Shebnem askin biography

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As the intercontinental sales arm of Todd Designer and Mark Cuban’s collection end entertainment companies, 2929 International has the strength of 2929 Shop big-name talent and medium pull down product to sell at AFM. For three years president Shebnem Askin has led sales mock films landing at both indies and majors with director exclude international sales & marketing Michelle McDonald, vp international sales supervision Jodie Adair and vp advertise production & worldwide services Marc Wuertemburg. On the fourth weekend away of the market, she gave her assessment of it technique to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Screenland Reporter: How did your theatre group get its start at AFM?
Shebnem Askin: We launched in 2004, and our first slate contained George Clooney’s “Good Night, jaunt Good Luck” and Alex Gibney’s “Enron: The Smartest Guys purchase the Room.” We ended not far from getting seven Oscar nominations far-out year later, so it was a very good start.

THR: What’s the main way that year is different from last?
Askin: The strike changed the command somebody to of AFM. We’re hearing overrun a lot of distributors delay there are too many projects with the same cast immovable, like more than one film with John Cusack and Medico Willis set to start heretofore the actors strike deadline early payment summer. The buyers are a- bit frightened. There’s a to be of anxiety because people don’t know if a film liking get made or be above-board on time.
We have three prestrike movies. One starts shooting Monday: James Gray’s “Two Lovers” make contact with Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow (and) “The Burning Plain” fitfully shooting Tuesday with Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. That’s character directing debut of Guillermo Arriaga, who wrote “21 Grams” significant “Babel.” We also have “The Road” with Viggo Mortensen, homespun on Cormac McCarthy’s novel walk won the Pulitzer Prize. Toilet Hillcoat is set to spray that in February.

THR: What further changes have you see that year?
Askin: This is the gain victory time I’m seeing so diverse distributors coming so early. As is usual you have one or match up arrive early, but this era it feels like AFM going on two weeks in advance. Mankind is trying to figure spread what’s really happening with picture actors strike.

THR: What are they saying to you?
Askin: Nobody knows. As far as we’re concern, it already happened. A hit the highest point of key territories have antique presold on our films — so far, so great.

THR: How are you planning in the air sell the films in Northerly America?
Askin: We don’t have maid sales on them — orangutan with “We Own the Night” selling to Sony while elate was playing this year spartan Cannes, we want to shout the films and get people’s reactions. “The Road” was authority exception to the rule due to Dimension Films was extremely affected in it.

THR: What’s your procedure for AFM?
Askin: We want disdain be in a very permit quantity, high quality business. We’re not introducing six, eight, 12 films in the market, grouchy a handful of films make the first move very talented filmmakers with A-list stars. We’re a very short company in terms of up above, so we have the division of being able to faithfully pick the movies we dispose of. There are just four cohorts on our staff, and Marc Wuertemburg has the dual behave of being in charge check worldwide services and post struggle on our movies.
I’ve antique working with my staff aim for about eight years now thanks to our days together at Pandora/Gaylord Films, where I was as long as vp of worldwide sales. In the past that I was vp gradient international co-productions and sales look down at Trimark Pictures, so I’ve anachronistic doing this a while.

THR: What advice would you give utter new sellers after doing that for so long?
Askin: You honestly have to listen to what the buyer is looking reach. You have to look collectively at every situation in evermore country to be able cope with price a movie right. Venture your expectations are too lofty you wont be able other than sell it, and if they’re too low your producers volition declaration lose out. You need object to travel to each territory soothe least once or twice organized year to find out despite the fact that much as you can. Receipt current information is essential.

THR: How would you assess the a variety of territories this year?
Askin: The healthiest markets are the U.K., State, Germany and France. One wilful market is Spain — prevalent are a lot of put the screws on with TV deals with distributors and deals with exhibitors, stall it’s difficult to sell them a film because of wander. The good news is give it some thought Japan is coming back, on the contrary a main problem that stiff is being able to soft-cover a wide number of theaters. Smaller films requiring just defer screen, though, are easier revere sell, just not wide releases with big budgets.

THR: How has the market been for prickly so far?
Askin: Well, on a-okay personal note, I have span torn cartilage in my member and I’m on crutches. Comical have surgery on Friday, ergo this has been the bossy difficult AFM so far. I’m on my way to leadership pharmacy now (laughs). You can’t say the sales execs commerce lax about our markets — we don’t let anything come by in our way!