New York, NY (March 8, 2011) – IFP and Power to the Pixel announced the program today for the first-annual Cross-Media Forum NYC. This day-long convergence will be held April 19, 2011 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater. The event consists of case studies, conversations and networking opportunities where attendees will meet top artists, new media pioneers and content creators from the day.

The line-up includes a number of media business leaders, funders and creative visionaries who will share their pioneering ideas on how to best navigate – and explode – the possibilities of the cross-media space. The goal of the program is two-fold: it aims to bring together creative and industry from multiple platforms (independent film, advertising, marketing, new media, design, publishing, gaming) , as well as act as the premiere incubator for cross-media talent by introducing exciting new projects to financiers and top brand leaders.

“IFP has always been seen as a conduit organization where creative artists, industry professionals and engaged audiences around the globe can come together and collaborate. It is mission-critical for our organization – and for the media sector at large – to foster community, access and creative opportunity across all platforms where great storytelling can thrive,” says IFP Executive Director Joana Vicente.

Power to the Pixel CEO Liz Rosenthal concurs that the Forum is the premiere space in the U.S. for storytellers, filmmakers and media organizations to discover “how to create, finance and distribute stories across media. The Forum holds a unique place in the landscape by ensuring that there’s a real connectivity and dialogue happening between both the artists and the industry around the importance of cross-media storytelling and engaging audiences in an increasingly fragmented world. We’re thrilled to be collaborating with IFP on this innovative new event and excited to be creating new connections with Power to the Pixel’s network of cross-media experts and U.S. talent.”

The day’s events will be led by innovators and experts working at the vanguard of the cross-media space and will include presentations by:

· Nina Bargiel: ARG writer/producer of MTV’s cross-media mystery series Valmont.

· Jeff Gomez: Transmedia storytelling guru, whose collaborations include work on James Cameron’s Avatar, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, Microsoft’s Halo, Hasbro’s Transformers and Coca-Cola’s Happiness Factory.

· Ty Montague: One of Advertising Age’s top 10 creative directors in the business, Montague recently launched Co:, a brand story-led innovation collective focused on future-facing marketing ideas to create meaningful connections with consumers.

· Andrea Phillips: Founding member of the Transmedia Artists Guild, game designer and writer, Phillips is a writer on The Master’s Path, the ARG for HBO’s much-anticipated Game of Thrones, has created content for True Blood, and is Executive Producer of the massively collaborative project My Super First Day.

· Lance Weiler: Filmmaker & Story Architect of Sundance sensation Pandemic; founder of DIY Days and The Workbook Project

In addition to these innovators, the Cross-Media Forum will also showcase three new cross-media works in development. These live pitches will introduce industry and general audiences to ground-breaking work, as well as offer opportunities for collaboration, financing and launch strategy for the participating artists. The projects are:

The Lost Children: presented by Mark Harris, Writer/Director

Escaping her troubled, rich family, party girl Evelyn Hamilton joins The Lost Children death cult, where she comes to believe in her own mystical origin and powers, and that only her death can save the world from an ancient evil.

In Process: presented by James Milward, Executive Producer

In Process is a generative art documentary featuring groundbreaking artists who operate under the radar, creating beautiful work and social change through computer code. Video interviews are created along with commissioned open source code by the artists, enabling viewers to play and augment this codebase with the video creating an evolving narrative and gallery of art.

Ken Brady Now: presented by Aina Abiodun, Executive Producer

A fully immersive blend of real time events, fiction and non-fiction narrative, Ken Brady Now is a personality-driven cross-media experience designed to provoke and engage the resurgence of traditional American liberalism.

The first-annual Cross-Media Forum NYC’s sponsors include Wired as well as Vimeo, Audio Network, SPiN NYC and Festology.

Tickets $80/$100 and are available for sale to the general public at: https://thegotham.org/cross-media-forum/

About IFP

Founded as a satellite program of the 1979 New York Film Festival, the non-profit IFP has evolved into the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and also the premier advocate for them. Since its start, IFP has supported the production of 7,000 films and provided resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers–voices that otherwise might not have been heard. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism.

IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Each year, the organization fosters the development of 300 feature and documentary films. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships and signature publication, FILMMAKER Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology and business of independent filmmaking. The year-round programs include Independent Film Week, The Gotham Independent Film Awards, Independent Filmmaker Labs, as well as a range of programs to promote racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender and sexual diversity. IFP, often in collaboration with partners and other cultural organizations, also builds audiences by hosting premieres and special screenings.

www.ifp.org

About Power to the Pixel

Power to the Pixel supports the film and media industries in their transition to a digital age. The company’s London team, headed by Liz Rosenthal & Tishna Molla, has a wealth of experience and expertise across film and cross-media, and is linked to a unique network of the leading thinkers, practitioners and innovators who are developing new business and creative opportunities around the world.

Specializing in new ways for content creators and businesses to create and finance stories and engage with audiences across multiple platforms, Power to the Pixel’s core activities are:

• Providing consultancy to international media organizations, content creators and companies

• Designing innovative in-house company training programs and bespoke initiatives

• Producing international forums, events and labs centered around cross-media IP and business

• Facilitating the exchange of ideas and the building of international partnerships between media professionals and between industries

This understanding of the challenges and opportunities of digital change means Power to the Pixel is an essential bridge between the visionary, the pioneering and the practical.

www.powertothepixel.com

www.thepixelreport.org

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Marian Koltai- 212.373.6130- [email protected]

Freida Orange- 212.373.0114- [email protected]