Film Factory Kick-Off!

Saturday, November 7, 2009
10:30am
Pittsburgh Filmmakers
477 Melwood Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213


The Steeltown Film Factory (SFF) is a yearlong filmmaking competition, supported by a series of public workshops, panel discussions and staged readings, designed to engage aspiring filmmakers to create projects with Pittsburgh-inspired content. The competition will provide emerging talent with an opportunity to learn from internationally renowned film and television professionals about the entertainment industry. A successful SFF will lead to the training and employment of the local workforce, the incubation of talent and intellectual property, and the nurturing and development of future projects that can be spun off into commercially viable entities. These entities will create jobs, investment opportunities, and products that will be exported by our region. By bringing together local and expatriate resources in Southwestern Pennsylvania (SWPA), the SFF will help to transform this region's non-profit "Arts Sector" into a thriving "Entertainment Economy."

The SFF is expected to attract a range of people to the competition and related events:

High school, college, and university students (ages 16-25 years).
Amateur filmmakers (over 25 years).
Professionals in the entertainment industry with ties to SWPA, as mentors and judges.
Civic and economic development professionals, school administrators and arts educators with an interest in developing the arts sector in SWPA.
General public keen to learn about "behind-the-scenes" in film, TV and web entertainment.
Panels to be moderated by Steeltown Executive Producer, Carl Kurlander

Steeltown Advisors:
("St. Elmo's Fire", "Saved By The Bell").

Rob Marshall, Director ("Nine," "Memoirs of A Geisha")
Bernie Goldmann, Producer ("300," "Land of the Dead")
Jamie Widdoes, Director ("Two and a Half Men," "8 Simple Rules")
David Conrad, Actor ("Ghost Whisperer," "Wedding Crashers")
Jenji Kohan, Executive Producer ("Weeds," "Sex and the City")
Terri Minsky, Screenwriter ("Lizzie McGuire," "Sex and the City")
Peter Ackerman, Screenwriter/Producer, ("Ice Age," "Dawn of the Dinosaurs")
David Hollander, Writer/Producer ("The Cleaner," "The Guardian")
Greg Nicotero, Special Effects ("Chronicles of Narnia," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning")
Rusty Cundieff, Director ("Chappelle's Show," "The Bernie Mac Show")
Tickets for the kick-off will be $10 for adults and $5 for students with a valid ID. For submission guidelines, tickets, and more, call 412.622.1325 or email
info@steeltown.org.