Meet our
Speakers
Landi Maduro
Writer, Director, Producer
Keith Collins II
Fight Choreographer / Distributor
Ray Szuch
Producer / Super Host
Darion D'Anjou
3D Animator / Sci-Fi Filmmaker
Ron George
VFX / Makeup
Jerome Courshon
Film Distributor
Jerome Courshon. Film Distributor / Consultant
Film Producer, Distribution Expert, and today’s “go-to” authority of how to get a film to market, Jerome Courshon broke open the “exclusive club” of successful independent producers with his innovative program, “THE SECRETS TO FILM DISTRIBUTION.”
Along with his Master Classes, varied lectures, and an elite Consulting Service, Courshon provides valuable strategies to Producers & Directors in getting their films into the top distribution channels. Clients have achieved distribution with Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, among many others.
Regarded as one of the world’s chief experts in distribution, he tracks the ever-changing markets to present relevant, trending and successful strategies in his lectures and consulting. His ultimate goal for producers? Get your movie or documentary into the marketplace AND have success with it.
Citing his own personal journeys of releasing films and dealing with distributors, Courshon highlights the many obstacles & challenges filmmakers face today and how to overcome them. For example, once your movie is on the various VOD platforms, it’s usually not enough for it to just “sit there,” hoping people will buy it or view it. Is your Distributor or Aggregator—or you—reaching your target audience?
Courshon has written articles on film distribution for many trade magazines & outlets including TheWrap, MovieMaker Magazine, Indie Slate Magazine, Film Festival Today, and is quoted in major publications/outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, FOX Business, Yahoo! Movies and MSN News. He has also been a frequent guest on panels & forums around the country, speaking to filmmakers about the joys and perils of today’s distribution challenges.
Prior to producing and distribution consulting, Courshon spent a decade at HBO working in various capacities, most notably in Original Programming as well as HBO Films. He also worked at Comedy Central in Original Programming and Development.
In addition to his own films, he is also a producer-for-hire, most recently co-producing a full-length documentary that was just recently released.
Ron George. Visual Effects / Make Up
Ron George is an independent special effects Makeup artist that caters towards professional work for the entertainment industry. Creating iconic looks for film, television, theater, museums, performance art, Music Videos and everything in between. I specialize in the darker side like Zombies, Gore, cuts, & bruises as well as Sci-Fi and cosplay using mainly practical FX.
I’m a huge part of the Zombie Walks in the Greater Cleveland Area each year. They are mainly charity events for the Food shelters in north eastern Ohio. it’s a fun way to give back and help out the community. I am also the makeup artist each year for the Zombie Claus another charity event to gather toys at Christmas time for Toys for Tots. I have also done makeup for the Zombie runs raising money for breast cancer and lung cancer awareness.
In 2013 I competed at Horror Hotel and placed 1st in horror, and 2nd in Sci-Fi. I also competed at the Indie Film Gathering, and placed 1st in Sci-Fi and 2nd in Horror. In 2014 I placed 1st in both Sci-fi and Horror at the Indie gathering.
In 2015 Progressive insurance hired me to turn their marketing staff into Zombies for a Halloween contest within the company
In 2017 I joined the production team for Horror Hotel TV show as the Assistant Director
2017 – 2019 I was a judge for the Final round of the Monster Make-Off Makeup competition
In 2018 my team won 9 awards at the 48 horror film competition including best film
Between 2018 & 2023 I gave several makeup lectures including Wizard World Comic Con, Neo Comic Con, Horror Hotel Film Festival, and The Indie Gathering Film Festival
In 2019 my team won 8 awards at the 48 summer film competition including best film
In 2020 I became the producer for the Cleveland 48 Hour Film festival
– I won best Special FX for the Funmill film competition
– I became the host of the YouTube show “Inside the 48”
– I won a Telly award for the TV show Horror Hotel
In 2021 Win 3rd place in the funmil film competition for a film I Wrote and Directed
In 2022 & 2023 I was a judge for the Short Sweet Film Festival
– Was interviewed by channel 5 news about my love for Zombies
Darion D'Anjou. 3d Animator / Sci-Fi Filmaker
Darion D’Anjou is an award winning writer-director-visual effects supervisor based in Atlanta, Georgia USA, who focuses on short and feature length narrative films, commercials, and music videos. Darion’s science fiction short film “Hop” was a finalist at the Atlanta Sci-Fi Film Festival, and his science fiction short film “Pony” won 7 out of 11 awards at the Constellation Film Festival in Atlanta including Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. “Pony” screened as an official selection of Gentleman Jack’s Real to Reel hosted by Omari Hardwick, Bronze Lens Film Festival, Atlanta Sci-fi film festival, was nominated for Best Cinematography at the Berlin Sci-fi Film Festival, and continues its momentum on the festival circuit. Darion’s one take horror short film “Mommy” has screened in theaters to rave reception, and has generated over 1.8 million views and counting online.
Darion operates Darion D’Anjou Productions, a full service film production company based in Atlanta, and works as a Visual Effects Trainer at Digital Domain, a multi award winning visual effects company founded by James Cameron and responsible for the visual effects for recent movies and television shows such as 2023 Academy Award nominated Black Panther Wakanda Forever, HBO’s Last of Us, Black Adam, Netflix’s Stranger Things, Dr. Strange, and 2022 Academy Award nominated Spider-man No Way Home, among others.
Darion has functioned as Visual Effects Supervisor on music videos such as Atlantic Records hip hop artist Killumantii “Black Wall Street”, and feature films such as “The Curse of La Patasola” distributed to theaters in 2022 by Vertical Entertainment and currently available to stream on Starz and Hulu.. Darion is currently developing opportunities to write and direct feature length science fiction film projects based on the stories introduced by his proven short films such as “Pony” “Rack” and “Mommy”, as well working on completely new projects, with a focus on the science-fiction, action, horror, and thriller genres.
Ray Szuch. Producer / Super Host
Ray Szuch is a 4-time Emmy-nominated, 3-time Emmy-winning producer and stunt coordinator. He is also a 4-time Telly-winning executive producer. Ray began working in the film industry in the 1960s and has since worked on hundreds of projects in many different roles, primarily focusing on producing and stunts. He is the founder of World Entertainment Online and The Indie Gathering International Film Festival, co-founder of The International Horror Hotel Film Festival, and creator of the television show Horror Hotel.
Ray is a great producer and super -host, he is always networking and connecting people together. We are happy that we are continuing his festival and will do him proud.
Keith Collins II. Fight Choreographer / Distributor
Keith Collins II, born on June 1, 1981, in Chester, PA, and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, has dedicated his life to the martial arts world. Trained from the age of 3 by his Sensei and Father, Keith Collins I, in the art of Kenpo, he expanded his expertise by studying various styles, from Krav Maga to Silat, recognizing the unique value each brings. Beyond martial arts, Keith is a prolific filmmaker, producer, stunt coordinator, and fight choreographer. His accolades include Best Micro Action Film at The Indie Gathering International Film Festival in 2012, 2013, and 2015, as well as Best Action Short at Urban Action Showcase 2015. His award-winning film, “Lions & Wolves,” premiered on the national channel El Rey Network. In 2022, “Rumble TV” and “Fall Hard,” his latest feature and short films, respectively, earned him Best Action Comedy and Best Urban Action Short at the Urban Action Showcase in NYC. Keith’s impressive fight choreography is showcased in various films, including “Contracts: Redemption,” “Wu Xia: A Martial Arts Tango,” and “Maximillian” (Assassin’s Game), his first globally distributed feature. You can catch his latest Action/Comedy feature, “Rumble TV,” on his streaming platform, 3 Digital Rock Theatre (www.3digitalrocktheatre.tv).
Landi Maduro is an award-winning writer, director, and producer who has worked in the film industry for over 10 years. She has continued to direct and produce short films, features, music videos, small business commercials, business tutorials, and documentaries since launching her production company, Bluechild Entertainment, in 2012. Her documentary The Silent Killer: Prostate Cancer In The African American Community is currently streaming on Tubi TV and Amazon Prime. The award-winning documentary was screened for the Congressional Black Caucus and has been used by healthcare professionals and scholars to educate on the health disparities African American men face in dealing with prostate cancer.
Landi Maduro - Producer / Writer / Director
Landi has toured and lectured throughout the United States and overseas advocating for prostate cancer awareness. In 2021 she was awarded the Zero Impact Award for her advocacy work. She is a member of the Zero Health Equity Task Force, where she works with various doctors, scientists, and community leaders to promote advocacy and affordable care for veterans and minority men dealing with prostate cancer. She is also a Blue Earth Patient Ambassador, where she advocates for prostate cancer patients and survivors.
Landi recently worked on the faith-based film Driving Force available on Tubi, and the female boxing franchise Lola 2 available on AMC/AllBlk network. She just completed an unscripted network show where she directed 6 out of 10 episodes. She is in post-production with the documentary Barriers Included and in pre-production for her documentary Directing While Female and her horror film Black Decay.
Landi teaches filmmaking to adults and teens and offers private consulting to indie filmmakers. She enjoys mentoring indie filmmakers as they work to cultivate their cinematic voice. She is also the proud Founder & President of Women of Color Filmmakers; a 501c3 nonprofit organization that garners support, skill-building, and networking for female filmmakers as they pursue careers in film and television.