The Business of Film – Building A Sustainable African Industry
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Amber Rasberry
- January 20, 2021
- Posted by: Michael Umoh
- Categories:
No CommentsAmber Rasberry is an Entertainment Industry Executive who thrives in fostering the creative ambitions of content creators from the film, television and digital worlds. With over 15 years of experience in the Hollywood studio system, Amber is known for her strong relationships with executives, talent, filmmakers and representatives, and being a connector to those around her.
Currently, Amber is Vice President, Development for Paramount Players. An exciting new division of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Players, aims to make theatrical motion pictures which leverages the flagship brands of Viacom- MTV, BET, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Previously, Amber was Vice President of Production at Global Road, an independent film studio, and was also head of production at Kevin Hart’s digital network, Laugh Out Loud.
Before Laugh Out Loud, Amber was Director of Development at 34th St Films, a subsidiary of Tyler Perry Studios, where she identified, lobbied, and secured the acquisition of Academy Award winning film, PRECIOUS, at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Upon graduating from the University of Southern California, Ms. Rasberry started her career in music video and commercial production with HSI Productions and director Hype Williams, and represented music videos directors Erik White and Director X. She then moved to feature film development as an assistant at State Street Pictures, where she worked on the box office hit, BARBERSHOP.
She has served as program facilitator for EmpowHer Leaders Academy; a high school mentorship program aiming to provide young women with guidance in college and career planning, confidence building, leadership skills, and community service, and a board member for the African Film and Entertainment Collective, aiming to bridge Hollywood and Africa through film and television content.
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Enyi Omeruah
- January 20, 2021
- Posted by: Michael Umoh
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Enyi Omeruah owns a talent management agency in Nigeria. My Management Company (MMC) is a boutique agency that represents music, film and tv talent.
Enyi Omeruah received his BSc in Accounting from Delaware State University in 1996. He went on to work as a mutual fund accountant for 7 years. During his professional career, Enyi also gained his MBA, Widener University in Pennsylvania, USA.
Enyi Omeruah has a wide experience base in sectors that include, Finance, Accounting, Agriculture and Media. Some of his key achievements so far has been the ability to raise financing to produce film and tv projects in the budding Nigerian Entertainment industry.
Enyi Omeruah is one of the founding partners of a Content Development company. A privately held film and television development fund, currently in the process of raising financing from local and international investors to develop African intellectual property for a global audience. Enyi and business partner, Odiri Iwuji, just launched www.chudormmc.com to promote African screenwriters for placement in writing rooms for international TV productions.
Enyi is an avid watcher of television, a voracious consumer of NPR podcasts and a budding marathon runner.
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Dayo Ogunyemi
- January 20, 2021
- Posted by: Michael Umoh
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Dayo Ogunyemi is a creative entrepreneur and founder of 234 Media, a firm that develops enterprises and makes principal investments in the media, entertainment and technology sectors.
As part of a 234 Media investment, Dayo built and operated East Africa’s then largest cinema chain and an affiliated film distribution company through which he acquired and released art and independent films including Djo Munga’s Viva Riva, Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist and Kevin McDonald’s Bob Marley biopic.
Under 234 Media’s Studio Africa banner, Dayo serves as producer for films by leading and emerging African directors and has participated in the Cannes Producers Network and Cinefondation Atelier programs. Over the past 15 years, Dayo has worked and lived in 4 countries in all three regions of sub- Saharan Africa. He has advised African governments and regional economic communities on policy, legislation and regulations relating to e-commerce, intellectual property, technology and the creative industries. He served as a founding board member of the African Film Academy, organizer of the African Movie Academy Awards, and on the board of the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s Information Society Initiative. Dayo earned an SB from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is admitted to the New York Bar.
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Matias Mariani
- January 15, 2021
- Posted by: Michael Umoh
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After graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts Matias Mariani worked extensively as a producer in films such as Fish Dreams (Cannes’ Critics Week), Drained (Sundance), Adrift (Cannes Un Certain Regard). In 2014 Matias directed the documentary feature I Touched All Your Stuff, which had its world première at FID Marseille and won Best Editing at the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, as well as being released theatrically both in Brazil and the US, followed by the fiction feature Shine Your Eyes, which had its premiere in the Panorama session of the 2020 Berlinale and was purchased by Netflix for worldwide release on July 2020, earning glowing reviews from The New York Times, Variety and Hollywood Reporter.
As a scriptwriter Matias worked on I Bring it With me (best film at Brasília Film Festival), Pendular (FIPRESCI award at Berlinale 2017) and Shine Your Eyes (Berlinale 2020).
Matias is currently writing and directed Cora, together with Gustavo Rosa Moura, a documentary-narrative hybrid set to be released in 2020.
Watch Shine Your Eyes trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tY_ahX4Jv8
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Pauline Fischer
- January 15, 2021
- Posted by: Michael Umoh
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Ms. Fischer is an industry leader with a proven track record of building strong and diverse slates, driving creative, and brokering some of the industry’s most groundbreaking and innovative deals.
Across previous roles, including Netflix and Paramount Pictures, she has established a reputation for taking creative ideas from concept to release and building cutting-edge businesses and initiatives. As an architect of the Netflix Original Film business, Ms. Fischer oversaw the acquisition, development and production of internationally acclaimed films including Okja, Bright, Beasts of No Nation, First They Killed My Father, A Very Murray Christmas, and Death Note. She also greenlit Klaus, The Two Popes, Murder Mystery, and Dolemite is My Name. Also during her tenure at Netflix, deals she brokered helped revolutionize the Netflix film brand including a four-picture deal with Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions, a Pay TV deal between Disney and Netflix, and a franchise deal for the film Bright starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. As vice president of acquisitions at Paramount Pictures International and Worldwide DVD, Ms. Fischer acquired film and television content globally and helped launch the company’s DVD Premiere Group. Currently, Ms. Fischer advises on content strategy, business development and global productions and co-productions through her company, PMF Media Group.
Ms. Fischer’s career has included leadership roles across strategic planning, business development, and content acquisition and production with both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. She is recognized for being a long-time advocate of creating opportunities for diverse creative voices and executive talent within the industry. Ms. Fischer is also a dedicated leader in the non-profit world serving as a founding board member of The Blackhouse Foundation established in 2006 and renown for increasing access to opportunities for Black independent filmmakers and executives and as Board Chair of Ednovate, an innovative charter school management organization formed with the USC Rossier School of Education to provide pathways for positive multi-generational change.
Ms. Fischer holds a JD and MBA from Harvard University and a BA in Economics/Business from UCLA. She was awarded a High-Tech Fellowship by Harvard Business School and is a member of the CA State Bar and the Executive Branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (AMPAS).