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Icon industry mogul Larry Namer talks about "Empress".... and the business of Entertainment. A cable industry pioneer, Mr. Namer began his career in 1971 at Time Incorporated Manhattan Cable, and served as Vice President and General Manager of Valley Cable Television (VCTV) in Los Angeles, the nation's first 61-channel two-way cable system. His vision and direction garnered VCTV several Emmy and Cable ACE award nominations, as well as recognition by Forbes magazine as the national model for local cable television programming. In 1989, he was awarded the prestigious President's Award from the National Cable Television Association. In recent years, Mr. Namer has become recognized as one of the world's leading experts on new technology and how it is fundamentally altering the business of international media and entertainment. Among the companies that have enlisted his expertise are Microsoft, Paul Allen's Digeo, World Digital Media Group (a joint venture of Radio Shack), EchoStar and Sirius Radio network. Mr. Namer's latest venture, Metan Development Group (Metan) was created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for Chinese speaking audiences in China and abroad. 

Award-winning filmmaker Jeff Witzeman’s latest documentary “Flipping the Script” will be released worldwide on Vimeo on Demand on September 21. The film places the spotlight on children in America affected by cancer and what parents must face when they try to take control of their child’s treatment plans.  http://flippingthescript.com/Trailer: https://vimeo.com/287185554 In the film, Witzeman unveils the truth on how the US medical system forces unnecessary chemotherapy treatments on children in remission, threaten parents with legal action, and forces some families to move to other states or even out of the country to pursue the treatments they feel to be in the best interest of their child. Witzeman also interviews top North America traditional medical doctors and naturopathic physicians to help provide more insight on this controversial topic. “Doctors want it, parents want it, children want it. There's not a person in the world who doesn't want non-toxic cancer treatment for children that works and is scientifically supported . . . well, except one group — those that profit from toxic treatment,” comments Witzeman. “And right now they control our world. It is up to us to demand better. My hope is that my films give people the strength and knowledge to take matters into their own hands and heal.  It is inexcusable that children should be tortured and killed just to protect chemotherapy drug manufacturers.” “Flipping the Script” will be available on Amazon Prime on September 28 and soon on Google Play, iTunes and via DVD. Witzeman’s first film, the award-winning documentary “Cancer Can Be Killed” has been named an official documentary selection in the 2018 Glendale International Film Festival. (www.glendaleinternationalfilmfestival.com) “Cancer Can Be Killed” will be the documentary feature, screened as part of the Cancer Awareness Block C2, scheduled from 4:30 PM – 7 PM on Sunday, October 7, 2018 at the Glendale Laemmle Theatre at 207 N. Maryland Avenue, Glendale, CA 91206. A Q&A with the filmmaker will follow the screening. Witzeman was inspired to make the film after his wife Kerry was cured and cancer free after receiving non-traditional treatments in Europe in 2015. In the film, Witzeman goes on a quest to find out why his wife was cured of her stage three cancer in 30 days, via natural treatments commonly used in Germany, instead of pursuing the often aggressive, traditional methods promoted by the U.S. medical community, such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. He also captures the stories of other patients who pursued more natural alternatives and interviews leading medical professionals and government officials on both sides of the issue. He explores the reasons why traditional medicine in the U.S. does not follow the more natural, less toxic and often painless approaches to treatment, that are also significantly less expensive.   The film was named an official selection of the 2018 Sonoma International Film Festival, 2018 North Hollywood Cinefest, Depth of Field International Film Festival http://dofiff.com/ ,  and Documentaries Without Borders Film Festival http://dwbff1.com that give the film its highest award.   Before making his first film “Cancer Can Be Killed” in 2017, Witzeman worked as an actor, writer and musician. In the 90’s he starred in such shows as Frazier, Webster and a Miller Genuine Draft Super Bowl commercial. In 2000, Jeff Witzeman & The Jealous Housewives became the most radio played unsigned band in America, as tracked by Gavin. 

Shari O’Donnell is a producer, private equity broker and the founder of Nantosuelta Entertainment (www.nantosueltaentertainment.com). Her company offers the world's leading film incentive package for filming in Ireland. With over a decade of experience as head of production at leading production companies such as Zanzibar Films and Olympia Films, she has produced and sold several film slates. She holds a BA in law from Dublin Business School and an MA in film finance. Since 2009, she has been brokering film deals on behalf of high net worth individuals. Ms. O’Donnell set up Nantosuelta Entertainment in 2017 to offer Ireland’s film incentive (32% of up to EUR 70 million per film), in advance to any filmmaker who shoots in Ireland, making her company one of the only companies in the world offering this service. Her company also offers additional private equity with its current production slate primarily focused on Irish historical and folklore storytelling.   Ms. O’Donnell recently produced “Penance,” an Irish language feature film starring Peter Coonan and in 2009, she was part of the team of producers who found former president Barack Obama’s ancestral roots in Ireland, leading to the documentary and presidential visit on their findings. The same year, she won the Golden Palm Award for “The Lost World of the Crystal Skull,” a feature documentary film based on the lost city of Atlantis. She is based in LA and frequents Ireland regularly with her productions. She is currently in production with “Lara’s Home” alongside Thierry Potok (The Bourne Supremacy, Casino Royal, Mission Impossible) and Hemnen, a Norwegian co-production directed by Nils Gaup (Pathfinder).

Kate Rees Davies speaks to Monica on Indie Entertainment Podcast.   Award-winning British filmmaker Kate Rees Davies is the moderator of “Production Without Borders.” Six of her shorts have screened at Cannes and her feature film “Altered Perception” recently was released theatrically in the USA and is now available on DVD, Amazon and iTunes. She was the first independent filmmaker to shoot on 4K with the Sony F65 and as a result, has had her work distributed on the Sony 4K TV. She has several projects in various stages of development and pre-production and is currently exploring the world of VR. Her next project in development is a documentary about women in rock and roll. She also serves on the board of Women In Media, The Alliance of Women Directors and NAMIC, and is a strong advocate for creating more opportunities for women and underrepresented communities within the entertainment industry. She organized and moderated the 2017 AFM panel “The Future is Female,” featuring Geena Davis. Award-winning British filmmaker 

Bodvár Hafström speaks to Monica about Official National Rosé Day, family and tradition.  On June 9, 2018 Bodvár – House of Rosés will have its annual afternoon soirée to celebrate the Official National Rosé Day by Bodvár in the beautiful waterfront setting of Marina del Rey, California. Official National Rosé Day by Bodvár was first established in 2014 by Bodvár Hafström, and since then, the celebration of the rosé lifestyle has become a worldwide phenomenon. Recently during the 71st Cannes Film Festival, Bodvár – House of Rosés held a special kick-off reception for National Rosé Day at the Members’ Club at Le Grand 45, in celebration of the Provence-made, award-winning wine.    Bodvár Hafström comments, “I am pleased to invite everyone to share in the passion my wife Ann and I hold for rosé, as we prepare for the Official National Rosé Day’ on June 9 in Marina del Rey, California, when wine lovers around the world will unite in celebration of rosé.”   Bodvár – House of Rosés will be represented at several celebrations around the globe when cities Stockholm, Berlin, Rotterdam, Sydney and Sardinia will join Bodvár Hafström in the traditional rosé toast, to be held in Los Angeles on June 9th. Hollywood’s favorite rosé, Bodvár Rosé was the exclusive rosé wine served backstage to nominees and presenters at the 90th Academy Awards, as well as to guests at Cinemoi’s annual Oscar viewing party and the star-studded Race to Erase MS Gala in Beverly Hills. Recently, Decanter Magazine’s World Wine Awards presented Bodvár No. 5 with the esteemed Gold Prize and in April, Bodvár No. 1 received the Silver Prize at THE Rose Competition 2018, part of the American Fine Wine Competition.   https://www.instagram.com/bodvarrose/ www.bodvarrose.com    

On this episode - Sariann Monaco gives insights into the industry.  Actress/Producer Sariann Monaco is writer of the Telly-awarded films "Down Stage" and writer and co-director of "Absent."  She has co-produced several projects for Heartland Films, Inc. Monaco is the narrator of the Telly-award winning film "One" and voices the sassy waitress in 2016's "Top Cat Begins" animation film, directed by Charlie Adler. She has been recognized internationally for her voice-over work for Nature Made Vitamins and Sambazon Acai. Ms. Monaco is represented by VOX Inc., LA and is a Second City Chicago alumna. Her on-camera work includes "The Saddle" and "Between Bullets and her commercial appearance in ''Check Your Sources: Hashtags" San Diego won an ADDY award. She was nominated for best actress at the 2015 San Diego Film Awards. She has judged the regional Emmy awards and the annual San Diego Film Festival and serves on the advisory board for “My Power of One" charity.  Filmmaker Sariann will be a guest on a film panel and the Cannes Film Festival.   

Monica speaks to Inspirational filmmaker for all ages and genders, Sue Vicory Three time Telly Award-winning filmmaker, Sue Vicory (www.suevicory.com)  has been creating community-based films and projects within her not for profit production company, Heartland Films, Inc. since 2003. Her works include  "Homelessness & the Power of One,” feature documentaries “One” and "Kansas City Jazz & Blues; Past, Present & Future" and short films “Absent” and "1898, The W.F. Norman Story. In 2015, she founded Team XX, an all female team of 25 filmmakers that created the award-winning film “Down Stage.” Vicory is a member of the LA based Alliance of Women Directors and creator of the website www.womendocumentaryfilmmakers.com to increase visibility for female filmmakers. Three time Telly Award winning filmmaker, Sue Vicory was born in DeKalb, Illinois and grew up in the Midwest.  Sue has been married to her college sweetheart Jay since 1978. They have raised 2 daughters, Tracy and Katy. Sue began working at her family’s business, W.F. Norman Corp. in Nevada, Missouri in 1987 where she is currently co-owner and CFO of the business. She received a Master’s Degree from Webster University in Computer Resource Management. Sue is a long time runner and has completed 3 marathons. Her other life passions are film, music, travel and anything outdoors. Sue and her husband have a weekend farm that they retreat to and spend holidays at with their children. Since 2003 Sue’s extra time has been spent creating community based films and projects within her not for profit production company Heartland Films, Inc. Her first film was entitled “Homelessness & the Power of One“. The film debuted in 2005, shortly after Katrina hit New Orleans. It went on to raise $200,000 for shelters while winning numerous awards. The ten minute documentary took 3 years to make as she traveled to 15 cities across the U.S. The film screened across the nation and Sue spoke to dozens of groups about the experience of meeting those that were homeless. Sue screened the film at a luncheon for Steve Lopez (The Soloist) and also won an emerging filmmaker grant sponsored by General Motors and Women in Film. Sue won the Spirit Award in 2007 from Kansas City Women in Film & TV and the Angel Award in Harlem, NY. The My Power of One project was born out of this first film.  Sue spent 9 months in two urban high schools creating community based projects with students. She went on to create food and coat drives at her family business engaging other businesses to join in. Sue’s next film took 5 years to create and finish. The feature documentary, “Kansas City Jazz & Blues; Past, Present & Future“ debuted as a sneak peek in 2010 at the Gem theater on 18th & Vine in Kansas City with Marilyn Maye headlining the red carpet event.  The full release of the film was in 2011 as it aired on PBS in June of 2011 and January of 2012. On the heels of that film’s release came another short film in 2011 called “1898, The W.F. Norman story“. This 20 minute film tells the story of Sue’s family business which has been in continuous operation since 1898. It is a historic look at a manufacturing process that has stood the test of time while creating products for movie sets, Disney World, casinos, celebrity homes and historic preservation projects worldwide. Sue’s fourth film “One” a feature documentary premiered in July of 2014. One is a  film about global humanity with regards to our individual significance and impact within it. The film has been submitted to film festivals around the world. It has won a 2014 Telly Award and is on the film festival circuit.  A companion book, After the Question has been written by her daughter Tracy and illustrated by her other daughter Katy. It is currently available on Amazon and Kindle, both in hard copy and digital download. In addition to that a bronze statue was commissioned named “Humanity” created by artist Maidy Morhous. A video called “The Making of Humanity” narrates that journey. Most recently Sue created Team XX, an all female team of filmmakers. Team XX was the first ever all female team to enter the 48 hour San Diego film project. A team of 25 women created the film “Down Stage“. It has been nominated for a San Diego film award and won a 2016 Telly award. Sue’s short narrative film “Absent” was made in late 2014. Within 120 days we took the vision of Sariann Monaco from script to screen. It had its world premiere in San Diego and won 1st place in the Audience Choice Awards. The film was also nominated for three awards at the San Diego film festival and won a 2015 Telly Award. Recently produced was the “My Power of One“ web series Pilot using many of the A-list actors in San Diego. Two episodes were shot in the Spring/Summer of 2015. www.facebook.com/MyPowerof1 has all the updates. www.mypowerofone.com will stream the series. “Women Documentary Filmmakers” is a web site Sue created for the visibility of women documentary filmmakers from around the world.   Learn more about Sue  - www.suevicory.com  

Monica speaks to Kamala Lopez, Filmmaker, Actress and Activist. Kamala Lopez, executive director, Equal Means Equal and president of Heroica Films, launched the movement and accompanying film to educate Americans about the importance of equal rights under federal law for women. The film is executive produced by Liz Lopez and Patricia Arquette, and received Best US Documentary Audience Award in 2016 at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival.  “It is extremely heartening to see Hollywood embrace the Equal Rights Amendment and help push for final ratification in the last two states. Eugenia Kuzmina is taking a strong role and position in the issue and the event at her lovely home began an important industry dialogue that will have far reaching effects on the global population of women and girls.  It is fitting that the entertainment industry, proudly progressive on the whole, would champion a Constitutional amendment that would finally see all Americans as equal under law,” explains Lopez. Equal Means Equal is a labor of love that Lopez embarked on over eight years ago when she first realized that women still did not have Constitutional protections in the United States and that most Americans did not know that. The Equal Means Equal initiative supports the ratification of the ERA in its current form with the objective of educating individuals and engaging communities regarding the role of the amendment in eradicating inequities facing women across the United States.   The ERA, which simply reads: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex,” was first introduced in 1923 and passed by Congress for States’ ratification in 1972.    

Monica interviews Greg Sestero, who portrayed Mark in The Room and served as its line producer, wrote The Disaster Artist based on his experiences working on the film. A number of publications have labeled The Room one of the worst films ever made. Ross Morin, an assistant professor of film studies at Connecticut College, described The Room as "the Citizen Kane of bad movies".[3] Originally shown only in a limited number of California theaters, The Room quickly became a cult film due to its bizarre and unconventional storytelling, technical and narrative flaws, and Wiseau's off-kilter performance. Although Wiseau has retrospectively described the film as a black comedy, audiences have generally viewed it as a poorly-made drama, an opinion shared by some of the cast. The Room is a 2003 American drama film written, directed, produced by and starring Tommy Wiseau, and co-starring Greg Sestero and Juliette Danielle. The film centers on a melodramatic love triangle between amiable banker Johnny (Wiseau), his deceptive fiancée Lisa (Danielle) and his conflicted best friend Mark (Sestero). A significant portion of the film is dedicated to a series of unrelated subplots, most of which involve at least one supporting character and are left unresolved due to the film's inconsistent narrative structure. According to Wiseau, the title alludes to the potential of a room to be the site of both good and bad events;[4] the stage play from which the screenplay is derived takes place in a single room.[5] The Disaster Artist, Sestero's memoir of the making of The Room, was co-written with Tom Bissell and published in 2013. A film of the same name based on the book, directed by and starring James Franco, was released on December 1, 2017; both the book and film received widespread acclaim and numerous award nominations. The Room also inspired an unofficial video game adaptation, The Room Tribute, released on Newgrounds in 2010.

Monica speaks to Director Danny A. Abeskaser - get your copy Tuesday - May 1 First We Take Brooklyn, starring Danny A. Abeckaser, AnnaLynne McCord, Harvey Keitel, Charlotte McKinney, Edoardo Ballerini and Kathrine Narducci, brings grit and drama to the big screen in a feature film showcasing the dark life faced by the lead character upon return to his hometown of Brooklyn, following an intense Israeli prison stint. Directed by Abeckaser as his directorial debut, and co-written by Abeckaser with actor and producer Jon Carlo, Abeckaser was compelled and determined to direct and star in the crime drama himself, to ensure the story was portrayed exactly how he envisioned it. The film hit theatres in NYC, Brooklyn, NJ, Long Island and Westchester on February 9th, following a February 7th New York premiere at Regal Battery Park.  Los Angeles and Miami opened on February 15th. It maintained in theatres for several weeks, in a top 10 slot per screen. Sony’s home box office division 4Digital will release on VOD and DVD release for May 1st, Direct TV, Time Warner, iTunes, Amazon Video, Fandango Now, Playstation, Redbox AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, Dish, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Frontier, Vudu, Microsoft and Google . Additionally, the DVD will be carried in Walmarts and other stores across the country. The movie has also been distributed in Israel and in various other countries under the name Brooklyn Guns. First We Take Brooklyn has been a three-year long passion project for Abeckaser, who used his integral and applaudable hustle to get the film written, funded and made.  Being Israeli born and Brooklyn raised, First We Take Brooklyn utilizes Abeckaser’s knowledge of both geographic cultures to create a captivating film guaranteed to keep the attention of the viewer and get them buzzing. The movie was shot entirely on location in Brooklyn, New York with a few scenes in Manhattan, to ensure all elements were as authentic as possible, which also allowed the actors to truly immerse themselves into the story. “This has been a long time passion project with lots of blood, sweat and tears behind it, and therefore I am so beyond excited for it to finally be ready for release. Being born in Israel and raised in Brooklyn, I knew these kinds of characters my entire life, it’s my DNA, so I was determined to direct this film to properly bring these incredible people to life through incredible actors, and see the vision to fruition.” - Danny A. Abeckaser

Monica speaks to Leslie Zemeckis - an American Filmmaker and Director. As a historian of American pop culture, Leslie Zemeckis continues bringing to life the stories of marginalized women. You have wrote, produced and directed the critically acclaimed documentary “Behind the Burly Q,” a Showtime documentary revealing never-before told stories of women from the golden age of burlesque, and the award-winning documentary “Bound by Flesh” about Siamese superstars Daisy and Violet Hilton, chronicles an important part of American entertainment from a bygone era, delving into the world of circus and carnival life in the early part of the 20th Century. Her newest award-winning film, “Mabel, Mabel, Tiger Trainer,” tells the empowering story of the world’s first female tiger trainer and will be released domestically on DVD and streaming platforms (Amazon and Vimeo) beginning April 10. The talented Zemeckis has many credits her career details can be found here on imdb. @lesliezemeckis  

Monica speaks to Taura Stinson, who is a songwriter known for co-writing collaborations with artists such as Usher, Ariana Grande, Raphael Saadiq, Andre 3000, Destiny’s Child and many more. She talks about celebrating her first “Best Original Song” Academy Award nomination for “Mighty River”—a song she co-wrote with Saadiq (a frequent collaborator) and Mary J. Blige—which appears in the film Mudbound.  Performed by Mary J. Blige, the song has already garnered a Golden Globe Nomination and is the high point of a celebrated songwriting career. The 90th edition of the Academy Awards will air on March 4th. While this is Stinson’s first Oscar nomination, it’s not her first time on the Oscar stage. Stinson sang in the choir at the 2015 Academy Awards for Common and John Legend’s performance of the Oscar-winning song, “Glory” from Selma.   A long list of her work and accomplishments in bio below. Listen to “Mighty River” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAJpEVv2XHw Says Stinson: “The inspiration for the song title “Mighty River” came from the idea of washing the mud from lives, both literally and metaphorically.  The song is about the redemption of the two families featured in the film.  It is a song about forgiveness and hope.  We wanted to use the song as a platform to inspire and affect change.” ABOUT TAURA STINSON Taura Stinson is a Veteran songwriter Born in Birmingham, AL and raised in Oakland, CA. In her early career she penned songs for artists including Destiny’s Child, Kelis, Kelly Rowland and Deborah Cox and has collaborated with Raphael Saadiq, Dr. Dre, Yukimi Nagano of Little Dragon, Kanye West and Andre 3000 among many others.  Her very first film soundtrack placement was on “Men in Black” and she has sense worked on various mediums ranging from Film, TV and a wide range of artists. She co-wrote the Grammy nominated single on the Illumination album called “Show Me The Way” for the legendary band, Earth, Wind and Fire. Taura and her long time writing partner, Raphael Saadiq wrote and produced the song “Gonna Be Alright” performed by Steven Tyler (AEROSMITH) for the animated film starring Beyonce titled “Epic”. They also wrote and produced ALL of the songs for the Musical film “Black Nativity” starring Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, Jacob Latimore, Mary J Blige, Luke James, Tyrese and Nas. Taura and Raphael were nominated for the “Ashford and Simpson Songwriters award as well as Grammy nomination for their collaboration on the song they also co-wrote called “Good Man” on Saadiq’s Stone Rollin Album on which she was a featured artist. Taura is also a freelance A&R consultant garnering a Grammy win for her first A&R project, “The Awakening of LeAndria Johnson”. In addition, Taura was A&R director for Music World Entertainment and BET’S “Sunday Best” franchise for contestants and winners including Amber Bullock, Joshua Rogers, Andrea Helms, Elder Goldwire and Alexis Spight, who were released Top 10 Gospel Singles/Albums. Taura works with a variety of artists as a vocal producer/arranger/choir coordinator from various genres as including but not limited to, Paloma Faith, Kim Burrell, Trombone Shorty, Chaka Khan, Paris Hilton, The Reef Band, Patti Labelle and the television show, “The Underground” among others. Taura served as lead lyricist for the animated film “Rio 2” starring Oscar Winners Jamie Foxx and Anne Hathaway. She also co-wrote “Airplay”, the end title for the film “Beyond TheLights” and “Champions”, the end title for the 2016 film “Hands of Stone” featuring Usher and Ruben Blades.

Monica speaks to - Wild The Coyote and Badd Wolf as they share their story of how they came to make the amazing sounds. Indie Entertainment (News) Magazine while covering Sundance Film Festival, visited the Stateroom in Salt Lake City for Blackkiss Album showcase. Wild The Coyote and Badd Wolf opened for their friend Pete Sands, a native american up and coming artist.  Catch Wild The Coyote at the Viper Room in LA.  Monday Feb 12 About: A unique collaboration between country music and hip-hop emerged in the summer of 2017 when small town folk artist Wild the Coyote and Los Angeles raised rapper Badd Wolf were booked together to perform at Interscope Recording artist Yelawolf’s 3rd annual Music festival, Slumfest, in Nashville TN. Since taking on the stage name Wild the Coyote and Badd Wolf, the dynamic duo have headlined stages from Hollywood’s infamous Viper Room to Harley Davidson private parties. Styles of sound ranging from blues and dark-country to head bopping hip hop and soul. The team has recently begun traveling to perform in major cities in the U.S. and with the release of their debut single “Old Man”, Wild the Coyote and the Badd Wolf intend to hit the road and never look back. In February 2018 they will be the headlining music act at “Mama Tried,” Harley Davidson’s event at the Harley Davidson museum in Milwaukee.  

Monica speaks to writer/creator Cesar Mazarigos about his new series “High & Mighty”, which screens @ Sundance Film Festival.  is a buddy comedy and has been described as Unbreakable meets Friday – a superhero, but only when he’s drunk, stoned or high. The series is directed by rising director Carlos Lopez Estrada (who also premiering at the festival with his feature Blindspotting).   About Cesar:   The newcomer writer/creator Cesar Mazariegos (who pitched the series during a break from his job working at an LA mortuary) and rising director Carlos Lopez Estrada (who also has Blindspotting premiering at the festival), it stars a solid cast of established character actors including Jorge Diaz ("The Long Road Home," "East Los High"), James Eckhouse (The Avengers, S.W.A.T., "All The Way," "Beverly Hills 90210), Shakira Barrera ("Glow," "Rosewood"), Chelsea Rendon ("Bright").     Additional Sundance Film Festival Screening Details:     Wednesday, January 24 6:00 p.m.    High & Mighty screening and Q&A @ Park Avenue Theatre, Park City    Thursday, January 25 9:45 p.m.        High & Mighty screening and Q&A @ Broadway Centre Cinema 3, Salt Lake City     The cast will be on-site at Sundance Film Festival and available for press.   www.stage13.com @stage13network     Stage 13, the fearless digital content brand and a division of Warner Bros. Digital Networks, returns to the Sundance Film Festival tomorrow screening its original digital series “High & Mighty” in the Indie Episodic 3 category at 3:30 p.m. at The Ray (1780 Park avenue., Park City). The series was created and written by Cesar Mazariegos (“Deception”) and directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada (Blindspotting). Variety recently spotlighted Estrada as one of “10 Directors To Watch.”

Monica speaks to Rabbi Yonah Bookstein Co-Founder Pico Shul. He shares his passion about the Shabbat Lounge during Sundance. www.SundanceShabbat.org Sponsors: Avi Chai Foundation, Suzanne Felson, EJF Philanthropies, Alevy Family Foundation, Stephanie & David Schwartz, 120DB Films, Saddle Ranch Films, Chai Center, JConnect, Shabbat Tent, Chabad Park City.  Dinner Hosts:  Suzanne Felson, Nick Meyer, Michael Helfant, Dan Adler, Craig Emmanuel, Yehudi Steiger, Yonah & Rachel Bookstein, Mendel Schwartz.  Rabbi Yonah has worked with Jewish communities across the globe inspiring a rebirth in Jewish communal life. Rabbi Yonah was Director of the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation in Poland 1998-2001 which culminated ten years of dedication to the rebirth of Polish Jewry. He later served as campus rabbi at Long Beach State and UC Irvine and then running JConnect & Jewlicious in Los Angeles. The Forward has called Rabbi Yonah one of the “game changers” in American Jewish Life. He was named a Jewish Community Hero by the Jewish Federations of North America, and one of the Top Ten Jews in Social Media by NJOP. Rabbi Yonah is the most followed congregational rabbi world-wide on Twitter and blogs regularly on Huffington Post and Jewish Journal. Rabbi Yonah is a graduate of Ohr Somayach Monsey, Oxford University, Jagiellonian University, and The University of Oregon. In addition to his work with Pico Shul, Rabbi Yonah is Alevy Rabbi-in-Residence at USC Hillel and director of Shabbat Tent.

Monica speaks to Sue Vicory Three time Telly Award-winning filmmaker, Sue Vicory has been creating community-based films and projects within her not for profit production company, Heartland Films, Inc. since 2003. Her works include "Homelessness & the Power of One,” feature documentaries “One” and "Kansas City Jazz & Blues; Past, Present & Future" and short films “Absent” and "1898, The W.F. Norman Story. In 2015, she founded Team XX, an all female team of 25 filmmakers that created the award-winning film “Down Stage.” Vicory is a member of the LA based Alliance of Women Directors and creator of the website Women Documentary Filmmakers to increase visibility for female filmmakers. Sue's 119 year old family owned manufacturing niche business in Nevada, Missouri makes products that ship all over the world. www.wfnorman.com Learn more about Sue  - www.suevicory.com   Sue- will be at Sundance in Park City, Utah and will participate in a Panel  “Indie Film Showcase at Park City.” Event Details: Join us during the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 21st  for a thought leadership panel, Q & A session, and a social networking mixer and cocktail reception at the “Indie Film Showcase at Park City.” The panel discussion will focus on the entertainment industry for the independent filmmaking community. It will highlight the creative work of the panelists as they discuss some of the projects they have recently worked on, the challenges they have overcome, share some low effort/high return solutions that have worked for them, and what’s next on the horizon for the indie film industry. Monica Morrison of ientertainmentnews.com | Indie Entertainment Podcast, part of B Team Media Group will be moderating this discussion. RSVP DATE AND TIME Sun, January 21, 2018 1:45 PM – 4:00 PM MST Add to Calendar LOCATION 710 Bodega Tapas And Wine 710 Main Street Park City, UT 84060 View Map    

Jeff Witzeman Filmmaker Jeff Witzeman is the writer/producer/director of the controversial documentary “Cancer Can Be Killed” that currently is on the festival circuit and available worldwide on Amazon Prime, iTunes and Google Play. Witzeman was inspired to make the film after his wife Kerry was cured and cancer free after receiving non-traditional treatments in Europe, instead of opting for the often aggressive treatment methods promoted by the U.S. medical community. Previously he worked as an actor, writer and musician. In the 90’s, he starred in such shows as “Frazier,” “Webster” and a Miller Genuine Draft Super Bowl commercial. In 2000, Jeff Witzeman & The Jealous Housewives became the most radio played unsigned band in America.

Monica speaks to Allison Melody Allison Melody is an eco-entrepreneur with a passion for film, fitness and food. Her endeavors include podcast-hosting, filmmaking and motivational speaking. Melody hosts the top ranked Food Heals Podcast (www.foodhealsnation.com), owns the film production company Melody Productions(www.melodyproductions.com) and speaks at events across the USA and Europe. For the past twelve years, Melody has also directed, produced and edited documentary films, PSAs, commercials and viral videos on the topics of social justice, human rights and public health. She is currently directing FoodHeals(www.foodheals.tv), a documentary that follows several inspiring individuals who have used nutrition and alternative medicine to heal themselves of chronic, degenerative and terminal disease.

Monica speaks to LARRY NAMER, President/CEO Metan Global Entertainment Group. An entertainment industry veteran with over 45 years professional experience in cable television, live events and new media. Larry Namer is a founding partner of Metan Global Entertainment Group (MGEG), a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for Chinese speaking audiences in China and abroad. MGEG recently launched the inspirational competition series The Bruce Lee Project in China, in conjunction with Company Films (co-owned by Keanu Reeves and Stephen Hamel), Bruce Lee Entertainment, LLC (Shannon Lee’s production company) and Benaroya Pictures. The joint venture So You Think You Know Kung Fu LLC and 8K Miles Media Group have joined forces to bring the series to audiences in South Asia and Middle East. http://thebruceleeproject.com/ Mr. Namer was involved in creating the series’ original format and currently oversees sales and development for the project. An accomplished entrepreneur, Mr. Namer is the co-founder of E! Entertainment Television, a company now valued at over $3.5 billion USD, and the creator of several successful companies in the United States and overseas. Among those companies are Comspan Communications that pioneered Western forms of entertainment in the former Soviet Union, including the syndication of the popular soap opera Santa Barbara, which ran for 10 years in the region, and Steeplechase Media that served as the primary consultant to Microsoft’s MiTV for developing interactive TV applications. Steeplechase was also involved in the early development of ITV programming, creating interactive episodes of Baywatch, Pacific Blue and over 250 episodes of Judge Judy. Mr. Namer was also the Primary Strategic Consultant to The Documentary Channel.  LARRY NAMER WILL BE AT SUNDANCE Event Details: Join us during the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 21st  for a thought leadership panel, Q & A session, and a social networking mixer and cocktail reception at the “Indie Film Showcase at Park City.” The panel discussion will focus on the entertainment industry for the independent filmmaking community. It will highlight the creative work of the panelists as they discuss some of the projects they have recently worked on, the challenges they have overcome, share some low effort/high return solutions that have worked for them, and what’s next on the horizon for the indie film industry. Monica Morrison of ientertainmentnews.com | Indie Entertainment Podcast, part of B Team Media Group will be moderating this discussion. RSVP DATE AND TIME Sun, January 21, 2018 1:45 PM – 4:00 PM MST Add to Calendar LOCATION 710 Bodega Tapas And Wine 710 Main Street Park City, UT 84060 View Map  

Monica speaks to David Raynor, filmmaker. Their conversation is a delicate topic and the subject of David's new award winning film ."We Need to Talk"  He will be a panelist speaker during Sundance Film Festival  Space is limited RSVP now   ABOUT DAVID David M. Raynor began his working life at the age of 19, becoming a hairdresser in the city of Melbourne. He won some awards for styling and cutting and opened his own hairdressing salon in partnership.  After a couple of years he decided to move to Sydney where he wanted to work with magazines such as Vogue, Cosmo, Cleo. David then set out on his own path again and opened three hairdressing salons on Sydney’s North Shore. However, David felt that he needed something more, so using his contacts from his magazine work he started photography and worked with some of the best modeling agencies in Australia.  David returned to Melbourne where he and a couple of friends made a short film. David had never written a script before and he decided that, as he wasn’t connected in the industry, and as he was starting at an older age, that he needed to write and direct his own stories. So that is what he did. Fast forward, in the last four years David has won over 30 International awards for his short films and a number of the cast and crew have also managed award status. “This is why I make films”. David said. Winning awards is the recognising that the cast and crew put in the hours for the love of film. “This is very self-satisfying for me’, he said. David's latest film, ‘We Need To Talk’, is a 42 minute short film, about trying to prevent youth suicide, a topic that he has handled with the thoughtfulness, integrity and respect. It is currently being developed into a feature film in 2018. Also in 2018, David will be produce a French Noir classic overtone titled ‘ Ubiquitous’. David’s passion for his film work is inspiring as he commits himself to each project with a keen eye and natural ability, with admirable results.