and played in many festivals around the world. A Perfect 14 is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Giovanna is now writing her second feature film, and she's also working as a producer for the upcoming psychological thriller entitled Guiltless.
Isabella Blake-Thomas, Actress/Producer/Writer
BIO
ISABELLA BLAKE-THOMAS is an accomplished Actress, Singer, Writer, Producer and Advocate. Isabella began her career as the lead in a children’s TV series in the UK and went on to appear in multiple other shows and films before landing the fan-favorite role of Young Zelena in ABC’s Once Upon A Time. Her most recent role is Princess January in Secret Society of Second Born Royals, which is set to release on Disney+ on September 25th, 2020. Isabella is also known for her love of music, with her debut single released in 2018, her debut EP released in early 2019 and her second EP was just released this past September. Isabella’s work as both a singer/songwriter and actress are equally on display in her latest child trafficking awareness short film, UNSEEN, where she stars alongside Rhyon Brown and Yolanda Wood, accompanied by a soundtrack of Isabella’s original songs.
The Official Ambassador of Suicide Awareness with Awareness Ties, Isabella hopes to shed more light on the prevalent issue of suicide and help put a stop to it. Along with her mother Elizabeth, Isabella is a founding member of their production company Mother & Daughter Entertainment, where together they focus on “Making Content That Matters”, creating projects that start a conversation and spark change.
Kayt Peck, Writer/Covid Czar
BIO
Extensive experience as both a performer, director, and playwright in live theatre provide the springboard for Kayt Peck as she transitions to new experiences in film. She has directed or produced a number of shows including original works, a specialty of Nat Gold Players, the company where she currently serves as organizational director. She has filled such roles as Miriam in “Sheltered Women,” a play loosely based on the experiences of women served by the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq; Mother Superior in “Nunsense” and “Nunsense 2: The Second Coming,” and she won a New Mexico state-wide monologue competition with her rendition of “Fire in the Eye.” Most recently, she was the producer and a player in “New Mexico Heroes,” a collection of original works based on the experiences of Veterans as part of a state-wide coalition of organizations using the arts to serve Veterans.
Recently, Kayt’s film experience was enhanced by her background as a former Naval officer, a firefighter, a New Mexico Search and Rescue Planning Section Chief, and an EMS first responder. Her organizational skills were applied to one of the first films to begin production in New Mexico under new COVID safety guidelines. As PPE warehouse coordinator, she created a system for obtaining, warehousing, disbursing, and monitoring the substantial amount of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needed for film production. She was recently approached by a fledgling team planning a centralized service for independent film producers to enable those filmmakers not affiliated with large studios to potentially comply with COVID safety requirements in order to begin film production.
Thada catalon, Actress/Writer/Producer
BIO
After serving in the United States Army for eight years, Catalon began her film career as an actress. That path soon led her to produce three feature films to include her latest production, “Created Equal,” that went on to win over a dozen festival awards, including Best Feature Film. Catalon is a creative writing - MFA graduate of Full Sail University and a former adjunct professor of screenwriting for the Art Institute of Houston. Her accomplishments as a screenwriter include placing as a finalist, runner-up, semi-finalist, and quarter-finalist in over a half dozen screenwriting contests.
Alyssa Kurtzman
BIO:
Alyssa Kurtzman grew up in Connecticut with a JVC camcorder and a dream. After majoring in film production at NYU + subsequent tooling around, she landed in digital media, covering news and the 2016 election for the nascent social video landscape. She is now an Executive Producer at Group Nine Media's internal creative agency, writing and directing branded content for Thrillist, NowThis, The Dodo, and other social brands.
Christian Taylor
Director, Writer, Executive Producer - Christian Taylor’s 35-year entertainment industry career spans stage, screen, and sound booth, as she has been talent, producer, director, casting director, and coach. Christian began her career in the entertainment industry interviewing senators on Capitol Hill with the TV/Radio department of the Senate. She received her BA in Theater and Broadcasting from The Catholic University while working in radio and TV on Capitol Hill. The Girl Who Wore Freedom is her directorial debut.
Casting Panel
A focus on working with Filmmakers. Available Virtually September 25th-October 4th
Pre-recorded and taking questions in advance from pass holders.
SPEAKERS:
Pam Dixon, CSA
Pam was hired by CBS Television as an intern and became Assistant to the VP of Casting. She went on to become Senior VP Talent at ABC Television. She left ABC to become a Production Vice President for Paramount Pictures. After Paramount, she was VP Series Development for Lorimar Television.
Several years later, Pam opened her own casting company. During this time, she has cast numerous features: Zorro, City Slickers, Baby Boom, The Craft, Tremors, Waterdance, Gosford Park, Angels in the Outfield, Barney’s Version and Goldeneye. She has worked with Robert Altman and Alan Rudolph.
She is currently casting films for directors Martin Campbell and Paul Haggis. She just recently completed casting on “Medieval” starring Ben Foster, “Possessor” directed by Brandon Cronenberg and “Best Sellers” directed by Lina Roessler.
Pam is a past President of CSA and a member of both the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences and the Television Academy. She is Vice-President of the Western Council of the Actors Fund and co-chairs The Media Access Awards. She has served as a mentor for the Easter Seal Disability Film Challenge and teaches at UCLA.
Paul Weber, CSA
As Former Executive In House Head of Television Casting and Feature Film Consultant for MGM Studios for 16 years, Paul Weber notably cast the wildly popular STARGATE franchise. Other TV credits include SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA, OUTLANDER, DEAD LIKE ME, SHE SPIES, POLTERGEIST, and THE OUTER LIMITS. These series and others have garnered numerous honors including 21 Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
For the big screen, Weber has advised on numerous MGM features including the blockbuster JAMES BOND franchise, FAME, ZOOKEEPER with Kevin James, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE, RED DAWN with Chris Hemsworth, Joss Whedon’s CABIN IN THE WOODS, and ROBOCOP.
Weber is now a fully independent casting director and producer. In addition to a number of independent features, recent and on going credits include projects for STARZ, NETFLIX, A&E, DISCOVERY NETWORK, HULU, WGN, LIFETIME, HALLMARK, COMEDY CENTRAL and the CW. He is a casting consultant for several Canadian and American production companies, studios and networks, recently completing US Casting for “PURE”, the highly praised limited series for HULU/WGN, and the 1/2 hour comedy CRAWFORD for Comedy Central. BUCKOUT ROAD, a supernatural thriller which he cast and Exec produced, is being released theatrically, and a second feature, SAFE STORAGE is in pre production. Under his production banner, “One on the Way Productions”, Paul and his producing partners are engaged in developing and producing new media and independent feature projects.
Weber is a member of the Casting Society of America, the Writers Guild of America, has served on the Host Committee for the Annual Academy Awards and is a regular judge for the Emmy Awards. He is also a respected audition coach and teaches his Art of the Audition, Business of the Art Audition technique class worldwide, including a number of Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities. He was the first American Casting Director ever to be invited to teach a Master Class in South Africa and Cyprus. He also teaches and lectures extensively throughout Canada, Europe and Australia, recently returning from Barcelona, Berlin, Rome, Warsaw and Sydney, Australia, where he taught at the renowned Australian Institute of Performing Arts. His American University visits include USC, UCLA, the University of Texas, Austin, University of Virginia, Loyola Marymount College, University of Conn., University of Arizona, and Sante Fe College, Florida. He is also a regular teaching guest at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. Paul was a recent guest speaker for the Rising Stars Program at the Toronto International Film Festival and also appeared on the prestigious SXSW Film Festival panel representing Film Casting Directors. Paul is currently working on a book for actors entitled “The Art of the Audition, the Business of the Art.”
Website: webercasting.com
Kerry Barden, CSA
Kerry Barden is known for his work on The Help (2011), Winter's Bone (2010) and Spotlight (2015).
Writing Panel
A candid discussion between women writers in Hollywood
Cindy Fang
Cindy is a comedy writer who most recently worked on the upcoming NBC comedy series YOUNG ROCK starring Dwayne Johnson. Her prior credits include FRESH OFF THE BOAT, CBS’s one-hour action comedy RUSH HOUR, and GIRL MEETS WORLD. She has developed pilots for NBC, Freeform, Fox, Warner Bros., and Disney. Cindy also served as the showrunner and Executive Producer for MINIMUM WAGE, a digital comedy series produced by Issa Rae. She was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area by Chinese immigrant parents and grew up speaking Mandarin. Today she is the proud mother of two boys who speak Chinglish.
Natasha Chandel
Natasha is an Indian-Canadian-American creative exec/producer (MTV, FOX, Disney), writer, actress, comedian and host, currently staffed on season 2 of Netflix’s “Mr. Iglesias”. She is best known for hosting her popular comedy dating podcast called “Kinda Dating”, helming and starring in 3 seasons, 28 episodes of her ravely reviewed comedy web series “Mumbai Chopra: Misadventures of an It Girl”, and recently wrapped producing Critical Role’s “All Work No Play”. As a performer, you can catch Natasha on Amazon Prime’s “Baker’s Dozen”, CBS’ “Seal Team” and Hulu’s “The Mindy Project: Final Season”, among others. More info: www.natashachandel.com
Jaydi Samuels Kuba
After writing the 250th episode of Family Guy, Jaydi Samuels Kuba went on to write for other shows such as WGN's Salem and Adult Swim's The Jellies, the latter for which she was also a producer. Her pilot, inspired by five of her friends who got married for Green Cards, was also developed with Warner Brothers Television. Jaydi particularly enjoys stories about love and even runs her own matchmaking business on the side. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she and her business partner are the "Love Agents of Hollywood."
Elizabeth Martin
Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin are writing partners who have been friends since high school. They love stories about fierce women. They co-wrote Disney’s live-action Mulan. They are currently working on a biopic about computer pioneer Grace Hopper for Middleton Media, as well as writing Spellbound for Skydance Animation, directed by Vicky Jenson. Currently, Lauren co-chairs the Committee of Women Writers at the WGAW. They are repped by APA, Anvil Entertainment, and Kleinberg, Lange, Cuddy & Carlo.
Lauren Hynek
Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin are writing partners who have been friends since high school. They love stories about fierce women. They co-wrote Disney’s live-action Mulan. They are currently working on a biopic about computer pioneer Grace Hopper for Middleton Media, as well as writing Spellbound for Skydance Animation, directed by Vicky Jenson. Currently, Lauren co-chairs the Committee of Women Writers at the WGAW. They are repped by APA, Anvil Entertainment, and Kleinberg, Lange, Cuddy & Carlo.
Ashleigh Hairston
Ashleigh Hairston is an actor, writer and voice actor from Seattle, WA! She received a BA in Acting from Howard University in Washington DC and now resides in Los Angeles where she performs regularly at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Ashleigh is the voice of “Bask” in Marvel’s Avengers Assemble: Black Panther’s Quest (Disney XD) which was a 2x NAACP Image Award nominee, as well as the voice of the wild eyed kid scientist "Wren" in Cartoon Network's hit show Craig of the Creek, where she is also currently a Staff Writer. In 2018 Ashleigh appeared in the coveted CBS Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase as a Writer/Performer and in 2019 she was one of 11 alumni to be invited back as a Staff Writer for the showcase. She is also a contributing Writer on an upcoming Apple/Bento Box animated series. Ashleigh is repped by Omnipop Talent Group and Ginsburg/Daniels/Kallis LLC
Women In VFX Panel
A candid discussion between VFX Gurus
Joyce Cox
Visual Effects Producer
Though I’ve always been a sucker for the magic of movies I did not set a course to work in the film industry. I didn’t set a course at all. I grew up in a small Kansas town in the 50’s and 60’s. I married at eighteen and learned typing and bookkeeping. The divorce came five years later.
My route to Hollywood was a long circuitous one fueled by my work ethic and innate talent for managing complex processes. Curiosity took me to Chicago in the mid 70’s where my brother was working as an advertising art director. I started my first company, Joyce Cox Has Talent, in 1975, representing commercial artists to advertising. This was the window into my future and the creative process that takes an idea and molds it into a dynamic sensory experience.
I moved to Los Angeles in 1980 and over the next 15 years produced hundreds of commercials, eventually taking a position as the executive producer for Bruce Dorn Films where I had the opportunity to work with digital visual effects.
In the mid 90’s I returned to the freelance lifestyle. My experience with visual effects for commercials caught the attention of, VIFX, a digital facility that had recently been purchased by 20th Century Fox. For the next five years I worked as a facility VFX producer on numerous film projects including Titanic; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone; and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
In 2000 I moved to the production side. Over the next 20+ years I had the good fortune to work with some of the world’s most talented directors and crews creating beautiful, powerful and groundbreaking films. Avatar, Director James Cameron; The Dark Knight, Director Chris Nolan; The Great Gatsby, Director Baz Luhrmann; Men in Black III, Director Barry Sonnenfeld; Superman Returns and X Men 2, Director Bryan Singer; The Jungle Book, Director Jon Favreau.
In addition to consulting, speaking and teaching engagements I am currently working with UST Global Media Services creating Curó, a web-based application for organizing and simplifying the complex process of managing the finances of VFX.
Kaitlyn Yang
With more than a decade of visual effects industry experience, Kaitlyn Yang is a champion of creativity and pushing the limits of technology to support storytelling. She founded her own post-production company, Alpha Studios, in 2013 to provide studio, network, streaming and advertising clients with high-quality visual effects services, by way of a team that is on a mission to maximize visual creativity no matter the challenge, while instilling trust every step of the way.
Over the years, Kaitlyn has amassed more than 50 visual effects credit to her name, including “Robot Chicken,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “The Good Doctor.” An asset to sophisticated clients who have high-pressure timelines and budgets, she brings a deep understanding of all phases of the content development pipeline, including foundational storyboarding, pre-visualization, props and costumes, hair and make-up, color correcting, sound design, and editing.
Kaitlyn’s insights on diversity and leadership have been published in Bloomberg, Variety, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Times, VFX Voice, and more.
Kaitlyn holds a BA degree in Animation from USC Film School, and a MBA degree from Quantic School of Business and Technology. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, a member of the Visual Effects Society as well as the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. She is an active mentor with the Academy of Television, where she was once an intern. She is also a mentor for high schoolers through inclusion initiatives in Los Angeles.
Music in Film and TV
A candid discussion about composing for Film and TV with seasoned composers in documentary and narrative storytelling.
Miriam Cutler
Three time Emmy nominated composer, Miriam Cutler, is passionate about documentaries. Her work includes HBO, CNN, PBS, Sundance, Emmy, and Oscar nominated films: Dilemma of Desire, Flannery, RBG, Love Gilda, Dark Money, The Hunting Ground, Ethel, Lost in La Mancha, Thin, Poster Girl, Vito, KingsPoint, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, A Plastic Ocean, Til Kingdom Come, and more. Co-Produced and Scored Dark Money and One Luckey Elephant. Advisor/ Sundance Documentary Composers Lab, doc juror for Sundance FF, Spirit Awards, AFI, and more. AMPAS Documentary Exec Committee Branch member, Film Expert/USC Cinema/US State Department’s American Film Showcase. Current TV Academy Music Branch Exec committee member, Long- time former SCL Board Member and Co-Founder of Alliance for Women Film Composers, Co-produced live jazz albums including Joe Williams, Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, Marlena Shaw.
Pancho
Burgos-Goizuita
Originally from Madrid, Spain, Pancho is a 2015 ASCAP Dave Rose Award winner, 2015 ASCAP’s Film Scoring Fellow, and a 2017 Hollywood Film Scoring Conducting Fellow.
After graduating from Berklee College Of music in Film Scoring and Composition, Pancho got his first break working on the music department on TV shows like Jericho, Cane, and Harper’s Island for CBS. He also worked on Disney’s massively successful High-School Musical 2 and 3, The Cleaner for A&E and Common Law for USA among many other projects.
Since 2015, Pancho has co-produced the score of the HBO feature documentary "Becoming Mike Nichols" and has composed TV features films for Hallmark Channel and Marvista entertainment like "Married By Christmas", "Love’s Last Resort" and "The Christmas Gift". Shortly thereafter, in 2016 and 2017, Pancho composed significant additional music for MTV’s Teen Wolf seasons 5 and 6, Disney’s Descendants 1 and 2, as well as a Nickelodeon's "Tiny Christmas". In 2018 Pancho was hired to score the third part in the wildly successful faith based "God's Not Dead" Theatrical franchise, "A light In Darkness", and wrote significant additional music for the theatrical release of the biblical epic "Samson". In 2019, Pancho finished composing or arranging additional music for High-School Musical: The Musical, Descendants 3 and Zombies 2 for Disney, and has scored a TV film for PureFlix. In addition to his work for major studios, in 2020 Pancho has been scoring numerous indie feature films and is slated to score the 4th entry in the God's Not Dead film franchise.
Pancho is a skilled keyboard and piano player. He has toured all over the world with artists like Naked Eyes (“Always Something There To Remind Me”, “Promises, Promises”), The Flirts (“Jukebox, Danger”), TransX (“Living On Video”). He is currently the music director for 80’s new wave-pop band When In Rome (“The Promise”).