SRQ Independent Films Arrives; Mark Troy Marches On

With ManaSota Films Project barely a year old, founder Mark Troy has already begun laying the groundwork for expansion and building the next step in creating a self-sustaining Sarasota film community. Between opening a new film distribution center, networking with local film enthusiasts and professionals and arranging ManaSota Films’ first bi-coastal alliance, Troy’s vision for film in Sarasota is a welcome addition to our already passionate film community.

The Business of Creativity: Filmmaker Panel on Balancing Budget and Artistry

This morning, SRQ Media Group held the Show Me the Money panel featuring six filmmakers and investors—Mark Famiglio, Marty Hurwitz, Rob Sterrett, Shawn Telford, John Stuart Wildman, and Victor Young—hosted by Jeanne Corcoran, director of the Sarasota County Film and Entertainment Office, about raising money to finance independent film.

SRQ hosting film financing panel

Show me the money! It’s more than a classic movie line for many of the filmmakers in town for the Sarasota Film Festival. Now investors and artists alike are invited to a special panel hosted by SRQ Media Group in our Pineapple Avenue offices on Wednesday, April 9. How do filmmakers connect with investors? How do producers know where to devote their time, talent and treasure? We seek to answer those questions and more.

Doors open at 10:30am and the panel will start at 11am. Brunch is provided at this free event. Our offices are locates at 331 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, just south of Ringling Boulevard.

Jeanne Corcoran, director of the Sarasota County Film and Entertainment Office, will moderate this panel of producers, directors, agents and experts on the challenging world of show business. Panelists include:

Mark Famiglio, co-founder and president of the Sarasota Film Festival and co­founder and CEO of Copytalk, a revolutionary voice to text data integration service based in Sarasota.

Shawn Telford, director of BFE, a feature-length independent film hosting its world premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival financed partially using the crowd-sourcing capabilities of Kickstarter.

Martin Hurwitz, founder of Conceptioneering and a former Hollywood agent who ran his own firm and previously represented talent through the William Morris Agency.

Victor Young, producer at Media and Management Global and CEO of V. Young Enterprises. He is currently attached to Stratosphere, a movie currently in production.

Rob Sterrett, associate producer of Chu and Blossom, a feature film screening this year at the Sarasota Film Festival. He has been a freelance producer for 22 years.

John Stuart Wildman, director of The Ladies of the House, which screened at this year’s Sarasota Film Festival. Wildman is senior publicist for the Film Society at Lincoln Center.