Ingenuity Cleveland Will Hold the “IndieFest Filmmaker’s Workshop” on Thursday, June 13 at Creative House Studios in Cleveland

Cleveland, OH  –  Ingenuity Cleveland will be holding the “IndieFest Filmmaker’s Workshop” on Thursday, June 13 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  at Creative House Studios, 1490 East 40^th St. in Cleveland.  This free event is designed especially for independent filmmakers and enthusiasts.

Award-winning filmmakers Tom Megalis and Sean Lackey will be among the presenters. Megalis’s work has screened at the Sundance Film Festival and Lackey just wrapped on a feature starring Fred Willard and Colm Meaney.  Jason Drake, Production Coordinator with the Greater Cleveland Film Commission will talk about the services GCFC provides such as site locations, casting calls and obtaining permits. Cynthia Graham and Peter Sampson, co-owners of Creative House Studios, are helping sponsor the event. They will be providing tours of their amazing facility. The space features the largest green screen in Ohio. It also has a beautiful kitchen that will have cash bar and appetizers available that evening.

“Ingenuity’s mission has always been to ignite the creative spark where the arts, science, and technology intersect. Perhaps no one medium speaks to this process better than independent filmmaking.  Today’s indie filmmakers weave storyline, music and motion—all in a mosaic of digital technology,” says Ingenuity Director of Programming James Krouse. “You’ll have the opportunity to network with award-winning indie filmmakers, production companies and others involved in the film industry.  You’ll also be the first to learn about the “IndieFest Film Festival” which will debut at IngenuityFest in September.

Presenter Tom Megalis is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Fine Arts. As an independent filmmaker, Tom has cultivated an international reputation for his dark comedic mix of live action and stop motion animation. His work has appeared at Sundance, The New York Film Festival, The Chicago International Film Festival, Hiroshima Animation Festival and Annecy Animation Festival in France. His films routinely capture awards like The National Endowment for the Arts, The Heinz Endowment Grant and the Southern Film Circuit. Tom’s television resume as a writer/director and animator includes work for Nickelodeon, MTV, HBO, Discovery, NBC, PBS, ABC, Warner Brothers Television, Comedy Central and FOX. His most recent feature film, Sonny Days II, appeared in the New Hope Film Festival in Philadelphia.  Tom will showcase some of his films and discuss his unconventional style of shooting and directing.

Rocky River, OH native Sean Lackey not only wrote, starred-in and co-directed “The Yank,” a feature film released in 2013, but he also used his accounting background to help raise $1.3 million to get it produced. More than half the budget was used for paying Fred Willard and Colm Meaney, two major actors Lackey convinced to appear in his film. Shot on location in Cleveland, Dublin and County Clare, Ireland, “The Yank” tells the story of Tom Murphy, a middle-aged Cleveland bachelor whose best friend gets married in Ireland. The romantic comedy sends Tom on an epic adventure in pursuit of love. Sean, who owns an accounting firm, is also a veteran of Cleveland’s Second City Troupe and he produces “Flanagan’s Wake,” a musical comedy that runs every winter for three weeks in Cleveland’s PlayHouse Square. Sean will talk about how he was able to generate over a million dollars to produce his debut feature film. He’ll also discuss methods for getting your work in to distribution.

As co-owners of Creative House Studios in Cleveland, Cynthia Graham and Peter Sampson have assembled one of the finest production studios in the entire Midwest.  But what makes it special is the ability for filmmakers to bring in their own equipment—typically not allowed by most studios.  Says Peter, “The free market has spoken.  People want a studio where they can bring in their own gear and crew and shoot it themselves.  Or they can hire us to shoot it for them. Best of all any production company, filmmaker, corporation or individual may book the facilities at reasonable rates.”

Creative House Studio is ideal for the indie filmmaker. It has the largest green screen in Ohio (over 3,000 sq. ft.). The cyc is perfectly lit for green screening w/ 3200° K full-spectrum.  The air conditioned studio is literally large enough to drive a truck into it. In addition to the shooting space, there’s a state-of-the-art conference room, makeup and wardrobe area with showers, and a full kitchen.  Cynthia and Peter will offer full tours of the facility and explain all the services they provide filmmakers.

As Production Coordinator with the Greater Cleveland Film Commission (GCFC), Jason Drake helps provide independent filmmakers with a wide variety of services, most of which are free.  In fact the mission of the GCFC is to assist those in the film industry—producers, actors, directors, cinematographers, etc. to succeed.  The types of services GCFC offers include things such as location searches, access to municipalities and private properties, casting calls, obtaining permits, assembling production crews and more.  Jason will show you how the GCFC has become a one-stop shop for filmmakers.

To register online go to http://ingenuityfest-indiefest.eventbrite.com, or call 216.589.9444