StartOut LA is proud to present “Entrepreneurs in Entertainment”, a panel of some of the top entertainment and entertainment technology entrepreneurs from the LGBT community.  The event, part of the “StartOut University” Series, will be held in the in the state-of-the-art Ray Kurtzman Theater at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in Century City. 

This very special evening will take place on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd.  Our agenda for the evening is as follows:

Networking / Wine Reception from 6:15pm to 7:30pm

Panel Event from 7:30pm to 8:45pm

Our highly accomplished panelists will share how they started, built and grew their entrepreneurial businesses, and what they've learned along the way about building a company in the field of entertainment.  Whether you're in the early stages of an entrepreneurial career, an experienced entrepreneur looking for new perspectives, interested in making the leap into entrepreneurship, or you advise or invest in entrepreneurs, join us for an insightful and fun evening of networking and conversation with inspiring entrepreneurs in the field of entertainment and entertainment technology.

StartOut has put together a fantastic group of tremendously successful entrepreneurs for this panel, including:

• Dan Jinks, Oscar-winning Producer of films and hit TV shows. Along with his
  previous business partner, Bruce Cohen, Jinks produced Milk, directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk. The film was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won Oscars for Best Leading Actor and Best Original Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Picture by the British Academy Awards (BAFTAs) and the Producer's Guild (PGA), and received the PGA's Stanley Kramer Award. Jinks and Cohen won the Best Picture Academy Award in 2000 for producing American Beauty. The film, which won a total of five Oscars, as well as the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and PGA Award, was the first film produced through The Jinks/Cohen Company. 
  Their second film was Down With Love starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, followed by Big Fish, which was nominated as Best Picture by both the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. Other films include The Forgotten, starring Julianne Moore, and John August's directing debut, The Nines, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hope Davis. In television, the pair executive produced the acclaimed ABC series Pushing Daisies, which won a total of 7 Emmys and was nominated for a Golden Globe as best comedy. They also served as executive producers on the series Traveler (ABC) and Side Order Of Life (Lifetime).  
   

• Kelly Bush, founder of ID, the entertainment industry's largest
  independently owned publicity and marketing agency. As its CEO, Kelly Bush
  oversees all aspects of ID's business and provides strategic direction for
  the talent and brand departments. Under Kelly's leadership, ID has evolved
  into a full-service agency, with over 60 employees representing over 400
  clients including actors, musicians, athletes, production companies,
  studios and major brands, with offices in Los Angeles, New York and London.
  
  Her first major client was acclaimed actor Sir Patrick Stewart, who is still represented by Bush today. Bush's longtime clients include Tobey Maguire, Diane Lane, Ben Stiller, Catherine Keener, Patrick Stewart, Alicia Keys and Paul Reubens. Kelly also leads the publicity campaigns for Warner Bros. Pictures Group as well as Sony Pictures Classics and is currently representing international star, Javier Bardem. Kelly had the vision and foresight to expand the capabilities of the agency well-beyond representing talent, successfully venturing into areas including corporate communications, consumer products, film/TV campaigns, network extension, and digital media solutions. In 2009 Bush was named amongst the 63 most
  influential women in TV and film in Elle when Nikki Finke (deadlinehollywooddaily.com) created a Power List for the magazine.
  
  Given her deep relationships throughout the entertainment community, coupled with her extensive experience intimately working with talent, executive producing has come naturally to Kelly, who has a number of projects in development in conjunction with her management company, VIE Entertainment. In 2008, Kelly formed VIE, and began managing a select
  number of actors including Ellen Page and Paul Reubens.

• Oliver Luckett, is the Co-founder and CEO of DigiSynd Inc., a social media agency, andCorporate SVP, The Walt Disney Company. Oliver previously was Co-founder and Senior Vice President of Network Development at Revver Inc.

   

  Prior to Revver, Oliver served as Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of iBlast, Vice President of Network Development at Anschutz Digital Media, Chief IP Services Architect for Qwest Communications, and was Founder of the media and technology consulting firm, Revilopark.  His internet efforts with Norman Lear's "Declare Yourself" non-partisan campaign achieved more than one million online voter registrations through partnerships with Yahoo!, Google, IAC/InterActiveCorp, and Friendster.

  
  

  Oliver holds a bachelor's degree in French Literature from Vanderbilt University, teaches digital media at various graduate schools, and speaks at industry conferences and events worldwide.

   

• Howard Cohen, Co-Founder and CEO of Roadside Attractions, an independent film distribution company of over 50 top films from Super Size Me to the current Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, Winter’s Bone. Prior to founding Roadside Attractions with business partner Eric d'Arbeloff, Cohen was the head of the United Talent Agency's independent film division. At UTA, Mr. Cohen was involved in the packaging, selling and marketing of independent and international films such as were Bad Santa, We Don't Live Here Anymore, Thumbsucker, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Igby Goes Down, The Banger Sisters, "O", Trick, and Things Behind the Sun. Cohen has also been involved with all facets of the film industry at companies such as Samuel Goldwyn Films, Paramount Pictures and the Turner Network. 

• Peeter Rebane, Chairman of the Board and cofounder of BDG,  the largest eventproducer in the Baltics. Founded in 1994, BDG is a pan-Baltic entertainment company. It's subsidiaries operate in the fields of concert promotion, artist booking, nightclub and lounge business, event marketing services, film & video distribution and exhibition. Rebane himself produces entertainment & television events. He is the developer of several venues, and currently is the producer of the 2010 European Film Academy Awards, he previously was the producer of Eurovision (over 600 million world wide) and concerts from Metallica to Madonna to Sir Elton John among many others. Rebane has more than 11 years of experience with promoting 400+ shows and concerts. 

Our panel moderator will be JD Cargill, an award-winning Entertainment Producer at CNN. 

Cargill can also be seen on “CNN.com Live” every Friday at 9:20 a.m. PST for his weekly segment, “Red Carpet Report,” showcasing his sit-down and red carpet interviews with the world’s leading celebrities.

Prior to joining CNN, Cargill served for three years as the senior entertainment producer of the "KTLA News at Ten." While at KTLA Channel 5, Cargill's duties included producing the nightly live entertainment segment, including red carpet events, awards shows, concerts, live theater and celebrity interviews.

Between his positions at KTLA and CNN, Cargill has covered The Academy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actor’s Guild Awards every year since 2001. In July, 2003, with the encouragement of his KTLA family, Cargill began simultaneously working on air (via satellite), as a live entertainment correspondent for "Rise TV," a highly caffeinated morning news program on London's top-rated Channel 4 Network.  Cargill began his television career as a production and news intern at KEYT 3 in Santa Barbara, while attending college at UCSB where he earned a B.A. in Communication Studies with Highest Honors.

Cargill has been honored by the Associated Press a first place award for “Best News Writing” for his contribution to KTLA's "News at Ten.”  He has also received an award in entertainment journalism from the Los Angeles Press Club for his segment "Elvis Party" for KTLA's "News at Ten."  And in 2005, Cargill and his colleagues at CNN were honored with a Peabody Award for excellence in journalism for their coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its Aftermath as well as an Alfred I. DuPont Award for excellence in journalism for their coverage of the South Asia Tsunami Disaster.

RSVP is required.  Only those who have RSVP'ed will be admitted.