ITVS Independents Summit 2023

Location: KQED

Join us for drinks and tacos. It might be chilly so don’t forget a jacket!

Location: KQED, The Commons

Following the rooftop reception, ITVS will host a screening at KQED’s theater, The Commons, highlighting filmmaker projects that entered the ITVS pipeline this year.

Speakers:

• Carrie Lozano - ITVS President & CEO

• David Eisenberg - ITVS Senior Director, Production

• Keri Archer Brown - ITVS Director, Content & Initiatives

Location: Folsom Street Foundry

Location: Folsom Street Foundry

Location: Folsom Street Foundry

If the future is the outcome of decisions made in the past and the present, what should documentary filmmakers and their supporters be doing and talking about right now? 

Join Noland Walker in conversation with Shari Frilot, recipient of the 2022 Peabody Visionary Award, about where the movement of storytelling form and story innovation might take us. 

Speakers:

• Noland Walker - ITVS Vice President, Content (moderator)

• Shari Frilot - Sundance Film Festival Senior Programmer and Chief Curator of the New Frontier program

Location: Folsom Street Foundry

From the origins of online video to the streaming wars of today, this session will bust myths and reveal new paths to audience reach and revenue for indie documentaries within the public media multiverse.

Speakers:

• Lindsey Hodgson - ITVS Director, Distribution

• Maximilian Duke - PBS Vice President, Station Strategy & Development

Location: Folsom Street Foundry

Location: Folsom Street Foundry

These days, it takes Resilience & Determination to figure out which opportunities will deliver audience and impact for social issue documentaries. Our roundtable guests share pro tips to guide your quest for cinematic gold.

Speakers: 

• Nicholas Green - ITVS Senior Manager, Marketing Operations (moderator)

• Andrea Downing - PBSd President, Distribution

• Su Kim - Independent Producer 

• Annie Roney - ROCO Films Founder & CEO

• Sana Soni - Giant Pictures Director, Sales & Distribution

Location: ITVS HQ

Meet the people who are ITVS. Come for food, refreshments, and fun!

Location: ITVS HQ

Location: Folsom Street Foundry

Location: Folsom Street Foundry

"If you are doing art or storytelling for culture change, by definition your audience isn't you." - Harmony Labs

When we think about audiences as groups of people defined by their values (versus their age, race, gender, etc.), everything changes. What does it look like to develop, distribute, and measure impact of stories through a culture-first lens?

Speakers:

• Lisa Tawil - ITVS Vice President, Marketing & Communications (moderator)

• Paul Johnson - Harmony Labs, Director, Marketing & Communications

Location: Folsom Street Foundry

How can your film support organizing efforts? Engage with existing movements? Learn how the team behind Love in the Time of Fentanyl–an intimate portrait of a group of misfits, artists, and drug users–worked in concert with harm reduction organizations and PBS stations to create impact.

Narcan training led by: Andrew Bell - Faith in Harm Reduction Advisory Board Member

Speakers: 

• Kristy Chin - ITVS Senior Manager, Engagement & Impact (moderator)

• Colin Askey - Love in The Time of Fentanyl Filmmaker

• Mary Burke - The WNET Group, Director, Public Programs, Community Engagement

• William Miller Jr. - WillSrPOWERGROUP, Founder

Location: Folsom Street Foundry

Location: ITVS HQ

It’s time to reconsider aspect ratio. Social media experts are here to help you smash the 9x16 ceiling. Discover how vertical video and your phone can rope your biggest champions for life.

Speakers:

• Aldo Mora-Blanco - ITVS Senior Manager, Content Marketing (moderator)

• Marissa Pina - PBS Senior Manager, Social Media

Location: Folsom Street Foundry

Carrie Lozano will take the helm as the new President and CEO of ITVS, inheriting a legacy of excellence and a vision for the future. With her extensive background in storytelling and her deep understanding of the power of media, Carrie is poised to guide ITVS into its next phase of growth and impact. Carrie will be in conversation with Jon Else, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and professor at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Speakers:

• Carrie Lozano - ITVS President & CEO 

• Jon Else - UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, Professor Emeritus 

Location: Folsom Street Foundry