Colorado West Filmmakers Forum
October 19, 2024 | 9a-4p | Bud Werner Memorial Library
Join us for the Colorado West Filmmakers Forum, bringing together filmmakers, students, and community members to gain crucial insights about the filmmaking industry. Experts provide thought-provoking presentations that delve into themes of storytelling for change, getting the gig, lessons from the field, Colorado Film Incentives, job growth and community.
Lunch and snacks provided. Free Forum Registration on EventBrite for Saturday 10/19 workshops and discussions. A limited number of optional $99 location scouting guided tour tickets on Friday 10/18 are available.
We invite you to be part of building a brighter future for film in rural Colorado. This event is made possible by Steamboat Creates and the Boulder Film Commission in partnership with Colorado Creative Industries, Colorado Office of Film, TV, and New Media, and our generous sponsors.
Explore Our Filmmakers Forum Schedule
Friday, October 18th
1:00 PM – Guided and Curated Location Scouting Tour
5:00 PM – Meet and Greet Happy Hour with Early Check in
Saturday, October 19th
9:00 AM – Check-In, Registration, and Networking
9:30 AM – Welcome
9:45 AM – Ins and Outs of the Colorado Film Incentive Program
The State of Colorado offers a film incentive program, though many filmmakers are either not aware of it, or are unsure of how to benefit from it. In this session, Donald Zuckerman, the Colorado Film Commissioner, will explain how it works and how filmmakers can take advantage of it.
10:45 AM – Getting the Gig
A discussion between two long-time collaborators on how to work with clients, land the job, market yourself, and deliver products.
11:45 AM – State of the State, Colorado Calling
Donald Zuckerman, the Colorado Film Commissioner, will update us with a “State-of-the-State” keynote with regard to the film and creative industries throughout the state of Colorado, how they’re doing, and what the future holds. (lunch provided)
12:30 PM – Locations and Film Friendly Towns
Here from Sara Furey, a professional location scout, on how filmmakers can choose smart locations for their work and how rural towns can better support filmmaking.
1:00 PM – Stories from the Field
Kelly Anzalone of KPA Productions shares his experience running a rural production company as a filmmaker and creative in Routt County Colorado.
2:00 PM – Storytelling for Change
Colton Ashely speaks about his experiences as a Diné filmmaker now based in Durango where he works for KSUT and uses film to affect change in the community.
3:00 PM – Job Growth Opportunities
Learn about how Routt County Economic Development Program is helping the creative workforce live and work in Northwest Colorado. Understand the resources available for small buisness development in Colorado.
3:15 PM – Group Discussion
All panelists will take questions on topics of interest, including how we can build community, find opportunities and collaborators, organize Meetups, and more.
5:00 PM – Networking Happy Hour
Meet Our Speakers
Donald Zuckerman
Donald Zuckerman is a member of the Producers Guild of America and has produced seventeen feature-length narrative motion pictures, three feature-length documentaries, and one documentary series. Most of these star-driven films have premiered at major film festivals: three at Sundance, four at the Toronto International Film Festival, two at SXSW, three at Tribeca Film Festival, and three at the Los Angeles Film Festival. One played at the New York Film Festival. Two of the pictures’ stars have received Golden Globe nominations for their performances, and one picture received a Best Picture nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards. Another won both the Audience and Jury Awards at SXSW. See also: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0958415/
Travis Bush
Every video can tell a unique story and this is why Travis has had a passion for the craft for 30 years. Throughout this time Travis has worked in multi-genres including film production, community television, nonprofit, and corporate video. Over the past twelve-years Travis’s video production career has been focused in the environmental engineering sector where he has created content for and worked alongside marketing and communication teams. Through these opportunities, Travis has traveled the world, creating a wide variety of corporate, broadcast, and educational content, including construction projects throughout the US and Europe, fly fishing on the Amazon in Brazil, and documenting the expansion of the Panama Canal.
Bruce Borowsky
Bruce Borowsky is an award-winning photographer, videographer, and filmmaker specializing in corporate and documentary videos. Bruce has worked professionally in film and video since 1985. After settling in Boulder, Colorado in 1990, he produced “The Climbing Show,” a national television series for the Outdoor Channel, as well as People Productions in Boulder.
For over a decade, Bruce has partnered with Director and Editor Mike Scalisi at their company Pixel Mill Studios, where they continue to create award-winning documentaries and corporate videos, including last year’s “Frozen Dead Guy Days”.
In recent years, Bruce has tremendously enjoyed teaching professional filmmaking to Palestinian men and women in the West Bank, as well as Native American high school kids in Towaoc and Ignacio, members of both the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute tribes.
Sara Furey
A creative trapped in the body of a Location Manager. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Photography, Sara has always had a sharp eye for capturing architecture and design. As a commercial Colorado Location Scout she has worked with world class directors such as Luca Guadagnino and Derek Cianfrance.
Originally a New Yorker, she has built her film career across the Tri-State Area. Sara’s current Basecamp is Breckenridge, Colorado, where she is the go-to expert for all snow shoot needs. Whether it’s skiing, snowboarding, or dropping a car onto a mountain, she can get it done. Exploring all across Colorado and the Southwest finding epic mountain vistas, unique windy rural roads, and picturesque private ranches is what she does best.
A proud member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Location Managers Guild International.
Kelly Anzalone
Kelly has been shooting in the yampa valley since 1996. He’s worked for AT&T Media Service, Comcast Spotlight, TV 10 and TV 17 in their various forms. Before moving to Steamboat, he worked for the ABC affiliate in Buffalo, NY. Over the years he’s shot ski movies, comedy videos, commercials, weddings, theater shows, non-profit fundraising videos, dance productions, and live music to name just a few. He looks forward to sharing some of his past work, some of the more enjoyable projects, and some of the challenges he has encountered over the years here in this beautiful valley we call home.
Colton Ashley
Colten Ashley is a Diné filmmaker originally from the Four Corners. He studied Media Arts at Brigham Young University, with an emphasis in narrative filmmaking and critical media studies.
His professional background includes working for such companies as ESPN, ABC, BYUTV, Hallmark, and he’s contributed to work that has appeared on Utah PBS. In addition to his work in film and TV he has mentored college and high school students with trainings and workshops based on film production including the “Hands on a Camera program”, teaching students how to create documentaries about their community. He will be returning to the Four Corners from Utah as KSUT’s new Tribal Media Center coordinator.
The Tribal Media Center will offer multimedia training to Native American and Indigenous individuals with a goal of expanding first-person and narrative storytelling content that can be distributed broadly, to both native and non-native audiences throughout Indian Country. Tribal Media Center projects already underway include Native Braids, Native Lens and numerous partnerships with Rocky Mountain PBS, Fort Lewis College, Dream Warriors and Vision Maker Media.
Keith Hensley
Keith collaborates closely with businesses throughout the Yampa Valley, identifying key challenges, opportunities, and providing vital resources for their expansion and sustainability. Keith has spent his entire life in Colorado and has been a Routt County local since 2015. He holds a Bachelor’s in Chemistry and Biology from Metropolitan State University of Denver. His passion for the environment led to an early career in renewable energy research and environmental lab management. Keith’s dedication extends to his personal life as an avid outdoorsman, exploring the Yampa Valley with his wife, Christina, and their puppy, Archie.