The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today initial speakers for Produced By: New York 2017 (PBNY) which will feature sessions including  “Conversation With Anthony Bourdain & Lydia Tenaglia”;  “Future of Cinema: James Schamus”; “The Power to Shake It Up” with Alison Benson, Kelly Carmichael, Nina Jacobson, Nina K. Noble, and Sarah Jessica Parker confirmed to date; and “Producers’ Masterclass: The Power of Creative Collaboration” with moderator Bruce Cohen, Letty Aronson, Edward Lachman, Santo Loquasto, and Christine Vachon confirmed to date. Other confirmed speakers include Evgeny Afineevsky, Jessica Goldberg, Gary Lucchesi, and Lori McCreary. PBNY 2017 will be held on Saturday, October 28, with Time Warner Center in New York serving as the venue for the fourth consecutive year.

“Conversation With Anthony Bourdain & Lydia Tenaglia” features a comprehensive dialogue about their creative partnership as they share producing stories behind creating and selling “A Cook’s Tour,” “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations,” “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” and their latest film projects “Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent,” “Wasted! The Story of Food Waste,” and “Detroit: Once in a Great City.”

“Future of Cinema: James Schamus” is an in-depth session with the influential Oscar-nominated filmmaker whose experiences as the producer of films such as “Brokeback Mountain” and “Casting JonBenet,” and as founding CEO of Focus Features provide a unique perspective on the current state and future prospects of theatrical features.

“The Power to Shake It Up” features a forum with producers Kelly Carmichael (“My Week With Marilyn,” “Nine”), Nina Jacobson ("The Hunger Games” film franchise, "American Crime Story” TV franchise), Nina K. Noble (“The Wire,” “The Deuce”), and Sarah Jessica Parker and Alison Benson from Pretty Matches Productions, to discuss challenging the status quo and actively creating opportunities for women in all aspects of development and production, while telling stories from fresh voices that audiences haven’t heard before.

“Producers’ Masterclass: The Power of Creative Collaboration” is an annual event where the producers of some of this year’s most acclaimed features take the stage with their key collaborators to talk about the filmmaking process and how their partnerships provide the defining elements of their memorable films. Academy Award®-winning producer Bruce Cohen (“American Beauty”) will lead the discussion, which to date includes “Wonder Wheel” producer Letty Aronson and production designer Santo Loquasto, and “Wonderstruck” producer Christine Vachon and cinematographer Edward Lachman.

Confirmed panelists to date are noted below in alphabetical order. All speakers are producers on their credited projects below, unless otherwise indicated:

  • Evgeny Afineevsky, “Cries from Syria,” Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom”
  • Letty Aronson, “Wonder Wheel,” “Midnight in Paris”
  • Alison Benson, President, Pretty Matches Productions
  • Anthony Bourdain, “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations,” “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”
  • John Canning, VP Interactive Experiences, NBC Entertainment Digital
  • Bruce Cohen, “Rebel in the Rye,” “American Beauty”
  • Kelly Carmichael, President of Production and Development, Freckle Films; “My Week With Marilyn,” “Nine”
  • Jessica Goldberg, "The Path," and "Parenthood"
  • Bianca Goodloe, Managing Partner, Goodloe Law
  • John Hadity, Executive Vice President, EP Financial Solutions
  • Nina Jacobson, Founder, Color Force; "The Hunger Games” film franchise, "American Crime Story” TV franchise
  • Nina K. Noble, “The Wire,” “The Deuce”
  • Edward Lachman, Cinematographer; “Wonderstruck,” “Carol”
  • Santo Loquasto, Production Designer; “Wonder Wheel,” “Café Society”
  • Gary Lucchesi, President of the Producers Guild of America; “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “Million Dollar Baby”
  •  Lori McCreary, President of the Producers Guild of America; “Invictus,” "Madam Secretary"
  • Sarah Jessica Parker, Founder and CEO, Pretty Matches Productions
  • Nina K. Noble, “The Wire,” “The Deuce”
  • Frank Patterson, President, Pinewood Atlanta Studios
  • James Schamus, “Brokeback Mountain,” “Casting JonBenet”
  • Lydia Tenaglia, “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations,” “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”
  • Adaora Udoji, Adviser, VRAR Association; Adjunct Professor, ITP, NYU
  • Christine Vachon, “Wonderstruck,” “Carol”

* The above speakers and panels are subject to change.

Previous Produced By: New York speakers include Chris Rock, Tina Fey, Matt Damon, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Harvey Weinstein, Bonnie Arnold, Darren Aronofsky, Mark Gordon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joshua Safran, and Lydia Dean Pilcher, among many others. 

Reaching across film, television and new media, Produced By is an educational forum conducted by acclaimed producers, including numerous Oscar and Emmy award winners, as well as the next generation of creative entrepreneurs. It is specifically created by producers, for producers and features a broad range of programming, including mentoring roundtables, workshops and networking events. No other event gives producers so many opportunities to network with and learn from top storytellers and decision-makers in the entertainment industry. Discounted early bird registration for PBNY 2017 is available now at ProducedByConference.com and ends October 1.

HBO and Time Warner are Hosting Sponsors, Discovery Communications is a Supporting Sponsor, and Delta is the Official Airline Partner of PBNY 2017. Other sponsors to date include: BEN, Branded Entertainment Network; British Film Commission; Entertainment Partners; Film in Florida; Film US Virgin Islands; Final Draft; Honolulu Film Office; NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment; PBS; Panasonic; Pinewood Studios Atlanta; Produce Iowa; The Molecule; Tripgrid; and VER.

PBNY 2017 is chaired by PGA members Bruce Cohen, Dana Kuznetzkoff and Debbie Myers, who are working very closely with PGA East Vice Presidents William Horberg and Kay Rothman. Diane Salerno of Six Degrees Global is Sponsorship Director, while Caroline Waxler and Emily Gannett will serve as Program Directors and Liz Hart of Liz Hart Events & Design returns as the conference’s Supervising Producer.

The Produced By: New York 2017 is made possible by The PGA Foundation, The Producers Guild of America’s charitable entity.  The Produced By conferences are the cornerstone events that epitomize the Foundation’s core mission, to educate and inspire those working in the producing profession. To review highlights from previous conferences and receive news and the latest programming updates for PBNY 2017, please visit the Guild’s official website and follow its social media channels for the event:

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