Quarterly event series presented by Indie Memphis and Crosstown Arts. The presenting sponsor for this event is the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission.
August topic: “XX TCB: Producing in Memphis (and Beyond),” a discussion with producers Erin Hagee Freeman, Kim Bledsoe Lloyd, Dreka Shevon, and Melissa Anderson Sweazy. Moderated by Joann Self Selvidge.
Join us for a conversation about what it takes to be a great producer and what pitfalls to avoid as you are honing your craft. Our panelists have produced a wide range of creative content, from narrative and documentary shorts and feature films to commercials and web series. Find out what these women have learned from their experience developing projects from concept to completion.
Networking at 6:30 p.m. | panel discussion begins at 7:00 pm., followed by an audience Q&A
Complimentary food and drink
Erin Hagee Freeman is a producer with Craig Brewer’s BR2 Productions, a Memphis-based production company that has been producing films, music videos, and web-based series since 2000. She produced Brewer’s first feature film, THE POOR & HUNGRY, and the award-winning short film, THE MORNING RITUAL. In 2007 and 2008, Erin produced $5 COVER, an indie music, multi-platform series featuring Memphis-based musicians and artists and the horror film SAVAGE COUNTY for David Harris and MTV New Media. Erin would later team back up with Harris and Gunpowder & Sky for a web-based live comedy show that BR2 is currently in post production on, YOU LOOK LIKE. In 2015 and 2016, Erin produced short films for Memphis’ NBA team The Grizzlies, including MARC GASOL: OF MEMPHIS and MIKE CONLEY, THE CONDUCTOR, which features players from the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and dancers from Collage Collective. This film is currently streaming on NBA.com.Kim Bledsoe Lloyd is owner/founder of Black Muddy River Productions. She has worked as producer and in recent years and as an editor on feature films and shorts. Some of her clients include Sony Legacy, Eagle Rock Entertainment, Graceland Enterprises, Memphis Rock and Soul Museum, and The Curb Institute. Prior to this, she worked as commercial Producer and Head of Production with Modern Production Concepts Memphis, working on regional and national advertising campaigns. She has produced and co-produced live music concerts for TV/DVD release as well as interview produced for documentaries and webcasts including several years with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Her career began as Segment Producer and Production Coordinator on the Time Warner/TBS music series, “Live From the House of Blues” with hosts Dan Aykroyd and Katie Wagner. Some of her favorite experiences include stellar and singular moments with John Lee Hooker, Levon Helm, The Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, The Dixie Cups, Bonnie Raitt, and BB King. As a volunteer board and executive board member of The Recording Academy, she has advocated nationally for intellectual property rights across all listening and performance platforms.
Dreka Shevon is a Producer, Writer, and Director who inspired and helped pioneer an independent film movement in Mississippi after she single-handedly produced her first feature film in 2007, READY FOR LOVE, a romantic comedy that she produced, directed, edited, and filmed, and in which she acted in the starring role. Her current body of work includes several short films that speak to issues affecting lower and middle class Americans. Audiences say her style of film is “Raw and Gritty” and told from a place of truth. Her short film, THE COMPANION, which deals with mental illness and child molestation, won BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM at the Miami Women’s International Film Festival. It also screened at several other festivals including Martha Vineyards African American Film Festival and Hollywood Black Film Festival. More recently, Dreka was Co-Producer of the short film WOMAN SCORNED, which has screened in more than 11 festivals, winning two awards and several nominations. She is currently writing a script for her highly anticipated sophomore feature. Her video production company, Prime Stone Media, is currently based in Atlanta, GA.
Melissa Anderson Sweazy is an award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker, music video director and professional photographer based in Memphis, TN. Her documentary feature GOOD GRIEF, co-directed with Laura jean Hocking, will debut in the fall of 2017. She is the recipient of the Indie Memphis Grizzlies Grant for her animated short “Stephanie Loves the Grizzlies.” Her hour drama pilot script “The Fox Sisters” is currently in consideration for the Sundance Episodic Lab. Her commercial work for corporate clients has won her Emmy nominations and multiple Addy awards. Her essays have been published in Babble.com, LA Weekly, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and she delivered a Tedx-Memphis talk entitled “If You Love Them Let Them Go: A Hypocrite’s Guide to Free Range Parenting.” You can see and read about her work at melissasweazy.com
About Memphis Women in Film
We are female film directors who advocate for greater representation of women and girls in filmmaking roles in the Memphis area. For event info and updates, you can follow us on Facebook.com/MemphisWomeninFilm and Twitter @MEMwomeninfilm.
