About the Conference

A unique convening of documentary filmmakers, private and public media, educators, distributors, development executives, media innovators, and the philanthropic community.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

• Five days to explore the craft and business of documentary storytelling
• Fresh perspectives on funding, distribution and how to engage new audiences, in over 60 panels and workshops – all within the context of a world-class festival
• One-on-one access to critical decision-makers and experts
• Access to the full SILVERDOCS Festival Program
• SILVER SESSIONS: Conference registrants may sign up on a first-come, first-served basis for small group meetings with international media executives
  

FEATURED SPEAKERS (TO DATE)

Sheila C.  Johnson, CEO Salamander Hospitality, President WNBA’s Washington Mystics, Philanthropist and executive producer of A POWERFUL NOISE.  Thursday, June 19.

Alternative Distribution guru Peter Broderick, President, Paradigm Consulting.  Saturday, June 21.

 

CONFERENCE THEMES

HUMAN NATURE 3.0: STORYTELLING IN AN ‘ALWAYS-ON’ WORLD
An exploration of the possibilities, challenges and realities of Web 3.0 interactive tools and their influence on documentary storytelling, with special emphasis on youth, education and the next generation of media artists.

• Does Public TV Have a Future? (Presented by the Center for Social Media)
• Free is the New Window: Success Stories from the Digital NEXT
• Generation Digital: Award-Winning Shorts from GenNext
• Groundbreaking Content on the Web for Educators
• The Digi Future with the AFI Digital Content Lab
• It’s Not Just a Game: Storytelling in the Virtual Space
• Marketing ‘Brand You’: Self-Branding Online  
• Student Pitch: Young Filmmakers Pitch the Pros
• Technology of the Future in Today’s Classroom

THE DOCUMENTARY IN ACTION  
A series of provocative discussions that cast a critical eye on new trends, opportunities and pitfalls as social activists, philanthropists, nonprofits and documentarians forge closer ties.

• Has the Documentary been Hijacked by the Social Change Agenda?    
• HSUS/Animal Content in Entertainment Program - Grant Pitch for $25,000
• Is It Propaganda? Using Media as a Tool for Social Change
• The Many Shades of Green Media
• The Power of Story: When Social Entrepreneurs & Documentary Filmmakers Unite

CRAFT AND BUSINESS IN THE NOW

• Cinematography Master Class with Ellen Kuras
• The Legal 411 on Film and Media in the Classroom
• “How To Pitch” Seminar with Cynthia Lopez, American Documentary|P.O.V.

DISTRIBUTION ESSENTIALS

• Distribution Now: Strategic Thinking for the Feature Doc
• ‘Old School’ is New Money: Opportunities in the Educational Market
• Public Broadcasting: Your Source for Independent Opportunity
• International Co-Production: How To with the Experts
• The Big Picture: Factual Programming Budget Forecast

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

SCHOOL DOCS: HARNESSING THE POWER OF MEDIA FOR EDUCATION
A strand of hands-on workshops, panel discussions and films showcasing innovative practices in visual education.  Expert presenters include John Golden, Dr. Renee Shea, and Dr. Jocelyn Chadwick. Wednesday, June 18 with hands-on sessions scheduled for Thursday, June 19.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SOCIAL MARKETING:
A GAME PLAN FOR FILMMAKERS
A Half-Day Hands-On Workshop with Dennis Palmieri and Duong-Chi Do, ITVS
Sign-up Required, Limited to 50 participants
Saturday, June 21 (9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)

Don’t miss this nuts-and-bolts curriculum on designing your project’s community engagement strategy, and how to leverage that strategy into an effective social marketing campaign that maximizes community impact and strong promotional value.  Attend these sessions and walk away with an outreach and social marketing plan for your next project!  There is no additional fee, but you must be a registered pass holder.  Advance sign-up is required; please reserve your seat by e-mailing conference@SILVERDOCS.com

 

LOOK WHO'S COMING

Nancy Abraham, HBO; Barry Adams, Apple, Inc.; Aggie Alvez, Montgomery County Public Schools; Daniel Anker, Anker Productions; Nathalie Applewhite, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting; Pat Aufderheide, American University; Kim Baca, Native American Public Telecommunications; Robert Bahar, Producer, MADE IN L.A.; Judy Barlow, American Public Television; Steven C. Beer, Greenberg Traurig LLP; Bernard Bell, TV One, John Bell, Ogilvy PR; Jessica Bergman-Bagdan, Global Image Works, LLC; Igor Blazevic, One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival; Donnelle Blubaugh, PBS Education; Francene J. Blythe, National Geographic All Roads Project; Patricia Boero, Latino Public Broadcasting; Ruth Bolan, Pacific Islanders in Communications; John Boland, PBS; Estelene Boratenski, Montgomery County Public Schools; Liz Brach, Discovery Channel; Peter Broderick, Paradigm Consulting; Simon Brook, Director, GENERATION 68; Betsy Brown, Montgomery County Public Schools; Jim Browne, Argot Pictures; Clark Bunting, Discovery Emerging Networks; Ric Burns, Steeplechase Films; Matisse Bustos Hawkes, WITNESS, Liza Calkins, Winner, THE SHORTIE AWARDS: FILM AND NEWS FESTIVAL; Kelli Campbell, Discovery Education; Lawrence Cann, Former Head Coach, US Homeless World Cup Soccer Team; Tom Cappello, Director, A POWERFUL NOISE; Cathy Carapella, Diamond Time; Almudena Carrecedo, Director, MADE IN LA; Michael Cascio, National Geographic Channel; Jocelyn Chadwick, Discovery Communications, Inc.; Yung Chang, Director, UP THE YANGTZE; Steve Cheskin, WE: Women’s Entertainment; Kathy Chevigny, Arts Engine; Cynthia Close, Documentary Educational Resources; Delia Cohen, Pangea Day; Neal Conan, National Public Radio; Mark Crawford, Shorts Contest; Vincent Curren, Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Kief Davidson, Director, KASSIM THE DREAM; Peter Davis, Team Video; Alison Davis, Current TV; Jeff Davis, ART WOLFE’S TRAVELS TO THE EDGE; David Davis, National TV Production; Kelly Day, Discovery Communications; Nonny De La Peña, Gitmo Gone; Dalton Delan, WETA; Nick DeMartino, American Film Institute; Ira Deutchman, Emerging Pictures; Kelly DeVine, Tribeca Film Institute; Denise Dilanni, WGBH Lab and Boston Media Productions; Duong-Chi Do, ITVS; Sandi DuBowski, Director, JIHAD FOR LOVE and TREMBLING BEFORE G_D; Leo Eaton, Eaton Creative; Christine Eckhoff, ART WOLFE’S TRAVELS TO THE EDGE; Amy Eisman, American University, School of Communication; Ken Ellis, Edutopia—The George Lucas Educational Foundation; Diana El-Osta, National Georgraphic Channels International; Sarah Evershed, Current TV; Chris Eyre, Director, SMOKE SIGNALS and EDGE OF AMERICA; Paul Faust, Apple, Inc.; Leslie Fields-Cruz, National Black Programming Consortium; Sabina Finnern, SILVERDOCS; Cathy Fischer, ITVS Interactive/Independent Lens; Béla Fleck, Banjo virtuoso and subject of THROW DOWN YOUR HEART; John Ford, Discovery Channel; Yance Ford, American Documentary|P.O.V.; Brett Gaylor, BASEMENT TAPES; Phylis Geller, Norman Star Media; Alex Gibney, Director, GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF HUNTER S. THOMPSON; Craig Giummarra, APM Music; John Golden, Author, Reading in the Dark and Reading in the Reel World; Julie Goldman, Cactus Three; Stephen Gong, Center for Asian American Media; Tamara Gould, ITVS; Josh Green, Emerging Pictures; Lori Griffin, Schlessinger Media/Library Video/Safari; Marggy Griffin, Co-Director, THE HOURS: UNCIVIL DISUNION; Tori Griffin, Co-Director, THE HOURS: UNCIVIL DISUNION; Sharon Grimberg, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE/WGBH; Andreas Gutzeit, Story House Productions; Evan Hadingham, NOVA/WGBH; Peter Hamilton, Peter Hamilton Consultants; Ross Hammer, The Humane Society of the United States’ Animal Content in Entertainment Program; Janet Han Vissering, National Geographic Channels, International; Stephen Harris, A&E Television Network; Jeff Hasler, Discovery Channel; Jalyn M. Henton, PBS; Sandy Herz, Skoll Foundation; Chris Hoelzl, Smithsonian Channel; Rick Holzman, Animal Planet; John Hoskyns-Abrahall, Bull Frog Films; Peter Jazsi, American University Media Law Center; David Johnson, American University, School of Communication; Sheila C. Johnson, Salamander Hospitality; Jacquie Jones, National Black Programming Consortium; Jen Kaczor, ITVS Interactive; Sara B. Kajder, Virginia Tech English Department; Valentine Kass, National Science Foundation; Anthony Kaufman, Freelance Writer; Stuart Kershaw, Director, MAKE A MAN OF ME; Simon Kilmurry, American Documentary|P.O.V.; Scott Kirsner, Cinema Tech, Variety; Susan Koch, Director, KICKING IT; Ingrid Kopp, Shooting People, US; Ellen Kuras, Director, THE BETRAYAL; Susan Lacy, AMERICAN MASTERS; Jane Latman, Investigation Discovery and Military Channel; Jessica Latterman, National Geographic Channel; Paula LeDieu, BBC Interactive; Jack Lerner, University of Southern California Gould School of Law; Joanne Levine, Al Jazeera; Wendy Levy, BAVC Projects; Eliza Licht, American Documentary|P.O.V.; Elizabeth Kapu’u Lindsey, Pacific Islanders in Communication; Rob Lippincott, PBS; Kathryn Lo, Independent Film and PBS Plus, PBS; Cynthia López, American Documentary|P.O.V.; Karina Longworth, SPOUT; Tim Magner, US Department of Education; Amy Malone, Richard Montgomery High School; Sandy Mandelberger, International Media Resources; Michael Markarian, Humane Society of the United States; Jeff Marks, CBS Interactive; Gena McCarthy, Discovery Channel; Peter McElvy, Discovery Studios; Sumner Menchero, PBS; Cara Mertes, Sundance Documentary Film Program; Steve Michelson, Specialty Studios Entertainment; Paul Miller, DJ Spooky; Richard Miller, Rutgers University English Department; Kevin Mohs, Animal Planet; Matt Monjan, Discovery Educator Networks; Liz Ogilvie, Docurama Films; Dr. James Orbinski; Luis Ortiz, Latino Public Broadcasting; Lisa Osborne, AFI Digital Content Lab; Sameer Padania, WITNESS; Sascha Paladino, Director, THROW DOWN YOUR HEART; Dawn Porter, A&E Television Network; Elizabeth Pringle, MHz Networks; Mark Rabinowitz, CINELAN; Patrick Reed, Director, TRIAGE: DR. JAMES ORBINSKI’S HUMANITARIAN DILEMMA; Laura Romstedt, Fairfax County School System; Ann Rose, Sundance Channel; Slava Rubin, IndieGoGo; Sandra Ruch, International Documentary Association; Andrew Russell, PBS Ventures; Stephen Sapienza, Director, HOUSE CALL IN HELL; Steve Savage, New Video/Docurama; Kevin  Schaff, Thought Equity Motion; Jay Schlossberg, Media Central; AJ Schnack, Filmmaker and Film Blogger; Charles Schuerhoff, WGBH International; Max Segal, HBO Archives; Suzanne Seggerman, Games for Change; Jason Seiken, Interactive; Jake Shapiro, PRX; Renee Shea, Bowie State University; Elizabeth Sheldon, Lorber HT Digital; Ron Simon, The Paley Center for Media; Preetmohan Singh, Co-Producer, A DREAM IN DOUBT; Lee Sloan, PBS; J. Ryan Smith, Ryan Smith & Associates, PLLC; Kimberly Smith, PBS; Mary Smith, National Endowment for the Arts; Geoffrey Smith, Director, THE ENGLISH SURGEON; Shirley Sneve, Native American Public Telecommunications; Kim Spencer, LinkTV; Suzanne Stefanac, AFI Digital Content Lab; Ben Stein, Current TV; Kathy Tan, Films for the Humanities & Sciences; Shay Taylor, Blair High School (Montgomery County); Scott Thigpen, Producer, A POWERFUL NOISE; Molly Thompson, A&E Films; Matthew Tombers, InterMat; Peter Tvarkunas, Canon USA, Inc.; Jennifer M. Urban, University of Southern California Gould School of Law; Lois Vossen, ITVS; David Weinstein, National Endowment for the Humanities; Josh Weisberg, Microsoft; Mike Weiss, Video Labs; Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher, Director, LOST & FOUND; Adrian Wills, Director, ALL TOGETHER NOW; Ernest J. Wilson, University of Southern; Matt Wolf, Director, WILD COMBINATION: A PORTRAIT OF ARTHUR RUSSELL; Tami Yeager, Director/Producer, A DREAM IN DOUBT; Valerie Yoscak, Video Labs; Michael Yudin, Carat Entertainment; Doug Zwick, Specialty Studios Entertainment

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