Krista Sipp

Krista Sipp is a literary manager based out of Los Angeles. She and her partner, Devon Byers, founded First Friday Entertainment in 2017. First Friday is a management and production company representing writers, directors, and producers in the film, TV, and digital space.

Originally from Connecticut, Krista started her career at management company Circle of Confusion in 2008. After holding positions at studios and production companies across the industry, she returned to Circle of Confusion in 2015 before moving on to launch her own company.

Currently, Krista is focused on developing clients with fresh voices and diverse points of view. She loves to discover writers and directors that traditionally have been underrepresented in the entertainment industry. Her clients have worked on projects such as TRANSPARENT, FAMILY GUY, as well as the comic book HARRIET TUBMAN: DEMON SLAYER.

Summit Talk: Literary Management 101

Twitter: @kristaacai

Twitter: @firstfridayent

Facebook: firstfridayent

Cara Chute Rosenbaum & Erica S. Bream

ericasbreamcasting.com

Cara Chute Rosenbaum (CSA) is a new mama and aquarium lover. Notable projects include “The Mindy Project” (Hulu), “The People VS OJ Simpson” (FX), “The Carmichael Show “ (NBC), “The League” (FXX), and “Last Man On Earth” (Fox). She has also cast many award winning short film and indie projects.

Award-winning CD, Erica S. Bream has been working in Casting since she was 18 years old. Over the course of her career, she has worked on a myriad of different projects from STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS to CRIMINAL MINDS, WORKAHOLICS and so much more. Additionally, she spends a chunk of her time every year working on a beloved theatre festival in Los Angeles.

Summit Talk: Casting and Beyond

Twitter: @ccrcasting

Twitter: @ericasbreamcast

Wendy Alane Wright

wendyalanewright.com

Wendy Alane Wright is the Top Acting Career Coach in the world. She is a Hollywood Talent Manager, former Talent Agent and the President of WAW Entertainment Worldwide. Her clients have appeared on television networks such as ABC, NBC, TNT, CBS, HBO, MTV, Comedy Central, BIO, SyFy, Spike TV, Lifetime, and more. They have booked hit TV shows including “Modern Family,” “Blackish,” “Extant,” “The Colony,” “Animal Kingdom,” “American Horror Story,” “Walk The Prank,” “Henry Danger,” “Nightshift,” “Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, “MacGyver,” “Little Big Shots,” “Scream,” “Sharp Objects,” “Good Girls,” as well as hundreds of commercials for major spots including Justice, Old Navy, Disney, Shutterfly, Microsoft, Visa, Mercedes, Taco Bell, Universal Studios, Home Goods, Walmart, Sketchers, Target, Honda, Legos, Toys R Us, Hot Wheels, Benefit, Right Guard, KFC, Kay Jewelers, HP, Burlington Coat Factory, and more.

Wright has taught 50,000 actors around the world through her online training videos. She teaches the business of acting and speaks on panels globally, is an expert contributor to Backstage Magazine and has appeared in numerous other magazines, on radio shows and talk shows including “The Oprah Winfrey Show” where she talked talked about the “Power of Attraction” with fellow guest Louise Hay, motivational author and the founder of Hay House.

The founder of Talent Managers For Actors and The Hollywood Winners Circle, wendy is also the author of 7 books in the series “Secrets of a Hollywood Talent Manager,” including the best selling “How To Break Into Show Business; Secrets of a Hollywood Talent Manager.”

Summit Talk: Be The Driving Force Behind Your Career: You Have the Power

Facebook: TalentManagersForActors

Instagram: @wendyalane1

Justin Giddings

thekickstarterguy.com

Justin Giddings is an award-winning filmmaker who found creative freedom through crowdfunding. After becoming the “go-to guy” for crowdfunding advice, Justin combined his background in marketing with his experience in crowdfunding and launched www.TheKickstarterGuy.com.

He regularly teaches at Film Independent, is an official Kickstarter Expert, and travels internationally to speak of film production and financing. To date, he has coached over 130 filmmakers, raised $5 million, and has a 97% success rate.

Summit Talk: Greenlight Yourself: How Crowdfunding Can Change Your Career And Life!

Twitter: @justingiddings

Facebook: therealjustingiddings

Instagram: @justingiddings

Angela Matemotja

angelamatemotja.com

Indiefilmtribe.com

Elevate Film

Angela’s multi award winning feature film ELEVATE which she stars in, wrote and directed, was acquired by Gravitas Ventures and is now available on Amazon, iTunes and most streaming platforms. She is currently in post production on a pilot presentation, entitled The Good Balloon, which she directed.

Summit Talk: From Completion to Distribution on Your First Feature Film

Twitter: @matemotjaFilms

Facebook: matemotjaFilms

Instagram: @angelamatemotja

Jennica Schwartzman

purposepicturesproductions.com

Jennica Schwartzman, a member of The Producer’s Guild of America, SAG, and Moms-In-Film, loves tackling a project from idea to distribution. Jennica has been published in the Producer’s Guild Magazine ‘Produced By,’ Legacy Arts Magazine, Bustle, and she is a guest writer on the acclaimed entertainment industry websites MsInTheBiz.com, FilmmakingStuff.com, Artemis Motion pictures’ #WomenKickAss Forum, & WomenandHollywood.com.

She has been invited to speak on film festival panels and is a teacher & workshop speaker for The International Family Film Festival’s Road Scholars intergenerational filmmaking camp. Jennica’s first 10 film projects have collected TOP awards from Bentonville Film Fest, Big Bear Lake Int’l Film Fest, Eureka Springs Indie Fest, Film Fest Twain Harte, Fayetteville Film Festival, The Int’l Family Film Fest, …, & the highest honor from The Dove Foundation.

Her independent journey that led to multi-state theatrical releases and Walmart exclusive deals have influenced Jennica to reach out and educate the next generation of filmmakers on the changing face of the film industry. Jennica and her husband/producing partner/writing partner Ryan have 2 kiddos and reside in Hollywood. Everything they do is a team sport.

Summit Talk: Indie Work-At-Home-Parent Filmmaker

Twitter: @JennicaRenee

Heidi Dean & Tammy Lynn

marketing4actors.com

spotlightprcompany.com

Heidi Dean is the industry’s top social media expert for actors. She was a working professional actor for over 20 years and a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA. Now she combines her years of industry experience with cutting-edge social media strategy to help actors open more doors for their careers.

Heidi’s clients include Emmy Award-winners, Broadway stars, recording artists, directors, producers, filmmakers and actors just like you. Heidi turns social media rookies into ROCKSTARS at Marketing4Actors.com, where you’ll find over 100 free articles and trainings to help you rock your social media.

Tammy Lynn is the lead publicist and founder of Spotlight PR Company. With nearly 20 years of experience working in the public relations field, she has helped thousands of actors build career buzz and share their talents with the world.

A graduate of the University of Southern California with degrees in communications and film/TV, Tammy has worked in both Los Angeles and New York City for some of the largest PR companies in the business. In 2008, she opened Spotlight PR Company; an innovative boutique PR firm that offers affordable and effective a-la-carte publicity services to actors and creative artists. She has garnered placements for individuals and their projects in top-tier trade and consumer media including television, print, radio, and online outlets.

To further help rising actors understand how to utilize PR in their career, Tammy has taught classes, developed programs, written articles, and participated in numerous industry panels. She loves helping actors at every level gain press attention for their talents, believing it’s never too early to set yourself up for PR success.

For more about Tammy or to grab her free “PR Starter Kit,” visit spotlightprcompany.com. You can also connect on Twitter and Facebook.

Summit Talk: How to Promote Your Content Using PR and Social Media

Free Giveaway: Free Class for Content Creators!

Twitter: @Marketing4Actor

Facebook: TheHeidiDean

Instagram: @marketing4actors

YouTube: Heidi Dean

Twitter: @spotlightprco

Facebook: SpotlightPRCompany

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Carole Kirschner

carolekirschner.com

I started in Hollywood as a stand-up comic. I loved it but realized it wasn’t a gig for the long run. So I moved to the other side of the desk as an assistant and worked my way up to become a senior level creative television executive. I was at CBS Comedy and then hired as Vice President of Steven Spielberg’s first Amblin Television. During that time, I heard more than 3,000 pitches, bought hundreds of scripts, and was involved in developing dozens of television series. In all, I’ve probably read about 5,000 scripts.

When my daughter turned two, I realized all my time was spent working and traveling… and not getting to see enough of her. So I changed my lifestyle and became a consultant. In this role, I created the CBS Diversity Institute Writers Mentoring Program, which I’ve run for 14 years. Soon after, I was asked to help Jeff Melvoin (creator of the WGA Showrunner Training Program) develop the program’s curriculum. I’ve been running that program for the past 13 years. It’s been an honor to see both endeavors thrive and watch the incredible success of my alumni.

Though I love these programs, I missed working with people one on one. It’s why I became an entertainment career coach. Because of my other commitments, I’m only able to work with a select number of people – those fully committed to doing the work to take their careers to the next level. There’s nothing better than helping my clients, step-by-step, break through barriers to achieve their goals and dreams!

A few years ago, I wrote a book revealing the “inside,” unwritten truth about what it takes to succeed in this business. I’m gratified to say, Hollywood Game Plan: How to Land a Job in Film, TV and Digital Entertainment has been enthusiastically received and is used in many colleges and universities across the country. I recently launched a 20-part virtual course on breaking into the business: Carole Kirschner’s Hollywood Boot Camp.

I also receive invitations to speak and lead workshops around the world. Basically, I’m the luckiest woman in show business because I get to do what I love: help creative professionals, at all levels, gain clarity as they learn to navigate the industry and create their future success.

Summit Talk: Success in the Industry

Twitter: @CaroleKirsch