SCVNews.com | Indie Film Financing in View at Next ‘New Heights’ Event

Filmmakers are invited to attend the free New Heights: Build an Audience, Fund Your Film discussion on Wednesday, Aug. 31, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Century Room at Santa Clarita City Hall, located at 23920 Valencia Boulevard.

The panel discussion will share secrets to success and discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of indie film financing. Included on the panel are actors, producers and crowdfunding professionals who have first-hand experience building an audience and fundraising through crowdfunding.

Featured on the panel will be Leah Cevoli, Etta Devine, Elizabeth Dell, Nicole Miceli and Jennifer Fischer. These panelists have successfully raised millions of dollars for feature films, short films and web series. They have also presented at the popular San Diego Comic Con and other national events.

Leah Cevoli is a crowdfunding and social media consultant who has managed more than 40 campaigns, raising more than $3.5 million for feature films, short films, documentaries, web series, theatre, books, comedy albums, music albums, music festivals, a clothing line, video games, start-up companies and more. Through Greenlight Your Passion Project, Cevoli has worked with clients, such as Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings, Goonies), Jim Beaver (Deadwood, Supernatural), Mark Marshall (Free Willy, Harry Potter) and Jim Michaels (Supernatural).

Etta Devine is an actor, writer and filmmaker. She recently directed and starred in the feature, Diani & Devine Meet the Apocalypse, after raising $100,000 for it on Kickstarter. Devine published Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Robotic Edition) with $30,000 from Kickstarter and has advised on several other crowdfunded projects. Devine also provides voices for multiple characters on the hit cartoon Bee and Puppycat.

Elizabeth Dell leads the China Task Force for the Producers Guild of America and is half of the team behind Two Camel Films. Dell produced B-Girl, a narrative hip-hop dance feature that was distributed worldwide and available on Showtime, Encore and Starz. She is also the CFO and co-founder of Array Entertainment, a slate fund focused on female-driven films. She produces digital media and her latest crowdfunding campaign for her short film, Helen, raised 200% of its original goal. The project was the fastest Seed & Spark campaign to achieve full financing for a project, doing so in the first 12 hours of the campaign launch.

Nicole Miceli is committed to closing the gender gap in Hollywood and is a graduate of the William Esper Studio. Her female-driven web series, Tarantella, began as a single scene and quickly became a multi-season web series, making Miceli’s filmmaking debut. Tarantella was her first experience with crowdfunding and her unwavering commitment and determination led her to surpass her crowdfunding goal. Miceli says the two-year journey as the creator, writer and executive producer for Tarantella has been one of the most transformative experiences in her life.

Jennifer Fischer is a filmmaker, arts educator and film curator. Her last multi-award winning film, Smuggled, saw her tackling self-distribution, successfully securing theatrical screening events at universities, colleges and community organizations throughout the United States and abroad. Fischer founded and ran the Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival for seven years and prides herself on supporting other indie filmmakers. She has successfully crowdfunded both a feature documentary film and a short narrative film.

The New Heights discussion series is an annual Artist Development series through the City of Santa Clarita. New Heights is designed to assist artists, filmmakers, performers and arts organization representatives to expand their knowledge and to learn valuable tools to increase their ability to be successful. The series includes workshops, panel discussions, lectures and classes that are aimed to engage creative individuals, no matter the level of experience.

For more information about the New Heights series, please contact the City’s Arts and Events Supervisor, Jeff Barber, at (661) 250-3779 or jbarber@santa-clarita.com. Additional information about this workshop and future events can be found by visiting santa-clarita.com/Arts.


	Build An Audience, Fund Your Film Four crowdfunding rock stars share the secrets to their success as they discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of indie film financing. The panel features actors, producers, and crowdfunding professionals with first-hand experience building audience and fundraising through crowdfunding. Panelists have successfully raised millions of dollars for feature films, short-films, and web-series and have presented at San Diego Comic Con and other national events. Join us and get empowered to build your audience and finance your next film! Panelists include: Leah Cevoli (producer and crowdfunding professional at Greenlight Your Passion Project), Etta Devine (The Selling, Diani & Devine Meet the Apocalypse), Elizabeth Dell (Helen, Tiger Mother, B-Girl) and Nicole Miceli (Tarantella) with moderator Jennifer Fischer (former founder/director of the Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival and indie producer, Underdogs: The Story of a Successful Public School, SMUGGLED, and The wHOLE.) Visit the New Heights: Artist Development Workshop website

The City of Santa Clarita City Council and Arts Commission is proud to present the New Heights: Artist Development Workshops, which is designed to assist artists, performers, and arts organization representatives to expand their knowledge and to learn valuable tools to increase their ability to be successful. The series comprises workshops, panel discussions, and art trips that are designed to engage creative individuals, no matter what level of experience.