Arlington to Drive Communications for IFP Annual Programming and New Made In NY Media Center By IFP

February 21, 2014 (New York, NY) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today that Jody Arlington has joined the IFP team as its Director of Communications, overseeing IFP’s communications for its annual programming and the new Made in NY Media Center by IFP.

Arlington will lead communications efforts for the Media Center, 35^th anniversary initiatives and IFP’s Independent Film Week, Annual Labs, and Filmmaker Magazine.  She also will manage outside consultants on select annual events such as the Gotham Awards by IFP. She will split her time between New York and Washington, DC where she also serves as Acting Director of the IFP Festival Forum, an emergent professional association of film festivals incubated by IFP.  Arlington joins IFP’s previously announced staff hires for the Media Center including: Director of External Affairs, Sean Mc Manus, Director of Programming, Brent Hoff, and Producer of Education Programs Nekisa Cooper.

“We have been working with Jody Arlington during the launch of the Media Center, and are excited to have her as our Director of Communications.  Her achievements in directing PR for arts institutions including Sundance Institute and AFI and a variety of film and tech launches are well known, and she is a great addition to our team,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP and the Made in NY Media Center.

Jody Arlington has more than 20 years of experience representing organizations and independent film projects.  She’s dedicated the past 11 years to representing the Silverdocs Documentary Festival and International Documentary Conference (now AFI Docs), has served as Director of Communications for the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, launched the Impact Arts + Film Fund, Snagfilms, indiegogo, directed Sundance Institute’s 25^th Anniversary initiatives and represented dozens of independent films at all stages of distribution.   She is an ardent supporter of artist-driven storytelling and the converging platforms and disciplines transforming the art and business of media creation and exhibition.  Arlington is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she has taught entertainment PR, Film Festival Studies and Storytelling 2.0.  She reviews graphic novels for NPR Books.

“IFP has a rich history, and for the first time, a physical home and expanded direction in the Made in NY Media Center, where some of the most exciting collaborations and experimentations in storytelling are being formulated,” said Jody Arlington, Director of Communications.  “IFP’s vision for its members, projects and the NY storytelling community is one that I’m keenly excited to help amplify with Executive Director Joana Vicente and IFP’s incredibly dedicated staff and wider artist community.”

About IFP

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. IFP fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community, represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, IFP has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including, Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin.

IFP guides storytellers through the process of making and distributing their work. It offers creative, technological and business support through year-round programming, which includes Filmmaker Magazine, Independent Film Week, Envision, The Gotham Independent Film Awards, and the Independent Filmmaker Labs. IFP’s latest initiative, the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, is an incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, where storytellers from multiple disciplines, industries, and platforms can create, collaborate and connect. Through its programming—which also includes seminars, conferences, and mentorships—IFP creates exciting opportunities for promising new voices from a diverse range of racial, ethnic, religious, ideological and sexual perspectives.

About the Made in NY Media Center by IFP

The Made in NY Media Center by IFP is where storytellers from multiple disciplines, industries and platforms create, collaborate, connect and incubate across a spectrum of programs, events and experiences. The Center brings together innovators in film, video, gaming, technology and more through education, mentorship, entrepreneurship and content creation. The 20,000-square-foot facility is located on the ground floor of 30 John Street in DUMBO at the intersection of John and Jay Streets features co-working spaces, talent incubator, 72-seat screening room, art gallery and café in addition to dedicated spaces for classes, conferences, meetings and tenancy.  Through a combination of membership-driven and public-access programming our Center champions the future of storytelling in the digital age through a unique focus on cross-platform and cross-discipline media innovation. www.nymediacenter.com

About the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment

The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment consists of the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, facilitating and supporting film and TV production throughout the five boroughs; NYC Digital, which works to realize New York City’s potential as the world’s leading digital city; and NYC Media, the official TV, radio and online network of the City of New York. The agency’s mission is to streamline government communications by making information accessible, leveraging technology to aid in the transparency of government and by supporting relevant media and entertainment industries in New York City.