SYNOPSIS

It is said that now is the best time for artists to create their own work. But what does that mean? Come hear from directors, producers and actors about the ins and outs of the independent film industry.  Panelists will discuss what it means to create their own projects and everything that goes into making an independent film in today's market.

Event co-sponsored by Equity UK, Spotlight UK and the SAG Foundation.

PANELISTS BIOS

Raphael Kryszek, producer
Emmy-nominated producer Raphael Kryszek founded Ineffable Pictures in 2010. Ineffable is a feature film, television, and new media production company located in Beverly Hills, CA. Currently the company is nearing production on Tiger's Curse, which Shehkar Kapur is directing for Lotus Entertainment, and Only, which was writen and directed by Takashi Doscher for Floren/Shieh. Ineffable Pictures is a division of Ineffable Entertainment Group [IEG], the parent company for Clifton Production Services, which offers post and VFX services. IEG also houses Proof of Concept, a commercial, music video, and interactive production company. He won a 2015 Emmy for Outstanding Short-Format Nonfiction Program for Executive Producing "A Tribute To Mel Brooks" (FX Networks).

Jen McGowan, director
Award-winning filmmaker Jen McGowan has quickly become one of the most on-the-rise directors in the entertainment industry today, after several years of hitting the festival circuit with her critically acclaimed projects. Her unique storytelling, creativity, and boldness have allowed her to continuously develop films that will change the landscape of movie making in the years to come. In March 2014, McGowan made her feature film, directorial debut with “Kelly & Cal", starring Juliette Lewis, Jonny Weston, Cybill Shepherd, Margaret Colin, and Josh Hopkins at the renownedSXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texasand won theGamechanger Emergent Woman Director Awardfor her work in the film. McGowan, who started out pursuing her love for entertainment studying film and acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, has received great attention for her shorts ,“She Never", ”Confessions Of A Late Bloomer" and “Touch”. “Touch ”won at the Oscar-qualifying Florida Film Festival and 23 awards at the 75 festivals it played in during its festival run.It was purchased by PBS, NBC Universal, and Canal Plus.

Patrick Renna, actor, producer
Patrick was born in Boston, and though he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting at a young age, his accent still comes through when he gets excited. At age fourteen, Patrick is most remembered for his break out lead role in the 20th Century Fox Feature Film, THE SANDLOT Directed by David M. Evans, and at sixteen he went on to star in Disney’s THE BIG GREEN Directed by Holly Goldberg Sloan. He then went on to work steadily throughout the ’90s and ’00s in such films as “Son In Law”, “PUNKS”, “Ricky 6", “Very Mean Men”, “Life Blood”, “Dark Ride”, “Dorm Daze” and countless others. He also has done several Movies of the Week and starred on such shows as “ER”, “The X-Files” & “Boston Legal” (where he didn’t have a Boston accent… #irony). His long list of credits also include guest starring on “CSI”, for CBS, and “The Closer”, for TNT. Patrick previously recurred on “Over There”, for FX, and “Judging Amy”, for CBS. One of his most recent projects, “Bad Roomies”, is Patrick’s first film as a producer and his return to the big screen as an actor. BAD ROOMIES, Directed by Jason Schnell, Written by Justin Mooney and also starring Tommy Savas, is a dark comedy about two guys who decide to get a female roommate for all the wrong reasons, forever turning their lives upside-down. It is due out December 1, 2015. Even more recently Patrick starred opposite Steve Guttenberg for the Syfy Movie for Television “Lavantula”, as well as guest starring on “Bones”, for Fox. Patrick also just finished filming Fear, Inc. in Los Angeles which also stars Lucas Neff, Caitlin Stasey & Naomi Grossman.

Tommy Savas, actor, producer
Tommy has played a number of roles, from comedic to dramatic performances, making him one of the most-watched young actors in the business this year. Savas' most recent roles include starring oppo-site Katherine Heigl on NBC’s drama series “State of Affairs,” a recurring role on Michael Bay’s “The Last Ship” [Summer 2014] for TNT, and a supporting role in the independent feature THE MOMENT [starring Jennifer Jason Leigh] which premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. Born in Harlem, New York and raised in New Jersey, Savas’ big break came at age 15 when he was se-lected out of 15,000 actors to play the role of ‘Xavier,’ AJ Soprano’s high school friend in the renowned HBO series, “The Sopranos.” In 2003, Savas made his feature debut when he appeared in the award-winning film ROGER DODGER alongside Campbell Scott, Jesse Eisenberg, and Morena Baccarin. After working in New York for several years, Savas decided to make the move to Los Angeles where he booked back to back roles on hit television series including: “Arrested Development,” “Cold Case,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “CSI New York,” “Castle,” “House,” “Hollywood Heights,” “Without a Trace,” “Raising the Bar,” “Prime Suspect,” “Law and Order: SUV,” and “Justified,” leading up to his recur-ring role on “The Last Ship,” and his series regular role on “State of Affairs.” In addition to his work in film and television, Savas has a love for new media and wanted to find a way to release hilarious new content while engaging with fans regularly. He is one of the four co-founders of Reckless Tortuga, one of the top sketch comedy YouTube channels in the world that has attracted over 1.1 million subscribers [and growing]. He has starred in an extraordinary amount of sketches, playing famed characters in 'The Online Gamer', 'Psycho Girlfriend’, and 'Office Douche Bag.’ Savas has been viewed nearly 280 million times, and on occasion gets fan mail from prison inmates.Producer was recently added to his list of credits - Savas can be seen starring in [and producing] the fea-ture film BAD ROOMIES. Also starring Patrick Renna [The Sandlot], BAD ROOMIES is a dark comedy about two guys living together who, after losing their roommate, put an ad out to find a new one. Partially

Moderator - Chris Krebsbach, Film Professor
Chris is a professor at both the Los Angeles Film Studies Center and Azusa Pacific University where she teaches courses in acting, directing actors, casting, producing, and story structure. Chris also runs LAFSC’s internship program, helping burgeoning filmmakers to find industry opportunities that suit their area of interest. She has written and directed several short films, served as casting director for many others, and has overseen the development and production of hundreds of shorts in the past decade. She has also been hired as a story consultant on a number of projects including some that have been optioned or have found success on the festival circuit. Prior to teaching, Chris worked as a freelancer in various producing, coordinating and acting capacities in both the United States and abroad. She is currently writing an independent feature that she is slated to direct in 2016.

LIVESTREAM & ARCHIVE

To watch the panel you DO NOT have to log into our website. Just go to sagfoundation.org/livestream. 

Email questions to livestream@sagfoundation.org or tweet to #SAGF. Please DO NOT RSVP if you will be watching the live stream of this event.

Only RSVP if you want to attend this event in person. Video will be archived after the event at sagfoundation.org/video-gallery.

If you would like to attend this event in person you must RSVP as seats are limited.