LOS ANGELES, CA. — Biola Media is proud to announce an outstanding line up of keynote
speakers at this year&rsquos Biola Media Conference. On April 25, 2009 the conference will return to
CBS Studio Center in Studio City, CA for its annual gathering.
The Biola Media Conference is recognized as the largest and most influential national gathering
for industry professionals of faith in the entertainment field today, uniquely providing spiritual
inspiration alongside informative, creative and professional opportunities.
These experts will share their thoughts and experiences in helping attendees to navigate the
challenging world of film, TV and digital media, examining the conference theme &ldquoClosing the
Deal.&rdquo
&ldquoWe&rsquove seen production partnerships formed, agents secured, and distribution deals made as a
result of this conference, but most importantly, we&rsquove seen people come away challenged and
inspired by the high caliber of industry pro&rsquos who come to share their expertise with us,&rdquo states
Peggy Rupple, Co-Director of the Biola Media Conference. &ldquoThis year looks to be exceptional.&rdquo
Still to-be-announced workshops will feature the art of pitching, knowing what projects
Hollywood is looking for, discovering niche projects, no-budget filmmaking, legal aspects of
deal-making, how power is used in Hollywood, living out your faith, and much more.
"This not-to-be-missed event compacts into one day an opportunity like no other," notes Jack
Hafer, Producer, To End All Wars and Chair of Biola&rsquos internationally acclaimed Cinema and
Media Arts program. "It&rsquos a chance to discover concrete direction for your career and put you in
the touch with the people and resources anyone serious about a career in entertainment or media
needs to know." The Biola Media Conference is sponsored by Biola University.
2009 Keynote speakers include:
Joe Eszterhas has written 15 films that have grossed more than a billion dollars at the box
office, including Basic Instinct, Jagged Edge, Flashdance and Showgirls. Two of the five books
he&rsquos written have received the distinction of The New York Times Bestsellers, and his non-fiction
novel Charlie Simpson&rsquos Apocalypse was nominated for a National Book Award. He has been
called &ldquoThe Che Guevara of screenwriters&rdquo (Daily Variety), &ldquoa living Hollywood legend&rdquo
(ABC&rsquos 20/20), and Time Magazine states &ldquoIf Shakespeare were alive today, would his name
would be Joe Eszterhas?&rdquo Joe&rsquos latest book is &ldquoCrossbearer: A Memoir of Faith.&rdquo
Ralph Winter has produced over 25 films, grossing over $2 billion dollars worldwide, as well as
produced and directed TV for Steven Speilberg at Dreamworks. This list includes the following
Academy Award nominated films: X-Men, X-Men United, Fantastic Four, Mighty Joe Young,
Star Trek VI, Star Trek IV, and Planet of the Apes. Ralph’s recent films include X-Men: The Last
Stand, Thr3e, and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Currently Ralph is a partner in a
new joint film company, 1019 Productions and founding partner of the commercial production
company Thomas Winter Cooke.
Terry Botwick has had an amazing career in television and motion pictures. As former President
of Vanguard Films, Terry managed the production of the CGI animated Space Chimps for Fox,
and Ribbit for MGM. He arranged $120 million for the co-publishing of video games and
spearheaded Vanguard&rsquos expansion into the direct to video business with MGM. Prior to
Vanguard, Terry was founder of Thunderpoint Partners, where he arranged a co-finance and
distribution partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment. As former SVP at CBS
Entertainment, he helped the network rise from third to first place and oversaw all primetime
series programming (developing three successful series) and special events (Grammy Awards,
Tony Awards, Emmy Awards, etc.). His eclectic resume also includes broad-ranging successes
such as: President of Worldwide Television Distribution and Production for Hearst Corporation,
(which produced 12-14 television movies per year), Founder/CEO of e-learning company
Spongelab, and President/COO of Big Idea Productions (VeggieTales).
Susan Issacs is a writer and comedienne with credits in TV, film, stage and radio. Her numerous
TV credits include co-starring roles on Seinfield, My Name is Earl, Providence and more. An
alumnus of the Groundlings Sunday Company, she has written numerous works for NPR&rsquos
Weekend America, Sit N Spin at Comedy Central Stage, and Show and Tell at Upright Citizen&rsquos
Brigade Theatre. Her memoir &ldquoAngry Conversations with God: A Snarky, but Authentic
Spiritual Memoir&rdquo explores the idea that if her relationship with God was supposed to be a
marriage, she and God needed marriage counseling.
Phil Cooke is a television producer with a Ph.D. in Theology, Phil Cooke advises many of the
largest and most effective non-profit and faith-based organizations in the world. He&rsquos appeared
on MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, Fox News Network, his work has been profiled in the New York
Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal and Christianity Today magazine
called him a &ldquomedia guru.&rdquo He&rsquos also a founding partner in TWC Films &ndash a commercial
production company that produced two spots for the 2008 Super Bowl. His new book is: The
Last TV Evangelist: Why The Next Generation Couldn&rsquot Care Less About Religious Media. Phil
is changing the way religious organizations and non-profits use the media to engage the culture.
http://www.biolamedia.com