Get tips and tools on how to polish your pitches. Hear pitches from our XIV Fast Track Fellows & 3 winners of the ISA Virtual Pitch Challenge. For more info about the latest Pitch Challenge, CLICK HERE.

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PANELISTS:
Alrik Bursell
Bursell is a freelance shooter/editor/producer who’s worked on feature films and corporate videos. He has directed five short films including Strange Thing, which played at over 20 film festivals worldwide. Alrik has also worked on commercial videos for brands such as the NFL, Comcast Xfinity and HBO. Alrik is currently working as a Post Production Producer at Glass & Marker in Oakland, California. Alrik is also one of the hosts of Making Movies is HARD!!! a popular indie filmmaking podcast and his first feature film The Alternate is currently playing the film festival circuit.

Leyla Kader Dahm - Literary Manager at Zero Gravity Entertainment
Kader Dahm is a literary manager and Zero Gravity Entertainment. After earning her master’s degree in Communication at Cornell University, Leyla turned her attention toward a career in film. She started out in development and production at Miramax/Dimension Films and went on to become a sought-after, high-level script analyst for clients such as Mike De Luca Productions, Broadway Video, The Weinstein Company, and Big Beach. Most recently, Leyla ran the film development department for Hollywood veterans Ed Jones and Cary Granat and was in charge of the narrative for rock star Perry Farrell’s proposed Las Vegas immersive experience, Kind Heaven. Leyla is a prolific writer and is the author of the YA novel Annabeth Neverending and sold her original screenplay, SURVIVAL INSTINCT, to Nickelodeon Original Films. Her focus is on representing minority and female voices.

Rebecca Windsor
Windsor is the Head of the Warner Bros. Television Workshop, the premier writing and directing program for artists looking to start or further their careers in television. As an extension of her role developing new talent, Rebecca helped launch Warner Bros. digital brand Stage13, overseeing the critically acclaimed Snatchers, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and SXSW, and Special, which premiered on Netflix and garnered four Emmy nominations. Previously, she was the Creative Producing Initiative Manager of the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, playing a key role in coordinating the Screenwriters and Directors Labs, Episodic Story Lab, and Creative Producing Lab and Summit. Prior to Sundance, Rebecca was Manager of Development at Samuel L. Jackson’s television company, UppiTV, and at Mandeville Films. She started her career as an assistant at the Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann Agency and ICM. A San Diego native, she attended Northwestern University, where she received a BS in Theatre.

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EVENT SPONSORS:
FINAL DRAFT: Co-founded in 1990 by Marc Madnick and Ben Cahan, Final Draft has published its screenwriting software for over 30 years. Used by such elite creatives as J.J. Abrams and Bong Joon Ho, the software is described as “the professional’s choice and the entertainment industry standard.” Developed by and for writers, Final Draft 12 offers a new level of flexibility to accommodate various styles of working. Its functions include “Focus Mode,” which allows users to eliminate distractions on screen, as they work, and “Track Changes,” which keeps a record of script edits. A key new feature present in the Final Draft update is an oft-requested “PDF Import” function, which allows users to convert PDFS into fully-editable Final Draft files.

CINEQUEST: Our Partners at the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival empower writers and artists across the globe through inspiration, opportunity, recognition, and growth. Now, in the 17th year of the festival, Cinequest presents screenwriters with virtually countless networking opportunities, increased industry visibility, and the chance to win extraordinary acclaim and prizes. The Competition welcomes screenplays and teleplays of all genres and lengths and provides unique opportunities for writers to be discovered, have their work produced, win CASH prizes, and further inspire their creative fervor.

WB TV Workshop
For over 40 years, the Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop has been the premiere writing program for new writers looking to start and further their career in the world of television. Every year, the Workshop selects up to eight participants out of more than 2,500 submissions and exposes them to Warner Bros. Television’s top writers and executives, all with the ultimate goal of earning them a staff position on a Warner Bros.-produced television show. The Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop consists of three components, all geared towards preparing the writer for a successful career in television writing.