April 29, 2010

YAY!!!

FINALLY - good news... we have the NYILFF's Opening Night sponsor! Yay!!
I can't reveal the sponsor because we haven't yet figured out the entire partnership, but, in the shorter term, they wanted to lock down Opening Night. By end of next week, I should know the whole deal. SO excited!

We still have a way to go, but I really needed this good news. Breathe...

I spent a good part of the afternoon trying to secure gift bag product donations for the upcoming "Elliot Loves" fundraiser. Joy...

I also had a few good conf. calls regarding this year's Cinema Under the Stars and festival panels. One of the many changes I've made this year is in the panels dept. I just felt like they were sort of neglected, an after-thought. So, alas, we started talking about it much earlier this year. For starters, we moving the talent-driven panels out of HBO to eliminate the barrier to entry (i.e., HBO's security desk). And, we're planning earlier so we can secure even higher profile panelists. Hopefully, these and other changes will elevate our panels and improve the experience for our filmmakers and guests. Always room for improvement and refinement...

Liz
2hplw
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

April 28, 2010

Light a Candle!

Sonia and I had a GREAT meeting yesterday with a potential major NYILFF sponsor in the spirits category. We need this. No, seriously... we need this. Light a candle. Say a prayer. Do your thing. Just please send the positive vibes our way.

Speaking of which, Calixto and I are about to have a budget meeting and it's not gonna be pretty. It's really hard to cut an already tight budget. You start to get 'creative' which can be good or... not so good, depending on how desperate you feel at the moment. Fortunately, I tend to keep a cool head about these things. I've just been through the sponsorship mill so many times, I've learned to stay calm and wait until almost the last minute before making drastic decisions. We're still waiting on a bunch of answers so I remain hopeful.

On a programming note, we finally agreed on the Opening Night film and we also locked our Dominican Night film. Of course, I'll can't tell you either of them yet, but things are lookin' hot this year. Plus, the Cinedulce Showcase is turning out to be a major category for us; the programming is on fire - really interesting urban stories from all over the world! Loves it.

On another note, Elliot Loves is about to get some serious love from indieWIRE. I'll give you the deets when I have them, but I'm so psyched for Terracino, Juan and the whole team. I'm so proud to be part of the project.

Liz.
2hplw
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

April 22, 2010

Go Team, Go!

Okay, someone (ahem...) and her managing director (cough cough...) went out a little too hard last night and are definitely feeling it today. But, alas, no rest for the wicked! We push on.

I received a call from a long-standing NYILFF champion at a major financial institution. He's been trying to get us support for years. Last year, his bank went through a merger; the dust has now settled and he thinks there may be an opp. for us. We're scheduled to talk again on Monday. Hmmm...

We're trying to figure out what to show for NYILFF's Opening and Closing Nights. It's always such a tough call, but even more so this year because there are some definite differences of opinion. Dramz. The truth is you want to balance a desire to set the tone of the event with quality (i.e., put your best foot forward). It's not as easy as it may sound.

We're almost all done staffing up the new org. structure. So exciting. Tanya and I are just filling a few more holes and we're good to go with all department heads. Woo hoo! Go team, go!

Liz.
2hplw
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

April 21, 2010

NYILFF, LotMan, Elliot Loves Updates

So many updates for you... I'll cut to the chase.

NYILFF
We have interest from a major retailer. They don't have a huge budget, but it'd be a nice to start what I hope could be a long-term partnership. I also received a return call from a major financial institution... with interest! Turns out they changed their long-standing sponsorship strategy from supporting a few large-scale, long-term partnerships (e.g., year-long with opera or the like) to more smaller-scale, shorter-term partnerships... right in the range we're seeking! I sent her the proposal this afternoon and we're scheduled to follow up next week.

On a separate note, the press release about this year's HBO/NYILFF Short Film Competish went out last week and I've begun seeing the pick-ups. Phew! For more info, visit www.NYLatinoFilm.com

LOTTERY MAN
Matt, Thomas, Rebecca and I had a great budget meeting last night. We're sooo close to being ready for fundraising!

ELLIOT LOVES
My favorite beer company in the world, Heineken, proved once again why they're the bomb-diggities. They have agreed to supply product for the final Elliot Loves fundraiser in May. Also, my most lovely friend, Rachel, @ People en Espanol has very generously agreed to support the event with gift bags, mags and maybe even advertiser product. I love my friends!

Liz.
2hplw
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

April 19, 2010

Life's Funny Sometimes

I received an email yesterday (yes, Sunday) from my contact at an agency that reps a brand we've been wooing for months. My contact is this amazing, super-cool lady, who's been pushing us hard, but, ultimately the brand execs decided to stick to traditional, category-specific promotions vs. branch out into film... and, do something unique and cool. God forbid, right?? Sheesh!

It's not the end of the world, but a bummer nonetheless. I really wanted this company to come on board and knew we had an inside champion; but, you know, there's never a guarantee in business (or in life).

I refuse to let rejection bring me down. Hell no! Instead, I asked my fabulous agency friend if she thought a scaled-back barter arrangement is viable b/c this particular category is a budget line item. We may not get a sponsorship infusion, but we could potentially save a few bucks. Equally important, it's a great, low-risk way for the client to check out our festival. Who knows? Maybe we'll knock their socks off, compelling them to go big in 2011! Waiting for a reply.

On a more positive note, this afternoon I scheduled a meeting with the multicultural mktg mngr for a major company. I've literally been trying to meet this woman for the better part of 5+ years... riiiight. The crazy part is when I introduced myself, she said, "Liiiiizzz! I've been wanting to meet you!". Um, okay... (internal voice: Well, you could've simply responded to any one of my outreach attempts over the past 5 years; external voice: Really? Ditto!). Needless to say, we're meeting next Tuesday. Yay!

Life's funny sometimes, don't cha think?

Liz.
2hplw
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

April 15, 2010

New on Cinedulce!

URdulce

Hi Tek / Talib - In This World
The In This World music video drops THIS SUNDAY, March 7, 2010 only on MySpace Music. The single In This World




Deranged Fan, feat. Alex Fitts of The Kickdrums - "Same Difference" Episode 2
Episode 2 in the Derranged Fan series. Directed by Rik Cordero.




Desierto Sur (Trailer)
Sofia is a young Spanish girl who loses her mother to an illness. An enigmatic, returned letter falls into her hands, that her mother attempted sending to Chile while she was alive. This letter raises stirring questions in Sofia, who decides to embark on an adventure-filled journey south of the world. The destination: An unknown and remote town called "Desierto Sur". www.desiertosur.com

April 14, 2010

Whoopi, Esther, Aneudy, Franc

Check it out! Whoopi Goldberg mentioned the NYILFF yet again on The View! Check it out @ around 9:48 in this full episode... Whoopie on The View

An agency friend of mine, Esther, called me yesterday with potential interest from her auto client. Awww yeah. Soooo, this afternoon, I wrote and sent in a customized proposal. Fingers crossed! I'm still waiting on a ton of answers. Ugh - so painful.

On another note, Tanya, Yartiza, Aneudy (creative services mngr) and I had a great AM meeting to review the new creative services process, Aneudy's responsibilities and next steps (quotes from our agencies and vendors; finalizing the timeline).

Random side note: waiting for a meeting @ Starbuck's today, I ran into my friend, the filmmaker Franc Reyes (The Ministers, Empire). We had a great convo about this year's fest, the state of Latino filmmaking and his new film (a horror!). Good stuff!

Liz.
2hplw
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

April 13, 2010

Let the Busy Begin...

Wow - busy day! We moved back into the downtown NYILFF offices today. To save money in the 'off season', we contract our office space and work from home; right around this time (early spring), we expand to full functioning size. It's exciting to be back in the swing of things, but, seriously, how fast does time fly? It's somewhat surreal to be deep in festival planning... again. Can you say Groundhog Day?!

On another NYILFF note, today Tanya (mng. dir.), April (events), Kristy (ops), Yaritza (Tanya's asst/office mngr) and I had a coupla theater walk-throughs. Specifically, we strolled through Clearview Chelsea Cinemas and the SVA Theater. The team is all new so I wanted to familiarize them with the key venues. Everyone's psyched about the spaces, but I'm the most psyched of all because this team is rock solid.

I also managed to send out two key sponsor proposals (FINGERS CROSSED!!), chat with the agency for another potential sponsor and mail out taxes for both companies (NYILFF and Cinedulce). I told you it was a busy day!

Liz.
2hplw
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

April 12, 2010

NYILFF: Sponsorship; LotMan: Gettin' It Done

First off, I do believe we just secured the NYILFF water partner... yay! The contract isn't yet signed so I don't want to put the cart before the horse (so to speak), but things are looking good!

Today, Sonia and I met with an agency that wants to represent the NYILFF for sponsorship sales. Because it'd be on a non-exclusive basis and the main dude seems to have a clue, I think we're going to move forward. Honestly, this late in the game, I'd be shocked if he/they brought anything to the table for the 2010 NYILFF, but it's a good opportunity to see how he/the agency works. If we vibe well this year, we can start early for the 2011 NYILFF. So, really, I have nothing to lose and only sponsorship monies to gain.

On a similar tip, KTU, our English-language radio station, may have a health care sponsor for us. I just sent the proposal this evening... fingers crossed!!

LotMan: I finished the cast pages, revised the synopsis (SO much tighter...phew!) and wrote the summary page for the investor package. Now, we just need to complete the temp logo and preliminary story boards and we're ready to hit the road and start seeking funding. Exciting!

Liz.
2hplw
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

April 7, 2010

Daily News, LotMan Update, Film Contest!!

NYILFF: This afternoon, Sonia and I met with the team at the Daily News, which confirmed the pub's return as the NYILFF's official English-language newspaper. Yay!

"Lottery Man": I spoke to my good friend(s) at Somos Arte, who are on board to help us with some art/creative needs. Love it!

Don't forget the HBO/NYILFF Short Film Competition is a-go! DEADLINE IS MAY 7!! For more info and to submit your script for the original 5-minute short, please visit www.NYLatinoFilm.com!

Liz.
2hpl
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

April 6, 2010

ANNOUNCEMENT: NYILFF Trailer Contest Winner!!

GlobalHue and the NYILFF are SO proud to announce the winner of our 2010 festival trailer competition:

"FILM SOUP"
by Margarita Jimeno


The concept is edgy, fresh, creative, rich and a total departure from anything we've done in the past - EXACTLY what I was hoping to receive!

Margarita is an emerging, award-winning director and writer who's worked on a broad range of projects, including documentaries, shorts, music videos and feature films. The Brooklyn-based talent was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia and is also an accomplished videographer, photographer, editor, producer and creative director. Her work reflects her passion for music and the peculiarities of life, which tend to be absurd and surrealistic.

To the many filmmakers who submitted concepts for this competish: thank you so much for committing your time, energy and creativity! Your abundant talent and positive response to this opportunity inspires us to conduct more contests in the future, so keep an eye out!

Thank you friends at GlobalHue for coordinating the contest. Now onto the really fun part -- developing a full campaign!

Congratulations Margarita!!

Liz.
2hpl
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

April 2, 2010

HBO/NYILFF SHORT FILM COMPETISH IS ON!!

HBO and the NYILFF are teaming once again to host the HBO/NYILFF Short Film Competition!

Entry deadline is MAY 07 so get crackin', filmmakers! You DON'T want to miss the incredible opportunity to make your 5-minute short film with the support and guidance of the HBO development team plus the $15,000 budget provided by HBO. The final film will premiere at the 2010 NYILFF Opening Night and screen before ALL films in the festival.

To learn more and apply, click HERE!


Liz.
2hpl
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com