Fundraising Fundamentals for the Filmmaker - June 9th, 2 pm - 4 pm

Danielle Earle:

Danielle Earle has been working in the film industry for over 8 years and is a proud member of the Writer's Guild of America East. She has been recognized in the media for the critically acclaimed series "Brooklyn Is In Love," and the LGBT feature film "Lover's Game," starring Crawford M. Collins, Miranda McCauley, and Blaine Pennington.

Last year, Danielle directed, "In the Attic," a play written by Award Winning Playwright, Liz Amadio of "The Voire Dire Project," and owner of Cosmic Orchid Project that was a part of the Dream Up Festival at Theater for The New City. She is the Executive Producer of the short film "Lea," by Award Winning writer and director Jay Palmieri.

She recently completed filming her feature-length film, film noir thriller set in 1957 called, "The Haunted Mind Of An Insomniac," starring Ebeneezer Nii Sowah, Leigh Poulos, and Irma Cadiz, which will be out next year. Danielle is also the Executive Producer for three upcoming projects, "PLAY," written and directed by Jay Palmieri, SAG feature film, "Serial Killer in Harlem," written and directed by WGAW Guild Member Wesley Mills, and the LGBT Web Series, "Jaded - The New York Effect."

Melissa Adeyemo:

With over ten years of experience in the media and entertainment space, Melissa currently serves as the Director of Operations at National Black Theatre, while producing independently in New York. She has produced the short film Open Wounds, an Official Entry to the 2015 Dubai International Film Festival and Still Water Runs Deep, an Official Entry to the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. She also produces commercials and branded content, including the short film for a fashion line, A Peace Treaty, now distributed on Vogue.com. She has worked as the Unit Production Manager on the web series Unicornland.

She most recently worked for the Technology, Media and Telecommunications group within the strategy consulting arm of PwC, Strategy&. Prior to business school, she helped build out ROK Studios for iROKOtv, a Lagos based media and technology start-up.

Melissa started her career as a production assistant on Spike Lee’s, Inside Man and Steven Spielberg’s, Munich.

Kweighbaye Kotee:

Founder of the Bushwick Film Festival (BFF). She hailed as one of Brooklyn’s most celebrated events, BFF is recognized for its contribution to the borough’s artistic and economic growth. Dedicated to her community and the arts, Kotee serves on The Bushwick Community Board and is co-chair of its Arts & Culture committee. In addition, in 2016 she founded MCCG, an M/WBE community affairs company that helps developers positively engage with communities to create empowering opportunities for local residents and organizations. To date, her company has helped facilitate the distribution of over $400,000 in grants to local organizations and artists.

Born in Liberia, she and her family immigrated to the U.S. at the brink of the Liberian Civil war.

She has been featured on NBC, Fox News, Huffington Post, POPSUGAR, Delta Air Lines, Brooklyn Magazine, Indiewire, Tribeca Film and lives in Brooklyn.

Anna Marano:

Anna Marano is IncuBeta Films’ Development Executive. She brings extensive experience in international media and finance, as the founder and manager of Dada Productions, which produced three films targeted to the African market during her tenure. Marano is also a former personal assistant to the acclaimed director Phillip Noyce (for the production of Working Title's Catch a Fire), experienced research analyst for the renowned hedge fund, Paulson Europe LLP and freelance producer/journalist for Reuters-TV.

A graduate of the Bocconi University in Milan where she double-majored in Econometrics and Journalism, Marano began her career as a documentary filmmaker. Her coverage of Africa’s Maasai tribe won her the attention of Kenyan media - and a subsequent role in public relations. She is also an alumnus of the London Film Academy's producing course.

In celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month, join our Summer Art Fest at the Centre for Social Innovation in Chelsea!

Featuring

Art & fashion photographs curated by Real People. Real Lives. exhibit

Immersive audio room

Panel discussion @ 7 pm: Authentic voices of immigrant women discussing art, feminism, and the immigrant experience in this political landscape

Dinner bites, cocktails, soft drinks

Silent auction & pop-up shop

All proceeds go to New Women New Yorkers' programs empowering immigrant women.

Meet our panelists

Dru Blumensheid, an Australian-American photographer and filmmaker, and the artist of our Real People. Real Lives. exhibit

Kweighbaye Kotee, originally from Liberia, founder of the Bushwick Film Festival and of the Media, Culture, and Communications Group

Montserrat Vargas, a multidisciplinary artist from Chile exploring such themes as belonging, objectification, and mental illness

Thahitun Mariam, a Bangladeshi-American poet, researcher, feminist, and community organizer

Ximena Velez, a Colombian journalist specialized in human rights

EVENT PAGE

Building a business but feeling like the only woman in the room? Looking for a space to celebrate your accomplishments and contributions? Needing to hear from other ladies crushing it on the daily?

Women Owning It is a celebration of women in media and tech killin’ it in their fields and owning their space in the industry. Featuring a speed networking round and a panel of four women who own businesses or just their corners of the room, our hope is that attendees leave feeling empowered to build their businesses, brands and billable hours. In this morning session, participants will hear from women in the worlds of digital marketing, AR+VR and film festivals, all experts in the business of staking claim to your individual ownership.

Panelists are: Katelyn Coghlan (In-It VR), Kweighbaye Kotee (Bushwick Film Festival) and Christina Raia (Seed & Spark) 

Moderated by: Jennifer Jackson (US Small Business Administration) 

Join CORE: as we kick off our exciting new partnership with Bushwick Collective, a world class open-air gallery started by Joe Ficalora in 2012. Meet Joe and the artists who have transformed the streets of Bushwick into a visually stunning haven for arts lovers and creators alike. Bushwick Film Festival Founder Kweighbaye Kotee will moderate a panel featuring Bushwick Collective Founder Joe Ficalora, graffiti legends Eric Inkala and GIZ, and inspirational newcomer Lola The Illustrator.

Presentation and conversation with MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises students  

Stareable

http://community.stareable.com/t/festivals-audiences-networking-funding-and-inspiration-with-founder-ceo-of-bushwick-film-festival-kweighbaye-kotee/3734

• Kweighbaye Kotee - Founder, Bushwick Film Festival
• Ellie Hearne - Founder, Pencil or Ink
• Heather Lasky - Founder & CEO of Champ America
• Kavita Chudavala - American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

An exciting evening of celebrating the achievements of women as changemakers, innovators, and bridge builders, and to discuss how critical it is to continue to collectively empower them.

Hosted by Kweighbaye Kotee, Founder of Bushwick Film Festival

Speakers:

- Celeste Leone, District Manager, Bushwick Community Board 4
- Assembly Member, Maritza Davila
- Michelle King, Head of UN Women’s Integrate Strategy and Partnerships for Innovation
- Annette Spellen, Retired NYPD Detective, Domestic Violence Advocate, Cancer Survivor
- Sarah Lux-Lee, founder of Mindr
- Aditi Paul, Assistant Professor, Ph.D Department of Communication Studies Pace University
- Martha Brown, the current CB4 Housing and Land Use Co-chairperson

Founder and CEO of Bushwick Film Festival, Kweighbaye will discuss inspiration: how and where she finds the sources of her creativity as an entrepreneur, independent artist and filmmaker. 

A good working relationship between directors and producers is crucial to getting a great project completed. Our panel of filmmakers talk about what it takes to make this relationship thrive, and the importance of a great producer to your director-driven project. 
Panelists: Julie Bridgham, Moderator (BFF Documentary Programmer, “Sari Soldiers”), Rebecca Dreyfus (“On Meditation,” “Stolen”), Susannah Ludwig (“On Meditation,” “Boomtown”), Lisa Ferri (ABC News), Kweighbaye Kotee (“Bushwick Diaries”). 

Production designers, Ann Ross whose credits include Gus Van Sant’s Restless; Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale and Margot at the Wedding, and Scott Dougan whose recent work includes designs for American Animals and One Mile to Run sit down with costume designer for the hit Netflix series House of Cardsand fashion stylist for a number of red carpet clients Kemal Harris, and costume designer Mary Cassidy Mosher whose projects include Red Oaks, Power, The Blacklist, and the TFF selected film Permission, for a conversation about creating the overall look and feel of different worlds and times. Moderated by founder of the Bushwick Film Festival, Kweighbaye Kotee.

We present four diverse and successful businesswomen from the film Dream, Girl who have founded companies in traditionally male-dominated industries—Film, Media, Publishing, and Technology. Panelists will take stock of the implications of the current state of gender inequality and

identify forward-looking actions that can help turn the aspirations of the #BeBoldForChange agenda into a reality. By sharing their personal success stories and the steps they took to transform their lives and careers, they hope to empower women to do the same and forge a better working world for women across

the globe.

SPEAKER/MODERATOR:

Kweighbaye Kotee is the Founder & CEO of Bushwick Film Festival (BFF) and Media Culture and Communications Group (MCCG).

PANELISTS:
Erin Bagwell is the director of the documentary Dream, Girl and the founder of Feminist Wednesday

Clara Villarosa is the co-founder of Villarosa Media

Annie Wang is the Co-founder and Co-President of Senvol

Crista Freeman is the Founder and CEO of Phin & Phebes

By examining success stories, we will start the conversation on how disruptive design strategy can be applied to thriving businesses with a sharing economy mindset. We will explore how different disciplines within the creatives economies are collaborating to grow sustainably and build stronger communities to shape a positive future.

Topics & Speakers:
- Sustainable and Ethical Fashion. Natalie Grillon – Founder & CEO of Project Just
- Arts and Culture. Kweighbaye Kotee – Founder & CEO of Bushwick Film Festival
- Architecture, Urban planning & Sustainable Community Development. Gonzalo Carbajo - Co-Founder of Eray Carbajo LLC
- Education and Learning Systems. Shana Dressler – Executive Director of 30 Weeks
- Social Entrepreneurship. Catherine Lieber Simony - Co-Founder & Co-President of Global Good Partners
- Sustainability Practices & Education. Margaret Watson - Founder & President of GreenSchoolsAlliance