Today, we are going to talk to three master PR people – positions that most festivals outsource. Marketing and PR is such a key element of any festival. And it entails much more than promotion of the event – a good PR firm will also manage the Red Carpet experience, press relations, press and blog reviews, and so much more.

JOHN WILDMAN with Wildworks PR is a multi-faceted presence in the entertainment world, known for his work as a film and film festival publicist, consultant, filmmaker, journalist, and critic. Currently, he is the publicist and consultant for independent films, and more than 20 national regional film festivals. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of FilmsGoneWild.com, has been a host on The Daily Buzz NPR broadcast reporting from Sundance, Toronto, and Cannes for the past eight years.

LISA TRIFONE founded Bright Iris Film Company, a publicity agency for independent films. She has worked in film festival management, programming and marketing at Heartland Film and Indy Film Fest; publicity management and logistics at Sundance Film Festival, and arthouse distribution strategy, marketing and national publicity for Film Movement and Music Box Films.

KENDRA RUBINFELD from KRPR, got a taste for PR and Marketing after starting the Our City Film Festival in 2008. Kendra has worked with countless arts and culture nonprofits including DC Environmental FF, the Library of Congress, Film Fest DC and projects with artists and activists the likes of Jesse Eisenberg, Philip Glass, Gloria Steinem, and many more.

For this episode, we explore key staff members who make a festival happen. Some of these staff members are year-round and shape the festival’s mission, while others come on for a shorter period of time, but whose contribution is immeasurable.

Our guests:

BETH BARRET, the Artistic Director for SIFF, the Seattle International FF. Beth has been with SIFF since 2003, and is responsible for managing the artistic vision of SIFF, including all aspects of programming for the Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Cinema’s 6 year-round screens, and the SIFF Education team.

PAUL SLOOP has been the lead programmer of short films for the Oscar qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival since 2003. He is also the Director of Programming at Film Pittsburgh and the Director of Programming at the Cordillera International Film Festival.

BLAIR HUNT has amassed extensive experience in large-scale event management, producing events, securing talent, and serving in directorial capacities. Recently, she joined the Round Top Film Festival as the inaugural Festival Director.

EILEEN LEVEL is the “Queen of Volunteers” having developed successful volunteer programs for many events, including AFI DOCS. She is a champion of the cinema-going experience, having launched PaleFO Cinema.

This month, Jon and Bart discuss a broad topic that, while important for festivals – is really critical for filmmakers. Tech. Not cameras and lights, but hope to best prep your film for festival play. Now that everything is digital, things have been challenging – file compression issues, wrong aspect ratio, inappropriate sound mixes. Hear from three tech pioneers for best practices and tips to ensure perfect screenings.

Our Guests:

In 2011, GARRETT SERGEANT started SimpleDCP, one of the first DCP creation sites for indie filmmakers. He is a motion picture editor based in the Los Angeles area with over a decade of professional post-production experience. His works have shown at Sundance, Cinequest, the Hamptons Film Festival, and many other festivals. SimpleDCP has grown to not only provide file conversion for filmmakers, but full tech services for festivals and theaters.

DEV SHAPIRO is the CEO and head of production at Selig Polyscope Co. He is also the technical brains behind Selig Film News, He is experienced in the areas of Digital Cinema, Projection, Film Festivals and Print Traffic with a demonstrated history of working in the motion picture industry. Often compared to Irving Thalberg he is a film historian and a Bollywood movie poster collector, and a lover of Yiddish cinema.

KELLEY BAKER, known internationally as “The Angry Filmmaker,” is an indie filmmaker who has written numerous books, toured the country multiple times speaking at universities and film events, and whose films have screened at dozens and dozens of festivals. Kelley is also an accomplished sound engineer, and has worked with many of Hollywood’s greats, including Todd Haynes and Gus van Sant.