Doors open at 6:00 pm, the Panel starts at 6:30 pm, and happy hour and networking to follow.

Directions: There is paid parking in the building garage and metered parking on the street. To reach the Capes Sokol offices, enter the lobby, follow the sign pointing to the Regions Centre, and go up the stone steps or ramp; enter the building marked Regions Centre and go up the elevator to the 15th floor.

This master class will feature an expert panel discussion on the current and near-future state of film production in Missouri in light of the recent implementation of the new Missouri Motion Media Production Tax Credit, beginning with a brief overview of the tax credit program itself and its role in film financing, and addressing the many opportunities — and challenges — the program presents for the regional film and business community.

The panel will be moderated by Pete Salsich of Capes Sokol – The Screen Lawyer – and will feature Andrea Sporic Klund from the Missouri Film Office, Cole Payne, President of Film in MO, and Renee M. Eichelberger from the St. Louis Film Office, as well as St. Louis native and long-time Hollywood producer Michael Beugg joining live from LA via Zoom to discuss his past experiences filming in Missouri and sharing a producer’s point of view when considering whether to bring a film to Missouri for production.

• Michael Beugg, a St. Louis native, producer, and line producer of nearly 50 films, including the award-winning and nominated films Up In the Air, La La Land, Little Miss Sunshine, Dolemite is My Name, Thank you for Smoking, and Wonder, box office hits Ghostbusters: Afterlife and He’s Just Not That Into You, and his current projects, The Color Purple musical and Wolfs, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. His frequent collaborators include directors Jason Reitman, Damien Chazelle, and St. Louisans Ken Kwapis and the late George Hickenlooper. Before the film industry, he worked in energy and environmental policy at the White House Budget Office (OMB), where his budgets had considerably more digits. Beugg has an MBA/Public Management degree from Stanford University, a BA from Yale University, and is a member of the Directors and Producers Guilds of America. A frequent SLIFF panelist, Beugg and his family live in Los Angeles.
• Pete Salsich III, known as The Screen Lawyer, is an experienced intellectual property attorney whose practice is focused on advising large and small companies and entrepreneurs regarding the creation, protection, and use of intellectual property in both litigation and transactional counseling, particularly in the media, technology, and entertainment industries.
• Andrea Sporcic Klund is the film commissioner for Missouri and runs the Missouri Film Office, which is a part of the Missouri Division of Tourism. She has been in the film biz representing Missouri for more than 20 years. Since 2005, she has worked to market Missouri to the film and television industry nationwide. 
• Cole Payne is Mid-Missouri native and owner of Traverse Media, a production and sales company.  He has financed, produced and sold numerous films such as Sundance selections Downloading Nancy and Antibirth as well as the first Facebook Live movie Stream.  Payne also consults to provide support for financiers, government entities and non-profit organizations in regards to media finance, subsidies and tax incentives. 
• Renee M. Eichelberger, CTP, CTIS, CSTP is the Senior Director of Leisure Travel Sales at Explore St. Louis. She is responsible for conducting domestic and international leisure travel sales activities by targeting tour operators, third-party intermediaries, and general consumers. Since 2017 she has taken point for the St. Louis Film Office.  

This class is free, thanks to generous support from the Chellappa-Vedavalli Foundation.