Join us for five Wednesday evenings from 6-7:30 pm this Winter Quarter as we’re joined by established Hollywood industry professionals who will take students through five major stages of a film’s lifecycle: from writing the script, to producing and packaging it, directing, acquisitions, and marketing. Hosted by Entertainment Executive and FMS alum Paul Davidson, and FMS professor Fatimah Tobing Rony, this series of seminars will give students the opportunity to learn how a Hollywood film is made and the jobs required to do so.
On February 28th, we are joined by both Danielle DiGiacomo and Julie Dansker, who will share their experiences acquiring films!
About Danielle DiGiacomo:
Danielle DiGiacomo is an entrepreneurial, creative, and intelligent go-getter with a passion and commitment to developing, financing, packaging, producing and distributing high-quality independent films and episodic content. She has a keen eye for emerging talent, strong narrative and effective filmmaking, and the ability to develop and maintain strong, supportive relationships with filmmakers, writers, distributors, marketers, publicists, etc. She has a broad knowledge of film distribution and production models, in particular the ever-changing landscape of theatrical and digital distribution platforms and models, as well as digital, traditional, and grassroots marketing.
About Julie Dansker:
A seasoned entertainment executive with long-standing relationships with content creators, all content buyers, multichannel video programming distributors, digital and streaming platforms, and networks, Julie Dansker recently served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing at The Orchard and oversaw all distribution and content strategy before becoming Head Of New Content Sales of Shout! Studio. In 2019, she was promoted to Chief Revenue Officer when new ownership rebranded the company 1091.
Over the years, Dansker helped propel many films to industry and press acclaim. Critically acclaimed titles include Academy Award® -nominated documentaries CARTEL LAND and LIFE, ANIMATED, Golden Globe-nominated NERUDA, Taika Waititi’s cult hits HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE and WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, the crowd-pleasing film THE HERO, starring Sam Elliott, the award-winning documentary THE DAWN WALL and most recently the box office success LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE which won a Critic’s Choice Award.
About our Co-Host:
An alum of UCI’s Film Studies, Paul Davidson is an Entertainment executive who has over twenty years working in Film and TV development, production, acquisition, distribution and marketing. Most recently, Davidson led IDW Entertainment’s TV & Film division, producing series like Netflix’s Locke & Key, Apple TV+’s Surfside Girls and CBC’s Essex County. Prior to that, Davidson ran The Orchard’s film and TV division, growing the company into a robust independent film distribution studio. Under his leadership, The Orchard netted multiple Oscar nominations (Life, Animated, and Cartel Land) and released well-known favorites like What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, American Animals, The Overnight, and more. Prior to The Orchard, Paul ran Microsoft’s global digital entertainment service — Xbox Video. Paul is also the author of four books, including Company of Foos (2023), The Small Stuff (2022), Consumer Joe, and The Lost Blogs.
Open to Film and Media Studies students, alums, professors, and staff.