Finding a Happy Medium: Theater, Film, TV, New Media
The Playroom Theatre
151 W. 46th Street, 8th floor
Tuesday, June 14th, 7:30pm (networking 7pm)
With Ashley Kate Adams, theater & film producer & actress; Michael Alden, producer (theater: Disgraced, Grey Gardens, Bat Boy, The King's Speech on stage, Becoming Dr. Ruth; film: Just Cause with Sean Connery, documentary UnZipped, Academy Award nominee The Hours, multi-award winning Kissing Jessica Stein, foreign feature film The Zookeeper starring Sam Neill); Yaniko Palis, head of production and development executive for independent film companies; Daryl Sledge, theater and film producer, founding member of Rhymes Over Beats; others tba.
If you've got talent and skills, why limit yourself in one area? Many of us work exclusively in theater, but there may be opportunities awaiting in other media, including film, television and the burgeoning world of new media. We'll talk about career fluidity, and how to adapt what you do from one medium to another. We will explore the similarities and differences, the comparative costs of producing each, the differences in how you should approach investors, and how to identify if a property itself is adaptable to a different medium and what adjustments might need to be made.
Doors open at 7:00pm for networking and refreshments, roundtable introductions of everyone in the room will start at 7:30pm - come prepared with your best one-minute summary of who you are, and what you need. Free for TRU members; $12 for non-members. (Or $10 in advance - see ticketing upper left.) Please call at least a day in advance (or much sooner) for reservations: 212/714-7628; or e-mail TRUStaff1@gmail.com
Panelists
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ASHLEY KATE ADAMS
is from Louisville, Kentucky & was born into a musical theatre family. After attending Cincinnati-Conservatory of Music she made her Broadway debut at the age of 23 in the Tony Award Winning revival of La Cage Aux Folles. Following Broadway she toured with the show, and began to lay the groundwork for her production company, AKA Studio Productions. She is now Executive Producer of the new original comedy series "Rules of Cool" which is currently streaming on FullScreen, Dave Solomon’s award-winning film “photo op”, “Capital Advice” and The Dodgers (Hudson Theatre in LA). Concerts: 54 Below, the Metropolitan Room, NYMF, Rockwood Music Hall and Joe's Pub. Past: Thankskilling (Best Musical 2014 NY Festival of the Offensive). As an actress, she has starred Off-Broadway in "The Anthem", "Gay Bride of Frankenstein", and in regional houses such as Paper Mill Playhouse and the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. TV/Film Credits include “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, “Royal Pains”, “True Detective”, “1 Message” and the upcoming comedy, "Pitching Tents". www.ashleykateadams.com, www.akastudioproductions.com
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MICHAEL ALDEN
On Broadway: Come From Away, Disgraced (Pulitzer Prize) Grey Gardens and Bridge & Tunnel (Special Tony Award.) On the West End: David Seidler's original play, The King's Speech and Bat Boy The Musical. Off Broadway: Not That Jewish, Becoming Dr, Ruth, Bat Boy The Musical, Save It For The Stage written by and starring Charles Nelson Reilly, and The Last Session. Film works include: Just Cause with Sean Connery, the fashion forward documentary UnZipped for Mirimax, Stephen Daldry's The Hours, Kissing Jessica Stein, The Zookeeper starring Sam Neill, Lesser Prophets and Mother, Mother. Current projects include the feature length documentaries, My Beautiful Stutter and When Reagan Killed Roosevelt the never before told story of the childhood years of the rap group Public Enemy; the features UnHinged starring Mickey Rourke and the recently completed Death Metal. From 1987- 89, Vice President Post Production Cannon Films; 1989 - 90, Vice President Pathe Films; 1991 -92 Vice President MGM Post Production.
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YANIKO PALIS
A producer and director with substantial experience in large budget feature films, telefilms, mini-series and prime time dramatic series. His work includes Hollywood features and complex international co-productions. He's worked closely with many leading filmmakers, such as Jean-Jacques Annaud, Mace Neufeld, Branko Lustig, Mickey Moore, Marc Simenon, Denis Heroux, Robin Spry and Robert Lantos. Stars include Barry Morse, John Ireland, Robert Mitchum, Marlee Matlin and many, many others. Yaniko is currently developing several new film properties and has become active in the New York theatre community too. For more information, go to: www.YanikoPalis.weebly.com
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DARYL SLEDGE
is a theater producer as well as a film and television professional. He was the producer of the Off-Broadway solo project Fried Chicken and Latkes written by and starring Rain Pryor at the Actors Temple Theatre. His main objective is producing commercially whether it be Broadway, Off Broadway, Regionally/Touring and the West End. Daryl is lead producer for the play Pound for Pound by Steven Alexander, which he found through TRU's Speed Date, and is in negotiations to present a professional staged reading of the work. He produced the documentary, That Daughter's Crazy featuring Rain Pryor (winner of Saatchi and Saatchi Achievement in Film Award), and the HBO Best Short Film, 2nd LiFE by Jake Alexander, which is now in the first round for being nominated for Best Live-Action Short Film for the Academy Awards. He is developing a feature length screenplay/film based on the murder of Emmett Till and producing two smaller independent films: Satellite Flight and The Dark. He has been a member of Theater Resources Unlimited and has and is taking courses and attending seminars at CTI. He would love to see more people of color and women get involved with these two great organizations.
