What’s Happening in Hollywood?

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Join us for a special state of the industry conversation at PROOF Film Festival. This timely discussion brings industry leaders and insiders together to examine the current state of Hollywood amidst ongoing changes in the streaming landscape, strikes, and the evolving roles of studios, agencies, and content creators. What does the future hold for emerging filmmakers, and how can they adapt?

PANELISTS INCLUDE:

Stephanie Allain, Homegrown Pictures

Stephanie Allain’s Homegrown Pictures produces award-winning films that make headlines, launch careers and shape the culture. Titles include Hustle & Flow, Something New, Beyond the Lights, Dear White People and Titus Kaphar’s upcoming Exhibiting Forgiveness. She is Emmy-nominated for producing 2020 Academy Awards. A long-time activist for equity and belonging, Allain is the first woman of color elected President of the Producers Guild of America and a member of AMPAS and the WGA. She sits on the boards of American Cinematheque, Producers Guild of America and Cast & Crew. Her first children’s book, WHO’S IN CHARGE? was published by Candlewick Press in 2024.

Blake Avery, Netflix

Blake Avery is currently a Manager in the Original Film team at Netflix, serving as a studio executive on such titles as Johan Renck’s Spaceman starring Adam Sandler & Carey Mulligan, Luckiest Girl Alive starring Mila Kunis, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan’s Kate starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Woody Harrelson, and Night Teeth starring Debby Ryan, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. & Sydney Sweeney. Blake’s upcoming films include Gareth Evan’s Havoc starring Tom Hardy & Forest Whitaker, Patrick Hughes’ War Machine starring Alan Ritchson, as well as Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge starring Aaron Pierre & Don Johnson. Blake is also a founder and leader of Indigenous @ Netflix, an employee resource group that advocates for greater representation in the stories told by Netflix, while also seeking to build an inclusive, supportive community for Indigenous employees. Blake began his career at Creative Artists Agency working in the Motion Picture Literary department while also serving as a full-time reader for Sundance’s Screenwriter Labs, then jumping into film development at Studio 8 of Sony Pictures. Prior to joining Netflix, Blake was an executive in the film team at Legendary Entertainment, where he helped shepherd titles like Chris Landon’s We Have a Ghost, the reimagining of the cult VHS-era hit Faces of Death, and the revival of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise with Fede Alvarez. Blake was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, and is an enrolled member of the Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak, a federally-recognized Alaska Native Tribe located within the city of Kodiak. Blake is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he majored in Film and Gender Studies.

Kate Gondwe, Neon

Kate Gondwe is the Manager of Acquisitions, Development, and Production at award-winning independent studio NEON, with an extensive background in supporting diverse voices through audience campaign strategies. In addition, Kate was named one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine, and she has participated in the Sundance Catalyst Program, Locarno Industry Academy, Tribeca Through Her Lens, IFP Week, and Berlinale Talents.

David Beaubaire, Sunset Lane Media

David is a well-regarded and successful producer in Hollywood having founded Sunset Lane Media, a development incubator and content accelerator for film and television. He has worked in the entertainment industry for 25 years as a high ranking executive at over five studios overseeing the creative efforts of those companies and the numerous films they made. He has developed, managed and contributed to over 50 movies including major blockbusters, Academy Award nominated films, having worked closely with some of the biggest movie stars and acclaimed filmmakers of our time. David is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Television Academy, and the Producers Guild of America.

In these capacities, he was instrumental in many memorable films such as The Big Short, Up in the Air, Dreamgirls, Flight, Baby Driver, All the Money in the World among many others. David recently produced the movie Fatherhood, starring Kevin Hart, which was one of the top ten films Netflix ever released on their platform. He is also the Executive Producer of the Netflix series, The Night Agent, which became one of the biggest hit shows of 2023.

Previously, he worked as an Executive Vice President at Sony, both at Columbia Pictures and TriStar. Before that, he held the same positions at Paramount and DreamWorks. Prior to that he was at Warner Bros. where he was a Production Executive after being the right hand to the President of the studio.

Prior to coming to Los Angeles, David worked at the White House for President Clinton for 5 ½ years lastly as Special Assistant and Senior Advisor in the Office of Cabinet Affairs after working on his initial Presidential campaign in 1992.