Category: News

Anaheim University is excited to announce our next Live from Hollywood Guest Speakers, Writers/Directors Joe Dante & Jennifer Reeder, who will be doing online Q & A sessions with students and alumni on Friday, February 18, 2022. Joe Dante is an award–winning writer and director who is known for Gremlins, Gremlins 2, Innerspace and The Howling and Jennifer Reeder was named by award-winning director Bong Joon-Ho (Parasite) as a filmmaker to watch in the 2020s and has been credited as one of the most influential female horror directors. 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm PST (California time) Writer & Director Joe Dante 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm PST (California time) Writer & Director Jennifer Reeder Anaheim University students and alumni are invited to join us for this special online event. Please RSVP by clicking the link below and we can send you the access information for the session. Please also review the bio below and bring your questions for the Q & A portion of the presentation. RSVP Joe Dante & Jennifer Reeder Joe Dante is a lifelong film buff who turned his obsession into a career. He got his start cutting trailers for Roger Corman and later directed the hit movie Gremlins, as well as Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Innerspace and Small Soldiers for producer Steven Spielberg. His feature films include The Howling, Piranha, Matinee, The ‘burbs , Looney Tunes Back in Action, The Hole (first winner of the 3D Persol Award at the Venice Film Festival) and the zom-com Burying the Ex. His TV directing work includes: Police Squad, Amazing Stories, the HBO film The Second Civil War, the Masters of Horror titles Homecoming and The Screwfly Solution, and episodes of Eerie, Indiana, CSI: NY, Hawaii 5-0, Witches of East End, Legends of Tomorrow and Salem. His most recent big screen credit is an episode of the anthology film Nightmare Cinema. Joe is also the frequent co-host of Trailers From Hell’s official podcast, The Movies That Made Me, available everywhere podcasts are streamed and downloaded! Jennifer Reeder was recently named by Bong Joon Ho (Parasite) as a filmmaker to watch in the 2020s and has been credited as one of most influential female horror directors. She constructs personal fiction films about relationships, trauma and coping. Her award-winning narratives are innovative and borrow from a range of forms including after school specials, amateur music videos and magical realism. These films have shown consistently around the world, including the Sundance Film Festival, The Berlin Film Festival, The Tribeca Film Festival, The Rotterdam Film Festival, The London Film Festival, SXSW, The Venice Biennale and The Whitney Biennial. Her awards include several that have qualified her films for Oscar nomination. She won a Creative Capital Grant in Moving Image in 2015, short film funding from Rooftop/Adrienne Shelly Foundation in 2016 and short film funding from the Hamburg Film Fund in 2016. She won a USA Fellowship for 2021. She was a Herb Alpert Film Award nominee in 2018 and 2020. She won a 2018/19 scriptwriting award from SFFIM/Rainin Foundation. She was the 2019 recipient of the Alpert Film Award residency at the MacDowell Colony. Her most recent film, Knives and Skin was theatrically released in France in November 2019 through UFO and in the US in December 2019 through IFC Midnight. She recently completed a section of V/H/S 94, a horror anthology from Shudder, which will premiere at Fantastic Fest before launching off the Shudder platform. She is currently in post-production with a new feature film called Night’s End also from Shudder. She is currently in pre-production for a new feature length film called PERPETRATOR which is being produced by 30West, Divide&Conquer and WTFilms.

Anaheim University is excited to announce our next Live from Hollywood Guest Speakers, Writer, Director & Producer John Callas & Director, Actor, Screenwriter and Cinematographer Patrick Brice, who will be doing online Q  & A sessions with students and alumni on Friday, February 11, 2022. John Callas is an award–winning writer, director & producer who has helped create over 100 titles and Patrick Brice’s recent Netflix feature was named one of Variety’s “Best Horror Films of 2021″! 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm PST (California time) Writer, Director & Producer John Callas 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm PST (California time) Director, Actor, Screenwriter and Cinematographer Patrick Brice Anaheim University students and alumni are invited to join us for this special online event. Please RSVP by clicking the link below and we can send you the access information for the session. Please also review the bio below and bring your questions for the Q & A portion of the presentation. RSVP John Callas & Patrick Brice John Callas is a veteran writer/director/producer in the entertainment business. His experience ranges from the worldwide release of feature films to numerous motion picture trailers, national and international commercials, live action title sequences, laser disc projects, a documentary shot on location in Russia, as well as having been the Worldwide VP for The Walt Disney Company while working at a large post production facility. John wrote and directed the feature film “No Solicitors” starring Eric Roberts and has adapted NY Times bestselling author, William H. LaBarge’s book, “Lightning Strikes Twice.” John is also a published author which includes: SECRETS, WHEN THE RAIN STOPS, CHRISTMAS VOICES, NO SOLICITORS, AND FIRST TIME PARENTS SURVIVAL GUIDE TO UNNECESSARY AND WILD SPENDING. John’s prowess can be seen on live action teasers for Ransom, Dennis The Menace, Body Of Evidence, The Golden Child, Spaceballs, The Glass Menagerie, Cocoon II, Poltergeist III, Betrayed, My Girl, Glenngarry Glenn Ross, As Well As Title Sequences For The Two Jakes and A Few Good Men and a promotional film for an amusement ride from Showscan. John also directed an award-winning short film THE WHITE GORILLA. While creating live action teasers for feature films, John had the opportunity to work with notable actors including Mel Gibson, Walter Matthau, Jack Nicholson, Madonna, Eddie Murphy and Mel Brooks. In addition to working on feature film teasers, his work can be seen in projects for HBO, The Disney Channel, Show Time, the Broadway Play Phantom Of The Opera and the 1993 redesigned TRISTAR LOGO. John’s extensive background also includes over 200 commercials for such clients as Kellogg’s, Dodge, Sunkist, Sprite, Toyota, Fuji, Volkswagen, Honda, McDonalds, Mazda, Minolta, Jedi Merchandising, Kraft, Jordache, Sea World, Givenchy and Sonassage with celebrity George Burns and industrial projects for Corporations including Vidal Sassoon, Salomon North America, Nissan and The Kao Corporation Of Japan. John’s television experience includes directing a 14-week series entitled Potentials, with guests Buckminster Fuller, Norman Cousins, Ray Bradbury, Gene Roddenberry, Timothy Leary and others. He also directed 80 segments for Bobby’s World, which has been rated the #1 show on Fox 11 Television in its time slot; garnering John an Emmy nomination. A multi-faceted filmmaker, John’s work can be seen in music videos for Glenn Frey Of The Eagles, Bill Wyman Of The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Starship, Sammy Hagar, Rick Springfield, Doobie Brothers, Styx and more. John has been recognized with: An EMMY nomination for Bobby’s World, THE NEW YORK CRITICS CHOICE AWARD for Lone Wolf, BEST FEATURE at Fright Night Festival & BEST DIRECTOR at Scar A Con festival for No Solicitors – Several awards for his short THE WHITE GORILLA, A CLIO and BELDING for his work on the Sunkist campaign, BEST OF THE WEST for directorial work on a one-woman show, and an MTV AWARD FOR BEST CONCEPT for Glen Frey’s Smuggler’s Blues. John holds a Master Degree from Occidental College, and is a member of The Directors Guild of America. Patrick Brice was born and raised in Grass Valley, California. He graduated with a BFA from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) School of Film & Video. CREEP, his first feature-film as director/writer/actor (co-starring Mark Duplass) was produced by Blumhouse Productions, premiered at SXSW 2014 and was released through Netflix. His second feature as director/writer, THE OVERNIGHT (with Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling and Jason Schwartzman) premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically by The Orchard. He wrote and directed CREEP 2 starring Duplass and Desiree Akhavan which was released in 2017 through Netflix. His fourth feature, CORPORATE ANIMALS starring Ed Helms and Demi Moore, premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically by Screen Media Films. His latest film is THERE’S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE, an original feature for Netflix produced by Shawn Levy and James Wan, was named one of Variety’s “Best Horror Films of 2021” and spent its debut week as the #1 film on Netflix. His commercial work includes spots for clients Blizzard/Activision, Traeger Grills and Lyft. He is based in Los Angeles.

Anaheim University is excited to announce our next distinguished speaker, NVIDIA’s Senior Director of Environmental, Social, Governance Tonie Hansen, who will be speaking on sustainability issues and doing a Q & A with students and alumni on Friday, February 4, 2022 at 6:00 PM  California time. Anaheim University students and alumni are invited to join us for this special online event. Please RSVP by clicking the link below and we can send you the access information for the session. Please also review the bio below and bring your questions for the Q & A portion of the presentation. RSVP Tonie Hansen Tonie Hansen is senior director, Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) at NVIDIA. She helps to guide strategy and oversees stakeholder engagement and performance management across the company’s ESG efforts. Tonie leads NVIDIA’s board of directors and executives through the process of determining the company’s ESG priorities, and partners internally to ensure NVIDIA’s executing against those priorities and responding to stakeholder feedback and requirements. Her team is responsible for the external positioning of the company’s ESG efforts, publishing the company’s annual CSR report, preparing NVIDIA’s response to several investor surveys, and leveraging PR and social media to tell the company’s ESG story. NVIDIA’s ESG programs have received top rankings from organizations including Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, Institutional Investor, JUST100, Newsweek’s Most Responsible Companies, and high marks from investor ratings firms such as ISS, MSCI, and Sustainalytics. Tonie received her MBA from Babson College and a B.S. in Business from University of New Haven. She lives in Arizona, is an avid birder, and spends time photographing nature in the mountains around her home. Previously an avid traveler, she can’t wait to hit the road again, with Costa Rica and a return trip to Kenya on her list.

Anaheim University is excited to announce our next Live from Hollywood Guest Speaker, Alexandre Aja, who will be doing an online Q & A from France with students and alumni on Friday, February 4, 2022 at 12:00 PM California time. Anaheim University students and alumni are invited to join us for this special online event. Please RSVP by clicking the link below and we can send you the access information for the session. Please also review the bio below and bring your questions for the Q & A portion of the presentation. RSVP Alexandre Aja Alexandre Aja is a French film writer, director and producer best known for his work in the horror genre and specifically in the US. After HIGH TENSION in 2003, he wrote, produced and directed the following films for US major studios: THE HILLS HAVE EYES, MIRRORS, PIRANHA 3D, HORNS, THE 9TH LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX, CRAWL and most recently OXYGEN. He also produced MANIAC, P2, PYRAMID and THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR.

Anaheim University is excited to announce our next Live from Hollywood Guest Speaker, Alejandro Brugues, who will be doing a Q & A with students and alumni on Friday, January 21, 2022 at 6:00 PM California time. Anaheim University students and alumni are invited to join us for this special online event. Please RSVP by clicking the link below and we can send you the access information for the session. Please also review the bio below and bring your questions for the Q&A portion of the presentation. RSVP Alejandro Bruges Alejandro Brugues burst onto the scene after he wrote and directed JUAN OF THE DEAD, which won the Goya Award for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film, and has since been an up-and-coming name in the horror space. Following that film, he directed standout pieces in the ABC’S OF DEATH 2 and NIGHTMARE CINEMA. He directed the Florida episode of Sam Raimi’s Quibi series 50 STATES OF FRIGHT and directed POOKA LIVES! for the INTO THE DARK series for Hulu and Blumhouse. He is currently finishing THE INHERITANCE for Netflix.

Anaheim University is excited to announce our next Live from Hollywood Guest Speaker, Jay Lee, who will be doing a Q & A with students and alumni on Friday, January 7, 2022 at 6:00 PM California time. Anaheim University students and alumni are invited to join us for this special online event. Please RSVP by clicking the link below and we can send you the access information for the session. Please also review the bio below and bring your questions for the Q&A portion of the presentation. RSVP Jay Lee Jay Lee recently directed and wrote an award-winning short film Shadow Glass. Jay has acted as scribbler, shooter, cutter and director on numerous feature films, short films and music videos, such as social statement films like Noon Blue Apples (Sundance Film Festival premier) to documentaries like Happy on the Ground: 8 Days at GRAMMY Camp (Nashville Film Festival premier, Revolt doc of the month)) to avant garde horror films such as Alyce Kills (Salient Media / Blooding Disgusting releasing) and The House With 100 Eyes (Artsploitation) to studio sellout cult films like Zombie Strippers! (Sony Pictures). Variety has dubbed Alyce Kills as being one of “The 15 Scariest Films” in the history of independent horror cinema. Recently he’s been acting as D.P., editor and writer helping new filmmakers find their voice for films such as Patrick Magee’s Primal Rage and Barry Jay’s Ashes. Horror film writer and director Jay Lee was born in Los Angeles and began working in the film industry when he was only 19. While he learned the ins and outs of movie making as a production assistant, location manager and other odd jobs in small productions, Lee was eventually able to begin working on his own projects, which he is often involved in nearly every aspect of, from writing and directing to the cinematography and editing. Lee’s directorial debut feature, 2002’s “New World Order,” was made with the help of his sister, producer Angela Lee. The psychological thriller, which follows a college student who gets involved in the paranormal, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival under the name “Noon Blue Apples.” Jay and Angela Lee’s next collaboration was the more straightforward horror film “The Slaughter.” Following “The Slaughter,” the Lees took a more kitschy, exploitative turn with “Zombie Strippers!,” a comedy horror with sociopolitical undertones starring adult film star Jenna Jameson as the zombie stripper who shakes up a strip club run by horror film veteran Robert Englund. He went on to direct other horror films including “Attack of the Vegan Zombies!”, “Alyce Kills”, “Zommunists: The Dead Menace”, “Deathchair: The Chair that Eats”, “Primal Rage: The Legend of Konga”, and “Ashes”. The 2021 short film “Shadow Glass”, starring Ava Hall, was written and directed by Jay Lee and produced by Shin Koyamada and Nia Lyte of Shinca Entertainment. Shadow Glass won Best Indie Film at the New York Film Awards, Best Psychological Film at the Cannes World Film Festival, and Best Indie Short at the Los Angeles Film Awards. In addition, Ava Hall won Best Actress in an Indie Film at the Los Angeles Film Awards for her role in “Shadow Glass”.

Anaheim University is excited to announce Distinguished Speaker, Mitsubishi Electric U.S. President Michael Corbo, who will be addressing students and alumni on Friday, November 12, 2021 at 5:00 PM California time. He will be speaking on “35 years of working with and for Mitsubishi Electric: Some Family, Some Business and Lessons learned along the way”. Anaheim University students and alumni are invited to join us for this special online event. Please RSVP by clicking the link below and we can send you the access information for the session. Please also review the bio below and bring your questions for the Q&A portion of the presentation. RSVP Michael Corbo Michael Corbo is President and Chief Executive Officer at Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc., in Cypress, California. An accomplished business executive with 35 years of experience in global operations, sales, marketing and service, he currently oversees a company division comprised of 2,900 employees in more than 50 locations throughout North America. Corbo is also responsible for the Americas Corporate office, which provides strategic and operational services to North American group companies and factories that manufacture a diverse range of building solutions, transportation and energy products. Since joining Mitsubishi Electric in 1986, Corbo has helped establish the company as a recognized leader in product quality and reliability. Corbo began his career as the first sales representative for Mitsubishi Electric’s newly established U.S. Elevator & Escalator Division. From 1986 to 1990, he managed the division’s San Francisco branch office, and was instrumental in the sale of the first spiral escalators in North America. Corbo assumed complete responsibility for the U.S Elevator & Escalator Division in 1999 when he became General Manager and Vice President. In April 2018, he was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and in 2021 became President and Chief Executive Officer in the U.S. Additionally, he serves as member of the Board of Directors of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, which focuses on empowering youth with disabilities to lead productive lives. Corbo holds a BA in business administration from Ohio University and resides in Mission Viejo, California with his wife and family.

Anaheim University is excited to announce Distinguished Speaker Leah Edwards, Partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures, will be addressing students and alumni on Friday, October 1, 2021 at 5:00 PM California time. She will be speaking on Technology Trends in 2021. Anaheim University students and alumni are invited to join us for this special online event. Please RSVP by clicking the link below and we can send you the access information for the session. Please also review the bio below and bring your questions for the Q&A portion of the presentation. RSVP Leah Edwards Edwards is a Partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures with a focus on US investments. Pegasus Tech Ventures is a global venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley offering intellectual and financial capital to exceptional emerging technology companies around the world. In addition to a more traditional investment approach Pegasus offers a unique Venture Capital-as-a-Service (VCaaS) model for large global corporations that wish to partner with cutting-edge technology startups. Leah Edwards started her career in management consulting then launched new products for Intuit, Oracle and Taligent, a joint-venture of Apple and IBM. She then joined the founding team of an enterprise SaaS company called Post Communications, which was acquired by Netcentives within two years for $380 million. After advising and serving in interim leadership roles for other startups that were acquired by major companies including the US Green Business Council and SolarCity, she co-founded another marketing technology company, Overstat, which was purchased by Tealeaf Technology (now IBM). Leah’s deep involvement in Higher Education began in 2012 when she became the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is an active angel investor and serves on the Board of NameCoach, which serves both Higher Education and Enterprise markets. In addition to being a Lecturer for UC Berkeley’s Engineering Department, Leah regularly conducts workshops for visiting corporate innovation teams and foreign investors, and she serves as a mentor in several Silicon Valley accelerator programs. Leah holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA and Certificate of Public Management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Anaheim University is excited to announce that we will be hosting Vice President of Warner Bros, Adam Steinman, Friday, September 17th from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm California time. We invite Anaheim University students and alumni to join us for this special online event. Please RSVP by clicking the link below and we can send you the access information for the session. Please also review the bio below and bring your questions for the Q&A portion of the presentation. RSVP Adam Steinman: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeaczGVDTqWY-l4yDabxnwOm3NmV_3wF7JG49oNzIQeuuqJSw/viewform Adam Steinman served as Vice President, Non-Scripted International Development & Sales from October 2010 until October 2016 and in November 2016 was promoted to Vice President, Creative, Format, Development & Sales at Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP), where scripted formats have been added to his remit. In this position, Steinman is charged with overseeing the adaptation, development, and sale of programming based on formats and concepts developed from within the International Television Production Group and international 3rd party producers. He is also responsible for helping WBITVP identify producers and broadcasters to partner with, as well as acquiring formats to be exploited internationally. During his WB tenure, Steinman has played an integral role in the development, acquisition, and international roll out of “Impractical Jokers,” “The Bachelor,” and “Bachelorette,” “Hello Goodbye,” “America’s Best Dance Crew,” “Who Do You Think You Are?,” “First Dates,” “Back In Time For Dinner,” “The Gift,” “Ellen’s Game Of Games,” “Little Big Shots”, and “True Story” for NBC. In 2019, Steinman identified and acquired the record-breaking Korean hit series, Sky Castle, for WBTV and Berlanti Productions which was most recently being adapted at NBC. In 2020, he identified a hit Israeli drama which was acquired by WBITVP for multiple European territories. Steinman was instrumental in facilitating the CJENM/Warner Horizon first-look unscripted deal, announced in October 2020. That same year he was also thrilled to play a role in in identifying the Nippon format, MUTE IT!. This physical gameshow is now part of a multi-territory partnership with WBITVP. In March 2021 the local adaptation launched impressively in Holland on SBS6. On the scripted side, he has been responsible for identifying two new hit Korean dramas now optioned at WBTV. In 2020, he acquired the rights to a French-Canadian comedy now being developed by WB in Belgium, and a short-form digital series from Canada, which became a long-form ratings hit in 2021 from WB Sweden for Discovery +. For WB, he oversees the successful WB/CBC Canada Format Incubator which produced the series, Under New Management with two seasons in 2018. In 2020, the second WB/CBC format incubator resulted in the competition reality format, YOU GOT THIS!. Quickly commissioned to series by TVNZ in New Zealand receiving top ratings, it will soon be adapted as a primetime series in Europe. He was instrumental in managing the multi-year TV Asahi co-development deal, and also helped develop and adapt the RTE Format Farm winner, “The Hit”, which sold to seven territories including Netherlands, China, Russia, and Scandinavia

Anaheim University is excited to announce that we will be hosting Producer and Film Consultant, Kathryn Arnold, Friday, September 24th from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm California time. She will be speaking on Global Film and the Changing Film-Value Chain Sales and Markets Entrepreneurs and Investors in the Film Industry We welcome Anaheim University students and alumni for this special online event. Please RSVP by clicking the link below and we can send you the access information for the session. Please also review the bio below and bring your questions for the Q&A portion of the presentation. Click here to RSVP for Kathryn Arnold: Professional Experience Kathryn Arnold has over 20 years of hands on experience in the film development, production, finance and distribution arenas. Having produced and/or directed over 6 feature films, Live streaming television, dozens of commercials, corporate videos and events, as well as working in both the studio and independent film environment in film and television, Ms. Arnold understands the inner workings of the entertainment industry, its hiring practices, business development, financing/distribution and the economic complexities and nuances involved in a world that very few understand. Working closely with each client, she brings the full benefit of this valuable experience to bear on the client. Legal Experience & Services Ms. Arnold has been retained as an expert witness and consultant on over 6 dozen cases, with plaintiffs and defendants, such as producers, production companies, studios, media companies, investors, actors, writers, directors, on-air personalities, spokespersons, production crew, and other entertainment related personnel. She has provided expert testimony, reporting, consultation, financial forecasting and referrals for clients on cases regarding economic damage and lost wages from copyright infringement, breach of contract, film and television financing, sales and distribution, disfigurement, personal injury, wrongful death, and economic downturn. Ms. Arnold has prepared expert reports and provided deposition and trial testimony in matters before state and federal courts and in arbitration. Clients include Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Jackson Walker; Jenner & Block, Haynes & Boone; Shook, Hardy & Bacon, Dummit, Buchholz & Trapp; Hosp, Gilbert, Bergsten & Hough among others. BIO Kathryn Arnold’s career has straddled the Studio system and Independent Film worlds, as well as Corporate Sponsorship Programs. Starting out as an assistant at ICM Talent Partners and then as a script reader for the William Morris Agency, Arnold learned the inner workings of the talent agency system and the processes of managing and packaging talent and scripted material for motion pictures and television. She then became an executive at The Maltese Companies, where she developed and produced television and feature projects financed by Wall Street ad agencies. She oversaw the production of “Pound Puppies”;, an animated feature produced with Kushner Locke, and was an Associate Producer on “Manhunt Live”;, a reality-based crime show for ABC. At The Guber-Peters Entertainment Co. Ms. Arnold was involved in the development of feature films and television shows, with the company that produced “Rain Man” and “Batman.” She was the Assoc. Producer on; “Pizza Man” written and directed by Jonathan Lawton of “Pretty Woman” fame, and procured the financing and co-produced “The Webers & Fifteen Minutes” with Jennifer Tilly and David Arquette. Arnold then began her partnership with Louis Venosta. Venosta wrote and co-produced the Mel Gibson romantic comedy, “Bird on a Wire” as well as the Tri-Star release “The Last Dragon.” Their company Secondary Modern Motion Pictures was based at Universal studios where they developed projects for Venosta to write and produce. Arnold was directly involved in the writing of both studio and independent feature scripts with Venosta. They launched Venosta’s directing career, with the highly acclaimed featurette “The Coriolis Effect” which won the 1994 Venice Film Festival in its category. Arnold went on to produce “Nevada” starring Amy Brenneman, Gabrielle Anwar, Kirstie Alley and Angus Macfadyen, and as head of Production at Cineville Films, Inc, was the Executive Producer on “Façade” starring Eric Roberts and Angus Macfadyen, and “The Velocity of Gary” with Vincent D’Onofrio, Salma Hayek, Thomas Jane, and Ethan Hawke among many others. She was instrumental in launching Cineville International’s foreign sales division in Cannes of 1997, and handled financing, foreign and domestic sales, and acquisitions, in addition to packaging, development and production responsibilities for Cineville’s slate of pictures. Arnold then produced “Cowboys and Angels” starring Adam Trese, Mia Kirshner and Radha Mitchell, which won the Crystal Heart Award. The highlight of 2000 was writing and directing “Shining Stars: The Official Story of Earth, Wind & Fire,” a documentary film based on the electric and legendary band, released on DVD and Television Internationally in 2001. Arnold went on to be a consultant and then Head of Production at Monte Cristo Entertainment, an international sales and production company, which has a library of over 50 films. At Monte Cristo, Arnold oversaw script development, talent packaging, co-production/financing agreements, and US and international distribution deals in conjunction with the Directors of the Company. Arnold worked with Internet Studios, an online film sales company, and raised close to US $500,000 in a 6-week period for the Sundance Online Film Festival. She then went on to work with Infinnity, Inc, producing infomercials, corporate videos and marketing events for National Corporations. And woven in through that period, Arnold produced and production managed commercials for well-known brands such as Certs. Arnold produced the live streaming show Secrets of the Red Carpet: Style From the Inside Out, on www.empowerme.tv/secrets, which reached the top of the Itunes charts and nominated for 2 Streamy Awards in its first season and maintained its top 5 status in Fashion and Arts during its tenure. Currently Arnold consults with several investment/production companies on international sales, financing and packaging film and television projects. She has written a series of entertainment industry-related articles and have served as an entertainment media consultant to Bloomberg News, MSNBC, CCTV, NPR, and Associated Press International, NPR, The Market on the topics of entertainment standard and practices and business development. Arnold graduated from UCLA with a BA in Economics, speaks French,

Anaheim University is excited to announce that we will be hosting Taku Katu of Nikkatsu Corporation International Sales, on Friday, September 10th from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm California time. We invite Anaheim University students and alumni join us for this special event. Please RSVP by clicking the link below and we can send you the access information for the session. Please also review the bio below and bring your questions for the Q&A portion of the presentation. RSVP Taku Kato Taku Kato Born in Yokohama, Japan, Taku Kato lived in Bangladesh from nine through eleven years old. Joining NIKKATSU in 2014 after graduating from International Christian University, Tokyo, he started his career as an assistant for the producer of the feature film “Their Distance” (2016) directed by Rikiya Imaizumi. From 2017, he joined the current international sales team and has been taking on a variety of films including “Wife of a Spy” (2020) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa which won Silver Lion at 77th Venice International Film Festival and cult masterpiece “Tetsuo” (1989) by Shinya Tsukamoto. He is also selling NIKKATSU classic masterpieces such as the Venice-winning “The Burmese Harp” (1956) by Kon Ichikawa, “Tokyo Drifter” (1966) by Seijun Suzuki. Nikkatsu’s history dates back as early as 1912 when 4 companies merged to form Nippon Katsudo Shashin Corporation, the first film conglomerate in the region to produce, distribute and exhibit theatrical films. In 1952 Chofu Studio was built in Tokyo as the largest modern film studio in the Asia Pacific Region at the time; the studio even had a permanent set of Ginza city. It quickly became the cornerstone of the company’s Golden Era, together with its string of attractive stars who were then all exclusive to Nikkatsu; the legendary superstar Yujiro Ishihara, handsome young actors under the “Nikkatsu New Face” banner including Akira Kobayashi and Joe Shishido; actresses such as Sayuri Yoshinaga and Ruriko Asaoka; and directors Seijun Suzuki and Shohei Imamura. Nikkatsu flourished as the leading studio in Japan, enjoying box office mega-hits with its action films starring Ishihara (“Crazed Fruit”), teenage love stories starring Yoshinaga (“Cupola, Where the Furnaces Grow”), and “Branded to Kill” starring Joe Shishido, works with a continuing international appeal to this day – the films were so successful that Ishihara and Yoshinaga are still regarded as icons of the Showa period. When cinema attendance began to drop, Japanese studios slashed their annual film production. Nikkatsu, however, took a unique turn in 1971 when it launched the “Nikkatsu Roman Porn” brand, namely films for the adult audience. As one director recalls, “I had total creative freedom, as long as I kept some nudity in the film”, the brand enabled Nikkatsu to be the only major studio in Japan at the time to continue producing films and hire young film makers. Thus, Nikkatsu soon became the hub for upcoming innovative talents, and many of the directors who were given this rare opportunity, later became dominant film makers in Japan; amongst them are Oscar winner Youjiro Takita (“Departure”), multi-time Japanese Academy winners Masayuki Suo (“Shall We Dance?”), Yoshimitsu Morita, Youichi Sai, Shinji Soumai, and many more. The brand continued until 1988 and many films from that time joined our proud classics library. In 2005, Naoki Sato was appointed President of the company. Originally a producer himself, Nikkatsu’s recent array of titles under his leadership includes cutting-edge genre films by Sion Sono and Takashi Miike, and dramatical masterpieces. They have been highly acclaimed, including numerous Japanese Academy winners and nominees such as “Rebirth”, “Cold Fish” and “The Devil’s Path”. Today, Nikkatsu’s diverse business activities include operation of the production studio, overseas film acquisition, distribution, a cable TV channel (Channel NECO) and a Film Course at Josai International University. It is also a member of the Yomiuri-Nippon TV group, the leading media conglomerate in Japan. In today’s fast evolving market, Nikkatsu has a focus on international activities – in 2014, the company established Kantana Japan, a JV with a Thai production group – and seeks to work more closely with partners outside the industry and around the globe.

We would like to invite all Anaheim University students and alumni to attend our next Live from Hollywood guest speaker, Highland Film Group President of International Sales, Todd Olsson, on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 from 5:00 – 6:00 PM California time (PST). Todd Olsson adds to Highland Film Group a unique perspective; studio and indie experience on both the creative development and production side, coupled with extensive experience in financing, international marketing and distribution. Holding a Fine Arts degree in Cinema from Brigham Young University, Todd began his career at the Walt Disney Company as Director of Acquisitions at BVHE, acquiring more than 100 titles and managing the studio’s Studio Ghibli deal. He then went into the world of independent film, working in international sales positions for such companies as Mark Damon’s MDP and Lakeshore Entertainment. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0Ta9bM-A8yqSJ3eaaL5Yk79U-UXrXoe16AC44oxzF2Px1vw/viewform Todd Olsson, President of International Sales, adds to Highland Film Group a unique perspective; studio and indie experience on both the creative development and production side, coupled with extensive experience in financing, international marketing and distribution. Todd began his career at The Walt Disney Company as Director of Acquisitions for international at BVHE, over the next six years Todd acquired more than 100 titles. He also managed the Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli) deal for the studio, valued at over $1 billion. Todd co-produced English language versions of KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE and CASTLE IN THE SKY, working with Kirsten Dunst, Anna Paquin, Cloris Leachman, Andy Dick, James Van Der Beek, and many others. He was also integral in the dubbing and release of PRINCESS MONONOKE with Claire Danes and Billy Bob Thornton through Miramax. Todd left Disney to join independent film producer Mark Damon’s MDP (Behaviour, [now Media 8]) as VP International Sales. He handled such films as THE MUSKETEER, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, FEAR.COM, and EXTREME OPS, along with a substantial library. Then Todd became Head of International for four years at Promark/Zenpix and American World Pictures, handling acquisitions, overseeing marketing, sales and worldwide distribution. For the next six years, Todd worked as head of International for Bauer Martinez Studios and then Mark Amin’s Sobini Films, when the company was paired with Lionsgate. Those Sobini titles included BURNING BRIGHT, GARDENS OF THE NIGHT (Exec Producer), and THE PRINCE & ME 2, and he was instrumental in developing Sobini titles: STONEHEARST ASYLUM and upcoming ZORRO: THE BLACK FOX, starring Gael García Bernal to be directed by Jonás Cuarón (in pre-production). At Bauer Martinez, Todd handled development, licensing, financing and marketing for such films as THE FLOCK (Richard Gere, Claire Danes), I COULD NEVER BE YOUR WOMAN (Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd), and THE GROOMSMEN (Ed Burns, Brittany Murphy), and for North American distribution; HARSH TIMES (Christian Bale) and VAN WILDER 2. Following Bauer Todd was brought in as SVP International at Lakeshore Entertainment, working with titles AGE OF ADALINE, THE VATICAN TAPES and WALK OF SHAME and developing an innovative and progressive plan to reinvigorate sales on their considerable library over the next few years. Todd spent several recent years as Head of International (SVP) at International Film Trust. At the time the company completed Stephen King’s CELL (John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson), Werner Herzog’s SALT AND FIRE (Michael Shannon, Gael Garcia Bernal), AND THEN I GO, and TO THE STARS. Todd then joined Highland film group as President of International Sales. Some current projects include THE TIGER RISING (Dennis Quaid, Queen Latifa), BANDIT (Mel Gibson, Josh Duhamel) THE MISFITS (Pierce Brosnan, Nick Cannon, Tim Roth, Jamie Chung), WASH ME IN THE RIVER (Robert DeNiro, John Malkovich, Jack Huston), NOT WITHOUT HOPE (Matthias Schoenaerts), MEDIEVAL (Ben Foster, Michael Caine), TWICE CUT (Samuel L. Jackson, Naomi Watts, Pete Davidson). Todd has a Fine Arts degree in Cinema from Brigham Young University