Danielle Berrin for the Jewish Journal did a really fantastic profile of JenLA and got to the heart and core of what we’re about.
Oct 182012
Sep 252012
“Emotional Survival in the Industry”
Brad Silberling
Director Brad Silberling is known for directing large studio blockbusters such as Land of the Lost, Lemony Snicket, City of Angels, Casper, etc as well as smaller personal films such as 10 Items or Less. He is married to actress Amy Brenneman and has two kids.
Jun 252012
“The Importance of Story”
Eric Kaplan
Eric Kaplan is currently a writer and co-executive producer on the hit-tv series The Big Bang Theory. He has also worked on shows such as Late Show with David Letterman, Futurama, Malcolm in the Middle and runs Mirari Films, an animation studio and VFX house.
Mar 262012
“Avoiding Being Typecast / Making Your Own Luck”
David Kirschner
David Kirschner is the producer and creator of the Chucky films, currently being rebooted at Universal. David has also produced films such as An American Tail, Feivel Goes West, Pagemaster, The Flintstones, Titan A.E., Frailty, Secondhand Lions, Miss Potter, Martian Child, and the Curious George films and TV series.
Dec 262011
“Hollywood and Israel”
David Lonner
David Lonner is the founder of Oasis Media Group, a management and production company based in Los Angeles. Under Oasis’ banner, Lonner represents writers, directors, and producers in the film, television, and online content arenas. Prior to founding his own company, Lonner was a talent agent at William Morris Agency from 2003-09. He was previously a partner at Endeavor where he established their Motion Picture division. Lonner also spent several years at Creative Artists Agency and began his career at ICM. Lonner is a committed philanthropist working with numerous organizations.
Nov 072011
“Getting Noticed In Hollywood”
Adam Perlman
Adam recently wrote his first produced hour of television — an episode of ”Drop Dead Diva”. A former Wall Street attorney, he received his JD at NYU, where he worked at the the U.S. Attorney’s Office and for a federal judge. Adam also maintained an active and varied career in the theatre, working as director (NY Fringe), dramaturg (the Obie-winning Transport Group), and journalist (BackStage, Newsday). He earned his bachelors from Harvard.
May 162011
“Persevering in Hollywood”
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Holly Schlesinger
Holly Schlesinger currently writes for Fox’s animated series Bob’s Burgers. She previously wrote for the shows Lucy, The Daughter Of The Devil on Adult Swim and Silent Library on MTV. Holly developed the animated series O’Grady, which aired for two seasons on Teen Nick (formerly The N). She also voiced the character Beth on the show. Before writing, Holly was a comedy producer and worked on several projects for MTV, Adult Swim, Fuse and the Huffington Post.
UPDATE: Fox has just renewed Bob’s Burgers for a second season.
Mar 152011
“Negotiating & Dealmaking for Creative Talent”
Fred Toczek
Fred Toczek is a partner at the entertainment law firm of Felker, Toczek, Gellman and Suddleson. Some of the clients their firm represent include:
Actors: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Seth Rogen (Green Hornet), Vin Diesel (Fast and Furious), Zac Efron (High School Musical), Jeremy Renner (The Town), Mila Kunis (Black Swan), Nick Hoult (X-Men), Idris Elba (Luther), Martin Freeman (Bilbo in upcoming Hobbit), Orlando Bloom (Pirates), Brendan Fraser (Mummy), Jesse Eisenberg (Social Network), Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Bill Hader (SNL), Alice Eve (She’s Out of Your League), Aaron Johnson (Kickass).
Writers/Producers/Directors: Phil Rosenthal (creator of Everyone Loves Raymond), Greg Berlanti (Brothers and Sisters), Meredith Stiehm (Cold Case), Noah Baumbach (Greenberg), Justin Theroux (Iron Man), Evan Goldberg (Green Hornet), Dean Parisot (Fun with **** and Jane), Kevin Williamson (Scream).
He’ll be discussing negotiating and dealmaking from the perspective of the creative talent. Techniques, tips, what are the priorities, common mistakes, etc.
Dec 132010
“How I Sold My 1st TV Series”
Adam Lebovitz
Adam Lebovitz was born and raised in Highland Park, Illinois. He graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. In 2005, he graduated from the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC’s School of Cinema-Television with a Masters in Fine Arts.
In November 2006, Lions Gate theatrically released the horror film “Unrest” which Adam produced in Utah. In the Fall of 2008, Sony released the crime thriller “Tortured” starring Laurence Fishburne and Cole Hauser which Adam produced in Vancouver. In November 2010, Fox Broadcasting Company and 20th Century Fox bought Adam’s half hour comedy tv show based on the book “How to Feel Manly in a Minivan”.
Adam also co-founded the website http://www.QuickFilmBudget.com to be the first technology to automate the film budgeting process.
Oct 192010
“Your Career: Act II”
Dan Stone
Before attending law school, Dan worked in development at Miramax Films in New York before joining Warner-based Maple Shade Films as Director of Development. He is currently Assistant General Counsel at the Directors Guild of America.
Jul 212010
Topic: Becoming Observant In Hollywood
Brad Silberling
Jeff Astrof has written for and produced shows such as $#*! My Dad Says, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Grounded for Life, Veronica’s Closet, and Friends.
Apr 202010
“Breaking Through Writers’ Block”
Rob Kutner
Rob Kutner was a writer for The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien and is the the author of the satirical end-of-times bestseller Apocalypse How: Turn the End Times into the Best of Times! He has also won four Emmies writing for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”, and contributed to its bestseller, America (The Book).
Other writing includes HBO’s “Dennis Miller Live,” as well as humor and feature pieces for the Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Esquire, and Maxim.
Feb 222010
“Reality TV”
Gil Goldschein
Gil Goldschein serves as President / Chief Operating Officer of Bunim-Murray Productions.
He has brokered development and production deals with every major broadcast and cable network, overseeing all aspects of business and legal affairs from development through post-production on over 55 separate seasons of primetime series including network comedies, syndicated and cable product.
Shows include Kardashians, The Real World, Project Runaway, Bad Girls Club, The Simple Life.
Dec 102009
Happy Chanukah to all our members and guest speakers!
Stay tuned for news on our upcoming events in the new year!
Dec 082009
“Balancing Work & Life / The Future of the Industry”
David N. Weiss
David N. Weiss started writing in animation and has worked on such hits as Academy Award nominees, Shrek 2 and Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, as well as, The Rugrats Movies and All Dogs Go to Heaven. David and writing partner, J. David Stem, received an Emmy nom as head writers of the Rugrats series where they penned the perennial Chanukah Special.
David’s live-action credits include Clockstoppers, Are We There Yet, and the CBS series, Cybill. He currently has the live-action/CGI Smurfs Movie in preproduction at Sony. David is a member of the Motion Picture Academy and an officer at the Writer’s Guild. He lives in L.A. with his wife, their two kids and too many pets.
Nov 102009
“Achieving Long Term Career Success”
Barry L. Levy
Raised in the suburbs of Boston and then Ann Arbor, Michigan, Barry L. Levy graduated Washington University with bachelor degrees in both Psychology and American Culture & Film. Upon graduating, Levy received an MFA from the Peter Stark Producing program at the University of Southern California before entering the executive ranks at Nelvana Communications, where he worked on shows for Comedy Central, Showtime, CBS, Nickelodeon, MTV, Fox Kids, Fox Family, The Disney Channel, among other networks.
Leaving the executive ranks to pursue work as a writer, Levy’s screenplay for “Vantage Point” was released last year by Columbia Pictures. He currently has projects in development at Paramount, Universal, DreamWorks, Warner Bros and Disney. Levy currently lives in his wife and daughters in Encino, CA.
Oct 132009
“Importance of Developing Your Craft”
Michael Borkow
Michael Borkow is a television comedy writer/producer whose credits include “Malcolm in the Middle”, “Friends” (Executive Producer, ’97-’98 season) and “Roseanne.”
Michael is a graduate of Harvard College and the Columbia University School of Law, and is the founder of the annual explanatory High Holiday experience, The “I Wish I Got More Out of Services” Services.
Sep 012009
“How To Take A Hollywood Meeting”
David Sacks
Born and raised in New York City, David Sacks attended Harvard College, graduating with a degree in Government in 1984. While there he began his comedy writing career as an editor of the school’s humor magazine, The Harvard Lampoon. Upon graduating, David moved to Los Angeles and began writing for television.
Among the shows he’s worked for are “The Simpsons”, where he won an Emmy Award, and “Third Rock from the Sun” for which he won a Golden Globe Award, “Malcolm in the Middle”, and “Lewis Black: The Root of All Evil”. David is the co founder and Senior Lecturer of The Happy Minyan of Los Angeles. David is married and raises his family in Beverly Hills, CA.