Dave Brown, founder of the Indie Night Film Festival in Hollywood, recently spoke to film and theater students at Temple University about the importance of networking.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — He was joined by actors Jamie Foxx and Morris Chestnut, who have also become strong supporters of the Indie Night Film Festival.
Brown began the weekly festival a decade ago. Each Saturday, guests are invited to TCL Chinese Theater to be treated to about five short films, trailers, new episodes of series. The festival is the only event of its kind with a weekly format, and the only one with Black ownership.
Indie Night has become a popular networking event as well as an opportunity for independent professionals to get their material seen in a supportive environment. The guests list always varies but has been known to include everyone from top actors and directors to film students. There have been Oscar-winning producers, composers, and more in attendance, plus people just trying to break into the business.
The film festival even continued during COVID, where guests could download that week’s submission to watch remotely. Though public events have resumed, the online portion has remained since many guests say they like re-watching certain ones or sharing it with others.
Brown’s visit was made possible by Professor Niema Dunbar, who, in addition to teaching, has a background as a producer for the likes of Netflix, Nickelodeon, as well as TD Banks. She also owns and operates Industry Films & Management, a production, and entertainment management company.
This is the second time Brown has spoken to Dunbar’s students in the Film & Media Arts School of Temple University and said he would like to do it more. His presentations were given during her film distribution and film festival module.
His message is clear: to make it Hollywood, it’s still about who you know more so than what you know.
“The only thing you own is your name, and you have to be kind to everyone you meet because the person parking your car could actually be the person running the studio,” Brown said. “So if you don’t tip them, you can possibly be out of a job.”
He shared other stories about the ins and outs of Hollywood. In fact, he has done such an impressive job that Dunbar has invited Brown back for a total of two appearances – vastly out of the norm for a standard guest speaker. She regularly includes industry professionals to educate the students on the power of networking within the film community and Dave Brown fits that mold perfectly.
Part of the reason he started it was that, when he was just starting out as an actor and producer, he couldn’t find a lot of ways to meet other industry people. Although there are other festivals, most are less frequent. The entrepreneur thought that a weekly gathering in an informal setting might be useful and even fun.
Dunbar’s students include a wide range of interests and backgrounds, from new students learning the skills of producing, editing, and acting, to people already in the business who want to increase or refresh their skills.
Students told her afterward that they enjoyed seeing and hearing from the professionals, and felt their presentations were engaging. They are thankful that her business “Industry Films & Management LLC” has made it all possible.
To learn more about the Indie Night Film Festival, visit indienightfilmfestival.com/ or on social media at @indienightff
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