Presented by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) in partnership with Sundance Institute
The 2020 CAAM Sundance Panel will focus on change makers who have been moving storytelling and equity forward within the industry. Join us for an up-close conversation with filmmaking trailblazers and hear about how they transform hopes and dreams into decisive action.
Please note that entry is not guaranteed. Please arrive early as seating is limited. If you have any questions about this event, email CAAM's team at events@caamedia.org.
CEO And Founder
David Magdael & Associates
MODERATOR
David Magdael Has 20 Years Of Experience In Public Relations, Strategic Planning,
Development, Marketing, Community Outreach And Entertainment And Media Relations In
North America, Europe And Asia. As Founder
And President Of David Magdael & Associates,
Inc, Magdael Specializes In Documentaries,
Indie Films, Directors And Public Affairs. From Developing Oscar® Campaigns To Festival Strategies To Theatrical And Broadcast Press
Unit Publicity, His Company Has Emerged As
An Important Entertainment Communications Firm Boasting A Client Roster Including
Numerous Oscar® Winning And Nominated Documentary, Animated And Short Films And Festival Standouts. Magdael’s Firm Works With
All Distributors, Content Creators And Broadcast Networks Along With Representing Award Winning Directors Including Morgan Spurlock, Justin Lin, Brian Knappenberger, Lucy Walker, Jehane Noujaim, Kief Davidson, Steve James And Others. @DMagPR
Editor, Producer, And Consultant
Born in Taiwan and based in New York, Jean Tsien has been working in documentary for 35 years as an editor, producer, and consultant. Her most recent film is Roger Ross Williams' The Apollo. Her credits include: the 2001 Academy Award nominee, Scottsboro: An American Tragedy; three Peabody Award-winning films: Malcolm X: Make It Plain, Travis and Solar Mamas; Something Within Me, Dixie Chicks: Shut Up & Sing and Miss Sharon Jones! which were all shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Tsien was executive producer and editor for The Road to Fame, Please Remember Me, and Plastic China, winner of the 54th Golden Horse Award for Best Editing. She also executive produced People’s Republic of Desire, Grand Jury Award winner at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival; Daze of Justice; The Storm Makers for POV/PBS; The Oslo Diaries (2018 Sundance Film Festival); and co-executive produced Call Her Ganda and Blowin’ Up, both premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. She has also consulted on many award-winning films and mentored many more and is recipient of the Mentor Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and is currently an uber Mentor in the CAAM Fellowship Program.
CEO
Gamechanger Films
Effie T. Brown Is An Award Winning Film, Television, And Digital Producer, Known For Her Highly Acclaimed, Multi- Platform Repertoire As Well As Championing Inclusion And Diversity In Hollywood, Both Behind And In Front Of The Camera.
Brown’s Long And Illustrious Career Began As A Film Independent Fellow In The Prestigious “Project Involve” Program. During Her Fellowship, She Gained Invaluable Insight Into The Film Industry. Her Incredible Work Ethic And Creative Freedom Allowed Her To Advance Quickly Through Ranks Becoming Director Of Development For Tim Burton Productions In 1995. Decades Later, Brown Now Serves As A Film Independent Board Member And Mentors The New Generation Of Fellows.
Throughout Her Career, Brown Has Produced Several Critically Acclaimed HBO Films And Award-Winning Projects Including, Stranger Inside (Directed By Cheryl Dunne, 2001, World Premiere At Sundance Film Festival), Real Women Have Curves (Directed By Patricia Cardosa, 2002, Winner Of Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award And Special Jury Prize For Ensemble Performance), Everyday People (2004, Directed By Jim McKay), In The Cut (Directed By Jane Campion, 2003) And Rocket Science (Directed By Jeffrey Blitz, 2007, Winner Of The Grand Jury Prize For Directing At Sundance And Recipient Of Three Independent Spirit Awards Nominations, Including Best First Feature, Best Screenplay And Best Actress). In 2010, Her Film The Inheritance, Starring Golden Brooks, Won The Best Actress Award At The American Black Film Festival.
In 2011, Brown Made A Daring Venture Beyond Television And Film. With A Love Of Multiple Platforms, She Re- Teamed With The Award Winning Producing/Directing Duo Jon Avnet And Rodrigo Garcia To Focus On Digital Episodic Content. Together They Produced Over 130 Episodes Of WIGS, An Award Winning, Original Content Channel Funded By Google/YouTube And FOX Broadcasting. The Channel Features Multiple Original Series Showcasing “A List” Actors, Writers, And Filmmakers To Present Stories Centered Around The Ever Complex Lives Of Women, And Blazes The Trail For Scripted Content Released Directly Online. Currently, WIGS Is The Number One Scripted Channel For Drama On YouTube And Has Recently Been Picked Up For Wider Distribution Via Hulu.
Effie T. Brown Then Went On To Produce The Highly Acclaimed Independent Feature, Dear White People. The Film Won Multiple Awards, Including The Special Jury Prize For Breakthrough Talent At The 2014 Sundance Film Festival And Best First Screenplay At The 2015 Independent Spirit Awards.
Given Her Longstanding Relationship Producing Successful Content With The Network, HBO Recognized Brown’s Ability To Mold A Low Budget Film Into A Critically Acclaimed Success And Invited Her To Join The Controversial Reboot Of Project Greenlight (Executive Produced By Matt Damon & Ben Affleck). The Show’s Premise Is To Take An Original Screenplay And Give A First Time Filmmaker The Opportunity To Work With Industry Professionals To Create A Feature Film. In 2015, She Served As Producer And Mentor To The Show’s Fresh New Director.
Brown Joined Lee Daniels Entertainment In 2016 To Executive Produce Season 1 Of The Hit Series Star On FOX. In Keeping With Her Commitment To Inclusive And Diverse Content Effie Executive Produced Disney Channel’s Zombies Which Premiered In 2018. The High School Musical Delivers An Inspirational Story About Tolerance, Inclusion, Individuality And Conviction...But With Zombies.
In January 2020, Veteran Producer Effie T. Brown Was Named The New CEO Of Gamechanger Films. Gamechanger Films Launched In 2013 As The First Equity Fund Dedicated To Financing Feature Films Directed By Women In Order To Address Gender Disparity In The Film Industry. Brown Is Broadening The Fund’s Scope To Include Projects By And About People With Disabilities, LGBTQ+ And People Of Color. Gamechanger Is Also Expanding Into Television And Digital Content With A New, Fully Monetized Development Fund That Will Enable It To Buy Option And Develop IP For Television, Streaming And Digital Platforms.
Her Dream Is To Change The World Through Film And TV – Celebrating Our Differences While Bringing Us All Closer Together.
Director Of Original Independent Film
Netflix
Sheroum Kim Is Director Of Original Independent Film At Netflix. Kim Joined The Company In January 2019. At Netflix, Kim Is Overseeing Production And Release Of To All The Boys: PS I Still Love You, Set To Launch On February 12, 2020; Work It Starring Sabrina Carpenter, Liza Koshy, And Jordan Fisher, Directed By Laura Terruso; Desperados Starring Nasim Pedrad And Anna Camp, Directed By First-Time Feature Director Lauren Palmigiano; Holidate Starring Emma Roberts And Luke Bracey, Directed By John Whitesell; And To All The Boys: Always & Forever Lara Jean, In Addition To Various Projects In Development.
Prior To Netflix, Sheroum Kim Served As Senior Vice President Of Production At STX Entertainment. She Joined The Company In 2014 As A Vice President Of Production. At STX, Kim Was Responsible For Overseeing Packaging And Production Of A Number Of The Studio’s Films, With A Focus On Female-Driven Projects And Movies From Up-And-Coming Filmmakers.
During Her Tenure At STX, Kim Helped Guide The Studio With The Development And Release Of Hustlers, Starring Constance Wu And Jennifer Lopez, Directed And Written By Lorene Scafaria; The Edge Of Seventeen, Starring Hailee Steinfeld And Woody Harrelson And Produced By Oscar-Winner James L. Brooks With First-Time Filmmaker Kelly Fremon Craig Writing And Directing; I Feel Pretty Starring Amy Schumer And Written And Produced By First Time-Directing Duo Abby Kohn And Mark Silverstein; Adrift, Starring Shailene Woodley, Who Also Produced; And The Romantic Comedy Second Act Starring And Produced By Jennifer Lopez.
Prior To Working At STX, Kim Was Head Of Development At 22nd And Indiana Pictures, A Production Company That She Launched With Bradley Cooper In 2012. While At The Company, Kim Developed And Produced American Sniper, The Highest-Grossing R-Rated Film Of 2014, And A Nominee For Six Academy Awards®, Including Best Picture.
Before Joining 22nd And Indiana, Kim Was At Warner Bros Pictures Where She Was Assistant To The Studio’s President, Greg Silverman. She Began Her Career As An Agent Trainee At The William Morris Agency.
Kim Is A University Of Southern California Alumnus, And Was Named To The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen List In 2016.
The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. We do this by funding, producing, distributing, and exhibiting works in film, television, and digital media. For 40 years, CAAM has exposed audiences to new voices and communities, advancing our collective understanding of the American experience through programs specifically designed to engage the Asian American community and the public at large.