DISTRIBUTION: Navigating the Indie Marketplace
MONDAY 6/26 @ 1PM

Moderator: David Dinerstein – Producer, Mass Distraction Media

David Dinerstein is an Academy Award winning producer. He won the Oscar for the Questlove directed documentary “Summer Of Soul.” Dinerstein won numerous other awards for the documentary including the Grammy, BAFTA, Independent Spirit Award, Producer’s Guild Award, AFI, Critics Choice Documentary Award and the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Sundance Audience Award.

Dinerstein built and managed several film companies from their inception. David is one the original architects of Searchlight Pictures and co-founder of Paramount Vantage. He worked closely with some of the top auteur filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino, Jane Campion, Bernardo Bertolucci, Spike Lee, Jonathan Demme, Stephen Frears and Ang Lee. Dinerstein also served as President for Lakeshore Entertainment, a worldwide finance and production company where he oversaw the domestic and international operations for the company. Early in his career he was the head of marketing at Miramax Films where he won a Key Art Award for his collaboration on the design of the iconic poster for “Pulp Fiction.” Dinerstein devised the strategic marketing and distribution plans for scores of feature films and documentaries.

On the narrative filmmaking side, he has been involved in the production, marketing or distribution on over 200 movies including “Pulp Fiction,” “American Hustle,” “Her,” “The Illusionist,” “The Ice Storm,” “Clerks,” “The Virgin Suicides,” “The Brothers McMullen,” “You Can Count On Me,” “The Full Monty,” “A Private War,” “The Crow,” and “Hustle & Flow.” He helped launch the filmmaking careers of numerous iconic directors including Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderberg, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Kenneth Lonergan, Paul Greengrass, Justin Lin, Sofia Coppola, Baz Luhrman, Jane Campion and Kevin Smith. His films have garnered over 100 Academy Award Nominations and 15 Academy Awards. In 2014 he worked on “Her,” “American Hustle,” and “Foxcatcher” which collectively received 20 Academy Award nominations including 2 for Best Picture. “American Hustle”was the biggest limited box-office release of 2013 and has since grossed over $250 million worldwide.

On the documentary side, he served as an Executive Producer on the Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award nominated, Netflix documentary “Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom.” He was also an Executive Producer on the HBO documentary “Cries From Syria,” and he was nominated for an Emmy Award. As a studio executive, Dinerstein previously worked on the iconic documentaries “Mad Hot Ballroom,” “The Thin Blue Line,” “Paris Is Burning,” “Madonna: Truth Or Dare,” “Neil Young: Heart Of Gold,” “Jay-Z: Fade To Black,” and Al Pacino’s “Looking For Richard.”

Dinerstein is an invited speaker and panelist around the world on the subject of film production, distribution, financing and marketing. He is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, The Recording Academy, and the Television Academy.

Eric d’Arbeloff – Co-President of Roadside Attractions

Roadside Attractions creates innovative theatrical releases for specialty feature films. Since its founding in 2003, Roadside’s films include Emily the Criminal, The Courier, Super Size Me, Manchester By the Sea, Winter’s Bone, Dear White People, The Cove, The Peanut Butter Falcon, and Judy. Roadside’s films have garnered numerous Academy Awards, as well as cumulative box office of over half a billion dollars. Lionsgate Entertainment owns a minority stake in Roadside.

d’Arbeloff has also produced films, most recently Randall Park’s directorial debut Shortcomings, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and will be released worldwide by Sony.  Other credits include Trick, which premiered in Sundance, Lovely & Amazing, which premiered in Telluride; Lifetime Guarantee: Phranc’s Adventures in Plastic, which premiered at Outfest; and All Is Lost, which premiered in Cannes.

Chris Charalambous – Freestyle Releasing

Chris has over 22 years of experience in the motion picture industry.  As Head of Acquisitions, he oversees all feature acquisitions, production and development operations for Allen Media Group Motion Pictures and acquisitions for Freestyle Digital Media where his extensive contacts with sales agents and filmmakers allows him to identify new films for worldwide theatrical, digital and ancillary distribution.  To date, he has licensed over $100MM in fees to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Showtime, Starz, Lifetime, BET and more.  He has a strong understanding of the ever-evolving independent distribution landscape for all release platforms.

Doug Schwab CEO Maverick Entertainment & Liverpool West

Doug Schwab is President and Founder of Maverick Entertainment.  Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Schwab has over 40 years in the home entertainment industry. Following his tenure at Blockbuster, Schwab has established himself as a leader in independent film distribution.  Having released more than 1200 films over the past 26 years, Maverick Entertainment controls the world’s largest library of feature length black cinema and serves major streaming platforms directly including Tubi, Roku, Peacock, Samsung, Vizio, and many more.  In addition to funding and producing originals, Schwab and Maverick release over 100+ movies a year and distribute physically and digitally worldwide.

In addition to Maverick, Schwab’s Liverpool West Productions is a production and distribution house committed to projects of passion.  From music to travel to culture and comedy, Liverpool West’s film offerings include anything outside the realm of narrative feature film.  Founded by a music lover, Liverpool West’s name honors the birthplace of The Beatles and the cultural transformation that followed.

Syrinthia Studer – EVP Worldwide Acquisitions Paramount Pictures

Syrinthia Studer is a global leader and content curator and producer with a unique expertise in both film and television across multiple platforms. Recently tapped to conceptualize and lead Paramount Pictures’ new content unit where she serves as EVP of International Productions, she is responsible for content strategy, development and production of local language and micro-budget films, which includes originals and culturally-specific remakes sourced from Paramount Pictures’ vast film library.

As part of Studer’s long career at Paramount Global, she served as EVP, Awesomeness and Nickelodeon Films, where she led all aspects of film development and production for the Kids and Family studio – producing three films during the pandemic. Across prior leadership roles at Paramount/Viacom, Ms. Studer has overseen the global content acquisition business, launched and managed ancillary-driven acquisitions, and managed the studio’s network and cable brand partners home entertainment efforts. Among her notable original productions and acquisitions in these roles are Book Club, the $100M box office hit starring Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen; Richard Linklater’s Boyhood (in partnership with IFC Films); Family dance comedy, The J Team, starring and executive produced by Jojo Siwa; the recently released teen comedy and critics’ favorite, Honor Society on Paramount+, and Fantasy Football, produced in partnership with LeBron James’ Springhill Entertainment, Genius Entertainment, NFL Films, and EA Games.

Studer serves as Executive Vice President of the board of Women In Film, and is a board member and mentor to Big Brothers Big Sisters Los Angeles. She is a member of the Executive Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).