Producing for Platforms and Networks

Speakers

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  Chevonne O'Shaughnessy Co-Founder & President, American Cinema International
  

  Chevonne O'Shaughnessy

  Co-Founder & President, American Cinema International

  Chevonne O’Shaughnessy began her career as the President of International sales for PM Entertainment. Her 10 years in the position resulted in the production and sales of over 176 feature films and two successful television series.

  In 2000, Chevonne founded American Cinema International, along with George Shamieh, with the goal of distributing and producing high quality commercial motion pictures throughout the world. In less than ten years, ACI produced 20 feature films with international sales and domestic prime time broadcasts on USA, SyFy, and HBO Premier. She has also served as the executive producer of numerous films and TV mini-series including the Jack Hunter trilogy, El Dorado, Born to Race, and Love Finds You series.

  In 2008, she co-founded Mission Pictures International with the goal of creating a brand of quality content to best serve inspirational and family-oriented market. During her time, MPI acquired over a hundred films for theatrical, home video and TV release, and became the international destination for films appealing to the family and faith market. With Chevonne’s departure from MPI in 2014, she created ACI INSPIRES with George Shamieh, the newest brand of inspirational entertainment focusing on family films for everyone. ACI Inspires premiered our movie Plus One at an Amish Wedding that was the number one movie for the year for UPTV. ACI has most recently started a brand of Finding Love in movies with four completed titles: “Finding Love in Mountain View,” “Finding Love in Big Sky,” “Finding Love in San Antonio” and “Finding Love in Sister’s.” ACI plans to make four more titles to add to the collection.

  In addition to her corporate responsibilities, Chevonne currently sits on Board of Directors of the Bentonville Film Festival and her family’s I. A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation which gives generously to the University of Notre Dame, St. Thomas University, and numerous other philanthropic causes each year. Chevonne also served 15 years on the Board of Directors of the Women in Film Foundation. Additionally, she makes guest appearances at Chapman University each quarter teaching International Film Distribution.

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  Jennifer Westin SVP, Physical Production, Topic Studios
  

  Jennifer Westin

  SVP, Physical Production, Topic Studios

  Jennifer Westin is the SVP of Physical Production at Topic Studios, the award-winning entertainment studio from First Look Media. Topic Studios is behind such notable films as Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny, winner of the 2022 Sundance Dramatic Grand Jury Prize; Pablo Larraìn’s Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana; the Academy Award®-winning Spotlight; and The Mauritanian, starring Jodie Foster (Golden Globe® winner), Tahar Rahim (Golden Globe® nominee), and Benedict Cumberbatch.

  Previously, Westin was Director of Production Management, Original Independent Film, at Netflix, where she managed a team of executives to oversee production on a slate of romcom and holiday titles. Prior to Netflix, Westin was SVP of Production at MarVista Entertainment (now owned by Fox), where she oversaw the company’s physical production, post, and production finance teams. At MarVista, she managed delivery for a slate of 50+ titles per year, including Under Wraps (Disney), the GLAAD-nominated The Christmas Set Up (Lifetime), and Falling Inn Love (Netflix).

  Earlier in her career, she founded Covert Productions, a production company that developed and produced such feature films as Caught, starring Anna Camp and directed by Maggie Kiley; and the dark comedy The Big Ask, starring Gillian Jacobs, Melanie Lynskey and Jason Ritter. While at Covert, she also produced a range of short-form content that played at major festivals including Sundance, Tribeca and London. Jennifer has a BA from USC, and an MFA in film producing from Columbia University.

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  Caddy Vanasirikul Caddy Vanasirikul, Head of Acquisitions & Production, The Exchange & President, NEXT Productions
  

  Caddy Vanasirikul

  Caddy Vanasirikul, Head of Acquisitions & Production, The Exchange & President, NEXT Productions

  Caddy Vanasirikul is a Producer and the current Head of Production & Acquisitions at The Exchange. Born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, Caddy began her entertainment career in unscripted television, serving as a Production Coordinator for popular American series such as The Bachelorette, The Amazing Race, and Dual Survival.

  In 2012, she moved to Los Angeles to attend the UCLA Producer’s Program. During her time at UCLA, Caddy produced the institution’s first TV pilot, Doubleblind, which went on to win the Caucus Award for Best Television/New Media Program and the feature film KILLING ANIMALS starring James Franco. She also was awarded both the Audience and Judges’ Award at the 2014 UCLA Producers’ Marketplace for her thesis project, LADYBOY.

  Caddy interned for The Exchange, while still enrolled at UCLA, and after graduation was hired full-time. Currently in her seventh year at The Exchange, she championed many indie darlings, including the Netflix Original films SHIMMER LAKE and IRREPLACEABLE YOU, as well as Good Deed Entertainment’s AFTER EVERYTHING. She and her team also regularly attend film markets and festivals to acquire finished films for international sales. Among their recent acquisitions are TRAGEDY GIRLS, THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM, Peabody-winner WELCOME TO CHECHNYA, and five-time Spirit Award Nominee WE THE ANIMALS.

  Caddy also serves as president of NEXT Productions, The Exchange’s stand-alone development fund and production company found in 2021. In this role, she curates a slate of projects to be fully financed and produced in-house with a direct pipeline to The Exchange’s international sales operation. For the first film under this model, Drew Barrymore’s THE STAND IN, Caddy arranged financing and ran point as the creative producer on set. The film was released on Netflix in early 2021. Caddy recently served as EP on MEET CUTE, starring Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson, arranging financing for the production. Shortly thereafter, she developed, financed, and produced THE INDEPENDENT, starring Jodie Turner-Smith, Brian Cox, John Cena, and Ann Dowd as well as LAROY starring Steve Zahn, John Magaro, and Dylan Baker.

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  Ani Kevork SVP, Production, MarVista
  

  Ani Kevork

  SVP, Production, MarVista

  Ani Kevork serves as Senior Vice President, Production, where she oversees all aspects of the film and television production operations for MarVista Entertainment, a leading global entertainment studio, producing and distributing a variety of content across the world. With a library showcasing nearly 2,500 hours of content, and with an average of 80 new movies per year added to the company’s development and distribution pipeline, MarVista is one of the largest suppliers of movies to the worldwide marketplace. Since joining the company earlier this year, Kevork has been instrumental in the production of two major feature films: “First Time Female Director,” written, produced and starring Chelsea Peretti, and “Daughter of the Bride,” starring Marcia Gay Harden, Halston Sage, Andrew Richardson and Aidan Quinn.

  Kevork joined MarVista from Mainstreet Production, an ITV Studios drama label where she guided and oversaw a breadth of projects, telling stories which span the globe. In this role she was an instrumental driver of five seasons of the BAFTA award-winning crime drama “Unforgotten”’ for ITV/PBS Masterpiece, which is among several shows she has shepherded to great critical acclaim. Prior to this, she spent over a decade working across a broad genre of scripted high end television production internationally, most recently producing “Gold Digger,” a six part series starring Julia Ormond and Ben Barnes.

  Kevork currently resides in Los Angeles, has spent time living in the UK, and is from Toronto, Canada.