Kathleen Cooke
Co-Directors of the
BMC
Peggy Rupple
Co-Director of the BMC
COME SEE WHAT GOD IS DOING AT BIOLA MEDIA CONFERENCE FOR 2009
by Bernie Smith
Biola Media Conference has been going strong for the past 13 years, but next years
conference will be the next great move from God with a topic of “Closing the Deal”. I
got to sit down and talk with two of the people who are putting together this major
conference in 2009. Kathleen Cooke and Peggy Rupple who are co-directors of the
Biola Media Conference. This is what they both had to say about the BMC.
GMM: When did the BMC first start?
Peggy: The BMC started in 1995 out of a desire to expose the film students at BiolUniversity to
media industry professionals.
Kathleen: Also, there was a need to start connecting Christian media professionals who
were working in mainstream media in Hollywood who didn’t know each other and
wanted a place to network and encourage each other.
GMM: Can you tell us about how the BMC has blessed so many people?
Kathleen: Filmmaking is a collaborative process, and connecting so many talented people has become one of the key features of the conference. We bring the most talented, cutting edge thinkers in the industry, and you can’t help but walk away thinking differently. I’m told that executives from Walden Media actually met executives from Disney a few years ago at the Biola Media Conference in what resulted in the making of “The Chronicles of Narnia.”
Peggy: In recognition of the Narnia origins birthed at the BMC, Disney graciously chose to premiere its highly awaited trailer with us at the 2005 BMC. And the award-winning film, Bella, found its distributor when it screened in front of the BMC crowd in 2007. We’ve seen production partnerships formed, agents secured, and distribution deals made as a result of this conference, but most importantly, we’ve seen people come away challenged and inspired by the high caliber of industry professionals who come to share their expertise with us.
GMM: What does this conference have to offer?
Kathleen: The conference has 4 main components: The keynote speakers, (held on a working studio soundstage), the workshops and breakout sessions, (held in various locations on the lot), the networking lunch (which is included with your admission), and the media fair with booths and vendors featuring up to date information on the industry by various media companies, Christian ministries, and production companies debuting their latest projects.
Peggy: I’d say the Biola Media Conference offers anyone working within the media, whether mainstream or ministry, a front row seat to learning from and interacting with leading, A-list, industry professionals working at the top of their field. The reason why the Biola Media Conference is recognized as the premier event for Christians working in the entertainment field is that it focuses not only on the real-life, practical issues of producing films and creating television and other media – but it also provides creative inspiration into the spiritual nature of a media career as well.
GMM: What are some of the major challenges facing the BMC?
Kathleen: Fundraising or sponsorships – no question. That’s probably not too different from most conferences. Hollywood is an expensive place, and we want to offer a first class experience for our attendees. We also don’t want the admission price to keep people away, so we’re always balancing sponsorships, ticket fees, and donations, to make the event work. But the work is well worth it – every year we get wonderful comments about the experience and how it’s the best deal in the industry.
Peggy: I agree. We rely heavy on sponsorships to pull off an event of this size. With more corporate and institutional sponsors comes the ability to offer more!
GMM: How is God bringing Christian Media into the non-Christian media?
Kathleen: The Passion of the Christ opened doors for Christian filmmakers, when suddenly studio executives realized there was a vast audience of people who took their faith seriously. The truth is, attendees involved in creating specifically “Christian” media are the smallest part of our conference. We certainly welcome them, but the conference itself is primarily designed for believers working in the secular entertainment industry.
Peggy: In the past 5 years, we’ve seen the rise and fall of budgets allotted to “faith based”
studio projects - all hoping to capitalize on the post Passion, Christian market. These
divisions had distribution and marketing deals that were far less than their mainstream
divisions, in hopes that grass-roots methods would fill the seats. Smaller
budgets affected the ability of the Christian films to get a wide audience, leaving us
challenged to find new ways to make and market faith-based films.
One highly successful model has been the marketing strategy used by the producers of
Facing the Giants – whose distributor, Carmel Entertainment, viewed the film during a
screening at our 2005 BMC! Another example of how our conference is aimed at helping
our attendees connects with the people and the resources to get their projects made, and to
market.
GMM: Can you name some new ideas that came from this conference in the past years?
Kathleen: We’ve had a number of relationships forged that launched projects across all media – from online ventures, to TV, and even movies. That’s a big reason we have so many vendors coming to the event. They want to hook up their products and resources with producers who are making things happen as a result of the conference.
Peggy: Each year, strategies are identified and ideas crystallize as like-minded industry professionals’ share where they see the industry going. Our themes are crafted around what we feel is the pulse of what God is saying and doing in the industry – and how we can best be prepared, professionally and spiritually for that direction.
2005 was an unparalleled year of opportunity, so “THE DEEP END, Navigating the Open Waters of Hollywood” was a call to take more risks, to wade further into the turbulent waters of this industry. 2006’s theme was “Out of the Closet: Can Christians $ave Hollywood” addressing how the Christian community was finally being discovered--as both producers and consumers. In 2007, “The Gold Rush: Mining for Opportunity in the New Hollywood” we examined the opportunities from studios that actually opened “faith-based” distribution divisions around that discovery. And last year, “Blueprint Hollywood: Designing for the Digital Age” addressed the challenges for Hollywood at the dawn of the online entertainment revolution as well as the innovative options in production, content, distribution and marketing that this digital age offers.
GMM: How has the new digital age changed the way we do Christian Media?
Kathleen: It’s interesting you ask. The theme for our conference last year was “Designing for the Digital Age.” It dealt with the greatest media transition since the printing press. The fact of the matter is that this is a “digital age” and it is has changed everything and is continuing to change things. It is all about speed and economy and multi-platforms. My parents grew up with radio; my generation grew up with 3 main TV channels, then came cable and then came computers and phones. Now, we don’t just have phones but personal digital communication devices. Bottom line, if you are in media you have to be savvy in all platforms or you’ll be left in the dust. That’s where the future is and will be. At the BMC you’ll hear from leading professionals who understand this rapidly approaching transition.
Peggy: Content is “King” – but the platform you receive it on has evolved from jumbo to pocket size screens. The entertainment industry is scrambling not only to create content for these new digital platforms, but also to figure out how to monetize the release of that content. With more platforms and more demand for content, it provides more opportunity. So I see an advantage in that we now have a more level playing field with so many broadcasting options, and as they take shape, more revenue sources.
GMM: What are some new technologies coming our way next year?
Peggy: You’ll have to come to the conference and find out J
Kathleen: I think we all know already many of the new technologies that are coming our way, phones, handheld devices, etc., the real question is how do we create the right kind of programming and content that will not only make money but have a positive influence on our culture. How are we going to use that technology effectively? That is what the BMC will offer attendees.
GMM: Why is the conference so important?
Kathleen: Our culture today revolves around media. After the fall of Iraq the first public buildings to open were not hospitals, schools, or government buildings but movie theaters showing American films. If Christians are not doing excellent cutting edge projects we will lose any influence in the culture.
At Biola University we understand that it is important to train students to become pastors and preachers to reach the next generation of people, but most of them will only reach a few hundred at a time. But, if we train film and media students their projects have the potential to impact millions. That’s why the conference is so important.
Peggy: The goals for the conference are to gather all of the collective wisdom from people of faith who have been working in Hollywood, and figure out the best way to impart that to the next generation. At the BMC, we're hearing from people who have been running a slow steady race built on excellence, ethics, and integrity - who got to where they are by being great at what they do. We think it’s vitally important to hear their pilgrimage, to honor their achievements, and to stand on their shoulders.
GMM: What would you like to see God do in this conference?
Peggy: My hope is that, with the information we provide, God would further every attendee’s career and
calling in the entertainment and media industry. That we would
be able to prepare and connect people of faith who are storytellers, at every level of the
industry, with studios' or productions companies who are interested in those stories.
Kathleen: I would also like to see God teach us how to be more gracious in our conversations on cultural issues. How do we talk and create media about controversial issues, with respect and understanding. How can we truly be “light” and “salt” not “lasers” and “sodium rocks!!?”
GMM: What advice would you like to give up and coming Christian media organizations looking to get a start in the business?
Peggy: Connect with others who are successfully doing what you want to be doing. Be a student of the arts
and expose yourself to every learning opportunity you can – hopefully
that will include the next BMC J
Kathleen: Find your unique calling or “brand.” We already have a Steven Spielberg, Bono, or whomever. Who are you and what unique thing has God put the passion for in your gut to create and produce? Then come to the BMC and find out how you can make your dreams become reality.
GMM: What are future plans for the BMC? Do you have plans of taking your conference on webcast in the future?
Kathleen: Our future plans are to keep growing the event, and to possibly expand it into more than one day. We’ve done web-casts in the past, with Infuse.com – and may continue that in the future. But we’re also looking at doing “lunch time” interviews with our guests from the various sites on the lot this year that can be shown on the internet.
Peggy: For the immediate future...we plan to take on the topic “Closing the Deal” in 2009 and focus on how to get your project made. Workshops will feature the art of pitching, knowing what projects Hollywood is looking for, discovering niche projects, no budget filmmaking, the legal aspects of deal-making, how power is used in Hollywood, living out your faith, and much more.
In the larger future, we are building out our website now to include more streaming video of the conference. We’re also looking into the possibility of doing a live webcast from our media fair venue this year – with the possibility of incorporating a Main Session pay-per-view option down the line.
I truly believe a great move of God is going to come out of this next BMC coming in April 25, 2009. Get ready to make that move to Close Your Deal on the next big movie. I thank Kathleen and Peggy so much for sharing information about the Biola Media Conference. “COME CLOSE THE DEAL in 2009”
.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Closing the Deal”.
Date – Sat. April 25th
Time – 8 am to 6 pm
Location – CBS Studio Center Lot, Studio City, CA
Cost (which includes lunch):
$115 Until Jan 30th
$145 until April 19th
$100 Students with valid ID, Seniors 65 and above
Online registration closes April 23rd - tickets at the door $150