In this episode, we have a conversation with Producer, Media Futurist, and Executive Director of the New Media Film Festival, Susan Johnston. We talk about the importance of being kind and being on time, what makes the New Media Film Festival different than other festivals, the potential and literal aftermath of IP and Trademark theft, algorithm use in streaming services, NFT's role in new media, and how she lost $20 million. Enjoy!
About Susan
Media Futurist, Founder / Director at New Media Film Festival®, columnist at Rolling Stone & Medium, Knighted 2017 for work in Arts & Humanity, Rome.
Susan Johnston is the founder and director of the New Media Film Festival®. However, she's also much more than that. Amongst other things, Susan has had a successful film career both in front of and behind the camera, is a talented singer / songwriter, and owns the Fleetwood Mac tribute band 'Rumours'. Another of her bands 'Simple Truth' won top 5 MTV Band Search.
As a performing artist, Susan has headlined numerous festivals and performed as the opening act for none other than Kansas, Blood Sweat and Tears, The Turtles, and Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. She has also performed as lead backup singer in Steve Stone's Epic Records produced song "Dreams Die Hard", and been a backup singer in a Bob Marley tribute band. She has sung the National Anthem at the Rosebowl, for the LA Galaxy soccer team, Norwich Navigators, PC Friars, and more.
About New Media Film Festival
New Media Film Festival®, an innovative and award-winning festival created in 2009, celebrates global stories, technology, and platforms. We continually implement new opportunities outside the norm to bolster creators in media. Through our boundary-pushing ideology, we create an environment for creators to thrive. New Media Film Festival® is an infinite catalyst for story and technology. Not just any stories, but the stories worth telling.
New Media Film Festival® introduces new technology, communication of ideas through panels and Q & A’s to implement a more expansive use of 21st technology in storytelling for artists and content creators. The Goal of New Media Film Festival® is to bring the world the Best in New Media – Honoring Stories worth Telling of emerging and established video and new media artists throughout the world. To give the global community at large the chance to experience the latest in technology and innovative storytelling to help define the world of new media.
About the MAKE IT Podcast The MAKE IT podcast is a platform for the voice of independent filmmaker. We offer a variety of educational, aspirational, and entertaining content that promotes the success of creatives across the filmmaking community and the film industry. Our Conversations with filmmaking professionals are dedicated to sharing the advice, knowledge, and insights of experienced filmmakers while exploring what it truly means to be an independent creative in the highly competitive world of filmmaking. Each filmmaker conversation is backed by thoughtful research that allows us to uncover the raw, authentic truths behind each filmmaker's journey. Through our Indie Talks, we share our thoughts and perspectives on navigating independent film from the perspective of Advisory and Executive Producers. We discuss topics that are relevant to filmmakers across a wide spectrum of filmmaking perspectives, and we do our best to uncover hidden truths and new developments in the film industry. Our goal is to help filmmakers avoid the pitfalls and obstacles on the business side of film so that their filmmaking creativity can thrive. Our Industry Insights provide bite-sized actionable advice that filmmaking professionals and creatives of all kinds can use to keep their heads up as they continue their filmmaking journeys. With advice sourced from the filmmaking community, we build upon the wisdom of our filmmaking guests to provide our audience with truly aspirational and inspirational content. The Mistakes in the Making series gives our filmmaking friends an opportunity to speak directly to our filmmaking audience to share a specific lesson they've learned through a mistake they've made. We are firm believers that mistakes can be the gateway to success when we open our hearts and minds to learning from them, sharing them, and using them to Be Better. The Film Investment series is a conversational series of 52 episodes geared towards the would-be film investor. Each episode, facilitated via a friendly conversation between hosts and friends Christopher Barkley and Jason McConnell, highlights a unique aspect of the film investment process. In addition to being a great resource for film investors, it serves as a reference for filmmakers regarding the many considerations that must be made when seeking film investment.
