The Conversation begins Saturday, March 27th at 9 AM when registration opens, and you'll have a chance to meet your fellow participants over coffee. The program starts at 9:45 AM, breaks for lunch at 12:30 (featuring a variety of expert-led lunch discussion groups -- including those where you'll be the expert) and concludes at 5:30 PM. Afterward, you'll be invited to keep the discussions going at a nearby watering hole. We'll post the 2010 schedule shortly. For now, we welcome your ideas about speakers, issues you'd like to see addressed, or workshops/sessions you'd like to lead... Topics will include: > Adventures in Digital Distribution: What Has Worked, What Hasn't, and How the Market is Evolving > Social Media: Where the Rubber Meets the Road Using Digital Tools To Sell Tickets, DVDs, and Downloads, and Get Audiences Engaged with Your Cause > Stories Elsewhere: Telling Stories and Engaging With Viewers in New Media, Forms & Formats > Beyond Facebook: Social Media Sites and Services That Can Benefit Filmmakers > Site Design and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) > Creating Internet-Native Content Confirmed speakers, moderators, and workshop leaders include: - Bob Alexander, CEO, Indiepix - Brian Chirls, Filmmaker and Technologist, Chirls.com - Arin Crumley, Filmmaker, "Four Eyed Monsters"; founder, OpenIndie - Matt Dentler, Cinetic Rights Management/FilmBuff - Ira Deutchman, Managing Partner, Emerging Pictures; Professor of Professional Practice, Graduate Film Division, Columbia University School of the Arts - Sandi DuBowski, Founder, Films That Change the World; Outreach Director, The Good Pitch - Sean Fitzroy, Founder, Cineshift - Jim Flynn, CEO, EZTakes - Scott Kirsner, Editor, CinemaTech; Author, "Fans, Friends & Followers" - Ari Kuschnir and Scott Thrift, m ss n g p eces - Richard Lorber, CEO, Kino Lorber - Cory McAbee, Director, "Stingray Sam" and "The American Astronaut" - Brian Newman, Founder, SpringBoardMedia - Laure Parsons, Founder, x + x films - Tom Quinn, Senior Vice President, Magnolia Pictures - Steve Savage, CEO, New Video - Fred Seibert, CEO, Next New Networks - Ian Schafer, CEO, Deep Focus - Tiffany Shlain, Director, "Connected" and "The Tribe"; founder, The Webby Awards - Chris Thilk, Publisher, Movie Marketing Madness - Hunter Weeks, Director, "Ride the Divide" and "10 Yards" - Lance Weiler, Director, "Head Trauma" and Publisher, The Workbook Project - Thomas Woodrow, Producer, "Bass Ackwards" The agenda from The Conversation 2008 is available here.