Academy’s Careers Event Will Link Up Students With Industry Pros By Tim Gray The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Oct. 17 will launch a Careers in Film Summit, which brings industry pros (above and below the line) to talk with students from the L.A. Unified School District. The day-long program includes six panel discussions. It will take place at the Goldwyn Theatre in the Academy’s Beverly Hills headquarters. The event is sold out, but there will be a waiting line, with free tickets given to individuals with student ID if possible. Opening the program will be comments from Jana Babatunde-Bey, COO of Overbrook Entertainment; Mike Muse, who was named millennial entrepreneur champion of the SBA’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative; and Randy Haberkamp, the Academy’s managing director of preservation and foundation programs. The first morning session is “Working above the Line,” with panelists including producers Effie T. Brown (“Dear White People,” “Project Greenlight”), Debra Martin Chase (“Just Wright”), Caleeb Pinkett (“Men in Black 3”), Shelby Stone (“Bessie”), actor Adam Rodriguez (“Magic Mike XXL”), director Tim Story (“Ride Along”), writer-director Tina Gordon Chism (“Drumline’) and moderator Mike Muse. That’s followed by “Lights, Camera, Action: Production” with groomer Pierce Austin (“Men in Black”), cinematographer Gabriel Beristain (“Street Kings”), costume concept artist Phillip Boutte Jr. (“The Divergent Series: Insurgent”), set decorator Jan Pascale (“Argo”), gaffer Jim Plannette (“The Artist”), casting Robi Reed (“Do the Right Thing”), department head hairstylist Johnny Villanueva (“Lone Survivor”) and moderator Shaun Robinson.
“Get It in the Can: Post-Production” will feature supervising sound editor Andrew DeCristofaro (“Spy”), visual effects supervisor Sheena Duggal (“Iron Man 3”), composer Richard Gibbs (“Battlestar Galactica”), music supervisor Pilar McCurry (“The Karate Kid”), film editor Michael Tronick (“Straight Outta Compton”) and moderator Robinson. After a lunch break, there will be “The Reps: The Dream Team” featuring public relations Greg Longstreet (Polaris PR), agents Cameron Mitchell (CAA) and Brad Slater (WME), manager Eric Pertilla (Mosaic Media Group), entertainment attorney Todd Rubenstein (Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman) and moderator Muse. “Putting It All on the Table: Marketing and Distribution” boasts exhibition executive Nikkole DensonRandolph (AMC Theatres), journalist-critic Pete Hammond (Deadline Hollywood), marketing pro Laura Kim (Participant Media), digital executive Sanjay Sharma (All Def Digital) and moderator Amy Elisa Jackson. “Animation” panel includes stop-motion animator-director Musa Brooker (“Robot Chicken”), university relations manager Grazia Como (“The Croods”), character designer Dan Haskett (“Toy Story”), animation inker/artist Antonio Pelayo (“Big Hero 6”), story artist/animator: Tom Sito (“Shrek”), senior VP production: Karen Toliver (20th Century Fox Animation), and animator Liron Topaz (“How to Train Your Dragon 2”).