Issue 225 | October 2023

 

In this issue:

MESSAGE FROM HARVARDWOOD 

NEWS

  • Harvardwood Writers Competition - 2023 Winners & 2024 Applications Now Open!
  • Featured Job: Assistant to Talent Manager/Partner (Anonymous Content) - CA

FEATURES

  • Alumni Profiles: Samuel Baum AB '98 (playwright, screenwriter, producer)
  • Industry News
  • New Members' Welcome
  • Exclusive Q&A with Gene Pao HBS '97 (executive)

CALENDAR & NOTES

  • Harvardwood Presents: Independent Film Distribution
  • Harvardwood Presents: Virtual 101 Info Session 2023
  • Harvardwood x Penntertainment Co-Present: Penntertainment x Harvardwood LA Fall Mixer
  • Harvardwood Co-Presents: LOVE IN TAIPEI Movie Cambridge Screening and Q&A with Abigail Hing Wen
  • Harvardwood Presents: An Exclusive Evening at THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY West Coast Premiere and Meet Playwright Sam Baum ’98!
  • Harvardwood Presents: Creating Free Time with Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
  • Last Month at Harvardwood

Become a Harvardwood member 

Want to submit your success(es) to Harvardwood HIGHLIGHTS? Do so by posting here

Come one, come all, and bring us your words of spooks and merriment as the ink on the WGA and AMPTP's new contract dries; the Harvardwood Writers Competition 2024 application is now open!

This month we have many exciting events, including a magical night for the books watching THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY's West Coast premiere and meeting playwright Sam Baum afterwards! Or, come hear our talented guests speak about everything from Independent Film Distribution, to Creating Free Time, all from the comfort of your own toilet via Zoom! 

This month, we'll be rolling out our new membership tiers with expanded perks + benefits. We'll also be unveiling our new website! Keep your eyes peeled for our announcement email; we're very excited to share this huge upgrade with you all.

As always, we want to hear from you, our members  if you have an idea for an event or programming, please tell us about it here. If you have an announcement about your work or someone else's, please share it here (members) and it will appear in our Weekly and/or next HIGHLIGHTS issue.


Please consider donating to Harvardwood
. Your donations are tax deductible!

Best wishes,

Grace Shi
Operations and Communications Associate
Harvardwood
[email protected]



Harvardwood Writers Competition - 2023 Winners & 2024 Applications Now Open!

Reannouncing the Winners of the 2023 Harvardwood Writers Competition & Most Staffable TV Writer

Deadline announcement (April 2023)

As we celebrate the achievement of a new contract between the WGA and AMPTP, Harvardwood is excited to reannounce the winners of the 2023 Harvardwood Writers Competition! 

The official arts, media, and entertainment alumni organization for Harvard University, Harvardwood looks to spotlight talented up-and-coming writers from diverse backgrounds and to connect them with mentors, as well as producers, agencies, and management companies.

Writer-producers participating in this year’s program as mentors include Neal Baer (ER, DESIGNATED SURVIVOR), Emily Halpern (80 FOR BRADY, BOOKSMART), and Jeff Schaffer (DAVE, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM). Harvardwood would like to thank our generous mentors for their continued guidance and support.

The winners of Harvardwood’s competition were chosen via a blind judging process. In addition to one-on-one mentorship, each will receive a cash prize.

In recent years, participants in the Harvardwood Writers Program and Competition have seen success with pilot sales to ABC, the CW, Disney+, Jim Henson Company, Netflix, Showtime, Sony, Syfy, and TV Land, in addition to blind script deals at ABC Studios and Warner Bros. Harvardwood writers have been staffed on over two dozen shows, and recent shows include: ALMOST PARADISE (WGN), AMERICAN DAD (Fox), ANIMANIACS (Hulu), AWKWAFINA IS NORA FROM QUEENS (Comedy Central), BILLIONS (Showtime), BRIDGERTON (Netflix), DC’s LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (CW), EMERGENCE (ABC), FAMILY GUY (FOX), FEAR OF THE WALKING DEAD (AMC), THE FLASH (CW), FUTURE MAN (Hulu), THE GOLDBERGS (ABC), GOTHAM (Fox), GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC), THE HANDMAID’S TALE (Hulu), HOMELAND (Showtime), HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (ABC), IN THE DARK (CW), JANE THE VIRGIN (CW), MANHUNT: DEADLY GAMES (CBS), MANIFEST (Netflix), Marvel’s RUNAWAYS (Hulu), POWER (Starz), QUEEN SUGAR (OWN), THE RESIDENT (FOX), SHADOWHUNTERS (Freeform), STARGIRL (CW), THE SIMPSONS (Fox), TAB TIME (YouTube), and THE SOCIETY (Netflix). Among our feature film writers, successes include writing for: Circle of Confusion, Electric Entertainment, Lionsgate, Marvel Films, and Netflix.

Participants have secured representation at 3 Arts, Apostle, Benderspink, Brant Rose Agency, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, CAA, Circle of Confusion, Echo Lake, Gersh, ICM, Madhouse Entertainment, Management 360, Mosaic, Original Artists, UTA, WME, and others.

Here is the list of the winners of the 2023 Harvardwood Writers Competition.

FEATURE Category Winners (tied for first place):


EMERY & ELLSWORTH MAKE A PICTURE by Madi Stine (adventure)

Logline: In 1911, when brothers Emery and Ellsworth Kolb take a motion picture camera down 1,200 miles of unrelenting river to make the world's first outdoor adventure film, they are met with more adventure than they bargained for, realizing the biggest obstacles lie not in the wilderness, but in each other.

Madi Stine is an award-winning writer/director based in Los Angeles. She’s interested in stories about dreamers who see the magic in the everyday. A graduate of Harvard (BA, English and Visual & Environmental Studies) and Columbia (MFA, Screenwriting/Directing), Madi's short films have screened internationally, her writing has placed in various competitions, and she's been a participant of the CineStory Feature Retreat and Cine Qua Non's Script Revision Lab.


SHORT TIME by Anthony Zonfrelli (drama)

Logline: A washed-up, dropout wrestling referee in his 30s goes back to finish high school and win a state championship like his late father, hoping to seize the moment he ran from fifteen years ago...albeit this time as an "adult."


Anthony felt he was destined for greatness after winning the Massachusetts Baby America Pageant as a toddler. After decades of wrestling, he’s now older (and uglier). He loves to reach people with his writing, specializing in scripts rich in heart and exemplifying his charismatic, smart, and darkly weird sense of humor. Anthony is both a Harvard alum and, to his parents' chagrin, a comedian, having performed in hundreds of standup and improv shows across the world. He grew up on a cranberry bog, leaving him only with his imagination. And cranberries.

 

TV CATEGORY Winner:

FUCKBOI by Warner James Wood (one-hour drama)

Logline: A limited series set between the Hollywood Hills and Skid Row, FUCKBOI tells the story of three unlikely heroes from totally different walks of life who must band together to triumph over one man’s deadly abuse of power and take down the unjust systems that enabled him. Inspired by true events.

Warner James Wood was raised in the Appalachian Mountains before receiving his undergraduate degree in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University. After, he took an MFA in Poetry from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program, worked on Wall Street as a structured derivatives trader, and finally moved to Los Angeles to complete a graduate screenwriting fellowship through the American Film Institute as a Geffen Fellow. Currently, he works for his mentor, Mark Fish (SCANDAL), developing Blake Crouch’s New York Times bestseller, RECURSION, for Shondaland & Netflix.

HARVARDWOOD’S MOST STAFFABLE WRITER:

Warner James Wood (FUCKBOI

What is a MOST STAFFABLE WRITER?
Warner James Wood was awarded the additional honor of "Most Staffable Writer" because his outstanding TV pilot was incubated in the Harvardwood Writers Program.

2024 Applications Now Open!

The Harvardwood Writers Competition (HWC) was founded in 2006 with the aim of recognizing superior work by Harvard writers and giving these talented individuals the opportunity to gain industry exposure.

We're accepting submissions of half-hour pilots, one act plays, one-hour pilots, and feature scripts. 

HWC submitters can opt to receive judging comments and feedback for each script submitted. The notes are aimed to illuminate judges' reactions to your script (beyond the numerical average of your scores received by semi-finalists and finalists) and may be useful to you for future rewrites.

Only Full Members of Harvardwood are eligible for the competition (Friends of Harvardwood are ineligible). To become a Full member, non-members can register by clicking here.

Deadlines are as follows:

October 6th, 2023 - early bird $45
October 27th, 2023- official deadline $55
November 10th, 2023 - late deadline $75

More info and application HERE


Featured Job: Assistant to Talent Manager/Partner (Anonymous Content) - CA

Job Description: 

We are looking for an experienced Assistant to a Talent Manager/Partner who has a genuine passion for being a part of our mission. This position is located in our Culver City office and may be asked to be in the office on a hybrid schedule (days in-office to be determined). This can be subject to change to the then-current Company policy. 

Click here for more info!

 

Alumni Profile: Samuel Baum AB '98 (playwright, screenwriter, producer)

Join us for an in-person event with Samuel here! Limited spots available; reserve tickets by Tuesday, October 3rd.

by Laura Frustaci

Samuel Baum AB '98 is a playwright, screenwriter, and producer. He is thrilled to be collaborating with Geffen Playhouse on the West Coast premiere of his play, THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY, directed by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak. The play was originally produced at Hartford Stage, where it received four Critics Circle Awards, an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation. As a screenwriter, Baum was nominated for a WGA Award for the Emmy-nominated HBO Film THE WIZARD OF LIES, starring Robert DeNiro. Previously, Baum created and executive produced the Fox television drama LIE TO ME, which ran for three seasons. He also co-created and executive produced the ABC series THE EVIDENCE, as well as television pilots for Amazon, Netflix, Showtime, and CBS. He is currently an executive producer of the NBC series THE IRRATIONAL, inspired by the work of behavioral psychologist Dan Ariely. Originally from New York, Baum is a graduate of Harvard College.

Samuel Baum (AB ‘98)’s newest play THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY is having its West Coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse this season (join us for an evening at the theater to see the show and a meet and greet with Sam here!) Despite what his long repertoire in television and film might cause you to believe, Sam actually has a history in the theatre, so we talked with him about returning to his theatrical roots with this play.

“As an undergraduate at Harvard, I was very fortunate to study playwriting with Adrienne Kennedy in a seminar class. She taught us to really go for it, as she does in her own work,” Sam recounts. He then went on to write a screenplay for his senior thesis, which received, in his words, “the lowest grade in the history of the university, ‘Not Worthy of Honors’.” He laughs. “The first line of evaluation read ‘This work constitutes utter failure’,” Sam muses, “and about a year later the screenplay got optioned as a feature!” It just goes to show, don’t give up on your script.

Sam graduated and moved back to New York City, working as a playwright and a theatre actor. He attended the Williamstown Theatre Festival at age 24, a rite of passage for any young actor. “That summer I met this young up-and-coming director Darko Tresnjak,” Sam recalls, “who is now directing THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY at the Geffen.” Another serendipitous moment in Sam’s career, and a reminder that bonds you made twenty years ago can remain crucial to future work.

“In my twenties, I was writing plays in New York and having readings, and then another Harvard graduate, Jeff Sagansky, read one of my plays, and suggested I create television shows,” Sam smiles. “I didn’t know anything about television and had never contemplated that, but I went to Los Angeles for a week of meetings. And I got a job. And then I ended up staying and continuing with television writing for a long time. I was so excited to be a working writer, I followed the opportunities. It just happened that I had more opportunities in television.”

Sam credits his television career partially to his theatrical background. “The great thing about starting in theatre is that any ability to earn a living by telling stories just seems like an absolute miracle to you,” Sam laughs. “If your definition of success is that a couple hundred people per night see your work, and suddenly you move to LA, and not only can you earn a living but also millions of people are seeing your work?” That’s a huge jump for any creative, and one that provided Sam with an alternate perspective from what his theatre background had taught him. Ultimately, though, theatre and playwriting continued to be important to him, even as he found commercial success in television and film. “The thrill of getting to sit among a live audience watching a play of yours in real time is the most exhilarating experience.”

Glad to be returning to his theatrical roots with THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY, Sam is looking forward to a continued exploration of secrets and lies in this piece of work, which is a common thread through some of his screenwriting, particularly LIE TO ME and THE WIZARD OF LIES. “Lies are the lifeblood of drama,” Sam says. “At the heart of any lie is some piece of us we're terrified of sharing. It creates a set of immediate stakes.”

Immediate stakes for the eight characters of the play, five of whom are Harvard graduates, keep tensions running high onstage. The 80-minute performance takes place over the course of a single evening, so keeping the action lively and the dialogue sharp throughout the show was crucial for Sam. Darko was the man for the job partially because of his background in musicals. Having won the Tony for directing A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, Darko has a sense of timing, rhythm, and precision that are absolutely key in making the play run smoothly.

After this endeavor at the Geffen, there’s lots in store for Sam. He’s teamed up with Dahvi Waller (creator of FX’s MRS AMERICA) on a gripping WWII thriller based on a true story. Sam also has an ongoing streaming series in the works  an imposter story that’s half propulsive thriller, half psychological drama. And he's developing a half hour comedy focused on society's absurd misconceptions about disability. Finally, in partnership with another Harvard grad Mark Goffman (KSG '94) as Executive Producer, Sam developed and Executive Produced the new NBC series THE IRRATIONAL, starring Jesse L. Martin (RENT), about a behavioral scientist loosely inspired by Dan Ariely. It's streaming now on Peacock.

So, with all of that work in the pipeline, what advice does Sam have to offer aspiring multi-hyphenate creatives? Plenty! “Ignore the marketplace and write what you care deeply about. Find a story that cuts deep with you, and stay with it.” He laughs: “Oh, and whatever it is, it’s twenty minutes too long.”

Sam expounds on the first piece of advice, saying, “It’s not just that the story will be better because you care, but if and when it’s successful, you will be asked to tell more stories like that. So it’s really best to break in with the kind of storytelling that you would be thrilled to repeat. I’ve seen people break in with a piece in a genre they don’t particularly care about, they’re asked to do the same, and then they’re trapped.”

And Sam’s last piece of advice is one that any writer can never hear too frequently: “It sounds simple, but if you’re a writer you have to make time to write and rewrite. There’s so much noise to distract you from doing what you need to do. Finish the script.” And he notes that if you're a fairly new writer, it’s much more important to have one incredibly polished script rather than jumping from project to project. “You should be writing,” Sam says, “until you feel it really cannot be improved any more.”

-----

Dayna_Wilkinson_headshot.jpgLaura Frustaci (21) is an NYC-based actor and writer. She recently completed a yearlong Harvard Postgraduate Traveling fellowship in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she wrote her first full-length play. While at Harvard, Laura studied English and performed with the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the HRDC, On Thin Ice, and the American Repertory Theater.





Industry News

Flathead Valley Community College’s Wachholz College Center announced that world-famous virtuoso cellist Yo-Yo Ma (AB ‘76 DMU ‘91) will perform at the College Center in August 2024.

In his newly published book QUIET STREET, Nick McDonell (AB ‘07) reflects on America’s most entrenched elite and his place within it.

Portland’s Pink Martini is returning to Olympia’s Washington Center for the Performing Arts with China Forbes (AB ‘92) for a concert at 7:30 p.m. on January 21, 2024.

Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino (AB ‘89) is expected to hit the Dancing With the Stars ballroom when season 32 kicks off later this year.

Greta Gerwig’s BARBIE, produced by David Heyman (AB ‘83), has generated $1.36 billion at the global box office, overtaking THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE as the highest-grossing worldwide movie of the year and the 15th-highest-grossing film of all time!

The Showtime series SUPER PUMPED: THE BATTLE FOR UBER, starring Elisabeth Shue (AB ‘86), is heading to Netflix in October 2023. Make sure to check it out!

An all-new GOOSEBUMPS TV series executive produced by James Eagan (AB ‘99) is premiering on Disney Plus and Hulu this October.

HAUNTED MANSION, Disney’s film inspired by the famed theme park ride and produced by Dan Lin (AB ’99), will begin streaming on Disney+ on October 4.

MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS, with writing by Andrew Colville (AB '94) and based on the Monsterverse from Legendary and starring Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, and Ren Watabe among others, releases November 17, 2023.

MAESTRO, starring and directed by Bradley Cooper and written by Josh Singer (MBA ‘00 JD ‘01), is set to close the 37th AFI Fest next month with a red carpet gala on Sunday, October 29, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Prime Video has announced that the Christmas movie CANDY CANE LANE, starring Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross and directed by Reginald Hudlin (AB ‘83), will be released exclusively on the streaming platform on December 1.

THE SOUND INSIDE, Adam Rapp’s Pulitzer Prize finalist play starring Amy Brenneman (AB ‘86), opened at the Pasadena Playhouse on September 10, 2023.

The stage musical adaptation of the 1992 film comedy DEATH BECOMES HER will make its pre-Broadway debut at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre from April 30 – June 2, 2024. It stars Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard with sets by Derek McLane (AB ‘80).

Indie distributor Brainstorm Media has locked down North American rights to LAROY, starring John Magaro, Steve Zahn (MFA ‘90) and Dylan Baker. It premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival and nabbed three awards at the Deauville American Film Festival.

Starz’s SHINING VALE, starring Courteney Cox, Greg Kinnear, and Mira Sorvino (AB ‘89), is back for Season 2. The new season debuts on Friday, Oct. 13, at midnight ET on the STARZ app and all STARZ streaming platforms.

Margo Price, Allison Russell, Bonnie Raitt (RAD ‘72), and The War and Treaty are among the artists who performed at the 22nd annual Americana Honors & Awards at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on September 20.

Deadline says that the new film THE BURIAL starring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones (AB ‘69) is a “highly entertaining, crowd-pleasing movie that otherwise is an example of what good old fashioned Hollywood filmmaking can still be all about in the right hands.”

The NYT says that Tiya Miles (AB ‘92 RDI ‘22)’s new book WILD GIRLS is “a thoroughly absorbing exploration of the formative role that nature has played in American women’s lives” and a “beautiful synthesis of diverse women’s experiences.”

THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR, a 39-minute film Wes Anderson adapted from a 1977 short story by Roald Dahl and produced by Jeremy Dawson (AB ‘90), was released on Netflix on September 27.

Bonnie Raitt (AB ‘72), Billy Strings, Tyler Childers, the duo The War and Treaty, and S.S. Goodman were among the winners as trophies were handed out at the 22nd annual Americana Honors & Awards show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

Film Movement and their president Michael Rosenberg (AB ‘85), has taken North American rights to the drama HOW I LEARNED TO FLY starring Marcus Scribner and Lonnie Chavis, with appearances by Method Man and Cedric the Entertainer.

BIG VAPE: THE RISE AND FALL OF JUUL, directed by award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (AB ‘83), is set to premiere globally on Netflix on October 11. 

The hit West End production TINA - THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL, with sound by Nevin Steinberg (AB ‘89), will extend booking until September 14, 2024.

In case you missed it, the new MEAN GIRLS movie based on the Broadway musical is going theatrical. The film’s music has lyrics by Nell Benjamin (AB ‘93) and will be released on January 12, 2024.


New Members Welcome

Harvardwood warmly welcomes all members who joined the organization last month:

  • Michelle Lerner, HLS, NY
  • Alan Tebuev, Graduate School of Design, LA
  • Kasiem Nzerem
  • Bibi Hidalgo, HKS, DC
  • Lauren Heimer, College, LA
  • Emmaline Berlin, GSE, BOS/Campus
  • Michele Choi, GSBA, BOS/Campus
  • Pilar Gonzalez, College, LA
  • Kaitlin Smith, GSAS, BOS/Campus
  • Gaurav Sharma, GSBA, LA
  • Francie Lin, College, BOS/Campus
  • Wenona Baldenegro, HLS, LA
  • Moira Fennell, GSBA, BOS/Campus
  • Prentiss Thompson II, Ext., NY
  • Meryl Davis, Ext., LA
  • Susan Smallwood, Ext., Atlanta, GA
  • Andrea Kaliski Miller, GSAS, NY
  • Heather-Ashley Boyer, Ext., LA
  • Omkar Sreekanth, Ext., BOS/Campus
  • Ethan Labouisse, College, BOS/Campus
  • Nicole Letourneau, GSAS, Atlanta, GA

Exclusive Q&A with Gene Pao HBS '97 (executive)

Join us for an event with Gene here!

Gene Pao HBS '97 is currently EVP, Strategy and Digital at Shout! Studios, an independent film and TV distributor, where he oversees overall company strategy, production, marketing, distribution, and digital operations. Over the past several years, Shout has expanded its business to indie film distributionhaving released a number new films this year including LINOLEUM (Jim Gaffigan), THE MAGIC FLUTE (F. Murray Abraham), WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? (Shazad Latif, Lily James, Emma Thompson), and hitting theaters on 9/29, THE KILL ROOM (Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Joe Manganiello). Prior to Shout, Gene spent 12 years at Disney, Fox, and NBCU in cable distribution, digital media, and live sports broadcasting/livestreaming. In 2022, Gene was named one of the Top 40 Most Important People In Streaming by Media Play News.

Q: We’re so excited to be hosting you for a virtual event later this week! Can you talk a little more about your experience in film distribution as EVP of Strategy and Digital at Shout! Studios? What does your day-to-day look like?

I have highly experienced and capable leaders running the departments under my purview—distribution, marketing and product management, production, creative srevices, operations, and digital. As a result, I see my role as “connecting the dots” and making sure that all parts of the organization are running well together. I spend most of my time in meetings, reviewing materials, and analyzing data, but there is also the fun stuff, such as evaluating the viability of new film and TV acquisitions and projects. I always look forward to the weekly “projection” meeting, where we talk about the merits of potential acquisitions and the revenue potential across various distribution platforms including streaming, television licensing, and 4K. We take into consideration the genre, cast, awards potential, and other factors that affect the revenue generating capability of a film or TV project. We also look at projects in all stages of developmentfrom scripts and TV pitches, to finished titles and classic film and TV.

Q: What about your background prior to your time at Shout? How does your time at Harvard Business School impact your work today, if at all?

Prior to Shout, I spent 12 years working at studios, 6 years at Disney/ESPN, 4 years at Fox, and 2 years at NBC Universal. I had the chance to work with incredible properties and amazing people, and my experiences there have set me up for success at Shout. At Disney, I played a major role in launching the first VOD and interactive television services. At Fox I got involved in live production of action sports events (surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, etc.). One of the most exciting (and exhausting) experiences is being in a production truck with a crew producing a live sports event for broadcast. Working in live production is not for the faint of heart! At NBCU, I worked at the Golf Channel and later with the show THE BIGGEST LOSER learning many of the ins and outs of producing world class sports and entertainment television programs.

I think Harvard has had a profound effect on my career in two primary ways: 1) the HBS experience gave me a new perspective on my professional career and expanded my career options, and 2) the HBS and Harvardwood network has opened up opportunities that I would not have otherwise had, and the relationships have given me the guidance and inspiration to do more.

Q: What’s your favorite part about your role at Shout, and what challenges you the most in your role?

The favorite part of working for Shout is being able to work at the intersection of business and “professionally produced” audiovisual media. I’ve grown to appreciate all types of video media, from TV to film, scripted to unscripted entertainment, sports, and news. I’ve come to appreciate the different delivery platforms such as streaming, television, theatrical, physical (DVD and Blu-ray), as well as the different business models from transaction, to subscription, to ad-supported, and the various flavors in-between. To me, the greatest challenge is how to take advantage of new technologies to develop programs and enhance the video viewing experience. A great example is the MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 TURKEY DAY MARATHON, now in its tenth year, where we run a livestreaming event on interactive platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. We’re creating online viewing parties with over 100,000 MST3K fans and thousands interacting with each other through chat and other means.

Q: A lot is changing in the entertainment landscape, especially with the advent of AI. Do you see this impacting the distribution process or market at all, or have you already seen it starting to affect the business side of the industry? Similarly, have streaming services impacted viewer trends in any significant way with regards to distribution of content?

There is a lot of hype around AI and fear around its potential to eliminate jobs. AI will never replace humans—it will allow us to do our work better and help in many mundane ways to open up new revenue sources such as translation and subtitling. Streaming services have created new ways for content producers to reach their intended audiences. While business models are still being sorted out, the result will be a larger and more robust market for professionally produced video content.

Q: As of 2023, Shout! Factory controls the rights to many iconic brands in TV and film, such as MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000, THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW, THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW, ALF, POINT BREAK, LONESOME DOVE, Studio Ghibli, Aardman, and LAIKA titles, to name a few. What partnerships or collaborations have been instrumental in Shout! Studios' successful film and media distribution, and how do you evaluate potential distribution partners?

Shout has been successful because the company understands fandom and how to create new products and experiences that fans appreciate. Our ability to manage these franchises allow us to deliver more value to our licensors than other distributors.

Q: Several of the companies that Shout! maintains partnerships with focus on international media: for example, GKIDS, Eleven Arts, and Toei are all primarily Japanese media companies, namely anime, with Toei being based in Japan. ITV Studios and Aardman Animations are both British companies. Does the distribution strategy change at all depending on if the media is international, and are there specific strategies you employ that have been effective in reaching wider US audiences for content from places like the UK and Japan?

We’re finding that there is considerable interest among US viewers for foreign content, especially Japanese and British content. Japanese anime is extremely popular and we’re leading that market through our partnership with GKIDS. We also launched TokuSHOUTsu, a digital streaming branded service catering to tokusatsu fans (think GODZILLA and POWER RANGERS and you get the picture) and have close relationships with Toei and Tsuburaya. While we distribute a large number of UK-based ITV titles in the US (THE SAINT, THUNDERBIRDS, SPACE: 1999, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE PRISONER), we recently entered into an agreement with Aardman to distribute their content in the US, and we are looking to license plenty more.

Q: What do you believe sets Shout! Studios apart in the film and media distribution landscape, and how do you maintain a competitive edge?

Shout specializes in fandom around cult and classic TV and film. We trace our roots back to our music days and Rhino Records. Rhino was a pioneer in reissues—creating new versions of existing content to satisfy the needs of superfans. What started as music CDs has expanded to video, and across all media—physical, television, and digital.

Q: And finally, we’ll round it out with this: what do you like to do in your free time? What media have you consumed lately that’s really stood out to you?

I watch a lot of TV and digital video—across all genres and formats, from sports to news, to broadcast TV, YouTube, and Twitch. I like figuring out what makes a program work with its intended audience and how Shout can replicate that success with the content we control.



Harvardwood Presents: Independent Film Distribution

Thursday, October 5th 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET (virtual)

In this virtual session, hear Gene Pao HBS '97 describe the inner workings as to how independent films are windowed, released, and promoted, as well as how distribution strategies for independent films vary considerably from those of blockbuster films. Topics include film selection criteria, theatrical booking, digital transaction release strategies, and how these decisions affect later revenue streams including Pay 1 licensing deals and digital streaming.



Gene Pao (HBS '97) is currently EVP, Strategy and Digital at Shout! Studios, an independent film and TV distributor, where he oversees overall company strategy, production, marketing, distribution, and digital operations.  Over the past several years, Shout has expanded its business to indie film distributionhaving released a number new films this year including LINOLEUM (Jim Gaffigan), THE MAGIC FLUTE (F. Murray Abraham), WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? (Shazad Latif, Lily James, Emma Thompson), and hitting theaters on 9/29, THE KILL ROOM (Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Joe Manganiello).  Prior to Shout, Gene spent 12 years at Disney, Fox, and NBCU in cable distribution, digital media, and live sports broadcasting/livestreaming.  In 2022, Gene was named one of the Top 40 Most Important People In Streaming by Media Play News.

More info HERE!


Harvardwood Presents: Virtual 101 Info Session 2023


Tuesday, October 10th 1-2pm PT / 4-5 pm ET (virtual)

Harvardwood invites current students to come learn more about Harvardwood and the annual Harvardwood 101 career exploration program, which takes place during the January term and offers a one-week “Boot Camp” portion (which will be in-person again for 2024) as well as optional 1-2 week “Winternships” (virtual and/or in-person opportunities).

More info HERE!

Harvardwood x Penntertainment Co-Present: Penntertainment x Harvardwood LA Fall Mixer


Thursday, October 12th 6:30 pm PT (in-person!)
1400 N. Cahuenga Blvd (Godfrey Hotel)

Join us for the first Penntertainment x Harvardwood mixer since before times! Co-hosted by Harvardwood, Penntertainment, the Harvard Club of Southern CA, HBS Association of Southern CA, HLS Association of LA, Penn Club of LA, and Wharton So Cal, this event is for all creatives and producers in the TV/Film/Music/Content/Tech worlds from both schools to find opportunities to meet and collaborate at a friendly, low key happy hour at the rooftop bar at the Godfrey Hotel in Hollywood. 

The event is free to attend with a cash bar!


Parking: $15 valet or street/garage parking nearby.

More info HERE!

Harvardwood Co-Presents: LOVE IN TAIPEI Movie Cambridge Screening and Q&A with Abigail Hing Wen

October 13, 2023 at 9:00pm - 11:30pm ET (in person!)
Science Center, Harvard, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge

Join us for a movie screening of LOVE IN TAIPEI, based on the New York Times’ best-selling novel LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI by Abigail Hing Wen. In the novel, a young American woman, Ever Wong, is sent by her parents to a cultural immersion program in Taipei – inspired by an actual program attended by thousands of Chinese and Taiwanese diaspora youth – where she begins a new journey of self-discovery and romance. Movie screening will be followed by a Q&A with author and executive producer Abigail Hing Wen at 10:45pm.

Register here to get your free ticket. This movie screening is part of Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance Global Summit 2023, an exciting weekend of inspiration, engagement and connection as we celebrate our Harvard Asian American alums and discuss what it means to go Beyond Representation. 

Co-hosted by Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance, Harvardwood and the Entertainment and Media Club at Harvard Business School.

Email [email protected] to let us know you're coming!

More info HERE!


Harvardwood Presents: An Exclusive Evening at THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY West Coast LA Premiere and Meet Playwright Sam Baum ’98!

When: Wednesday, October 18th at 8pm PT

Where: The Geffen Playhouse

10886 Le Conte Avenue 

Los Angeles, California 90024

Join us for an evening at the theater. We'll be attending The Engagement Party, written by Harvard College alum Samuel Baum AB '98


Samuel Baum AB '98 is a playwright, screenwriter, and producer. He is thrilled to be collaborating with Geffen Playhouse on the West Coast premiere of his play, THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY, directed by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak. The play was originally produced at Hartford Stage, where it received four Critics Circle Awards, an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation. As a screenwriter, Baum was nominated for a WGA Award for the Emmy nominated HBO Film THE WIZARD OF LIES, starring Robert DeNiro. Previously, Baum created and executive produced the Fox television drama LIE TO ME, which ran for three seasons. He also co-created and executive produced the ABC series THE EVIDENCE, as well as television pilots for Amazon, Netflix, Showtime, and CBS. He is currently an executive producer of the NBC series THE IRRATIONAL, inspired by the work of behavioral psychologist Dan Ariely. Originally from New York, Baum is a graduate of Harvard College.

The show will run 80 minutes with no intermission. Post show, The Geffen is hosting a talkback with the creative team of the show. After this full-audience talkback, Harvardwood members will join writer Sam Baum for an exclusive meet and greet.

Play synopsis:

The champagne is on ice, the hors d'oeuvres are perfectly arranged, and the table is exquisitely set. At a swank Park Avenue apartment, a young couple is celebrating their engagement with an intimate gathering of family and friends. When a glass of wine is spilled, the night takes an unexpected turn, unleashing a spiraling sequence of events and revelations that will irrevocably change their lives.

Directed by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak (A GENTLEMEN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, ANASTASIA), THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY's original production at Hartford Stage in 2019 was heralded as a "masterful piece of playwriting” and a “theatrical experience worth its 85 minutes in gold."

Tickets: 

Member Price: $65

Non-Member Price: $75

More info HERE!


Harvardwood Presents: Creating Free Time with Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

Save the Date! 

Tuesday, November 14th 5:30 pm PT / 8:30 pm ET (virtual)

Join Harvardwood for a conversation with author and program director of 4 Day Week Global, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
 

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is program director at 4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit advocating for the 4-day workweek. His trilogy of books— SHORTER: Work Better, Smarter and Less— Here’s How (Public Affairs, 2020); REST: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less (Basic Books, 2016), and THE DISTRACTION ADDICTION (Little Brown, 2013)— shows how companies and individuals can better integrate rest, creativity, and focus into digital-age lives and work. Alex has been a consultant at Institute for the Future and Strategic Business Insights, and a visiting scholar at Microsoft Research Cambridge, Oxford University, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley. Alex received a Ph.D. in history and sociology of science from the University of Pennsylvania.

More info HERE!


Last Month at Harvardwood

Last month at Harvardwood, we got the inside scoop on running a television show from Jeff Melvoin AB '75, spoke to Eric d'Arbeloff MBA '93 and Howard Cohen AB '81 about distribution and production for the big screen, learned about making TV for young audiences with Kari Kim, Sean Presant AB '93Loni Steele Sosthand AB '97Tone Thyne, and Maiya Williams Verrone AB '84and much more! 

We also did some beach frolicking, but these are just some of the cool things we did last month at Harvardwood. 

 


  

List of All Upcoming Harvardwood Events Here

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Want to submit your success(es) to Harvardwood HIGHLIGHTS? Do so by posting here

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Become a Harvardwood member!

We work hard to create programming that you, the membership, would like to be engaged with. Please consider joining Harvardwood and becoming an active member of our arts, media, and entertainment community

 


DISCLAIMER

Harvardwood does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information, content or advertisements (collectively "Materials") contained on, distributed through, or linked, downloaded or accessed from any of the services contained in this e-mail. You hereby acknowledge that any reliance upon any Materials shall be at your sole risk. The materials are provided by Harvardwood on an "AS IS" basis, and Harvardwood expressly disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied.

Calendar Programs Jobs & Career Development