On Wednesday, CreativeFuture participated in “Beyond the Red Carpet: Movie and TV Magic Day” on Capitol Hill, an event co-hosted by Creative Rights Caucus Co-Chairs, Rep. Judy Chu and Rep. Howard Coble.
The event offered a behind-the-scenes look at all the creativity, talent, and innovation that drive the film and television industry, calling attention to the nearly two million hard-working men and women around the country employed in jobs that are dependent upon the American film and television industry, which contributes $41 billion to over 300,000 businesses.
More than thirty Members of Congress attended the event, which featured a speaking program and fourteen exhibit booths, including; supervising animators for Elsa and Anna from Disney’s FROZEN; the costume designer and Revolutionary War costumes from AMC’s TURN; a makeup artist turning a woman into a sea creature; and a photo opportunity with a real Oscar statuette.
From the LA Times:
“The extraordinary range of skills and talents showcased today offers a glimpse of what the creative community does every day to bring great stories to audiences around the world,” said Ruth Vitale, executive director of CreativeFuture, which advocates on behalf of the creative community. “It is equally important that we tell our own story.”
From The Wrap:
“People … see the product, but they don’t understand all that goes into it. What we want to do is show piracy affects real people and their jobs” – Rep. Judy Chu
Vitale moderated the first panel, “A Glimpse into Film and TV Production,” featuring veteran movie producer Hawk Koch, former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and President Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America; Kathy Morgan, President of Kathy Morgan International; Dawn Prestwich, a television writer and producer known for The Killing, Carnivale, Chicago Hope, and Picket Fences; Tom Prince, Executive Vice President of Physical Production at the Weinstein Company; and Jeffrey Sharp, an award-winning producer and publishing entrepreneur and the President and CEO of Story Mining & Supply Co., known for producing Boys Don’t Cry, You Can Count on Me, and the new television show, Outlander.
Koch moderated a second panel entitled “Achieving the Look”, which included panelists Phillip Boutte Jr., a costume illustrator credited for work in recent blockbuster hits The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Inception; and Donna Zakowska, a film and television editor whose credits include the CBS series Blue Bloods.
The final panel of the event, “Giving Life to a Character”, was moderated by Koch and featured Patrick Duffy and Linda Grey, stars of the hit series Dallas; and actor RJ Mitte, best known as Walter “Flynn” White Jr. for five seasons of AMC’s Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning dramatic thriller Breaking Bad.
Prior to the event, a CreativeFuture delegation personally meet with Members of Congress on Capitol Hill to further discuss these issues.
The Creative Rights Caucus brought together the following event hosts: 21st Century Fox, AMC Networks, Copyright Alliance, CreativeFuture, Deluxe Media & Entertainment, Directors Guild of America, Independent Film & Television Alliance, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Motion Picture Association of America, NBCUniversal, National Association of Theatre Owners, SAG-AFTRA, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Time Warner/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Viacom/Nickelodeon, and The Walt Disney Company.
