More Than 40 Producers of Hollywood's Biggest Movie Blockbusters to Speak at Produced By Conference

Event to feature producers from "Avatar,” "How to Train Your Dragon,” "The Hangover,” "The Da Vinci Code,” "The Dark Knight,” "Toy Story,” "Gladiator,” "Jaws,” "Spider-Man” and More

Los Angeles (May 19, 2010) – The Producers Guild of America announced today that forty of the entertainment industry’s most powerful producers, representing over 100 of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, will speak at the second annual Produced By Conference (PBC) June 4-6, 2010 at 20th Century Fox Studios.

Reaching across film, television and new media industries, PBC is a rare educational forum with dozens of conference sessions designed to provide all producers with valuable career tools and insights necessary in today’s competitive marketplace. Film, television and new media producers, as well as entertainment industry members should register online today at www.producedbyconference.com to take advantage of extraordinary panel sessions, unique mentoring roundtables, special workshops and exhibits, new tech demos, and most of all, incomparable networking opportunities. Early registrants have priority access to individual sessions.

"We’re thrilled that this year’s PBC program will feature some of the top producers from the film business. They will candidly be exploring both the challenges and opportunities in today’s marketplace, no matter if you are interested in producing blockbusters, documentaries or indies,” said Gale Anne Hurd and Rachel Klein, PBC event co-chairs.

The list of speakers for 2010 PBC features some of Hollywood’s most successful and prolific producers including: Bonnie Arnold ("How to Train Your Dragon,” "The Last Station,” "Toy Story”), Mark Cuban ("The Road,” "Everybody's Fine,” "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room”), Bruce Cohen ("American Beauty,” "Milk”), Andrew Z. Davis ("Your Highness,” "Role Models,” "Rush Hour 2, 3”), Dean Devlin ("Independence Day,” "The Patriot”), Tracey Edmonds ("Good Luck Chuck,” "Soul Food”), Gary Goetzman ("Where the Wild Things Are,” "Mamma Mia!”), Jeff Gomez ("Avatar,” "Pirates of the Caribbean”), Mark Gordon ("2012,” "The Day After Tomorrow,” "Saving Private Ryan”), Brian Grazer ("The Da Vinci Code,” "A Beautiful Mind”), Nicole Grindle ("Toy Story 3”), Marshall Herskovitz ("Blood Diamond,” "The Last Samurai”), Grant Heslov ("Good Night, and Good Luck.,” "The Men Who Stare at Goats”), Charlotte Huggins ("Journey to the Center of the Earth”), Gale Anne Hurd ("The Incredible Hulk,” "Armageddon”), Jon Jashni ("Clash of the Titans,” "Where the Wild Things Are,” "The Hangover”), Mark Johnson ("The Chronicles of Narnia”), Hawk Koch ("Primal Fear,” "Heaven Can Wait”), Jon Landau ("Avatar,” "Solaris,” "Titanic”), Ali LeRoi ("Are We There Yet?”), Gary Lucchesi ("Underworld” franchise), Jack Murray ("My Bloody Valentine 3D,” "Date Movie”), David V. Picker ("Lenny,” "The Jerk”), Jane Rosenthal ("Meet the Fockers 1, 2,” "What Just Happened,” "The Good Shepherd”), Charles Roven ("The Dark Knight,” "Get Smart,” "The Bank Job”), Ridley Scott ("Robin Hood,” "Gladiator,” "Thelma & Louise”), Galyn Susman ("Toy Story 3,” "Up,” "Ratatouille”), Paula Wagner ("Mission: Impossible I, II, III,” "Vanilla Sky,” "The Others”), Richard D. Zanuck ("Jaws,” "Driving Miss Daisy,” "Alice in Wonderland”), Sarah Green ("Tree of Life”), and Laura Ziskin ("Spider-Man 1, 2, 3,” "Pretty Woman,” "As Good As It Gets”), among others.

Some of the conference sessions focusing on producing for motion pictures include:

Conversation: Brian Grazer and Ridley Scott, Creative Alchemy
A successful feature production is guided by the relationship between producer and director. Sometimes that relationship is a smooth one; sometimes it’s rocky. Of course, on-set collegiality is not always synonymous with great filmmaking, and creativity can thrive within fiercely contested terrain! Acclaimed producer and director Brian Grazer and Ridley Scott join moderator David Picker for a frank and wide-ranging conversation, taking aim at the moving target of the producer/director collaboration, in all of its volatile, unbounded glory. Who knows where this might go?

Producing Blockbusters
This unique, top-notch session assembles some of the industry’s most successful and prolific producers for a high-powered discussion on the nature of the contemporary blockbuster, including the challenges inherent in developing, budgeting, shooting and delivering these mega-blockbuster motion pictures.

The Coolest Kid on the Block: Storytelling in Stereoscopic 3D
It’s official: 3-D technology has definitively changed the game of entertainment production, and it’s the hottest thing in media. Do the "rules" of 3-D storytelling change with different genres? Numerous clips supplement the fresh perspectives of some of the best 3-D storytellers working today in this informative and immersive discussion.

Where’s the Money? This Year’s Guide to Independent Financing
How do successful independent filmmakers make their cases to potential financiers? This wide-ranging discussion will cover all the elements of today’s multi-faceted financing landscape, from "soft” money, banks, film funds, equity investors, to sales agents, attorneys and marketing partners.

Brand New World: Execution of the Deal
Key players driving innovations in creative brand integration and product placement will discuss elements of deal-making, execution of the deal, expectations of corporate partners, strategies for maximum market penetration and audience development.

Conversation: Pixar – The Care and Feeding of a Landmark Franchise
With ten much-beloved animated features to their credit, it’s fair to say that no one does it like Pixar. With an eleventh classic on the way this summer, in the form of Toy Story 3, this session takes an in-depth look at the rigorous precision the studio utilizes in maintaining the quality of its product across multiple platforms. Toy Story is no longer just a film franchise; it’s a universe that remains consistent online, in theme parks, games and even in consumer product campaigns. Sit down with the Pixar team producing Toy Story 3 media – in all of its incarnations – and learn about the unique process and methods the studio uses to breathe life into its world across the entire media spectrum.

Conversation: Mark Gordon and Marshall Herskovitz, Where Do Producers Go From Here?
As two of the most respected producers working today, Marshall Herskovitz and Mark Gordon are in a unique position to assess the nature of the challenges that face the producing profession today. In this no-holds-barred Conversation, Gordon and Herskovitz—along with a potential surprise guest—present a frank, funny and freewheeling picture of the producer’s changing role in the industry, encompassing film, television and new media. This is the straight dope—check your illusions at the door; sacred cows enter at their own risk!

Foreign Affairs: The Essentials of International Co-Production
While international co-production incentives are one avenue American producers often consider when shooting overseas, there are many aspects of sales, production and distribution a producer should take into account when embarking on the road to a coproduction deal. Join this gifted group of worldwide negotiators who are brokering some of today's most successful partnerships, for a straight conversation on global finance.

About the Producers Guild of America
The Producers Guild of America is the non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media. The PGA represents over 4,000 members who work together to protect and improve their careers, the industry and community by providing members health benefits, enforcing workplace labor laws, maintaining fair and impartial standards for the awarding of producing credits, as well as other education and advocacy efforts. The PGA hosts important industry events including the annual Producers Guild Awards and the Produced By Conference. For more information, visit www.producersguild.org.

Media Contacts:
Kelly Mullens
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