FEATURE
amazing community of people we work with pulled me in. “Although I haven’t been with Hyde Park
for long, my boss Ashok Amritraj is proving to be an important mentor. I must also men- tion Julie Kroll — she has been a friend and teacher to me as long as anyone in this industry and I probably wouldn’t be where I am today without her. “One day, I would like to start my own
28 B 35 B
sales company as well as produce projects of my own. The business today, with the extreme drop in DVD revenue, leaves much less room for error when choosing projects. The successful producers and investors will make fi lms with the international audience in mind.”
group of people was, like me, craving to do something related to cinema. After giving long thought to whether we should start an internet site or a movie magazine, we decided on a fi lm distribution company. As we had only one shot, we named it Bir Film, meaning ‘one film’. For this one film we worked with amazing enthusiasm. Fortu- nately our efforts paid off and one fi lm led to hundreds of others. Each day I feel blessed to be part of this business. This is a dynamic industry and the rules of the game change rapidly. But the challenge makes you addicted to the game. There’s always something new to learn or adapt to. I am hoping to grow old running up and down the Croisette.”
Antonio Salas Sales manager Bankside Films (UK)
■ Graduated in contemporary media from the
University of Westminster, London, in 2005. ■ Joined Beyond Films as sales and
acquisitions assistant in 2006. ■ Became sales and acquisitions assistant at
Bankside Films in 2007. ■ Promoted to sales executive in 2009. ■ Named sales manager in 2011.
“I got into the business through Hilary Davis and Stephen Kelliher at Beyond Films. It was important to start as a sales and acquisitions assistant as I got to know the ins and outs of an industry that was new for me. Stephen and Hilary have been my mentors from day one and have allowed me to grow profes- sionally in our new company, Bankside Films. I have always been encouraged to attend meetings with them, listen to their tel- ephone conversations, and even share a drink with senior colleagues after a hard day in Cannes. It is really important to be intro- duced to industry people by your seniors. “It is as much a diffi cult moment for the
fi lm industry as it is an exciting one. Technol- ogy is providing new possibilities for gener- ating revenue but it is still far from an ideal marriage. My goal is to lead a company which understands the needs of both. Con- trary to the opinion of many others, I believe the role of international distributors will become stronger and broader with many opportunities for diversifi cation in the digital world.”
■ 64 Screen International at Cannes May 18, 2012 ■ MA in film studies, University of
Copenhagen. ■ Writer of numerous articles about film style, directors and genre in film magazines and
encyclopedias. ■ Interned at Nordisk Film in 2006. ■ Moved into TV sales at Nordisk in 2006 and
into acquisitions in 2008. “I came to Nordisk as an intern from uni- versity and was then offered a job in TV sales. A spot opened in acquisitions, and Peter Philipsen took me in as his right-hand man. His immense experience and knowl- edge of the fi lm business has meant a lot, as has watching him navigate the hectic markets. “For Nordisk, I aspire to buy the big fi lms
— the genre and concept-driven titles that help consolidate Nordisk as the Nordic major. “With prices going up, and video and TV
windows under increasing pressure, how- ever, more and more pressure is put on fi nd- ing those few truly invaluable titles, more than just the steady earners, that in recent years are less steady.”
Sophie Seifried Director of international sales & acquisitions Inferno Entertainment (US)
■ Born in Berlin, finished school in France,
Jo Sweby Manager, worldwide acquisitions, film Entertainment One (UK)
■ Started career as an assistant in the programming department of TCM/Cartoon
Network Europe. ■ Worked her way up to become director of
acquisitions, EMEA. ■ Made the transition into film, joining
Contender Entertainment in 2004. ■ Initial focus was Asian cinema. Remit shifted to more mainstream product when Contender
was acquired by Entertainment One in 2007. ■ Key deals negotiated include Gnomeo &
36 B
Christopher Seidelin Acquisition manager Nordisk Film (Den)
then studied journalism, economics and
Middle East science. ■ Started career in development and
acquisitions at MTV Networks in Europe. ■ Then started working for Inferno Entertainment; moved to Los Angeles. “I started my career at MTV Networks in Berlin. I loved working in the music industry and acquiring and developing shows for the channel but after a few years I felt the need for a new challenge. “I joined Inferno’s Berlin offi ce with the
idea that this would actually be a short stopo- ver to something more permanent outside of entertainment entirely. “After a few months, however, I was asked
to move to Los Angeles to work with the company’s head of sales at the time, Kim Fox. Kim and owner Jim Seibel quickly became mentors to me, and showed me there is an interesting, creative and fun career in inter- national distribution. Recently, I was pro- moted to run the company’s genre label, Ember Films.”
John Short Vice-president Hyde Park International (US)
■ Attended the University of Texas in Austin. ■ First job in entertainment was at Paradigm
Talent Agency. ■ First Cannes Film Festival in 2009.
“I started in the international distribution world at Yari Film Group in 2008. Initially, I didn’t plan on remaining but the travel and
Juliet, Dead Snow and The Ides Of March. ■ Now working with acquisitions team and territory heads to acquire theatrical and home entertainment product for the UK, North America, Australia, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia and South Africa. “I knew I wanted to work in fi lm or television but was unsure which area of the business I wanted to go into. Knowing that I’d have to spend time learning about the industry, I quit university, joined a media temping agency and immediately started work at Turner Entertainment. As assistant to a busy programming department, I enjoyed learn- ing about all aspects of broadcasting (and watching endless cartoons). “In both film and television, I’ve been
lucky to work with many dynamic and inspiring people and the sheer variety of interaction I have on a daily basis means that no two days are ever the same. “Looking to the future, the key challenge
is to be able to secure the right product to help eOne grow its business — by increas- ing market share in our territories, getting involved earlier in UK productions and helping build our US theatrical slate. A per- sonal goal outside work is to set up Flicks In The Sticks, a cinema club in the village I grew up in.”
Martina Ternstrom Acquisitions executive Revolver Entertainment (UK)
■ Attended film school in New York, 2005-06. ■ Worked at Magnolia Pictures from 2006-08. ■ Joined The Works, London, in 2008. ■ Went to Metrodome Group in 2010. ■ Started work at Revolver Entertainment in
2012. “I was lucky enough to start my career in fi lm
»
Jo Sweby
Marcin Was
TMartina
ernstrom
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