Script to Screen announces the next event in its public TALK series: Embracing the Meme – Harnessing the Power of Fans to Increase Your Reach on June 17, 6.30pm at Auckland’s TAPAC.
Sacha Judd, a globally-recognised speaker on fans and online communities, will share her insights into how New Zealand’s
film, television and digital creators can turn viewers into fans and experience the delightful power of letting their
audience help chart their course.
Embracing the Meme will range through merchandise, cosplay, conventions, fan fiction, fan-made mementos to how demands from fans can
affect storylines, casting and style, using international and local best-practice examples.
The Script to Screen TALK is presented in association with Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) and will be
moderated by ASPC member Gemma Gracewood, editor-in-chief of Letterboxd, the social network for film lovers (fans). She
is also a producer, writer and director with a strong background in publicity and audience development. Her experience,
particularly with children’s series Jiwi’s Machines and What’s Your Problem?, led her to explore the increasingly influential world of fandom and what it can mean for screen creatives.
This is a follow-up to Judd’s inspirational panel discussion at last month’s two-day wānanga A-Z of Screen Publicity In 2021 - A is for Audience, B is for Buzz, C is for Covid and Z is for Zeitgeist. That event was the first of many planned collaborations between Script to Screen and the newly-formed ASPC to develop
discoverability of New Zealand screen productions by audiences.
A-Z of Screen Publicity was funded by NZ On Air, which is also funding a series of on-the-job training initiatives, in which experienced ASPC
members mentor new publicists on upcoming NZ On Air-funded projects under the guidance of Script to Screen, so that more
New Zealanders see more of their stories on screen.
Script to Screen TALKs are a series of panel discussions, in-conversations and case studies to explore craft, culture
and pertinent issues in the screen industry.
They are made possible thanks to New Zealand Film Commission and Images and Sound with additional support from
Foundation North and White Studios in Auckland.
Contact: Script to Screen executive director Jackie Dennis jackie@script-to-screen.co.nz
BACKGROUND NOTES:
Script to Screen supports New Zealand screen practitioners to tell exceptional stories that reflect who we are. It is the leading
provider of professional development training for New Zealand’s screen sector, running an extensive range of programmes,
events and opportunities for screen practitioners, including the very popular industry-wide two-day annual Big Screen
Symposium.
Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) supports emerging and experienced practitioners of film, television and digital media publicity and marketing in
Aotearoa/New Zealand. Goals include: mentoring, uplifting and supporting practitioners; supporting the overall ecosystem
of NZ’s screen industry; normalising te reo Māori in publicity and marketing.
Letterboxd is an online social networking service co-founded by Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow in 2011. It was launched as a
social app focused on sharing opinions about, and love of, film, and is maintained by a small team in Auckland, New
Zealand. The site is meant for sharing its members' tastes in films
Sacha Judd is managing director of Hoku Group, superfan and globally recognised speaker on fans and online communities. Hoku Group is a family office combining
private investments, early-stage tech ventures and a non-profit foundation. She was a founder of Refactor (a series of
events around diversity in technology) and Flounders’ Club (a network for early-stage company founders). She speaks at
conferences and in-house events on diversity and inclusion in the tech sector, online communities and how fans will
transform the world.