Live From Sundance: Day Two

It’s show time. After weeks of preparation, the films and official activities begin in full swing today. Park City has changed dramatically over the past 24 hours. Over a foot of new snow brightens Main Street. Lots of friends and colleagues have arrived and are already discussing films to see and business trends to watch.

This morning I am hosting an independent film Empowerment Town Hall with media consultant Peter Broderick and Producer Mynette Louie. Both Peter and Mynette understand the unprecedented opportunities for moviemakers to seek out customized and scaleable hybrid distribution models that advance their particular goals.

I look forward to the Town Hall style exchange with industry colleagues and the NY bagels and coffee served at the NY Lounge at 545 Main Street to get the day started. The NY Lounge is also a great place to learn about New York’s generous and easy-to-use tax incentive program for film productions.

The Barnes Brothers (Todd and Brad) premiere Homewrecker today. In the Sundance Next program, Homewrecker is an outstanding film with memorable performances. This film is a great example of what moviemakers can accomplish with a big imagination and a modest budget.

The Barnes Brothers inked an alliance with YouTube. This new model relationship offers film fans the opportunity to screen the film during the course of the festival. This type of deal, and similar ones recently announced by Microsoft and Hulu, signal a recognition of digital media as a vital platform for reaching new audiences and for sharing new works. For the Barnes Brothers, the YouTube relationship is truly empowering and exciting!

Finally, If you are in town and a music fan, please visit the NY Lounge (545 Main Street) for hot cider, networking and music starting at 4 p.m. each day. Natalie Gelman, Audrey Twitchell and Matt Lowell, all successful NY-based artists, will perform throughout the week.

Attorney Steven C. Beer is a shareholder in Greenberg Traurig’s New York office and has served as counsel to numerous award-winning writers, directors and producers, as well as industry leading film production, film finance and film distribution companies. He is the founder of R&B FM, LLC, a film production company focusing on producing music-oriented films, and was named one of the “21 Great Free Thinkers of Indie Film” in a list by Ted Hope, The Wrap (Dec. 28, 2009). His full bio can be found at http://www.gtlaw.com/People/StevenCBeer.