MPC Workshop

Schedule

Social Mixer : 6:00-6:45 PM

Workshop : 6:45-8:30 PM
 

Tax incentives apply to a broad range of productions and budget sizes, understanding how they work is one of the most important tools film and media makers can build in your business toolkit. This special workshop is geared for independent filmmakers, producers, and startup production teams creating independent, commercial, and digital content. Register below!
 

Essential topics include..

• Overview of MA Program
• Tax credit vehicles people use
• Qualifiers and tactical compliance
• Preparation for your budget range
   

Workshop Panel

Lisa Strout
Director, MA Film Office

William Earon
Managing Director
Coastal Capital Advisors, LLC

Moderator

Eran Lobel
CEO & Executive Producer
ELEMENT Productions

Chad Robinson
Principal, KPM & Associates

Wendy Riseborough
Producer & Project Manager

The workshop will help attendees develop a greater understanding of policies and best practices in the field for navigating MA film tax incentives. With the right preparation, tax credits can be a vital source of closing finance, overcoming budget restraints, and building a foundation for future projects for your production company. 

Please Note:
Attendees are encouraged to add questions in the registration form about current and upcoming projects.

Early registration is highly recommended! We anticipate the event will near capacity. 

The workshop is generously sponsored by 

Meet the Panel

Lisa Strout | Director, MA Film Office

Lisa Strout has been at the helm of the Massachusetts Film Office since June of 2011, and has overseen over 150 major film and television productions throughout the state during her tenure. Lisa was formerly the director of the New Mexico Film Office for nearly a decade during its production boom.  She has 37 years of experience in the film industry, including 20 years as a location manager in New England, New York, California, New Mexico, Texas, and Italy.  Additionally, she managed the New York City offices of Merchant Ivory Productions for two years.   

Today, Lisa is happy to be back in her home state, working hard to create jobs, economic opportunities, and build a sustainable film industry within the Commonwealth for thousands of MA residents and many thousands more in the years to come. 
 

Chad Robinson | Partner, Kevin P. Martin & Associates

Chad Robinson is a Partner at Kevin P. Martin & Associates, P.C. where he is in charge of the Firm’s Entertainment and Film Incentives Group. He posses more than 20 years of public accounting experience and has provided assurance, tax and consulting services to hundreds of productions with budgets ranging between $50,000 and $200 million.  Chad has worked with a varied list of companies in the entertainment space including:  ABC Studios, Disney Studios, Marvel Entertainment, NBC Universal, Warner Bros. among others. 

Robinson works with a substantial client base providing extensive accounting, tax and management consulting services, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, tax structuring, valuation and financial modeling. He has provided professional, attestation and agreed upon procedures to hundreds of productions across the United States. Additionally he’s provided advisory services related to the interpretation of tax credit rules and procedures, including the review of budgets, review of company processes to ensure maximized incentive reporting, and preparation of state incentive applications. 
 

William Earon | Managing Director, Coastal Capital Advisors

Bill is the Founder and Managing Director of Coastal Capital Advisors, LLC, a private equity and financial services firm formed in 2004. Coastal Capital Advisors, LLC provides equity, financing and consulting services to the Media and Entertainment Industry (primarily the film and production company segment of the industry) in addition to portfolio investing. The firm manages three film funds that finance and monetize tax incentives for studios and independent production companies, including the Massachusetts Film Tax Credit Fund. Since 2007, the Massachusetts Film Tax Credit Fund has closed over 525 transactions involving monetizations and/or financings of film tax credit projects in the Commonwealth ranging from film tax credits as small as $12,500 to over $25 Million per project.  

Prior to forming Coastal Capital Advisors, LLC in 2004, Bill spent 25 years at Ernst & Young (“EY”), rising to become senior partner where he led E&Y’s New England financial services tax practice, including its Private Equity, Asset Management, Banking and Insurance groups. 
 

Wendy Riseborough | Producer & Project Manager

Wendy Riseborough is a producer and project manager of award winning documentaries, feature films, and cable series. Wendy began her work in production at WGBH over 20 years ago and moved into independent features after working on a local indie in Boston with Scout Productions. She spent five years in Los Angeles coordinating and production managing multiple independent and feature films across the country. She then spent five years in New York City with Oxygen Media, line producing multiple seasons of 'The Isaac Mizrahi Show' among others. 

For the last 11 years she has held producing titles at Vital Pictures in Boston, where she develops new public broadcasting documentaries, oversees productions, and day-to-day operations. She has worked to successfully secure tax credits for numerous independent documentaries for broadcast, episodic, and digital media projects. Her newest production, 'Coming of Age in Aging America', will air on the PBS World Channel in late June 2017.
 

Eran Lobel | CEO & Executive Producer, ELEMENT Productions

Eran founded ELEMENT Productions in 1998 and grew it into one of New England’s premiere full service production, post production and integrated content companies. He leads a talented team of producers, directors, and editors as well as writers, designers and strategists who produce Emmy award-winning commercials, web videos, television programs and documentaries. ELEMENT works with top brands such as Nike, Subway, SNHU, Dunkin Donuts, Buick, Fidelity, Verizon and ESPN. Their agency clients include Mullen Lowe U.S., BBDO, Havas Worldwide, Digitas, Saatchi & Saatchi and The Martin Agency.

Eran is passionate about multi-platform video content marketing, syndication and leveraging innovative video technologies. He values storytelling, the creative development process and producing scalable communications.

Cambridge Innovation Center (Kendall Sq.)

1 Broadway. Cambridge, MA
5th Floor | Venture Cafe + Havana Room

Directions & Parking

Public Transit: CIC is located across from the Kendall Square station on the Red Line.

Garage parking is available at the One Broadway Garage and down the block at the Kendall Square South Garage (350 Kendall St). There is metered street parking along Broadway and Third Street.