Prominent executives from major companies like Paramount and Netflix will gather in Los Angeles this week for the International Association of Film Commissioners’ annual event, which this year has been renamed the AFCI Studio Summit. The convention, to be held in Los Angeles from March 23-26, will bring together filmmakers, studio executives, producers, policy makers and service providers from around the world to discuss serious industry issues and provide on-the-ground networking opportunities.
Executives in attendance at the event included Matthew Leonetti, Lionsgate’s president of physical production; Seb Abrahamnian, Paramount’s senior vice president of production tax incentives; Rebecca Brown, Vice President of Production Finance and Incentives, CBS Studios; Also worth noting is that Beth de Araujo, director of this year’s Sundance Award-winning Josephine, will be joining California Film Commissioner Yeti Osunsanmi to discuss the future of independent film in the state.
Netflix is sponsoring the day-long summit, which includes a panel titled “Onscreen Stories, Offscreen Influences” featuring Jonathan Massman, the streamer’s vice president of production for nonfiction, series and specials. Alejandra Serna, Vice President of Drama Development and Series Production Management; Physical Production Director Michael Bartol; Renee Viljoen is Global Affairs Director for Intellectual Property and Cultural Policy. The in-depth conversation will bring together film, series and unscripted Netflix executives who will examine hits such as “Stranger Things” and “Love is Blind” to “show how local production translates into real economic and cultural impact on the ground.”
FilmNation will host an exclusive Fireside Chat at the Summit, where Melissa Moukas (Senior Vice President of Physical Production) and Milena Janković (Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Finance) will discuss how the company “assembles projects, balances creative flair with market realities, and structures deals with international partners, sales markets, and production financing.”
In terms of sessions, the event will be collaborating with ProPro to host a panel titled “Where Production Really Lands.” This is a “data-anchored” session that examines where film and television production is landing across “formats, budgets, and regions,” and how patterns differ between “independent and studio projects.” Speakers include Joseph Chianese, Senior Vice President and Practice Leader of Production Incentives at Entertainment Partners, and Jeremy Kipp Walker, Vice President of Live-Action Production at LAIKA. MrBeast’s Director of Feasibility and Development, Ari Cheren, will be attending the panel discussion event entitled “Formats and Scaling of Unscripted Productions,” which will focus on “how alternative programming supports year-round employment, facility utilization, and predictable economic impact.” Other speakers on the panel included Rachel Maguire, showrunner-slash-executive producer, and Nicole Woods, executive producer and strategic advisor for Nadja Productions.
Other sessions will cover topics such as advances in artificial technology, the details of marketing for film commissions, designing and implementing successful tax incentives, and the big picture of independent producer initiatives in 2026. Member spotlights include Mississippi, New Zealand, Finland, Iceland, New Mexico, and Japan. The list of film commissioners scheduled to speak at the gathering includes Stephen Davenport (Head of Inward Production at Screen Ireland), Chanel Routier (Quebec Film and Television Council), Megan Beaton (Chief Executive of the Norwegian Film Board) and Roland Oude Nijuis (Netherlands Film Commissioner).
