Panel discussion with industry veteran Anne Hubbell and Women’s Weekend Film Challenge founders Tracy Sayre and Katrina Medoff chat with ReadingFilmFEST Creative Director Tracy Schott about being a woman in the film industry in 2019. How far have we come really? What’s next?
Jessie Garcia
Jessie Garcia spent 26 years in television news and was Wisconsin’s first female sports anchor. She is a former Green Bay Packers sideline reporter and former host of “The Mike McCarthy Show” and “The Mike Holmgren Show.” Jessie has written eight books of fiction and non-fiction. She is currently the Broadcast Director at Milwaukee’s NBC affiliate, WTMJ. Jessie has also taught journalism at four universities. This is her first documentary. The idea came from a book she wrote about Olympic athletes and she simply knew she had to make it into a documentary.
Anne Hubbell
Anne Hubbell is a respected film industry veteran with 20 years of extensive corporate, not-for-profit and production experience. She co-founded Tangerine Entertainment, the first production company and community builder focused on media by women directors. As Vice President of Motion Picture at Kodak, she negotiates contracts and consults on studio and independent movies, episodic content, commercials and music videos, and is a liaison to the global film community at large. Anne is also the Program Director for 51Fest, an event presented by Women in the World and IFC Center, celebrating the voice and vision of the female majority through screenings and conversations, all by or about women. Her producing credits include MODERN PERSUASION (2020), THE SECOND (2018), KEEP THE CHANGE (2017), THE LAST LAUGH (2016), PAINT IT BLACK (2016), GAYBY (2012), LIPSTICK & DYNAMITE (2004), seasons of IFC’s Independent Focus (2001) and iFilm@IFC (1999), along with independent shorts and web content. She began her career in not for profit programming and management as Managing Director of The Theater Offensive in Boston and Executive Director of IMAGE Film & Video Center in Atlanta, and consulted for dozens of domestic and international film festivals and events. She serves on the boards of NY Women in Film & Television, the NY Production Alliance and Rooftop Films, and is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America.
Katrina Medoff
Katrina Medoff is the founder and co-director of the Women’s Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC), a women-in-film initiative that places professional filmmakers on crews that write, shoot and edit a short film in just one weekend. Through the WWFC, she and her business partner, Tracy Sayre, have produced 24 films to date with more than 500 professional female filmmakers in New York City. These films have already been selected for more than 50 film festivals, including the HBO Women in Comedy Festival and Fantasia Film Festival. One WWFC film won “The Spy Who Dumped Me” Female Storyteller Film Contest and was screened before the blockbuster movie starring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon in LA. Katrina and Tracy will be launching the WWFC in Los Angeles in 2020.
Katrina also works independently in the film industry as an actor, writer and producer. Her recent projects include the feature film “Ask for Jane,” now playing in select theaters, as well as short films that have screened at SOHO International Film Festival, Queens World Film Festival and more.
Tracy Sayre
Tracy Sayre is a screenwriter, producer, and director. Her short film “Lily+Mara” starred Oona Laurence and Meghann Fahy and recently had its broadcast debut on PBS. She has helped hundreds of writers unlock their creative block through her organization Writers Work. She is currently the co-director of the Women’s Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC), a women-in-film initiative that places professional filmmakers on crews that write, shoot and edit a short film in just one weekend. Through the WWFC, she and her business partner, Katrina Medoff, have produced 24 films to date with more than 500 professional female filmmakers in New York City. These films have already been selected for more than 50 film festivals.
Panel Info
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2019 at 11am
Venue: The GoggleWorks Boscov Theater
Address: 201 Washington St, Reading
Tickets: $10
