Navigating the Truth: How Nonfiction Media Breaks Through

Navigating the Truth: How Nonfiction Media Breaks Through

Free Talks
| 60 MINUTES

2024 is a historic year of elections - nearly half the total population of Earth will go to the polls, including elections in the US, EU, India, etc. In addition to elections, there is also a number of legislative shifts happening nationally, with abortion and LGBTQ rights on the chopping block in many states. Figuring out what is true and what is not is more important than ever, but fake news and disinformation are everywhere. Nonfiction media is a tool to fill that gap between an individual and the truth. In this conversation, the panelists, who come from a range of different nonfiction mediums to discuss their methods for breaking through.

Panelists: Amanda Spain, Simon Klose


Panelists
Amanda Spain

Amanda Spain

Amanda Spain is currently MSNBC Film's Vice President of Longform Acquisitions. Revitalized under MSNBC President Rashida Jones and Amanda Spain, MSNBC Films distributes a slate of dynamic documentaries that cover diverse, complex, and urgent topics - in depth and untold stories about important moments in history, the human experiences behind the headlines, the people and policies shaping America. Recent projects include PERIODICAL, LEGUIZAMO DOES AMERICA hosted by John Leguizamo, THE TURNING POINT series, Executive Produced by Trevor Noah, and the award-winning PAPER & GLUE, a project by acclaimed French artist JR. Before joining MSNBC Films, she was the Director of Non-Fiction for Blumhouse Television. Amanda is also a prolific producer, and won an Emmy for her documentary, ART AND KRIMES BY KRIMES, which was acquired by MTV Documentary Films.

Robert Y. Chang

Robert Y. Chang

Robert Y. Chang is the Co-Producer of POV, the longest-running independent documentary showcase on American television. Since 1988, POV has presented films on PBS that capture the full spectrum of the human experience, with a long commitment to centering women and people of color in front of, and behind, the camera. Robert has served as programmer, panelist, and reviewer for a range of film festivals, foundations, and funders of the arts. He has also served as juror for festival and industry awards including: the IDA Awards, RTDNA Murrow Awards, and the News & Doc Emmys. Robert received his PhD in Cultural Anthropology at NYU with research on the intersection of religion and media. As an independent filmmaker, Robert's work has screened worldwide and is distributed by Documentary Educational Resources (DER). In 2020, DOC NYC awarded him a New Leader in Documentary Award and he is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Producers Guild of America, A-DOC and NLGJA.

Alece Oxendine

Alece Oxendine

Alece has made an impact on hundreds of emerging filmmakers in the areas of marketing and distribution at Film at Lincoln Center, BAMcinema, Rooftop Films, Athena Film Festival, Fandor, and Good Deed Entertainment. She brings her 15 years of experience to Columbia University's graduate film program where she serves as the Director of Industry and Festival Outreach advising students on career pathways in producing, directing, and writing. Alece is an alumna of Columbia where she serves on their alumni board and is a proud HBCU graduate from Winston-Salem State University. In her free time, she enjoys writing and telling stories in any format.

Simon Klose

Simon Klose

Simon Klose, a Swedish documentary producer and director from Sweden, holds a master's degree in law from Stockholm University. In 2013, he released the feature documentary "The Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard," which was selected as the opening movie of the Berlinale and was simultaneously released online, making history and becoming a global viral sensation. In 2016, Simon produced and hosted "Food Hacking Japan," a short documentary series for VICE Munchies that explored the innovative world of food disruptors in Tokyo.

Neil Drumming

Neil Drumming

Neil Drumming is a podcast executive, a journalist, and a lifelong storyteller. Most recently, he served as the podcast lead for Spotify's Creator Equity Fund, the company's multimillion dollar fund dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices. Prior to this work, Neil was the managing editor at Serial Productions, a New York Times company, where he oversaw all facets of development and production for such acclaimed podcasts as “Nice White Parents,” “The Trojan Horse Affair” and the Peabody Award-winning “S-Town.” Before Serial, Neil was a producer on This American Life and spent many years as an entertainment journalist. His full-length feature film "BIG WORDS" was released in 2013.

* Rush Tickets available at venue except for
Beacon Theatre
Rush will be offered when advanced tickets for a screening or event are no longer available at venues other than Beacon Theatre.
The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.
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