Catalyst Content Festival

Join The Telly Awards + Storyhunter for a screening of 10 award-winning short films, branded documentaries and animations, featuring pieces by Academy nominated directors, Tribeca Film Festival & SXSW Official selections and a behind-the-scenes documentary with FKA twigs among others. The 45 minute screening program has been curated by Telly Awards Managing Director, Sabrina Dridje, who will be in attendance and happy to answer any questions about The Telly Awards, the preeminent award honoring video and television across all screens!

Chris Parr (Flutter Brothers Productions, Founder)

Harris Dirnberger (Flutter Brothers Productions, Founder)

A special presentation by the creators of “Off the Cuf,” a documentary series that explores America’s most fascinating communities.

The Pilot, The Bible & The Pitch
A Master Class with Jacob Krueger

Whether you’re trying to sell an original pilot or get staffed on a TV show, to take the next step in your TV career you need more than just a great pilot or spec episode. You’ve got to understand how TV really works.

That means learning what producers, agents, managers, stars, studios and networks are actually looking for when they read your script.

It means understanding how your script, pitch and Bible must work together to demonstrate not only the hook but also the engine of your project.

And most importantly, it means learning how to network, pitch, and talk about your project in a way that makes producers salivate.

More information available at catalystcontent.org/jacob-krueger-studio

The all original live radio theatre podcast from Duluth, MN… Whether in outer space, the old west, fantasy-dragon-land, or back at the tavern, each new 60-minute adventure is filled with original music, laughs, sound effects, conversation & beer swilling! Advice from local leaders & experts, plus performances from regional guest artists, round out every show captured in front of a live audience.

https://takeitwithyou.org/

Veteran comedian Wayne Federman and his fellow student Andrew Steven host a rare live recording of their critically-acclaimed podcast, The History of StandUp. Federman (also an adjunct professor at USC) has spent his adult life practicing and studying the art of stand-up comedy. Utilizing rare short audio clips and interviews the two hosts weave together the fascinating and hilarious journey of comics from vaudeville to Netflix. The History of StandUp Podcast has been featured in The NY Times, Forbes Magazine, The A.V Club, Interrobang, Geekiverse, and Paste. Jesse Fox, Vulture Magazine's senior editor, stated: "Wayne Federman knows more about the history of comedy than anyone I’ve ever spoken to.” @Federman @AndrewSteven

Stephen Perlstein (Studio71, Director, Podcast Network)

Amanda Marzolf (Abrams Artists Agency, Senior Agent, Alternative Programming and Podcasts)

Moderator/ Panel Member:
Thom Woodley (Dropout/ CollegeHumor, Executive Creative Director)

Screening:
"East of La Brea" tracks the untold stories of LA through the lives of two very different Muslim women from working class backgrounds: Aisha, a Black Muslim, and her Bangladeshi-American roommate, Farha.

Followed by...
Fireside Chat with
Laura Fischer (PowderKeg, CEO)
Margari Aziza Hill (Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, Executive Director)
Halima Lucas (Writer)




Margari Hill
Exec. Director, Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative

Margari Aziza-Hill is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC), a media based human rights education organization. She is an independent researcher and freelance writer with articles and chapters published in Time , Huffington Post, and How We Fight White Supremacy . She is a consultant and prolific educator with experience training screenwriters, consulting media and entertainment, teaching at primary, secondary and post-secondary institutions, serving as an instructor, curriculum designer, professional development trainer, and drafter of school policy.
Hill has an M.A. in History of the Middle East and Islamic Africa from Stanford University. Her research includes anti-colonial resistance among West Africans in Sudan during the early 20th century, transformations in Islamic learning in Northern Nigeria, International Student programs at Al-Azhar and Cairo University, and the criminalization of Black Muslims in the U.S. She is a public speaker who lectures in universities and community centers throughout the country.

Laura Fischer
CEO, Powderkeg Media

Laura is CEO of Powderkeg, Paul Feig’s digital content company that champions new voices with a commitment to female and LGBTQ creators and filmmakers of color. Fueled by the belief that entertainment should be fully inclusive, she and Paul started Powderkeg in an effort to empower and bring exposure to previously underrepresented voices that are new and distinct. In 2018 Powderkeg also launched Break the Room with Sameer Gardezi, focused on inclusive development with diverse writers. Prior to founding Powderkeg, Laura was Head of Production & Development at Yahoo! Originals, where she was responsible for overseeing production and creative for scripted and un-scripted original series. Some of Yahoo!’s tentpole original productions included Community: Season 6 (Sony), Other Space (Paul Feig), and Sin City Saints (Mike Tollin). Before joining Yahoo! In 2013, Laura was Senior Manager of Production and Current Programming for the Disney-ABC Television Group Digital Studio. Ms. Fischer led the team responsible for the 2011 Emmy award-winning Oscar Digital Experience. She was also responsible for the short form video created to support shows that air on ABC Primetime, ABC Daytime, and ABC Family. Laura is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America and the Television Academy having served on the board and executive committee for each organization, respectively.

Festival executives from Catalyst Content Festival, SeriesFest, and Toronto International Film Festival talk with creators about how t use their time wisely. What are realistic goals for festival attendance? Who should you try and speak to a festival? What is the best way to interact with execs at festivals?

Claire Taylor (SeriesFest, Director of Programming)

Tiffany L. Gray (Catalyst Content Festival, Vice President of Programming)

Ravi Srinivasan (Toronto International Film Festival, International Programmer, Features)

Moderator:
Juliet Lopez (Conde Nast)

A look at the contracts that apply to filmmakers/producers of indie narrative series, what the terms mean, and how to work through the entire SAG-AFTRA process in the correct way.

The panel will feature panelists speaking from a variety of different points along the path to success, from having completed funding for their first project to having leveraged their work into great careers.

Attendees are invited to attend the screening "Comedy 17 with Q&A" directly prior to this panel in Zeitgeist Zinema 1 for an integrated discussion experience.


Zeke Thomas (Mindjam Media, Executive Producer)

Brenden Sokler (Writer/ Producer)

Lenay Chantelle (Musician/ Influencer)

Alexandra Park (Actress/Producer)

Shakina Nayfack (Performer, Writer, Director, Producer, and Social Activist)

Andrew Peterson (FilmNorth, Executive Director)

Breaking the process down of teasing a concept into a full narrative that has legs and longevity.

Attendees are invited to attend the screening "Comedy 16 with Q&A" directly prior to this panel in Zeitgeist Zinema 1 for an integrated discussion experience.

Josh Butler (Writer/Director)

Katherine Fisher (Speed of Joy, Founder)

Luke Kelly-Clyne (Big Breakfast, Head of Development)

Pamela Cederquist (Writer)

Moderator: Karl Gajdusek (Showrunner)

Weird City with Amber Nash
A hilarious travel show exploring the strange side of cities across the country, starring Amber Nash.

Caminantes (Walkers)
“Caminantes” from Venezuela leave and cross Colombia on foot, fleeing the crisis. Jóse R Guzmán shows the stark truth of thousands of Venezuelans from within. Between shelters, long daily walks, and low temperatures with very few provisions, a vivid and humorous experience develops, as no one has done it before.

Outsourced: The New Wisconsin Idea
UW-Superior suspended 25 programs, with no transparency. Following the aftermath of the program suspensions at UW-Superior, this film looks into the future of higher education in the state of Wisconsin through interviews with students, faculty, and community members.

The Rug
A young woman invites her siblings over to see her new rug.

Chosen
Atara Hirsch's father has been missing for three weeks and declared deceased. But when Atara's estranged Uncle Yoni returns from Kiev, taking her father's place at the head of the table, Atara is unwilling to move on. Unable to accept her father’s death and growing increasingly curious about Yoni’s inconvenient arrival, Atara continues to search for her father in secret.

Catalyst Content Festival is excited to host a special performance of the live comedy show ADULT SEX ED! Created and hosted by Advisory Board Member Dani Faith Leonard, ADULT SEX ED aims to plug the holes in your sex education through hilarious exploratory deep dives into sexual topics and stories from Dani and special guests.  The focus of Saturday’s show will be Sex Ed and Television. America’s failure to provide accurate sex education in schools is comedy’s gain!

“Sex Ed Is Back — And It's Nothing Like What They Taught in School” - Shondaland

“In Adult Sex Ed, Leonard has truly crafted the ultimate teaching platform. Her shows are immersive, smart, entertaining, beautifully curated, and they absolutely stay with you after the lights go down.” - Honeysuckle Magazine

LIMBO
1,600 years after his birth, Tearlach O'Rian works to save souls from Hell while battling his own demons.

Lose It
That feeling when you lose something you just had in your hand a moment ago.

The System
A group of teenagers clash with overzealous police as "The War on Drugs” expands into a middle-class suburban community.

Home Turf
Home Turf is an unlikely sisterhood that forms in the beige-toned half-basement of a foster home for “problem” teenage girls in the year 2000. Soon after arriving from Africa, Sahara, a mixed-race 15-year-old, is driven by CPS to a foster home in the suburbs. At the house, run by “Auntie,” she finds four teenage girls who object to her presence and make her life miserable. But little by little Sahara makes friends with the girls, turning enemies into allies against the ostracism of those around them.