Sarasota, Fla. (July 20, 2010) -- The Sarasota County Film and Entertainment Office (SCFEO), a division of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, has lured several top industry experts to share insights at upcoming events in Sarasota.
“First, we’re excited to bring leading novel-to-film industry executives to speak at the Mystery Florida conference Aug. 13-14 about how authors can leverage their books into feature films or TV movies,” said Jeanne Corcoran, SCFEO director. “This is the second year we have brought in film studio literary scouts to the writers’ conference, and we think the attendees will be even more pleased and eager to hear from these experts in the book-to-movie business this year.”
Film Office guests scheduled to speak at the Mystery Florida conference at Hyatt Regency Sarasota include:
Riley Katherine Ellis, 20th Century Fox executive literary consultant in charge, helps the studio select and turn novels into films. Current projects include “Shadow Divers” (action/mystery/thriller) and “The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society” (drama). A sampling of Ellis’ credits include “Percy Jackson & the Olympians”, “The Lightning Thief”, “Eragon”, “Marley & Me”, “Because of Winn Dixie”, “Last of the Mohicans”, “Die Hard”, “Powder”, “Road House” and “Action Jackson”.
David Gerson, Hollywood development executive for Nick Wechsler Productions, is currently producing/executive producing movies such as “Long Lost”, starring Hugh Jackman, which is being adapted from the Harlan Coben novel of the same name, and “Consent to Kill” for Di Bonaventura Pictures and CBS Films, an adaptation of the Vince Flynn novel. Gerson was formerly vice president of Focus Features in New York. His credits include films such as “Reservation Road” and Tim Burton’s animated film “9”, to name just a few.
Erin Hennicke leads the film department for Franklin and Siegal, the largest literary scouting agency in New York. She is also the East Coast literary scout for Universal Pictures and Universal Studios. Formerly, she was story editor at Barbra Streisand’s Barwood Films. A few of the projects Universal has optioned in recent years include the New York Magazine article that became “American Gangster”, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, directed by Ridley Scott, and “Seabiscuit”, starring Tobey Maguire, directed by Gary Ross, and based on Lauren Hillenbrand’s book. Some upcoming novels in development include “The Creed of Violence “by Boston Teran, “Juliet” by Anne Fortier, and “Drood” by Dan Simmons.
In what is being referred to as its “Sixth Chapter”, Mystery Florida: the Conference to Die For, expands its author line-up this year with agents and representatives from both the literary and film industries. The two-day event features panel discussions on the art, craft and business of writing successful books in the genre, as well as an opportunity for aspiring authors to submit their work for a critique by a conference author. Information on the Mystery Florida conference is available online at http://mysteryflorida.com.
“Following closely on the heels of the writers’ conference, the Aug. 17 SCFEO mixer will feature Darren Frankel, president of Stargate Studios, one of the world’s leading digital effects companies,” Corcoran said. Stargate’s credits include “Heroes”, “24”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Ugly Betty”, “ER”, “CSI NY”, “Defying Gravity”, “Trauma” and many more.
“At the mixer, Frankel will discuss his views on this revolutionary, expanding business model of ‘virtual’ production,” Corcoran said. “Will ‘real locations’ become less and less a part of the movies and television programs you watch, without you even knowing it? In the present and future, how much will be real and how much will be illusion over green screen? Most importantly, can Sarasota County lay claim to a healthy share of this rapidly growing ‘virtual’ industry?”
The mixer will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. hosted by the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee in the Selby Auditorium, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Advance registration is $10 at www.edcsarasotacounty.com/calendar.asp. Admission is $12 at the door. For more information, call (941) 309-1200 ext. 104.
The Sarasota County Film & Entertainment Office (SCFEO) is a division of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County. It seeks to attract film, television, commercial, documentary and other media production to create content, produce and shoot on location in Sarasota County, as well as to serve the region’s resident production community, improve and expand its resources, provide intergovernmental liaison and proactively market and promote Sarasota County’s assets to the entertainment industry as a whole. The SCFEO is a member in good standing of the Association of Film Commissioners International, Film Florida and other industry organizations. www.filmsarasota.com.
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