DISTRIBUTION CONFERENCE II
How Streamers Approach Independent Content
Gaining attention in the saturated market is challenging. Platform leaders will speak to their acquisition needs and strategy, and reveal what types of content have the greatest chance at VOD success.
Moderator
Brent Lang, Executive Editor Film & Media, New York Bureau Chief, Variety Magazine
Panelists
Adam Koehler, Manager of Acquisitions, IFC Films
Brian Stevenson, CEO & Founder, Sheena Mae Stories
Jennifer Vaux, Head of Content Acquisition, The Roku Channel
Speakers
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Jennifer VauxHead of Content Acquisition, The Roku ChannelJennifer Vaux oversees content strategy, acquisition, programming and scheduling for the ad-supported component of Roku’s owned and operated channel, The Roku Channel.
She is responsible for sourcing and executing innovative programming acquisition deals across a range of content and business models. She works to license content for The Roku Channel in United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Prior to Roku, Jennifer served as VP of Network Business Strategy & Content Acquisitions for Turner’s entertainment networks forging deals for off-network television series and movie licensing.
Jennifer has also worked at NBCUniversal and The Walt Disney Company in the US and Hit Entertainment in the UK.
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Adam KoehlerManager of Acquisitions, IFC FilmsHaving worked at Sundance Institute, FilmRise and IFC Films, Adam Koehler has been in the film acquisitions space for 7 years. In addition to monetizing library titles via IFC Films Unlimited, Adam plays an integral role in curating the release slates of both IFC Films and IFC Midnight. He has led acquisitions on films like Hunter Hunter, A Banquet, The Djinn and The Wretched, and is always searching for new creative voices in filmmaking.
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Brent LangExecutive Editor Film & Media, New York Bureau Chief, Variety Magazine -
Brian StevensonCo-Founder & Chairman, Sheena Mae StoriesBrian Stevenson, CEO and Founder of The Chromata Consulting Group, advises film distribution, film production and licensing to cable and digital networks including Netflix, HBO, Lifetime, BET, iTunes, Google, and Time Warner Cable, Inc. His expertise in digital programming and film production strategies spans twenty-five years of creating and managing marketing protocols, film development, film delivery timelines and budgets.
Prior to the founding of Chromata, Stevenson served in executive level positions with several independent film companies including Director of Film Acquisitions for On Command, Inc., an innovative Silicon Valley company that created a video on demand platform which services the global hotel industry. He has negotiated new release and library film licensing terms with powerhouse motion picture studios Paramount, Universal Studios, Disney, and Warner Brothers. Stevenson takes pride in his role to help one of the first video on demand businesses successfully launch to a critical mass audience while recording profitable revenue streams, which in turn revolutionized the Digital VOD industry.
Stevenson was also one of the creative forces behind the Bentonville Film Festival, co-founded by Geena Davis and Walmart, which celebrates and supports women and people of color in the film industry. He served in a leadership role at the annual event, which boasts 70,000 attendees and appearances by Hollywood heavyweights including Anthony Hamilton, Jewel, Nick Cannon, will.i.am, Meg Ryan, Robert De Niro and many more.
His latest venture is as Co-Founder and Chairman for Sheena Mae Stories, a production company dedicated to developing and producing films of color and inclusion as well as Film Distribution and licensing. The company’s first development deal is with Gaumont International Television, a division of Gaumont Film Company, the first and oldest film company in the world.