CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY’S 15TH ANNUAL WOMEN IN FOCUS CONFERENCE EVENT RECAP
Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts welcomed a crowd over 400 people to its 15th annual Women in Focus Conference on Friday, April 11 in the Folino Theater in Marion Knott Studios on the Chapman campus.
Students, alumni and industry representatives turned out to hear a panel including Erica Huggins, President, Imagine Entertainment (Rush); Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures (The Great Gatsby); Michelle MacLaren, producer (Breaking Bad); Terry Press, Co-president, CBS Films (Last Vegas); JoAnne Sellar, Producer (The Master), and Academy Award-winning producer Cathy Schulman (Horns).
Dawn Taubin, Chief Marketing Officer for DreamWorks Animation (Peabody and Mr. and former Professor of Public Relations and Advertising at Dodge College, returned as moderator for an enlightening conversation that covered such topics as striking a work/life balance and how gender has impacted careers.
“The insights offered by the incredible women who have joined us over the years have been both inspirational and enlightening,” says Dean Bob Bassett. “They have truly helped guide the next generation of filmmakers as they seek to enter the industry.”
In addition to the panel discussion, the afternoon included award presentations, a luncheon and a networking mixer.
The 2014 Women in Focus Conference was sponsored by Twyla Reed Martin, Eve Kornyei Ruffatto, Harriet Sandhu, Laurie Rodnick, Adrienne Brandes, Diana Martin and Joyce Tucker.
JoAnne Sellar, Sue Kroll and Terry Press Headline 15th Annual
WOMEN IN FOCUS Conference
Dawn Taubin to Moderate Event on April 11th
Orange, CA (March 28, 2014)– Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, recognized as one of the premier film schools in the United States, will present its 15th Annual Women in Focus Conference Friday, April 11 featuring Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures(The Great Gatsby); Terry Press, Co-president, CBS Films (Last Vegas); and JoAnne Sellar, Producer(The Master).
Dawn Taubin, Chief Marketing Officer, DreamWorks Animation (Mr. Peabody and Sherman), and former Dodge College Professor of Public Relations and Advertising, will moderate the discussion about the paths these women have taken and the challenges they have faced in the industry.
Open to the public, Chapman’s Women in Focus event has built a meaningful dialogue among emerging and established women in the film industry over its 15-year existence. The conference commences at 1:30 p.m., when participants will screen clips from their work, and discuss their experiences breaking into the industry, building the relationships necessary for success, and overcoming obstacles they have faced throughout their careers. The event concludes with a networking mixer beginning at 4:30 p.m.
“The insights offered by the incredible women who have joined us over the years have been both inspirational and enlightening,” says Dodge College Dean Bob Bassett. “They have truly helped guide the next generation of filmmakers as they seek to enter the industry.”
Past Women in Focus conference panelists include Oscar® winning writer Diablo Cody,Universal Pictures Co-Chairman Donna Langley, Academy Award® nominated director/screenwriter Nancy Meyers,actress Maya Rudolph,director Penelope Spheeris,director/choreographer Anne Fletcher, producer and former Walt Disney Motion Picture Group President Nina Jacobson, Dreamworks Studios Co-Chairman and CEO Stacey Snider, writer/producer Leslie Dixon, Academy Award® nominated director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, acclaimed producer Debra Martin Chase, writer/director Shana Feste, producer Susan Cartsonis, director Mary Lambert, Academy Award® winning producer and President of Mandalay Pictures Cathy Schulman, Fox Searchlight Pictures President Nancy Utley, and producer and Los Angeles Film Festival Director Rebecca Yeldham, to name a few.
The 2014 Women in Focus Conference is sponsored Twyla Reed Martin, Eve Kornyei Ruffato, Harriet Sandhu, Laurie Rodnick, Adrienne Brandes, Diana Martin, and Joyce Tucker.
2014 Women in Focus Event Location:
The Paul and Daranne Folino Theater in Marion Knott Studios is located at 283 N. Cypress in Orange, Calif. The conference is free and open to the public.
For more information and to RSVP, please visit www.chapman.edu/WIF.
About Chapman University:
Consistently ranked among the top universities in the West, Chapman University attracts highly qualified students from around the globe. Its programs are designed to encourage leadership in innovation, creativity and collaboration, and are increasingly recognized for providing an extraordinary educational experience. The university excels in film and media arts, performing arts, educational studies, economics and business, law, humanities and the sciences. Student enrollment in graduate and undergraduate programs is approaching 7,000, and Chapman University alumni are found throughout California and the world.
Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts:
One of the premier film schools in the country, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts offers students the unique opportunity to learn filmmaking in a hands-on environment modeled on a working studio. The college is comprised of the Sodaro-Pankey Undergraduate School of Film and Media Arts, offering degrees in film production, film studies, screenwriting, creative producing, television and broadcast journalism, public relations and advertising, screen acting and digital arts; and the graduate Conservatory of Motion Pictures, offering M.F.A. degrees in film production, film and television producing, production design, and screenwriting, and an M.A. in film studies. Two joint M.F.A. degrees in producing are also offered in conjunction with the business (M.F.A./M.B.A.) and law (M.F.A./J.D.) schools. Dodge College is housed in Marion Knott Studios, a state-of-the-art, 76,000-square-foot studio and classroom building that provides students with 24-hour access to sound stages, edit bays, Dolby surround mixing, a motion capture stage and more. With an Oscar and Emmy-award winning full-time faculty that boasts more feature film credits than any other film school, Dodge College is where students learn the entertainment business from the inside out.
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