Presented by Center for Communication & SVA Theatre….
Hear from the brilliant creative minds behind the explosion of great series produced for the web. Creators of DIBS and Waco Valley and producers who work with superstars like Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers share how they write, produce and distribute webisodes. Find out what’s next for web video and how some producers are developing their series for TV.
This event is free, but is only open to high school and college students and faculty, with proper ID. Seats are limited. RSVP today by clicking here or on the ticket icon above!
BEN WARHEIT, CREATOR/WRITER, THE AWESOMES
Ben Warheit writes and performs for Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) and The Awesomes (HULU). His Above Average-produced animated series Waco Valley was recently developed as a pilot for Comedy Central.
JESSIE JOLLES, CREATOR, DIBS
Jessie Jolles is a writer/comedian living in New York City. She is a performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre on the improv house team Lisa From School and on the indie improv team Gulf Oil. Jessie writes and performs with soren & jolles, a comedic duo of best friends. They are currently working with sites like Pixable and Flama to bring comedy to the internet. soren & jolles created two seasons of the web series, DIBS, and have been populating YouTube with sketch videos, mini-series, and parodies ever since. Their work has been featured on Indiewire, The Huffington Post, Crushable, and more.
TRACY SOREN, CREATOR, DIBS
Tracy Soren is a comedian and writer from Queens, NY. She is 1/2 of soren & jolles with fellow comedian Jessie Jolles. soren & jolles make funny videos for the internet, currently working with sites like Pixable and Flama to create content. soren & jolles created two seasons of the web series, DIBS, and spend their free time hugging their pets. They have been featured on The Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, Indiewire and more. Tracy studied improv and sketch at the Upright Citizens Brigade and she improvises throughout the city with her indie team Gulf Oil. She has been a Production Assistant for Funny or Die and Above Average’s Rejected Pitches and has written for sites like Reductress, Mashable, and Seed & Spark.
ROB BARNETT, FOUNDER/CEO, OMNIVISION ENTERTAINMENT (MY DAMN CHANNEL)
Rob is the Founder/CEO of Omnivision Entertainment, a multi-platform, 360° entertainment company. Omnivision operates My Damn Channel, a producer and distributor of original programming. Rob created My Damn Channel in 2007 to work with established and emerging talent from film, TV, and the Internet; loyal fans; and major advertisers to consistently deliver popular, award-winning original series online.
Rob is a television production and a programming executive with more than 11 years of experience at MTV and VH1, where he produced news, specials, and series for both outlets and oversaw all network programming. He was VP of Program Planning for VH1 during the network’s surge in the late 90s with iconic hit shows including “Behind the Music.”
Rob was President of Programming for CBS Radio, where he oversaw content development for more than 179 stations and launched new formats in 30 markets. He was an independent producer for projects including “Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues,” a multi-part, PBS film series; “Staffers,” a reality TV series on politics; and “Inside the Bubble,” a documentary feature film on the 2004 presidential campaign. In the early part of his career, Rob worked in rock radio. He was on-air talent in Boston, Dallas, and Los Angeles and Program Director in Boston and Dallas. In 1981, Rob convinced Mick Jagger & The Rolling Stones to play a secret, club gig as an exclusive promotion for WAAF in Boston.
MIRANDA SHERMAN: MODERATOR, DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, CINEMA RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND NYU PRODUCTION LAB
Miranda Sherman came to film in a roundabout way: through advertising, social movement studies, and, finally, formalist film theory. Working with Graduate Film students at NYU while she pursued her Masters in Cinema Studies, Miranda became actively engaged in the mechanics of the film industry from the perspective of emerging artists. As Director of External Affairs for the Cinema Research Institute and the NYU Production Lab, Miranda believes that film can be perception- and world-changing – and argues that intersectional diversity must be an essential goal for those creating media and shaping the changing film industry. She combines her interdisciplinary knowledge and experiences to advocate for filmmakers’ innovation and invention of more equitable and sustainable artistic careers.
Miranda received her Master’s Degree in Cinema Studies from Tisch School of the Arts and her Bachelor’s Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU.