Finance II: How to Choose a Location to Maximize Your Budget
Moderator
Andi Isaacs, University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Panelists
Ryan Broussard, Wrapbook
Jeffery Greenstein, A Higher Standard
Simon Williams, Ashland Hill Media Finance
Speakers
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Ryan BroussardVP of Sales and Production Incentives, WrapbookRyan Broussard, Wrapbook’s VP of Sales and Production Incentives, has worked with productions of all sizes—from the largest studio features to the smallest independent projects—to help them optimize their production-incentive strategies and make the most of their budgets.
Broussard’s career in production payroll began sixteen years ago. In that time, he’s worked at payroll companies like Entertainment Partners, where he served as Senior Account Specialist; CAPS, where he served as Tax Incentive Manager; and Media Services, where he served as Vice President of Sales and Production Incentives. He has worked on production incentives from nearly every possible angle, developing innovative reporting measures to facilitate faster audits, advising countless productions on state tax incentives, and even helping some states and local jurisdictions design their incentive programs.
Broussard combines his industry-leading expertise with an emphasis on client service. He has helped clients budget their projects to ensure production incentives are applied correctly, and he has worked directly with clients’ financial institutions to help productions secure financing using incentives. He maintains active relationships with every major film office.
As a well-regarded industry expert, Broussard has hosted numerous online tutorials, webinars, and educational videos, and he has served as both guest and host numerous panels and events for leading industry festivals like SXSW, AFM, NPACT, and more.
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Andi IsaacsAssistant Professor, UNLV FilmAndi Isaacs joined the film department faculty at the University Nevada, Las Vegas in the fall of 2022, focusing on producing and production classes. Isaacs teaches the popular Business of Hollywood class, where students can learn about everything from development to delivery through the practical lens of finance, legal, business affairs, sales and marketing, as well as the administrative and logistical issues of working in film. In addition, Isaacs teaches Adaptations and Intellectual Properties, discussing where to find stories as a Producer. Isaacs also oversees the new internship program for UNLV, arranging for students to have hands on opportunities with professional film and television companies. Isaacs loves teaching at UNLV Film. UNLV is one of the most diverse universities in the nation, and her hope is to help her students find ways for their stories to be heard.
Before transitioning to education, Isaacs previously served as the Executive Vice President and Head of Physical Production for one of the film industry’s highly successful independent studios, Summit Entertainment, from its inception in 2006 until its sale to Lionsgate in 2012. Capitalizing on Summit’s modern view of a studio and its processes, Isaacs used this platform as a way to make adjustments to traditional studio practices as well as mentoring the next generation of executives in the feature film production arena.
Prior to joining Summit Isaacs spent almost two decades being an “industry go to person” when it came to challenging film productions or those that needed a new hand to guide an in-process production to the finish. She filled this role in various production related capacities for Walt Disney Pictures during her tenure from 2003 through 2006, and as freelancer in all areas of production both domestically and internationally including production supervisor, accountant, and studio representative for both independent and major studios.
Some notable films that can be found on Isaacs’ resume include NOW YOU SEE ME, PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, WARM BODIES, RED, TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, ECLIPSE, BREAKING DAWN 1 AND 2 (THE TWILIGHT SAGA), LETTERS TO JULIET, KNOWING, THE HURT LOCKER, IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 AND 3, NATIONAL TREASURE, KING ARTHUR, SOMEONE LIKE YOU, ANNA AND THE KING, THE PACIFIER, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, PHILADELPHIA AND SCENT OF A WOMAN.
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Jeffrey GreensteinA Higher Standard -
Simon WilliamsManaging Partner. Ashland Hill Media FinanceSimon Williams has been a film financier for over ten years, executive producing more than 50 films and closing over $750M in transactions. Williams is Managing Partner at Ashland Hill Media Finance, the UK and US-based entertainment financing company he runs alongside fellow film financiers and producers, Joe Simpson and Jonathan Bross. Since its 2022 launch, Ashland Hill Media Finance has invested more than $220M across 32 deals. The slate of Ashland Hill-financed films includes The Magic Faraway Tree, based on the best-selling book series by beloved children’s author Enid Blyton, written by BAFTA nominee Simon Farnaby, directed by Ben Gregor, and starring Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders and Rebecca Ferguson; Timothy Woodward Jr.’s Eyes In The Trees, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Rhys Meyers; Rupert Sanders’ reimagining of The Crow, starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA twigs, and released in theatres by Lionsgate; John Maclean’s Tornado, starring Academy Award nominee Tim Roth; The Venice+TIFF selection Harvest, directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari (Attenburg, Chevalier), starring Caleb Landry-Jones, Harry Melling and Rosy McEwen; The horror-comedy The Scurry, directed by Craig Thomas and starring Ella Purnell, Rhys Ifans, Paapa Essiedu and Antonia Thomas; and Philip Noyce’s action thriller Fast Charlie, starring Pierce Brosnan and Academy Award nominee James Caan in his final on-screen performance.
Williams is co-founder and partner of Palisades Park Pictures. Led by CEO Tamara Birkemoe, Palisades Park Pictures is a global entertainment company focused on the distribution, production, and financing of high-level, quality commercial content for a worldwide audience.
Williams is also a co-owner and Partner at Horizon Distribution, a film distribution company for airlines and other ancillary channels that is a joint venture with US all-rights distributor Vertical Entertainment. To date, Horizon has released over 100 feature films on over 50 airline companies throughout the world. Prior to Ashland Hill Media Finance, Williams was Fund Managing Director for Ingenious Media’s flagship independent film financing fund, Shelley Media, where he managed all aspects of the production and exploitation of film and television projects. As Senior Financial Analyst at the hedge fund RP Capital Group, he managed a team of analysts responsible for deal origination, structuring, closing, and monitoring. He began his career at Allen & Overy LLP where he trained as an accountant in global finance.
Williams holds a Masters Degree in Mathematics from The University of Exeter and is also a CFA® charterholder.
