Accelerator 2024

Toni Bell

Toni Bell is a documentary consultant, archival researcher, and impact producer for films like The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales and Fruits of Labor. She’s been a mentor and industry representative at Berlinale, Doc Society’s Good Pitch Local, Hot Docs, Sheffield, Korea Communications Agency, Big Sky, and more. She’s the former Filmmaker Services Manager at the IDA, overseeing the fiscal sponsorship program. She’s the creator/host of the u0022What’s Up with Docsu0022 Podcast and holds an M.A. in Visual Anthropology from USC, M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Naropa University, and a certificate in professional screenwriting from UCLA.

Alexia Melocchi

Alexia is an accomplished entertainment industry professional with a long-proven track record of success within both the domestic and international arenas. A vital contributor to the LITTLE STUDIO FILMS brand, Alexia Melocchi ‘s footing in the Entertainment Industry began in the international marketplace in the 1990s, as both a sales agent and buyer’s representative for eleven theatrical distributors. As a P.G.A producer with 30 credits, she uses her professional relationships and expertise in screenplay development, film and television IP packaging, securing co- productions and arranging for US and International Distribution for her clients projects. A regular participant at most major Film and Television markets as well as Festivals around the world, Alexia Melocchi still pursues international acquisitions and uses a global film marketing approach for the Projects of her Clients as well as the films she is producing under the Little Studio Films banner. During her tenure as a SalesAgent she sold more than 50 movies to profit on behalf of her producer clients and acquired more than 150 major Studio and Independent films on behalf of the Distributors she has ongoing relationships in Italy, Greece, Latin America, Spain, France, CIS and the Middle East. She was behind the acquisitions of films such as PEPPERMINT, THE BOY 2, LA LA LAND, ANNA, NOW YOU SEE ME 2, BEAUTIFUL BOY, SHAUN THE SHEEP and many more.

Alexia Melocchi is fluent in French, Greek, Italian and Spanish and is frequently invited as an expert Panelist on the Global Entertainment Industry. She was invited to discuss her expertise at ITTV, SEE FEST, the LOS ANGELES GREEK FILM FESTIVAL, the NORTH HOLLYWOOD CINEFEST, three consecutive CANNES FILM FESTIVAL panels (hosted by the PGA, Stage 32 and the Producers Network ) and WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT. Her bestseller book “AN INSIDERS SECRET: MASTERING THE HOLLYWOOD PATH” is on Amazon worldwide.

Franco Sama

Franco Sama boasts a remarkable and extensive history in public speaking public relations and nearly two decades of independent film development, production, and financing experience.

Sama, a proud Producer’s Guild of America (PGA) member, he serves as Chair of the PGA’s Member Events Committee and has Executive Produced and produced/co-produced an impressive array of over twenty-four (24) successful independent feature films. These films most notably include “Guns, Girls and Gambling” starring Gary Oldman, Christian Slater, and Dane Cook, which is now a cult favorite; this film acquired a distribution deal from Universal Home Entertainment.

Other films Sama has executive produced include “Tooth and Nail” starring Michael Madsen and Vinnie Jones, and “Paid” starring Corbin Bernsen. Sama also serves as Executive Producer on the film festival darling “Petunia,” starring Thora Birch, Brittany Snow, and Academy Award winner Christine Lahti.

One of his most recent films include the Australian TV Movie, “Suka,” an action thriller recently also released in the United States, “Take the Night”, the action-packed thriller that enjoyed a limited theatrical release in the United States; and “The Shift,” the hugely successful faith-based drama starring Neal McDonogh and Sean Austin, which was released on December 1, 2023, and has enjoyed a worldwide theatrical release.

His shingle “Samaco Films, LLC,” headquartered at Los Angeles Center Studios in Downtown Los Angeles.
Sama is also the Executive Producer of the highly anticipated Elevated Musical Thriller, “Alexis Colette.” The film will be shot in France and New York, and directed by its writer and creator, Anthony W. Johnson.

Christopher Fink

Christopher Fink is a writer, director and producer, a member of the Writer’s Guild of America, having written films and television projects for companies including Disney Studios and Paramount Pictures. He has written, produced and directed two feature films, Moving August and None, as well as commercials, an award-winning political ad and promotional trailers for film and tv projects.

Christopher has been working recently for an international sales company to help set up a film financing fund and oversee a film development and production division.

Previously, while exploring Louisiana for a film production, Christopher discovered a need for infrastructure and co-founded Louisiana’s largest movie studio complex and first Hollywood-class motion picture studio, the $60 million, 23-acre Celtic Studios. In the process, he also gained valuable knowledge about the workings of tax credit programs both in the U.S. and internationally, worked with state and local officials in Louisiana including the Lieutenant Governor and the Mayor of Baton Rouge and one of his proposals was passed by the Louisiana state legislature in an
update to Louisiana’s tax credit law.

A regular attendee at major film festivals and markets including the Cannes Film Festival, Christopher is very knowledgeable about film finance, sales and marketing of films and international co-production.
He was selected as Mission Leader for an international film mission to Beijing, China to explore coproduction, serves annually as a mentor for a filmmaker’s workshop at SEEfest and worked on the WGA Constitutional committee, drafting a successful revision to enhance open elections.

Contact Info:
E. [email protected]
P. 818-501-7663.

Sean Flanagan

Sean Flanagan is a New York based distribution executive, writer and producer. Studying at the New School, Sean began his entertainment career interning on the HBO film Taking Chance with Oscar nominated producers Ross Katz and Fred Berger.

In 2011, Sean pivoted to a distribution career as a means of learning the backend of the business that seemed to be lacking in his interactions with other creatives. Working his way up from the reception desk at social justice distributor Cinema Libre Studio, Sean ran the marketing campaigns for dozens of films. He then moved to running Quiver Digital, helping to release over 1000 films for every independent distributor in North America including Sundance Institute, Samuel Goldwyn, Filmrise and Pokemon. He eventually went on to run distribution for additional companies including Visual Data Media Services, Buffalo 8 and Narrative Capital. He presently consults on acquisitions and business development for Synergetic.

As a producer, Sean has worked on Shady Grove as well as Easy Does It! Starring Linda Hamilton and consulted on numerous other projects. His first feature, Killdeer, is in pre-production and set to shoot spring 2024. Other projects include the adaptations of Paperback Original, and White Ghosts. He is currently developing a project called To Create and Destroy with Screen Ireland and Eiru Films. Sean is repped by Zero Gravity Management.

As a means of promoting education, transparency and empowering filmmakers, Sean has served as a mentor and spoken at USC School of Cinematic Arts, Austin Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, Coverfly, Roadmap Writers, Big Apple Film Festival, Studio City International Film Festival and more.

Andrei Zinca

Andrei Zincă studied Film and TV Photography in Romania, and Directing and Film Production at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. Before leaving Romania in 1982, Mr. Zincă worked as a Cameraman for eight feature films, produced at Buftea Film Studios, and produced, wrote and directed for Romanian Television “We, the people”, a travel documentary series, that brought him an award from the Union of Romanian Filmmakers (UCIN) for best documentary series. Outside Romania, his debut as a Director/Producer occurred in 1987, with “Rosa de America”, a six-hour period TV mini-series shot in Peru. In 1988, Mr. Zincă moved to the U.S., where he established himself as a leading Director/Producer for the TV Hispanic markets in the U.S. and Latin America, with more than 1500 hours of scripted television under his belt. In 1991, he was nominated for an Emmy Regional Award for “Conversaciones en el Vaticano”, a Special Program about Pope John-Paul II and the Vatican, which he directed and co-produced. In 2006, Mr. Zincă returned to Romania as a Line Producer for the feature film “Mirrors”, starring Keifer Southerland, directed by Alexandre Aja, a New Regency/20th Century Fox production. He also directed “La Urgență”, a local version of ER, winner of UCIN (the Romanian Association of Filmmakers) and APTR (the Romanian Association of TV Professionals) Awards for Best Series 2006. In 2013, he co-produced, directed, and co-wrote “Puzzle for a Blind Man”, his first theatrical feature, shot entirely in Romania and post-produced in the US. The US-Romania co-production was awarded for best picture, script, lead actors, and photography at various independent film festivals in the US, and was distributed by Netflix in Europe, and by various streamers in the US. The same co-production formula was applied to his second feature film, “So, What’s Freedom?”, inspired in a short novel by world-renowned Ana Blandiana. The film won the Audience Choice Award for Best Romanian movie at TIFF Cluj-Napoca 2020, as well as other Audience Choice Awards and Special Jury Mentions, at festivals in the US. The movie was distributed in Europe by HBO. In 2023, Mr. Zincă premiered his first production of a feature documentary, shot entirely in South Africa. After its World premiere at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival where it won three awards, “Who I Am Not” had its N. American premiere at SXSW, followed so far by selections in 67 international festivals, with 20 wins. The movie was shortlisted by The European Film Academy for Best Documentary, and in the US, was picked by the prestigious PBS/POV for its 2024-2025 slate. Mr. Zincă is the co-founder and CEO of Voxx Studios, a Los Angeles based audio post-production studio.

Carol Contes

Carol T. Contes is an experienced entertainment lawyer who assists clients with business and legal matters pertaining to the development, financing, and production of scripted and unscripted content for global distribution (i.e., independent films, television/streaming series, documentaries, etc.). She is also experienced with intellectual property licensing agreements and Broadway stage agreements and issues regarding celebrity estates. She is admitted to both the Arizona Bar and the California Bar. Carol was recently a Co-Producer of the international independent film, “The Bay of Silence.”

Michal Shany

Michal’s practice focuses on transactional entertainment matters related to feature films and series (scripted and unscripted). She advises studios, production companies, and networks across all stages of development and production.

She regularly negotiates on behalf of Amazon Studios and served as production counsel to Keshet International on the drama series Echo 3 set to premiere on Apple TV+.

Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Michal was an entertainment attorney at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP in Los Angeles. She handled a wide variety of entertainment matters, from motion picture distribution and financing on behalf of independent producers to music rights and live touring on behalf of artists, as well as corporate and CCPA compliance matters. Michal has organized two Film & TV Industry panels selected for SXSW (2018 and 2020).

Michal received her law degree from Boston University School of Law where she was a Note Editor of the Journal of Science and Technology Law and the Entertainment Law Chair of the Communications, Entertainment, and Sports Law Association. During law school, Michal interned with the Content Protection Group at Fox Entertainment Group in Los Angeles, created and moderated a panel on the business of documentary distribution in Paris, and studied abroad at the University of Oxford (with a primary tutorial of media law).

Before law school, Michal received her Master in Documentary Film Directing from DocNomads, a two-year international program delivered by a consortium of three European universities: Lisbon’s Lusofona University, Budapest’s University of Theatre and Film Arts, and Brussels’ LUCA School of Arts. She directed, filmed, produced, and edited short documentaries in Portuguese, Hebrew, Hungarian, and French, and remains an active alumna.

Michal previously taught English through the Auxiliares de Conversación program in Madrid and completed a year of National Service working with Down syndrome adults in Be’er Sheva, Israel.

Hans-Martin Liebing

Hans is a European film and television producer and screenwriter with an extensive portfolio of feature films and documentaries spanning North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Projects he has produced and co-produced have garnered domestic and international awards, been screened
theatrically, broadcast worldwide, and acquired by major streaming platforms such as Netflix, Peacock, and Amazon Prime.

He has served on numerous film festival juries, including Cine Las Americas, the Newport Beach Film Festival, deadCenter Film Festival, and SXSW, and has been a judge for the News and Documentary Emmy Awards. Together with SEEfest founder and director Vera Mijojlić, he established SEEfest’s Global Film and Television Project Accelerator and the Global Film
Business Breakfast Series, a bi-monthly think tank for global film industry professionals hosted by the Swiss Consulate in Los Angeles.

As CEO of London-based development and production company Cinigma Media Ltd, Hans has produced and co-produced projects with Emmy Award-winning, Golden Palm-winning Academy Award-nominated, and Golden Lion winning directors. Among his past projects are acclaimed PBS Independent Lens documentary “Hansel Mieth: Vagabond Photographer,” PBS documentaries “Tattooed under Fire” and “Cactus Jack: Lone Star on Capitol Hill,” award-winning Macedonian-Swiss feature film co-production “The War is Over,” and award-winning feature film comedy “Au Pair, Kansas,” recently acquired by Peacock.

Hans served as the Director of Development at LA-based production company Black Bird Fly Entertainment during development of the Imagen Award-winning Disney feature “McFarland, USA,” directed by Niki Caro and starring Kevin Costner, and NAACP Image Award and Humanitas Price-winning-Hallmark Hall of Fame movie “Firelight,” starring Cuba Gooding
Junior, and acted as the Director of International Development for Berlin-based production company MovieBrats Pictures, developing feature film co-productions and TV series for the international market. He got his start in the North American film and television industry by serving as a production intern at HBO Films, a development intern at Valhalla Motion Pictures during development of “Aeon Flux,” and Ang Lee’s “Hulk,” and as an assistant to producer Gale Anne Hurd during post-production of Marvel Studios’ “The Incredible Hulk.”

His current narrative slate includes several international feature film co-productions, a limited streaming series adapted from a Pen Award-winning author’s acclaimed non-fiction book, and domestic and international limited streaming series set in California, New Mexico, Arizona, Germany, Spain, Mexico, and the Philippines, several of them adapted from novels by a New York Times bestselling author. On Hans’ unscripted slate is a documentary project with New Zealand director Emily McDowell, currently in post-production. The trilogy, filmed in Washington, Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, and New Zealand, explores the remarkable journeys of William Willoya, an Inuit activist whose work inspired the Greenpeace movement in the 1960s, and Greenpeace co-founder Susi Newborn.

Hans has been on the faculty of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television since 2013, teaching courses in domestic and global film and television development, scripted and unscripted series development, entertainment industry economics, entertainment industry strategies, and
motion picture and TV marketing and distribution. He holds MA and PhD degrees in film production and media studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA degree in Film and Television Producing from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television.