Hollywood 3.0 The Best of Both Worlds: Co-Producing Films for the U.S. and China

This discussion occured on April 26, 2013, at the USC Annenberg School of Communication.

Co-production experts expounded upon the globalization of Hollywood and its impact, both domestically and abroad. They provided insight on the process of joint production, engaging partners overseas and elaborated on the advantages of different kinds of cooperation.

Click here to view the complete Hollywood 3.0 forum lineup.

Panelists:

Janet Yang, Producer

Throughout her life, Yang has distinguished herself by serving as a cultural ambassador, whether by bringing the creative and business worlds together, or by bridging East and West. As a film producer, Yang has worked with some of the most formidable directors and actors in the world, as well as discovering unique, often unheard voices and stories, and bringing them into the mainstream.

Janet Yang holds a B.A. from Brown University in Chinese sutdies and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Ms. Yang has been named one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Hollywood” by the Hollywood Reporter and is frequently named as one of the most prominent Asian-Americans. She has been featured in articles in the The New York Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Variety, and Harper’s Bazaar.

Daniel Hsia, Writer and Director

Daniel Hsia is a filmmaker and comedy writer who has worked on the television comedies Psych, Andy Barker, P.I., and Four Kings, and has sold original pilot screenplays to Sony Pictures Television, ABC Network, and USA Network. Shanghai Calling is his first feature film.

Daniel’s interest in the expat world was sparked when a close friend, a young man who had never been abroad, moved to China and began relating to Daniel the hilarious experiences of Americans living there.  Convinced there was a compelling story to be told, Daniel spent two months roaming around Shanghai, interviewing locals and foreigners about their lives and absorbing every detail the city had to offer.  Midway through Daniel’s trip, the story for Shanghai Calling was born.

Daniel is an alumnus of Stanford University and USC’s Graduate Program in Film Production.  He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Mary, and dog, Jetpack. 

Bennett Pozil, Executive Vice President, East West Bank.

Mr. Pozil has been a Banker for over 20 years and currently serves as an Executive Vice President at East West Bank where he manages the Bank’s International Banking Group, Large Corporate Leveraged Finance, Syndications and Specialized Lending.  As part of his role, Mr. Pozil oversees the development of the Bank’s Entertainment Lending sector in the United States as well as China.  Prior to joining East West Bank, Mr. Pozil served for 11 years as the Managing Director of the Los Angeles office for Natixis, the French Banking Concern.  At Natixis, Mr. Pozil structured the financing of over one hundred motion pictures including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero. Mr. Pozil is active in the Los Angeles community, serving on the Boards of the Music Center of Los Angeles and the Asia Society’s Southern California Chapter.

Chris Fenton, President, DMG Entertainment Motion Picture Group

Chris Fenton is the President of DMG Entertainment Motion Picture Group and General Manager of DMG North America. He worked as a motion picture agent at the William Morris Agency from 1994 to 2002. Since then, he has been the chief architect in creating new business opportunities for DMG with North American based partners, and, most recently, has concentrated his efforts in forming partnerships with various Hollywood studios for the development, production, marketing, and distribution of various forms of international content in China.

View the event page here.

This video is also available on the USCI YouTube Channel.