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Mike Disa has been in the animation industry for over twenty-five years. He came to California twenty-five years ago from Chicago to break into the animation industry. With no film training or knowledge of the workings of the entertainment business, he eventually found success at studios such as Dreamworks, Disney Feature, Warner Brothers, Paramount, and many others.Over a fascinating career, Mike has worked with some of the greatest and most infamous people in Hollywood including Steven Spielberg, Eric Goldberg, Ralph Bakshi, Glenn Close, Steve Oedekerk, David Tennant, Amy Poehler, Adam Sandler, Jeffery Katzenberg and Roy Disney. Full Bio »
During this Executive Hour Jason Mirch talks with Mike Disa, the director of the Netflix animated series, "Paradise PD" about his career, working directly for Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, finding a mentor, and how to get a job in a writers' room.
The Executive Hour
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Art/Work Manager Spencer Robinson will discuss the differences between managers and agents, how to grab a manager's attention, working with a manager and what he currently is seeing in the industry.
We're back in the Writers' Room for The Executive Hour with Alexia Melocchi. Alexia Melocchi is a partner in Little Studio Films and for over two decades has produced and sold award winning movies, documentaries and shorts, often partnering with emerging film makers she has personally discovered and mentored. Latest films by Little Film Studios are THE PANTANI AFFAIR which is with Amazon Studios Europe, A SOUL JOURNEY (Palm Springs International Film Festival and winner of URBANWORLD) and the upcoming Mini Series "THE MONKEY CLUB" with Oscar winner writer/producer Ron Bass. They also partially financed RIDE ABOVE directed by Christian Duguay, THE DESPERATE HOUR starring Naomi Watts, and WRONG TURN. In June 2020, Alexia signed a representation and development agreement with writer Seoras Wallace after connecting through Stage 32. Alexia says, "I would have never found him had it not been for Stage 32." Read the full story here. Alexia has acquired on behalf of her international distributor clients, film and television shows from all over the world for release in the Middle East, Italy, Greece, Spain, Canada, South America and Australia. Her clients have bought and partially financed films such as LA LA LAND, PEPPERMINT, THE BOY, TWILIGHT, TEEN SPIRIT AND THE BANKER. She is the host of THE HEART OF SHOW BUSINESS podcast. He company Little Studio Films acted as the sales representative for a DURAN DURAN documentary which sold in every major international territory and received a theatrical release, SERVICE TO MAN released through Entertainment Studios co- produced with Joel Zwick, SOL DE MEDIANOCHE released on HBO. She is fluent in five languages (Italian, Greek, French, Spanish and English), a personal asset that has allowed her to be involved in the financing and distribution of movies that have earned near $1 Billion dollars in box office returns worldwide. Always in the know of trends in film and television, she attends all major film festivals in the United States and internationally (CANNES, NATPE, BERLIN, VENICE, TORONTO, AFM, MIPTV) and has been frequently invited as an expert panelist on the Film Business at high profile film and television conventions. PRAISE FOR ALEXIA'S LESSIONS: "Thank you Alexia and K! Great conversations! Very inspirational!" -Peggy B. "Thanks Alexia for your expertise and support of struggling artists!!" -Debbie J. "Thank you Alexia! This was wonderful!" -Alexandria A.
We're back in the Writers' Room for The Executive Hour with Alec Sokolow Alec Sokolow is an Oscar nominated screenwriter, storyteller and character creator who specializes in global branding and franchise creation. Alec regularly works as a screenwriter for all the major studios and various global independent producers. His feature film credits include "Toy Story", "Cheaper By the Dozen", "Garfield", "Garfield: A Tale Of Two Kitties", "Money Talks", "Evan Almighty", "Goodbye Lover" and "Daddy Day Camp." Alec has also written the meta video game storyline and user interface for Activision's billion dollar franchise "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure" and "Skylanders: Giants" Alec’s character creation and naming includes Buzz Lightyear (and his catch phrase “To Infinity & Beyond”) and Woody. He has also produced feature documentaries, directed animation shorts and written children's books. Alec’s storytelling has created global receipts of over 2 Billion Dollars. He is also currently an adjunct professor at NYU teaching screenwriting. PRAISE FOR ALEX'S LESSIONS: "Thank you for your time today, Alec, your advice was phenomenal!" -Caitlin Cahill "Thank you, Sam and Stage 32, and most of all, Alec, for your writing wisdom." -Tony E. "Thank you Alec, Sam and Stage 32. Fantastic discussions, today. Thank you for sharing your story and journey." -Lyndsay Sinclair "Thanks, Alec! This webinar was EPIC!!!!!" -Bill B.
We’re back in the Writers’ Room for the Executive Hour with special guest Filmmaker Jeremy Garelick Prepare to delve into Jeremy's captivating journey and wealth of experience, as he generously imparts invaluable advice, all while eagerly responding to the burning questions YOU bring to the table. Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to gain insights and inspiration from a seasoned professional in the industry!
We’re back in the Writers’ Room for the Executive Hour with special guest John Dunne. Prepare to delve into John’s captivating journey and wealth of experience, as he generously imparts invaluable advice, all while eagerly responding to the burning questions YOU bring to the table. Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to gain insights and inspiration from a seasoned professional in the industry!
In the final Executive Hour of 2020, the Writers' Room members welcome Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning writer Vijal Patel who has written for comedy series including ABC’s BLACK-ISH, THE MIDDLE, and currently is the Co-EP on SCHOOLED with Tim Meadows. He also writes and develops feature film projects for DreamWorks and has a development deal with Sony Pictures Television. Vijal has built his career on writing comedy and using it to explore race, family, religion, politics, and class struggle. During this webcast, we discuss how Vijal entered the industry without going to film school, how he landed his first agent and manager, his thoughts on writing compelling dialogue, characters, and comedy, along with a lot more! It is one of the best Executive Hours of 2020!