Meet us at Sundance where Shifter(s) Series and Kickstarter – the leading crowdfunding and launch platform – are teaming up for an invite-only gathering that brings together players from every corner of the industry at a moment of real transition for the film business.
As traditional pathways become harder to access, filmmakers are being pushed to rethink how projects get funded, finished, and distributed. This experience brings together the people and platforms who have the power to shape what we see as the next era of film: one where filmmakers have meaningful alternatives to traditional funding and distribution pathways and can bring their work to life on their own terms.
Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor and Film Lead Taylor K. Shaw-Omachonu will be in the room alongside filmmakers, agents, distributors, and other industry players for an afternoon designed to spark the connections and conversations needed to help usher in a new direction for filmmaking.
Please note this is not a confirmation of a spot at this event. Confirmed attendees will be notified.
Schedule
2 - 3:10PM | Welcome Guests & Panel Conversation
The Future of Film is Self-Made: Giving Yourself the Greenlight
The film industry is in flux. Studio consolidation, budget cuts, and shifting distribution models have made it harder than ever for filmmakers to bring their projects to life. Traditional funding avenues are shrinking, and many filmmakers are finding themselves stuck – waiting for funding, waiting for a greenlight, waiting for distribution.
Here’s what we know: The next era of filmmaking belongs to creators who give themselves the greenlight and bring their ideas to life on their own terms. We’ll dig into how filmmakers are using community, creative scrappiness, and alternative funding models, like Kickstarter’s crowdfunding platform, to bring their projects to life without waiting for permission.
The speakers on this panel are proving there’s more than one way to get your work funded, finished and distributed – and sometimes the boldest route is the one you build yourself.
Moderator:
Steven Weintraub - Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Collider.com
Panelists:
Taylor K. Shaw-Omachonu - Film Lead, Kickstarter
Max Reisinger - Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Creator Camp
Rashad Frett - Award-Winning Caribbean American Filmmaker
Felipe Bustos Sierra - Award-Winning Director
3:10 - 5:00PM | Shifter(s) Lounge Cocktail Mixer
Speaking faculty
Taylor K. Shaw-Omachonu - Film Lead, Kickstarter
Taylor K. Shaw-Omachonu is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment honoree, Shadow & Act Rising Executive Award winner, and the founder of award-winning animation studio, BWA Studios. In 2024, she was appointed to lead the film category at Kickstarter, where she brings her expertise as an artist, entertainment company owner, and brand builder to support artists with navigating the evolving film landscape.
Max Reisinger - Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Creator Camp
Max Reisinger is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Creator Camp, the digitally native media company and global creator collective empowering the next generation of filmmakers. Based in Austin, TX, Max brings creator roots and theatrical ambition into a new creative ecosystem: one that merges the independence of the internet with the artistry of cinema.
Rashad Frett -Award-Winning Caribbean American FilmmakeR
Rashad Frett, an Award-Winning Caribbean American Filmmaker, earned his MFA from the Prestigious NYU Tisch Graduate Film. He is a Spike Lee Production Grant Recipient, a Ryan Murphy’s HALF Initiative Fellow, a Cary Fukunga Production Grant Recipient, a Martin Scorsese Young Filmmakers Scholarship, a DGA Student Film Award, two-time King Wasserman Award winner, a Sundance Feature Film Production Lab Fellow, a Michael Latt / Spark Features Marketing Impact Grantee, and one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film”. Frett’s debut feature film “RICKY” won the Directing Award in the 2025 Sundance film festival’s Dramatic competition category. He is represented by WME.
FELIPE BUSTOS SIERRa - award-winning Director
Felipe Bustos Sierra is a Chilean-Belgian filmmaker based in Scotland with Debasers Filums. His debut feature-length documentary, Nae Pasaran (2018), won the Best Feature award at the 2018 BAFTA Scotland Awards. Bustos Sierra is an alumnus of the Eurodoc, Berlinale Talent Campus, the Independent Filmmaker Programme, and the EIFF Talent Lab. EVERYBODY TO KENMURE STREET is his second feature.
steven weintraub - founder and Editor-in-Chief, Collider.com
Steven Weintraub, known online as "Frosty," is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the popular entertainment news website Collider.com, which he launched in 2005, growing it into a major source for movie/TV scoops, interviews, and industry news. He's a prominent figure in online entertainment media, recognized for breaking major exclusives and fostering connections with filmmakers and studios.
DJ guest
Gianni
Gianni is a genre-blending DJ known for delivering high-energy, seamless sets that move dance floors around the world. With a sharp ear for rhythm and a deep respect for musical storytelling, Gianni brings a signature sound that fuses house, hip-hop, R&B, and global beats.
AUDIENCE CORRESPONDENT
Amber Clifford - Global Go-to-Market Expert & Founder, Murai International
Amber is the founder of Murai International, a strategy firm operating at the intersection of global new market entry, culture, technology, and entertainment. Throughout her career she has worked with global powerhouses like the 2024 Paris Olympics & City of Saint-Denis, France, the Atlanta Falcons, and Chick-fil-A, among others.
Prior to founding Murai International, Amber led international product strategy for Disney+ in Amsterdam, where she oversaw the platform’s launch and market integration strategy across all of Europe, Asia and The Caribbean in more than 40 markets. Before this, she led the launch of Uber Eats to more than 15 countries across Europe, Middle East and Africa.
As one of tech’s leading international strategy experts, Amber has always excelled by combining her high EQ and knack for being a culture connector with powerful analytical thinking and data analysis to map out strategies for some of the world’s biggest brands. No matter the market, Amber believes there is always a balancing act between hyper-localization and scale, and there’s not a one-size-fits-all right answer but rather key principles to lead decision-making.
Her perspective bridges entertainment, technology, and consumer insight. She has been instrumental in shaping how streaming platforms use storytelling and data to expand audience ecosystems and evolve digital product experiences across diverse markets.
Thank you to our PARTNERS
Kickstarter is on a mission to bring creative projects to life. As the leading crowdfunding and launch platform, Kickstarter is home to the world’s largest backer community — 23 million strong and counting. Since 2009, the platform has fueled innovation across 15 categories, helping over 275,000 projects get funded and attracting more than $8 billion in pledges from backers.
As a Public Benefit Corporation, Kickstarter is committed to equity and transparency, prioritizing the success of independent creators, diverse perspectives, and the strength of a global community that shapes and defines culture.
Video & Photobooth Partner
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The Shifter(s) Series brings together industry movers and shakers together for topical, thoughtful and intimate conversations.
It is collaboration between Winston Baker and The Shift Studios, focused on spotlighting visionaries who are redefining the creative landscape and shifting the status quo in positive, impactful ways.
Winston Baker has been a global leader in entertainment industry content curation for over 17 years. They produce events around the world addressing strategies and trends in Entertainment Finance, Music, Innovation, Web3, Sports, and
Entertainment Technology. Sccessfully organizing conferences across the United States, Europe, Saudi Arabia, China, Pacific Asia, UK, Latin America, and South Korea, they also have a major Film Festival presence and are official partners with the Marché du Film, European Film Market & more.
This event is not officially affiliated with the Sundance Institute or Film Festival