Amy Lillard started her career as an independent film publicist out of New York and Los Angeles designing the release campaigns for groundbreaking films such at “The Blair Witch Project,” “American Psycho” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” Amy retired from publicity in 2000 and took a trip around the world. Two years and 42  countries later, she settled in Seattle where she has worked in various capacities including, director of publicity and promotion (SIFF 2003-04), festival director of the Reel Cinerama Film Festival (2003 and 2004), and producer of the Fly Filmmaking Challenge (2003-07).

Take control of your career and come find out more about how we can work together to create a vibrant sustainable film industry in Washington State. The monthly Happy Hour is a meet-up for leaders in film, music, and interactive industries to make meaningful business connections. Please mark your calendars and join others in this great networking event at Spitfire in Belltown.

Carl has traveled to festivals around the world from Rio de Janeiro to Pusan and everywhere in-between. He will offer tips, anecdotes, insight, and vital information for making your festival experience a success. As a special bonus we will announce the line-up of films debuting at the Seattle International Film Festival as part of the Northwest Connections program. Come join us on April 24 to hear Carl Speak about the festival experience.

Photo Credit: Fabrizio Maltese

Upcoming Happy Hour: May 29

The monthly Happy Hour is a meet up for leaders in film, music and interactive industries to share, learn and make meaningful business connections.

The Happy Hour averages an attendance of upwards to 200 people each month. In addition to bringing people together, each month we host a special 30 minute presentation from guest speakers who give unique insight into the creative and technological innovations directly affecting your industry.

These Happy Hour events are held on the last Wednesday of every month from 5:00 to 7:00pm at Spitfire in Belltown. The special presentation will begin at 6:30pm in the private black box theater in Spitfire. The presentation will also be broadcast on all the monitors inside the venue and available for review here on our video archive page.

Join us in the converging world of original music, independent films, interactive platforms and emerging technologies!

This event is open to the public. You must be 21 + to attend.

Steve also plays in the world of games.  He was a co-founder of Front Porch Classics, the creator of classic “coffee table games” including the Disney Family Fun Magazine Toy of the Year Dread Pirate, and other award-winning games include Raceway 57, Stretch Run, and Master & Commander.  Steve managed the Company’s IP portfolio including licenses with Sony’s Game Show Television Network, Major League Baseball and 20th Century Fox, and guided the company through angel and venture financing, and global distribution.  Steve speaks annually at the American International Toy Fair in New York on the subjects including intellectual property, licensing, and entrepreneurship.

Watch Steve’s presentation from our March 2013 Happy Hour Below:

Scott McKinley is the owner and operator of Seattle Photography, the owner and operator of CaviGold Records LLC, in charge of management for the Seattle Rock band LACERO, and executive producer of Seattle Music TV. Scott has been a professional photographer for over two years and has shot UFC Fights for USA Today, has toured with Candlebox, and has traveled to Northern Italy for modeling shoots. After traveling around the world for photography jobs, Scott started Seattle Music Photography and began working in band management. From his work opening SMP and managing bands, Scott started yet another endeavor and opened CaviGold Records LLC and began a partnership with Robert Lang Studios. After this, Scott was able to provide a unique perspective as the executive producer of  Seattle Music TV.

Seattle Music TV feautures national acts in webisodes and local artists in 24-minute episodes, akin to VH1 documentaries. Every episode concludes with a live song filmed at the famous Robert Lang Studios. Currently, the team at SMTV is working on four episodes and intends to get picked up by a network.

Robert Horton is a film critic for KUOW (Seattle’s National Public Radio station) and the Herald in Everett, Washington; he is also a longtime contributor to Film Comment and other magazines. He curates the Magic Lantern film-discussion program at the Frye Art Museum, teaches film at Seattle University, and is a guest speaker for Smithsonian Journeys and Humanities Washington, as well as a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. His books include Billy Wilder: Interviews (University Press of Mississippi), the upcoming Frankenstein (Columbia University Press), and the zombie-Western graphic novel Rotten and its prose spin-off The Lost Diary of John J. Flynn, U.S. Agent (Moonstone Books), and he blogs on movies at The Crop Duster (roberthorton.wordpress.com) and What a Feeling! (eightiesmovies.wordpress.com).

Celluloid Seattle: A City at the Movies is the first special exhibit at the Museum of History & Industry’s brand new location at Lake Union Park! On view from December 29, 2012 – September 8, 2013, Celluloid Seattle explores both the image of Seattle captured in films, and how the idea of “going to the movies” has changed in the city over the years. Along with film clips and historic artifacts, the exhibit will help visitors truly engage with the historic movie experience through a set of recreated mini-theatres and interactive games and activity kiosks.

Whether you are just starting your business or have been operating as a sole proprietorship or general partnership, you may be wondering about incorporating your business activity.  This month’s guest speaker, lawyer Aric Bomsztyk will be talking about the benefits of incorporating your business as a limited liability company (LLC) and how to do it successfully.  Join us.

And yet, in Seattle, we do not have a comprehensive plan to ensure that all students derive the life-long benefits of learning through the arts. Our challenge Seattle is two-fold: 1) access to arts edu
cation varies from school to school and 2) there is no continuity as students move up through the grade levels.

The Seattle K-12 Arts Learning Collaborative is a citywide effort to create and implement an Arts Plan that ensures that all students in all Seattle Public Schools (SPS) have opportunities to learn through the arts, to succeed in school and in life. The community—schools, the District, families, the City, the funding community and arts leaders – has come together in a powerful way.

SPS Visual and Performing Arts Manager, Carri Campbell and Planning Project Manager, Audrey Querns will speak about the current gaps in music education – who is getting access and who is not, and the approach the Seattle K-12 Arts Learning Collaborative is proposing to ensure that ALL of Seattle’s students can participate fully in Seattle’s music-rich culture.  Now is the time to join the conversation to put arts learning back on track.

Lots of people have good ideas, but the implementation of those ideas separates those that think from those that do.  Entrepreneur and startup advisor Sean Power explains why now is a good time for musicians and entrepreneurs to be creative and take risks. From developing ideas to finding funding, this presentation will walk the audience through the intersection of music and technology, from idea to product. Sean Power is currently co-founder of GoodConf and Director of Marketing & Conference Co-Chair for the Decibel International Electronic Music Festival in Seattle.

Her co-presenter, Sarah Butler holds a deep passion for the art of fashion and is fervently involved in the local fashion community of Seattle. Graduating with a BA in Visual Arts and Humanities and recently completing her MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University, she fostered her deep interest in fashion by founding the Fashion Club of Seattle University. By graduation she had produced three annual fashion shows to showcase local designers and bring awareness to the non-profit Dress of Success. Following graduation, she has been working for Kemper Development Company where she coordinates Bellevue Fashion Week and stylishly writes Belle’s Vue fashion blog. Together they present the unique collaboration between the film and fashion worlds of the Northwest.