8:30 – 9:30am Registration
9:30 – 10:00am Research/Case Studies
9:30 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. Rentrak Research
Presented by Bruce Goerlich, Chief Revenue Officer, Rentrak
9:40 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. Dove Study on Family Film Profitability
Presented by Dick Rolfe, Co-Founder & CEO, The Dove Foundation
9:50 to 10:00 a.m. Study on the Evangelical Community
"Evangelicals: Research on 100 million media consumers who are diverse, traditional, and not so..."
Presented by Larry W. Poland, PH.D., Chairman and CEO of Mastermedia International
10:00 – 10:30am Keynote Conversation with Ben Simon, Director, Brand Marketing, WalMart and Brian Wells, Co-Founder, Flashlight Entertainment
10:30 – 11:15am State of Family and Faith-based Entertainment
As audiences are increasingly divided across growing media options, family entertainment like The Blind Side, Narnia, Courageous and October Baby has the power to unify and attract massive audiences worldwide. At the same time, successful outreach to the faith-based communities can mean a measurable boost in box office and ratings for family entertainment. Top studio and TV chiefs will discuss the key ingredients to building these cross-over hits.
*What are critical story elements to rally family audiences and entice major studios to handle these projects? What is the right balance between a compelling plotline and content that fits into audience values?
*What are the marketing models for film and TV – is it easier to strike important co-promotional relationships with brands on family projects?
*Historically, home entertainment has been a strong sector for family and faith-based titles. How have changes to this industry impacted the family and faith-based genre?
*What are exciting projects on the horizon that may boost this entertainment category, such as high-profile directors Darren Aronofsky and Steven Spielberg attached to Noah and Moses, respectively?
Confirmed Speakers:
Ben Howard, President, Provident Films
DeVon Franklin, VP, Production, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Simon Swart, EVP & GM, Fox Home Entertainment
Michelle Vicary, EVP, Programming, Crown Media Family Networks(Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movie Channel)
Brad Siegel, Vice Chairman, GMC TV
11:15 – 11:30am Networking Break
11:30 – 12:15am Reaching Family and Faith-Based Audiences: Launching and Marketing Films to Create Universal Hits
The family and faith-based audiences do share some similarities in content choices, such as demand for projects that are safe for kids to watch. Studios hope to reach both in launching their films and TV series to maximize their potential – but what is the best way to pitch a mainstream family film to the faith-based segment to ensure you gain fans and don’t alienate anyone along the way? And vice versa, how do you promote projects with spiritual and religious content for mainstream success, such as profitable bonanza Soul Surfer? Top marketers and their partners will analyze what it means to pitch movies and TV projects to different audience groups for an overall impactful and cohesive campaign.
*What were the results of recent pitching broadly-targeted non-religious themed projects to the faith-based demographic – i.e. Relativity’s Act of Valor, TLC’s Sarah Palin’s Alaska, Alcon’s Dolphin Tale; Sony’s The Vow? What works in these sorts of campaigns?
*What elements of certain broad films are necessary to cross over between larger family audiences and the faith-based demographic?
*What were the secret ingredients of the Soul Surfer campaign getting out to mainstream audiences?
*What partnerships are critical in campaigns – aligning with which family-friendly organizations, church groups and pastors, bloggers, etc.?
Confirmed Speakers:
Richard Ingber, President, Worldwide Marketing, Alcon Entertainment
Greg Liberman, President & CEO, Spark Networks
Rio Cyrus, SVP, Marketing, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Jason Jones, Founder, Movie to Movement
12:15 – 1:00pm The Opportunity in Faith-Friendly and Faith-Based Content: What is Success Today?
There is tremendous opportunity in backing faith-centered projects. The faith-based audience is underserved as they seem to crave the relatively few films released in this genre, and are large enough in number to impact box office – such as with Facing the Giants and Courageous. However, not every faith-based project has broken through and found an audience –as people are spread across so many entertainment choices and platforms, the faith-based included. Top distributors, creators and marketers of faith-based content will explore what it means to thrive in this space.
* What is the opportunity for production companies and distributors to enter this business?
* What is the status of TV and delivering faith-based content? The genre seems to skew heavier on the theatrical and DVD side, but it seems like cable/satellite/broadband channels, and their ability to support niche interests can be a viable delivery tool?
* What is necessary to know about the faith-based market to spark their interest for projects?
* What are budget considerations when filming within this niche – is it tricky to attract big name production and acting talent to faith-based projects? Is being labeled a ‘religious’ director/actor/producer controversial in Hollywood?
Confirmed Speakers:
Brian Bird, Partner, Believe Pictures
John Shepherd, President, Mpower Pictures
Ted Baehr, Founder and Publisher, Movieguide
Michael Van Dyck, Agent, Paradigm Talent Agency
1:00 – 2:00pm Lunch
2:00 – 2:30pm Afternoon Keynote Conversation with Michael Flaherty, Co-Founder, Walden Media
2:30 – 3:15pm Harnessing Digital Media for Family and Faith-Based Entertainment
The growth of digital technology has been a boon for niche content producers, in that they don’t have to rely on mainstream-skewing studios/networks to release or market their product. This translates within digital theaters and their alternative programming campaigns; in the home with video-on-demand and streaming; and through digital gaming and apps. Can digital distribution and social media open critical doors for different niches to reach audiences? Top faith-based and family distributors and technology partners will talk about how digital media is advancing their business.
*What content distributors are succeeding in expanding audiences through digital platforms? What is the best strategy given so much choice in how new technologies can deliver content?
*What is the impact of Web communities, apps and other interactive entertainment geared towards family and faith-based audiences? Examples include Jesus Daily on Facebook and the Journey of Moses App.
Confirmed Speakers:
Michael Solomon, CEO & President, Truli Media Group & Co-Founder, Telepictures Corporation
Jonathan Yang, VP, Sales, Salem Web Networks
Maura Dunbar, EVP & Chief Content Officer, Odyssey Networks
Susan Jackson, CEO, Freestyle Digital Media
3:15 – 4:00pm What’s Next in Family Entertainment?
Within the family and faith-based genres – there is much diversity in the types of content that can fall under these labels. How has the launch of Hub, DisneyXD and other kids-centric channels impacted the business? Can popular faith-based comics, such as Shonda Pierce, break into mainstream with her PG-rated and safe-for-families comedy? Pioneers of these family and faith-based categories and their partners will talk about the significance of these sub-genres.
Confirmed Speakers:
Jennifer Worthington, Executive Producer, Roma Downey's Little Angels
Kenn Viselmann, Founder, Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Company & Producer/Creator, The Oogieloves
Charlie Ebersol, Co-Founder, The Hochberg Ebersol Company (THE Company)/Executive Producer, The Moment on USA Network
4:00 – 4:15pm Networking Break
4:15 – 5:00pm Film Finance for Family and Faith-Based Entertainment: Brands, Investment Angels, Family Content Advocates and More
Brands and advertisers have long pleaded with Hollywood to create more family content in which their products can safely and positively be integrated. Walmart and Proctor & Gamble have famously been huge family entertainment advocates, having funded movies that are distributed on the major broadcast networks and promoted in stores. Investment angels, family-advocacy organizations and churches want to support this content as well. Leading financing entities and their production partners will discuss the marketplace for funding family and faith-based entertainment.
*What is the status of brands and advertisers influencing Hollywood story development?
*What are key goals for ANA’s (Association of National Advertisers) Alliance for Family Entertainment? Are they succeeding outside of Walmart and Proctor & Gamble projects?
*How might their recent family script contest, where the winner scored a mentorship with TV producer John Wells, fuel the genre? *How have these brand-sponsored films performed in the general marketplace? Examples include: Secrets of the Mountain, The Jensen Project, A Walk in My Shoes and Change of Plans, Truth Be Told.
Confirmed Speakers:
George Taweel, Founder, George Taweel Productions
Cindy Bond, Co-Founder & President, Mission Pictures International
Lance McAlindon, Front Porch Research
5:00 – 5:45pm Creative Masters in Family and Faith-Based Entertainment
Top directors, producers and writers of hit family and faith-based projects will talk about what is driving their storytelling.
*What plotlines and characters are attracting audiences – is it important to look for cross-over potential between faith-based audience and general family viewers?
*With faith-based projects, is there concern of being pigeonholed into only being successful in that category?
*What are dream projects that leading directors, producers and writers would like to make in the future?
Confirmed Speakers:
Ralph Winter, Producer, X-Men:Wolverine, X-Men: The Last Stand
Corbin Bernsen, Actor/Producer (Psych, The Big Year)
5:45pm Networking Reception