REEL MAGIC HOUR® DAY 1
Reel Magic Hour® is now a 2-day industry talk program that provides one hour panels designed for our Chelsea Film Festival filmmakers to learn about the entertainment industry, meet and network with their peers. 2025 marks the tenth edition of the Reel Magic Hour. This program is supported by the Sundance Institute and listed in the Women at Sundance and Women in Film LA Resource Map.
Access to this event requires a VIP All-Access, Industry, Festival, Filmmaker, Reel Magic Hour or Press Pass.
DAY ONE: Friday, October 17th, 2025 from 11:00AM – 5:00PM EST
PANEL ONE: MEET THE CASTING DIRECTORS
PANEL TWO: BEYOND THE GAME – HOW SPORTS FUEL CREATIVE STORYTELLING
PANEL THREE: STREAMING & DISTRIBUTION
PANEL FOUR: HOW EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ARE CRAFTING GLOBAL HITS
PANEL FIVE: FUNDING THE FUTURE – HOW FINANCE DRIVES CREATIVE NARRATIVES
Program is subject to change based on speaker availability.
LOCATION:
TBN – Trinity Broadcasting Networks – 111 E 15th Street, New York, NY 10003
11:00AM – 12:00PM EST
PANEL ONE
MEET THE CASTING DIRECTORS
Moderator: Destiny Lilly (President of CSA)
Speakers: Bess Fifer (Apple TV+ Severance, Netflix It’s Bruno!), Liz Lewis (Liz Lewis Casting Partners), Kristen Paladino (Paladino Casting), Jennifer Peralta-Ajemian (Feeling Through, Dark My Light, The Catch)
12:15PM – 1:15PM EST
PANEL TWO
BEYOND THE GAME: HOW SPORTS FUEL CREATIVE STORYTELLING
Moderator: Tyger Danger (Senior Director of Communications at TNT Sports)
Speakers: Marquis Daisy (Sr. Director & Producer, ESPN FILMS), Drew Muller (Vice President & GM at House of Highlights, Bleacher Report – TNT Sports), Kati Fernandez (Chief Content Officer at TOGETHXR), Alyssa Romano (Chief Marketing Officer, Talent + Properties at Octagon), Tina Charles (WNBA star, Olympian and Film Director)
1:30PM – 2:30PM EST
PANEL THREE
STREAMING & DISTRIBUTION
Moderator: Sofia Sondervan (Producer at Dutch Tilt Film, The Letter Room, King Hamlet, Cadillac Records)
Speakers: Noël Claro (Creative Strategist, Netflix), Rebecca Lantz (Senior Director, Media Management & Acquisitions, Streaming Production & Operations, Paramount+), Christie Marchese (Founder & CEO of Kinema, EVP of Entertainment Partnerships at Publicis Media), Rasheed J. Daniel (CEO & Founder of TeamSheed Productions, Showrunner & Executive Producer)
2:45PM– 3:45PM EST
PANEL FOUR
HOW EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ARE SHAPING GLOBAL HITS
Moderator: Maria Soccor (Actor, Filmmaker, Producer, Founder of Maria Soccor Productions)
Speakers: Mike Harrop (Executive Producer, Showtime’s Billions), Miloš Balać (Co-Executive Producer, Hulu’s Welcome to Wrexham)
4:00PM – 5:00PM EST
PANEL FIVE
FUNDING THE FUTURE: HOW FINANCE DRIVES CREATIVE NARRATIVES
Moderator: John Hadity (President & CEO of Hadity & Associates)
Speakers: Easmanie Michel (Director of Artists’ Programs and Finance, New York Women in Film & Television), Aaron Pierce (Partner at Pierce & Kwok LLP), Joyce Pierpoline (Producer/CEO Pierpoline Films, Chair BAFTA North America)