SEA L.A. Speakers
Julie Baner
Assitant Account Executive, Entertainment Marketing
Julie Baner is an Assistant Account Executive in the Entertainment Marketing Department of Rogers & Cowan. She is primarily responsible for placing product with network and cable television and independent films. She is also the account manager for Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma (Dos Equis, Sol, Tecate and Bohemia beers) and the We Card/Right Decisions, Right Now campaign for RJ Reynolds. She is also the team expert on in-game advertising in videogames and advergames.
Just prior to joining Rogers & Cowan, Ms. Baner worked in the props and product placement departments for the hit television show "CSI: New York." Furthermore, Ms. Baner has a great deal of marketing and production experience. She was a territory representative for Newell Rubbermaid in their Lowe's Home Improvement division where she organized numerous marketing events and conducted district-wide training of Newell Rubbermaid's products in a three state territory. Additionally, she has produced two educational videos for Joseph Roberts and Columbia College Chicago (the first on entrepreneurship, the second on ethics), a short film, and multiple commercials for businesses such as Isabel Bloom and John Deere.
Ms. Baner holds a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Speech Communication from Augustana College and a Master of Arts Management in Media Management from Columbia College Chicago.
www.midiotmusic.com
As an award winning music producer and Emmy nominated composer, Craig Stuart Garfinkle's career includes work on feature films, multimedia, network television, commercials, stage musicals and albums.
Presently Craig is creating music for the NBC series, THE OFFICE as well as numerous other notable programs. As a music producer, he is producing a CD for the band "Know Illusion" and just completed producing two songs for DANE COOK. The first of these, "I'LL NEVER BE YOU," was released this past Christmas day.
He recently completed the score for the film GHOSTS NEVER SLEEP, a "dark dramedy" starring Faye Dunaway and Tony Goldwyn. He also recently completed THE KIDS WHO SAVED SUMMER, a family comedy which features, in addition to Craig's score, four of Craig's songs. The film is presently running on The Disney Channel and Showtime Family.
In the world of Multimedia, Craig recently completed BALDUR'S GATE THE DARK ALLIANCE II, and the main menu theme for FALLOUT, A BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL.
BALDUR'S GATE marks Craig's thirteenth journey to "Middle Earth" having started composing for the "Dungeons and Dragons" genre for TSR Inc. in the mid '90s. Other scores in this genre include the TV special DRAGONSTRIKE, and the games PLANESCAPE, A GUIDE TO THE OUTLANDS, RAVENLOFT - A LIGHT IN THE BELFRY, and TERROR TRAX (among others). He also contributed music (with partner Simone Benyacar) to the trailer for feature film THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE RETURN OF THE KING.
Craig has composed for hundreds of network television projects ranging from NBC's THE JEFF FOXWORTHY SHOW (theme and music) to ABC's TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS (theme and music) series. Television projects presently in production include RUSSIAN ROULETTE (theme and music), a game show for Sony/Columbia Tri-Star that is airing on The Game Show Network, and the music library and original music for the Tollin/Robbins production THE NICK CANNON SHOW airing on the Nickelodeon Network.
Other notable television projects include: LUNATIC THEATER (theme and music), a pilot for the Fox Network, written and produced by Jerry Seinfeld, Barry Marder, Alan Marder & Jim Coane, and IMAGES OF ARIZONA, the latest in the series of Emmy winning documentaries he has scored for Arizona Public Television.
Finally, Craig was part of the composing team (headed by Stephen James Taylor) for Disney's RAW TOONAGE, and the sole composer for the KAET/PBS production VISIONS OF ARIZONA. Both programs received Emmy nominations for outstanding original score.
Stan Harrington
Stan Harrington has been a prolific producer, writer and director of theatre since 1996. In 2003 he created Adler After Dark, which offers writers rent free space.
Stan's first feature, Bred in the Bone, shot for $5,000, won Best in Show, Best Actress and Best Screenplay at the Action On Film Festival and Best Feature at the FAIF Fest.
In 2006 he was invited to the NAB Conference in Las Vegas. His latest film, The Craving Heart, has so far amassed 17 nominations for 8 wins.
His book, "A Guerilla In the Midst" is due for release April 16th at the NAB Conference, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Karen Kirkland
Karen Kirkland currently serves as Director of Nickelodeon's Writing Fellowship Program as well as Awards and Festivals.
Karen Kirkland comes from an independent producing background with over 100 commercials and music videos to her credit. Not a complete stranger to Nick, she produced the T-Boz video for Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000). She has been nominated for multiple music video awards, and won an NAACP Image Award for Video of the Year for her work on R. Kelly's 'I Wish'. For the last 14 years, Karen has been involved in various areas of the film and production industry: as a freelance producer at FM Rocks, RSA and DNA. She was the producer of the Los Angeles Film Festival from 1995 to 2001. Her loves include sushi and chocolate, in addition to family and friends.
Alison Mann
Currently the Recruiter and Internship Coordinator at Nickelodeon Studios, Mann first made contact with Nickelodeon through an internship she had in their finance department while still a media management student in Columbia's AEMM Dept. Now coordinating Nickelodeon.s internships to help educate future leaders in animation and media management.
Mann finds her job at Nickelodeon combines the best of her two loves - business and art. Having taken art lessons since she was seven, Mann originally looked into documentary film or animation as a career choice. She chose media management after receiving a catalog from Columbia in the mail. She immediately realized that was what she wanted to do, combining the business and artistic aspects of what she wanted to do with life.
While often speaking directly to animation students, her sound advice applies across all fields. "Know what you like to do and do it," she stresses. "If you force yourself to do something else, you won't do your best work. We all have certain skills; it's how we develop our skills and hone in on what we want to do that makes us great." She encouraged students to network with each other, join programs in school, and get involved in activities related to their fields. "Life experience is top priority. If you are not a driven individual you won't make it."
Patti Pelton
Patti Pelton started acting in high school and continued into her college years receiving a talent scholarship while attending Central Michigan University. After graduating with a major in Broadcasting and Theater she moved to Chicago to do theater and study with Jane Brody, Kyle Donnelly, and later Uta Hagen. While in Chicago she was accepted into the prestigious American Conservatory Theater (Summer Congress) in San Francisco. There she studied under the likes of Anna Devera-Smith (Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992).
Patti returned to Chicago, and soon joined the cast of the movie "A League Of Their Own," directed by Penny Marshall. She moved to Los Angeles and was cast in the TV series, "A League Of Their Own," reprising her role as Marbleann, with Penny Marshall and Tom Hanks directing. She can also be seen in several commercials, television, film, and theater where she won a Drama-logue for her performance in Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood.
Ms. Pelton became intrigued with her Irish roots and produced and performed in an Irish play called "Never In My Lifetime," directed by Leigh Kilton-Smith. The play about the conflict in Northern Ireland won critical reviews in the L. A. Times as well as the L. A. Weekly and garnished three Drama-logue Awards. In addition, she organized a panel discussion with Amnesty International, Cesar Chavez Foundation, and Mothers Against Violence to raise public awareness about racial violence. To raise the seed money for "Never In My Lifetime," Patti produced a Comedy Benefit with her fellow performers. The fundraiser received "Pick of the Week" from the L. A. Times and performers included: Edie McClurg, Dan Castenella, Andy Dick, and Ryan Stiles.
While in Los Angeles Ms. Pelton has worked as a Director of Development for Michael T. Weiss ("The Pretender"), produced several PSAs for Oceana starring Ted Danson, and produced and directed the closing ceremonies for the first-time gathering of the seven primary federal land managers at the L.A. Convention Center. Patti has also worked as an event planner for Global Green in conjunction with Leonardo DiCaprio and co-produced a premier of Silver City and voter registration event with John Sayles.
Her recent acting work includes the feature film "Sledge: The Untold Story," playing a well intentioned but bad acting student. The film, with appearances by Angelina Jolie and Carrie Ann Moss, premiered in 2005 at Slamdance. Last year Patti produced, co-wrote, and starred in, her short film called "Women With Beards." The film, a National Lampoon style short, was accepted into the Broad Humor Film Festival, the Kinoscope iPod Festival and The New York Short Film Festival. In addition, Patti was a stuntwomen with her television appearances on "The Bold and The Beautiful," "The Pretender" and "She Spies."
She currently works on the hit series "CSI: NY" doing Product Placement and Clearances.
Larry Wacholtz . Professor of Music Business at Belmont University
Nashville, TennesseeDr. Wacholtz is a professor of Music Business at Belmont University. He is also the President of Thumbs Up Publishing which publishes educational books on the entertainment industry. He has authored How the Music Business Works, Entertainment "E" Newsletter, Star Tracks: Principles for Success in the Music and Entertainment Business, Inside Country Music, and Lights, Glitter and Business Sense Inside Country Music.