LA Shorts Fest To Feature Short Film And Animation Winners Of FameCast
LA SHORTS FEST TO FEATURE SHORT FILM AND ANIMATION WINNERS OF NATIONAL ONLINE TALENT COMPETITION FAMECAST
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Sept. 6 Screening at World’s Largest Short Film Festival Will Showcase
FameCast “Fenoms” Samantha Kinkaid and Matt Kushner
LOS ANGELES (Sept. 5, 2007) – After beating out hundreds of animators and filmmakers and sharing their work with 3 million visitors to FameCast, the nation’s leading online talent competition and entertainment community, two up-and-coming artists have earned a screening at the prestigious 11th Annual LA Shorts Fest.
Actor-turned-first-time-producer Samantha Kinkaid’s impressive, dramatic short film Keeping It Good and director/producer Matt Kushner’s stunning animated music video for indie singer Justin Catalino’s “When the Sky Is Falling” will join more than 700 works at the long-running premier film festival, which is accredited by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. Kinkaid won the Short Film competition of FameCast’s Season 2 competition, and Kushner took the Animation prize. FameCast’s winners are determined by online fan voting over a three-month “season.” In addition to their title of “FameCast Fenom” and LA Shorts screening, both artists won $10,000 from FameCast for their win.
The FameCast film shorts will be showcased at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6 at the AMC Burbank Town Center 6 (770 N. First St., Burbank, CA 91502, 818-562-1401). The LA Shorts Fest runs Sept. 5 through Sept. 16 and will be followed by the closing Award Ceremony at Hollywood hotspot Cinespace on Sept. 17. FameCast promotional spots will also be played before each and every screening throughout the festival, providing even wider exposure for the talent competition’s artists.
About the FameCast Shorts
Samantha Kinkaid, a 36-year-old Oxford, England native and current Los Angeles resident, has been steadily building buzz for her dramatic, 14-minute short film Keeping It Good. Longtime actress Kinkaid makes her debut as both director and solo producer on the film, which is based on a short story from Richard Brewers’ Meeting Across the River, a collection of short stories inspired by a song of the same name from Bruce Springsteen’s classic 1975 album Born To Run. Kinkaid has a degree from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a background in classical theatre and design.
The Sept. 6 screening will also feature FameCast Season Two Animation winner Matt Kushner, a graduate of New York University’s Center for Advanced Digital Applications who animated, directed and produced the 3-minute music video for indie singer Justin Catalino’s “When the Sky Is Falling.”
FameCast: How to Enter Season 3
FameCast recently launched Season Three of its talent competition, which will offer even more opportunities for up-and-coming filmmakers, including a panel of A-list entertainment industry experts such as David E. Williams, current editor of Digital Video magazine as well as a veteran editor at American Cinematographer, Cinefantastique and The Hollywood Reporter.
Artists can upload their videos at FameCast.com through Sept. 17-29 (depending upon chosen category – the Film & Animation deadline is Sept. 29) for a trip to Austin, TX to compete in the live finals, a chance to compete for the grand prize of $10,000 per stage and the international exposure that comes with being crowned a FameCast Fēnom on one of 12 “virtual stages.” FameCast has added new Electronic, Spiritual and Latin stages for Season 3 – other choices are Rock, Pop, Country, Hip-Hop/R&B, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, Film & Animation, Comedy and Dance. FameCast will give away $120,000 to deserving artists this season, and is on track to bestow nearly $350,000 within its first year of inception.
About FameCast
FameCast has been hailed as an innovative platform for artists to gain exposure in the new Internet-driven marketplace, combining the self-sufficiency, economic potential and networking capabilities of sites like MySpace, iTunes and YouTube, all under one exciting, fan-generated contest. FameCast reached a milestone during Season Two when it hit the 1 million mark for unique visitors in the month of June. FameCast’s success was further bolstered when they recently secured $4.5 million in funding from Austin Ventures to support FameCast management’s strategy of future growth.
FameCast was founded by Kent Savage, a 20-year veteran entrepreneur in the internet and digital media space. He leads a seasoned management team consisting of CMO Matt Hovis, COO Dave Hampton, CTO Wes Schiesz and CSO Erik Smith. FameCast’s Advisory Board includes a stellar lineup of industry heavyweights including Charles Attal of Charles Attal Presents and C3 Management and Promotions; Paul Korzilius, manager of superstar rock group Bon Jovi; Randy Phillips, President & CEO of AEG Live and Duff Stewart, President & COO of GSD&M Idea City.
Past FameCast Fēnoms are already on the move in the entertainment industry. Season Two Rock Fēnoms Tripdavon recently had their winning song, “Nothing or All,” featured on HBO’s Entourage. Season Two Armed Forces winner Mike Corrado recently began writing with film and TV producers in Los Angeles, while Season One Country Fēnom Eric Michael Hopper has rocketed to #1 on Clear Channel Radio’s New Music Country Chart, and Season One R&B Fēnom Melissa Suzanne’s latest single will be featured on an upcoming Sony compilation disc.
About LA Shorts Fest
Now in its 11th year, the LA Shorts Fest is the largest short film festival in the world. Last year's festival screened over 700 films and drew more than 10,000 moviegoers, filmmakers, and entertainment executives looking for the hottest new talent as well as brand-name sponsors looking to connect with trend-setters in Hollywood. Through film screenings and panel discussions, filmmakers have an opportunity to interact with their peers, to network with the industry, and to entertain audiences. LA Shorts Fest is recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences and has screened 25 Academy Award-nominated Films, including the last eight Oscar-Winning short films.
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