Panel 3A- Streaming and Self-Distribution
Do you share it? Sell it? Enter a festival? Get a channel? When your project is complete, there are myriad options for your next step. Depending on the project, the market, and factors you hadn’t even considered, your options may be limited. Find the appropriate path for your project to soar.
Nick Wenck- Nick is a director and editor born in Minnesota, groomed in NYC and currently living in Orlando. While in New York, he was asked to be a founding member of Google's "YouTube Original Channel Initiative" where his video content and edits garnered over 70 million views.
He has directed and edited across many genres with major brand clientele: From sport with Adidas, Under Armour, Bayern Munich, and the New York Rangers to lifestyle with Budweiser, Vanity Fair, and Visa to documentary with Time Inc., USA Today, and Etihad Airways.
Over the past decade he has edited projects for multiple media platforms and many different deliverable forms. He’s worked with broadcast TV, live streaming, social media channels, GIFs, Cinemagraphs, and social media exports to name a few.
Currently, Nick is working with his production company, The Good Stuff Film which is based in Orlando and is a contracted director and editor for Adidas.
Matt Wohl
Jason Murphy- In his entertainment career, Jason has been given some amazing opportunities in the worlds of Puppetry, Photography, Design, Marketing, and Live Event Production. "Without a doubt, my time in each of these fields has been essential in shaping my skills as a filmmaker", says Jason.
Jason has produced and directed several feature films, as well as a variety of other projects. He is constantly looking for new opportunities for creative expression
Panel 3B- Documentary Storytelling
Dr. Lisa Mills- Dr. Mills’ films have won numerous national and international awards and have screened in festivals all over the world. Most recently a film she co-directed with an honors class, The Committee, won a Suncoast Emmy Award and is being distributed nationally through the American Public Television Exchange 2016-2019. Two of her newest films explore the history of the civil rights movement in Florida. Dr. Lisa Mills is an Associate Professor of Film at the University of Central Florida where she teaches screenwriting, documentary production, theory, and history.
She was also a Faculty Fellow for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2016.
Lori Turchin- Ms. Turchin led a successful 20+ years career in film, TV, video and still productions. Lori worked in just about every aspect of pre- production, production and post production collaborating on everything from still shoots to feature films with most of her work in high end TV commercials.
Ms. Turchin started at Full Sail University in 2004 teaching in the Film Bachelors Program first as a lab specialist for Screenwriting and has been the Associate Course Director of History of Motion Picture Arts since 2006 to the present day. Lori has also taught as an adjunct professor at UCF in the Nicholson School of Communication & Media in their Film Bachelors Program, Spring 2019.
Additionally, Lori works with the Global Peace Film Festival as the Festival Manager and curates the FusionFest MYgration Short Film Contest on behalf of both GPFF and FusionFest.
Gary Lester- Gary's extensive list of documentary films includes Eyewitness to History, a World War II documentary featuring Armin Lehmann, who was one of the last surviving members of Hitler's bunker. This film won Best Documentary at the Daytona Beach Film Festival and has screened throughout the world, including a major film festival in Busan, South Korea and the Non-Violence International Film Festival in Ontario, Canada. In 2009, Gary released his blockbuster Holocaust film - Safe Haven: The Warsaw Zoo, which had its world premiere on August 8, 2009 in Hollywood, California. It captured an unprecedented seven Crystal Reel Awards from the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association. In 2019, Gary released Taking Hollywood By Storm, a feature-length documentary starring Bob Weatherwax, the owner and trainer of Lassie.
Panel 4C- Safety and Protocol On Set
Chris Ranung- Chris moved to North Florida from southern New York State in January 1990. While a single dad raising two young boys, he entered the Florida film community as a craft service assistant on "Ride," an independent feature shot in Jacksonville in the summer of 1997. It was during an organizing action on this production that he joined Local 477 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the AFL-CIO affiliated labor union that represents Florida's Professional Filmworkers.
Over the following eighteen years Chris built a reputation as one of Florida's top craft service providers -- the person on set who supplies beverages and snacks to the cast and crew between catered meals -- amassing credits as head of department (key crafty) on more than two dozen feature film and television productions in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2005, Chris traveled from Miami and the Florida Keys to the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, and Uruguay as key crafty on Michael Mann’s feature film “Miami Vice” – a highlight of his career. His other Florida-based productions include “Tigerland” (1999), “The Flamingo Rising” (2000), “Sunshine State” (2001), “Out of Time” (2002), “The Punisher” (2004), “The Hawk is Dying” (2004), “Lonely Hearts” (2005), HBO’s “Recount” (2007), “Endure” (2009), “Step Up Revolution” (2010), and “Iron Man 3” (2012). He finished his craft service career on “Dolphin Tale 2” (2013-14).
Since 2010, Chris has served as president of I.A.T.S.E. Local 477, which has jurisdiction in Florida for the majority of the on- and off-set working crew on motion picture productions. He is chair of COMPASS - the Congress of Motion Picture Associations of Florida – a legislative advocacy group for the Florida men and women who work in movie and television production and the Florida small businesses that support the industry. From 2010-2014, Chris was a Senate appointee to the Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council. He is very proud to be a member of Leadership Florida Class XXXIII. Chris has lived in beautiful St. Augustine since 1999.
Patty Wolfe- A DGA Director, Patty began her career as a producer/director more than 30 years ago at ABC Network Television. She’s worked for Good Morning America and ABC Sports covering the Olympics, Super Bowls, Triple Crown Horse Racing, and many other events on Wide World of Sports. She produced stage shows for Kathie Lee Gifford and a Christmas Special for CBS. Patty was producer and co-owner of the Jim Thorpe Pro Sports Awards, the first pro sports awards show on television from 1992-1995. In addition to producing, she helped establish the elite panel of voters, presenters, and advertisers. All of this hard work and dedication to her career in network television earned her 3 three Sports Emmy Awards, a Directors Guild of America recognition, and recently an Eclipse Award for one of her features in Thoroughbred racing media.
Alexa Sheehan- (tentative) DGA- Moderator and contributor
Panel 3D- Creative Drone Operation
Chris Odom- Chris Odom is an aerial cinematographer and DP based in Florida. Chris established FireFly Media Group in 2013 and quickly became a trusted resource for drone aerial cinematography production throughout Florida. Chris currently serves as FireFly Media Group's CEO and chief pilot, having logged more than 1200 hours flying for feature films, television and commercials.
Robert Starling- The founder of Starling Productions, Robert Starling, is a veteran producer, cinematographer, Steadicam operator, aerial cinematographer, and FAA licensed drone pilot. Having worked in the cinematography industry for more than 30 years, he and his team have partnered with some of the largest companies and brands in the world, traveling throughout the United States and internationally for clients such as: DreamWorks, Honda, Viacom, Warner Bros, Hilton Hotels, Sony, HBO, Disney, MTV, Marriott Hotels, CBS, NBC and the BBC.
and from Precision Aerial Fimworks:
Keith Colodny SOC- Keith started working at Universal Hollywood as a runner and PA back in the eighties and continued there while in college, eventually moving to Florida for the opening of Universal Orlando. Soon after the parks opening Keith changed careers and became a professional Firefighter Paramedic and promptly founded the Fire departments Media Services Team which kept him in the production game.
In 1998 Keith started a small production company and shot commercial product spots and independent documentaries while continuing service with the Fire Department.
After 15 years on a Fire Truck and Ambulance he moved to Special Operations and has been working as a crew member on the Fire Departments Trauma Helicopter ever since.
In 2009 he decided to put his two passions together and founded Precision Aerial Filmworks.
Before the advent of drones, Keith utilized RC Helicopters with self-built gimbals to lift DSLR’s and eventually cinema cameras.
Now, more than 10 years later Precision Aerial Filmworks has grown to become one of the oldest and most trusted aerial cinematography companies in the industry. Utilizing only licensed pilots and award winning camera operators PAF is the go to drone company for flying cinema packages including RED and ARRI for TV and Cinema and is the exclusive aerial company for Universal Orlando. Our clients include all major networks as well as Nat Geo, Discovery, HGTV, MTV, Netflix, Amazon and more. Keith remains as the Lead cinematographer at PAF and is a member of the Society of Camera Operators.
TODD TUCKER- Todd is a licensed Pilot, Stunt pilot, RC Pilot, and an FAA Part 107 certified drone Pilot. Todd has thousands of hours logged in full scale fixed wing single and multi-engine aircraft and just as many in unmanned aircraft.
He is also a Captain and Paramedic with the Fire Department and is where he met Keith Colodny more than 20 years ago. In 2014 he came on board as Chief Pilot and Compliance Officer at Precision Aerial Filmworks and has become of the premiere “Film” Pilots in the industry.
Specializing in heavy lift systems, Todd trains all PAF pilots to fly in excess of FAA standards.
In 2017 Todd became a partner and Vice President at PAF and is an integral part of the company’s future.