Press release from SPAA
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) and Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) have entered into an affiliation agreement it was announced this week by PGA International Committee Chair Stu Levy and SPAA President Brian Rosen at the annual SPAA conference in Sydney. Through this affiliation, members of the PGA and SPAA will be encouraged to engage in dialogue to explore co-production opportunities and discuss industry issues in the respective markets.
“In this increasingly global world, this affiliation will encourage Australian and American producers to work together to ideally overcome the challenges they face in the current industry environment,” said PGA International Committee Chair Stu Levy. “I am thrilled to build our relationship with SPAA.”
“Unveiling this new, dynamic relationship to our SPAA conference attendees was a key opportunity to showcase the importance of this partnership,” said SPAA President Brian Rosen. “It’s not an industrial pact but an agreement to co-operate, collaborate and co-contribute.”
“It’s a hands across the sea alignment,” added Executive Director of SPAA Geoff Brown. “We are thrilled to join forces with the 4,750 strong Producers Guild and can’t wait to see the possibilities with this affiliation.”
Australia’s national film and television association SPAA, working with the various Australian screen agencies, will facilitate a delegation of its members to attend the Producers Guild’s Annual Produced By Conference and related Producers Guild Producers Showcase (ProShow) competition in June 2012, bringing even more international producers to this annual gathering. SPAA has been actively sharing industry data, piracy, film and TV subsidy information and other matters of mutual interest to both industries and will continue to do so with this affiliation.
Reaching across film, television and new media industries, the annual Produced By Conference is an educational forum that involves acclaimed producers, including countless Academy Award®-winning filmmakers and Emmy® Award winners, as well as the next generation of creative entrepreneurs. The ProShow competition, developed by the PGA’s International Committee, is a program to help film producers initiate business relationships, co-develop compelling projects and spearhead investments involving the producing community.
The annual SPAA conference gathers over 700 Australian and international delegates to discuss a domestic look at what the Producers Association has achieved, where they are at and what the future holds. The industry’s biggest names in Australia gather for three days of politics, business and creativity via keynote presentations, panel sessions, networking parties, screenings, pitching opportunities, markets and one-on-one sessions.