Join us for Q&A and Cocktails with Lake Placid Film Festival Artists in Residence Jacob Krueger and Jonathan Burkhart and acclaimed MGM+ Producer Jill Burkhart. Come find out the inside of the business from a filmmakers point of view: Bring your questions to learn about the insights from those who negotiate from concept all the way to the first day of filming. Prepare to dig deep into the mechanics of the filmmaking process!

This is an evening to…

…Mingle with friends, colleagues, and our many guest filmmakers, or simply relax and enjoy some good food and complimentary wine and drinks.

…Indulge in mouth-watering hors d’oeuvres and cocktails at our upcoming cocktail reception.

 …Support the work of Adirondack Film in Student Scholarship, Economic development and film arts at the Festival and year-round.

Order of events 5:30 – 8:30 P.M.

• 5:30 – 6:30 Welcome cocktails, open bar in the High Peaks Lobby Bar
• 6:30 – 7:30 Cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres, carving stations, and specialty stationary displays served in the High Peaks Ballroom
• 7:30 – 8:15 Conversation/Q&A with Jonathan Burkhart, Jacob Krueger, and Jill Burkhart
• 8:15 – 8:30 Red Carpet photos and bar reopens for more cocktails.

Guest tickets $125 per/person to benefit Adirondack Film*

Our cocktail event is limited-time only, so don’t miss out!

Jonathan Burkhart- Film & Television Producer, LPFF Artist in Residence

Jonathan Burkhart is an acclaimed independent film, television and theater producer. He produced the award-winning film Baby Steps as well as Higher Ground, Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding, The Last Keepers, and many more. Television projects include the scripted episodic series Almost There, Ivy Dreams, a feature documentary for AZN, Must Do Disney for Disney, The Super Bowl Half Time Show Show for the NFL, and more.

Jonathan is also the co-founder and president of the Nantucket Film Festival, dedicated to honoring screenwriters and their craft. The Festival launched in 1996 and has honored writers including Walter Bernstein, Charlie Kaufman, Alexander Payne, Paul Schrader, Steve Martin, Judd Apatow, Harold Ramis, Barry Levinson, and more.

Jacob Krueger- WGA Winning Screenwriter, LPFF Artist in Residence

The Founder of Jacob Krueger Studio, and host of the popular Write Your Screenplay Podcast, Jacob has worked with thousands of writers, from Academy, Emmy and Tony Award Winners, to young writers picking up the pen for the first time.  His writing includes the screenplay for the Emmy Winning The Matthew Shepard Story, for which he won the Writers Guild of America Paul Selvin Award and was nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Screenplay.  More info: WriteYourScreenplay.com

Jill Burkhart- Head of Unscripted Programming, MGM+

Jill Burkhart is currently the Head of Unscripted Programming for MGM+, where she oversees the development and production of premium non fiction series for the cable network. Most recent series include: Hollywood Black, a series on the history of black cinema, The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood based on the true crime podcast by Michael Connelly, and the Emmy nominated Laurel Canyon. Jill is the Co-founder of the Nantucket Film Festival, which she helmed first as Artistic Director, overseeing all programming for the annual event and then as Executive Director. 

Jill also served as ED of the first ScreenWriters Colony, a sister organization to NFF, that provides emerging screenwriters creative mentoring and guidance on Nantucket. Previously, she worked at Madstone Films as a curator for it’s Very Indie Films Series. And a very long time ago, Jill was an actress, appearing in several Indie films as well as Off Off Broadway plays. Back in the day, she was also a member of the pivotal band, the Mudmen, in which she played percussion. She attended New York University for Theatre. Jill grew up on the island of Nantucket and is a proud graduate of Nantucket High School.

Paul Hardart- Professor of Marketing, NYU, Founder of Universal’s Focus Features

Paul Hardart is a clinical professor of Marketing at the renowned New York University Stern School of Business. Paul is a partner in the online storytelling platform Witnify, which captures and curates first-person accounts of important world events. He has produced a number of critically acclaimed feature films and documentaries, including Mary and Max, Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens and Before the Rains. He is an active speaker at conferences and panels related to media and technology.

Before joining NYU Stern, Professor Hardart was the founding director of the Graduate Program in Media Management at The New School. He has guest lectured at the University of California Los Angeles, The American Film Institute, Columbia University, Temple University and the University of California at San Diego.

Paul Hardart founded and ran Universal Focus Features, the independent film label of Universal Pictures. During his tenure there, he oversaw the release of such films as Being John Malkovich, Pitch Black, Nurse Betty and Billy Elliot. He also created Universal Pictures’ library management program, overseeing the restoration and re-issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window and the re-edit of Orson Welles’s Touch of Evil.

Prior to Universal Focus Features, he oversaw strategic planning for Universal Pictures, which included launching new businesses and helping shape the Studio’s long-term strategy. He has also held senior positions at Warner Brothers and Turner Broadcasting and began his career at ABC Sports, CNBC and The Newark Star-Ledger.

*Adirondack Film is a public charity under Section 501-c3 of the Internal Revenue Service