Staying Relevant in an Evolving Film Industry with Brian Newman & Ted Hope
About this Advisor Studio
In Advisor Studio sessions, Sundance Collab Advisors share field experiences and insights into their specific areas of craft, including writing, directing and producing for TV and film.
The film and television industry is ever changing. Getting your film made and finding consistent work in the field can be a challenge. Join veteran producers/ industry consultants Brian Newman and Ted Hope as they discuss how to navigate your career as a producer and filmmaker in an evolving industry. Learn how to stay relevant, sustain yourself as a producer and stay true to your vision with awareness of gaps in the market.
Advisor StudioTeam
Ted Hope
Advisor
Over a 35-year career, Ted’s been a producer on over 70 films, studio executive on over 60, CEO of a start-up streamer, co-head of 3 production companies, executive director of a film society and festival, a Professor Of Practice at 2 universities, and founder of a post-production facility, 2 websites, 2 think tanks, and an app. As a producer, his films have received 25 Oscar nominations, with 6 wins. He is one of two producers to have three of their films win the Sundance Grand Jury Award. Ted’s memoir Hope For Film, as well as his newsletter of the same name, are both must reads for all ilmmakers or those wanting to be.
Ted’s eye for directorial talent has helped launch the feature film careers of Ang Lee, Nicole Holofcener, Hal Hartley, and many others. His most recent films include three documentaries concerning democracy in this era of authoritarian power: Evgeny Afineevsky’s Ukraine War documentary Freedom On Fire, Marina Zenovich’s Jerry Brown: The Disrupter, and Vanessa Hope’s Invisible Nation on Taiwan, as well as the first narrative from Oscar-winning documentary director, Roger Ross Williams, Cassandro– which premiered at Sundance 2023 and currently enjoys a Rotten Tomato score of 100. Did we mention Ted launched Amazon’s foray into feature film production, co-running it for much of his tenure, leading them to 19 Oscar nominations and 5 wins?
Brian Newman
Advisor
Brian Newman, founder of Sub-Genre, consults on content strategy, development, distribution and marketing for some of the top brands in the world. Current and former clients include: The Climate Pledge (Amazon), GoDaddy, IBM, Keen, Mud\Wtr, New York Times, Oatly, Patagonia, Purina, REI, Shopify Studios , Sonos, Stripe, Sundance, Tazo, Unilever, Yeti Coolers, and Zero Point Zero.
Brian is also an independent film producer. Projects include: IF YOU SEE SOMETHING (narrative, in post); THE OUTSIDE STORY (narrative, Tribeca Film Festival 2021 premiere, theatrical distribution by Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2021) LOVE & TAXES (narrative, 2017 theatrical release); and executive producer of SHORED UP, THE INVISIBLE WORLD (docs) and REMITTANCE (narrative).
Brian has served as CEO of the Tribeca Film Institute, president of Renew Media (known for the Rockefeller Fellowships) and executive director of IMAGE Film & Video (producers of the Atlanta Film Festival & Out On Film).
Brian is the founder of the Brand/Foundation Alliance, and serves on the advisory board of the Camden International Film Festival. He has served on the boards of Grantmakers in Film & Electronic Media (GFEM, now Media Impact Funders, as Vice Chair and Treasurer); Muse Film & Television, Rooftop Films (Chair) and IndieCollect (Co-Founding Board Member).
Brian is a frequent keynote speaker on branded content and the future of film and new media, and writes a popular weekly newsletter on these subjects. He was born in North Carolina and has an MA in Film Studies from Emory University.