One Of A Kind Television Festival
****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE****
DATE: January 18, 2012
CONTACT: Brandy Fons
PHONE: (310) 809-8882
E-MAIL: brandy@fonspr.com
ATX FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ONE OF A KIND TELEVISION FESTIVAL
The 2-night, 3-day event in Austin, TX showcases and celebrates
the medium of television: past, present & future
Austin, TX— Wednesday, January 18, 2012— ATX Festival, the first festival devoted to Television’s history and future, will commence on Friday, June 1st 2012 in Austin, TX. ATX will function like a traditional film festival with premieres of new series, current hits & cult favorites and spotlights of unaired pilots, series that were cancelled before their time and classic shows. ATX will also offer access to the industry’s leading professionals with cast and creator Q&As and panels focusing on innovation in both production and content delivery. Ultimately, ATX has the goal of serving both the community and industry professionals by giving them the opportunity to celebrate and discuss all aspects of TV’s past, present & future.
ATX Festival is the brainchild of Caitlin McFarland and Emily Gipson who have over a decade of experience working in the film and television industry. McFarland has experience on the production side, working for directors Betty Thomas, Nora Ephron, and Mira Nair. In addition, she has been involved on the festival and filmmaker sides of renowned festivals like Sundance, Tribeca, and Doha Tribeca. Emily Gipson has spent her years in the industry working on the studio and network side for Fox, TLC, Discovery, and Fox TV Studios. McFarland and Gipson have enlisted the help of a distinguished advisory board for ATX Festival consisting of directors, writers, producers, as well as festival sponsors.
“At the heart of it, we are both fans of TV. We have created an event for fans like ourselves, and are giving them a chance to engage in ‘water cooler’ conversations on a larger level with the people that bring their favorite shows to life.” — Emily Gipson
“We also wanted a place for the industry to discuss where the medium is headed, and explore innovative outlets for production in a medium that is changing. We’re both Texans and love Austin, so what better place than there to host it?” — Caitlin McFarland
In order to secure additional funding ATX Festival has announced a Kickstarter campaign, which will launch this Wednesday, January 18, 2012 with a goal to raise $25,000 and the hope to surpass that goal. The start of the Kickstarter campaign will also mark the debut of a video created for the festival with contributions from several television professionals. Rewards for donations will range from ATX Festival badges to signed DVDs and posters and exclusive Camille Zarsky limited edition cuff bracelets. To donate and see the ATX Festival video, visit the ATX Festival Kickstarter page.
For additional information on ATX Festival including badges, confirmed venues and programming visit the ATX Festival official website.
For the latest developments visit the ATX Festival Facebook & Twitter.
ATX Festival Advisory Board:
Betty Thomas; Emmy award-winning Director & Actor, Third VP of the DGA
Richard Linklater; Austin Film Society; Writer & Director
Peter Billingsley; Emmy nominated Producer, Director & Actor
Julie Plec; Executive Producer/Writer
Kyle Killen; Series Creator/Writer
Arielle Kebbel; Actor (The Vampire Diaries, Gilmore Girls, 90210)
Leigh Evans, Co-Founder of Girl Around Town & Houston Editor of GoTidbits.com
Laura Kincaid; Texas Film Commission
Liz Tigelaar; Executive Producer/Writer
Kelly Brown; Emmy nominated, Reality Television Producer & Casting Director
Julia Kebbel; Marketing & Promotions for Universal Studios
Regina DiMartino; Former EVP of Marketing for TLC & Fox TV Studios
Robyn Ross; Staff Editor at TVGuide.com
Ben Spector; Series Producer
Stan Zimmerman; Executive Producer & Writer (Gilmore Girls, Roseanne)
Katy Rozelle, Creative Executive at Blacklight
Tricia Linklater; Sound Editor & Independent Film supporter
Shawn Anderson; Director of Marketing & Communications, PromaxBDA
Kristen Mullarkey; MTV Networks
Ahmed Ahmed; Comedian & Director
Sheila Jaffe; Emmy award-winning Film & TV Casting Director
ATX Festival Sponsors:
Blue Bell
Cornucopia
Treaty Oak Distilling
Patsy Goodrich Designs
Holistic Health Fusion
Pretzel Crisps
Camille Zarsky Handbags
ATX Festival Media Sponsors:
Girl Around Town
Go Tidbits
KXAN (Austin NBC Affiliate)
The CW Austin
KVBO
About ATX Festival
Our focus is on the celebration of the television medium: looking back at its history, where it is now, and where it is headed. Our weekend will consist of events where attendees can interact with actors, writers, directors, creators, showrunners, music supervisors, casting directors and studio executives involved in all stages of bringing their favorite series to the small screen.
We have all the functionality of a traditional film festival — spotlighting classic shows, never aired pilots, cancelled too soon series, cult favorites, current hits, and premieres of new series. In addition, we will focus on episode screenings with Q&A’s from the cast and creators; panels focused on industry related topics like streaming and innovative outlets to continue production outside of the network/studio system; and will include parties, live music, meet-ups, social media events, and “super secret happy hours.” Ultimately, ATX has the goal of serving both the community and industry professionals equally by giving them the opportunity to discuss and celebrate all aspects of TV.