☛ FINANCE SUPER PANEL ☚
In today's screen industry, there is no longer a single path to getting a project made. As broadcasters scale back, streamers become more selective, and production costs continue to evolve, producers must navigate an increasingly complex financing landscape to assemble projects through a strategic mix of public funding, tax incentives, private equity, international co-productions, pre-sales, service financing, strategic partnerships and emerging sources of capital.
This fast-paced, deal-room style conversation brings together leaders from every stage of the financing ecosystem, the panel will examine how projects are packaged, financed, de-risked and positioned for production and distribution. From government incentives and private investment to post-production financing, international partnerships and technology-driven efficiencies, panelists will share how multiple sources of capital work together to move projects from concept to completion.
Whether you're developing your first feature, financing a series, or building an international slate, this session offers practical insights into structuring competitive financing strategies, attracting investment, and navigating a screen industry where success depends not on finding a single greenlight, but on building the right financing stack.
CEO/Advisor, Leeding Media/Curtain Call
A veteran strategist with 29 years of experience driving innovation across the global film entertainment landscape, Lee orchestrated high-stakes transactions, including major slate investments (Content Partners), mezzanine financing (The Professor), and global production for Possessor: Uncut and Forbidden Kingdom. He has proven track record in casting (Rogue One, XXX: Return of Xander Cage), project development (Outside the Wire), and the marketing/distribution of major franchises like Divergent, Ghost Rider, Ender’s and a premier library of 500+ exclusive titles.
Chairperson & CEO, Film Development Council of the Philippines
Jose Javier Reyes is a multi-awarded producer, director, writer, and academician, currently serving as Chairman and CEO of the Film Development Council of the Philippines. He previously served as Chairman of the Film Program at the School of New Media Arts at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (2018–2024) and as Chairman of the Competition and Monitoring Committee of the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, the Philippines' premier festival for independent cinema.
Reyes is also a member of the Education Committee of the Metro Manila Film Festival and formerly served as Creative Consultant for Regal Entertainment. A recipient of Best Director and Best Writer honors from major Philippine award-giving bodies, he received the Writers Union of the Philippines Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 and the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2006. He remains an active producer, writer, director, and educator.
Founder & President, Art & Action Productions
Karin is an award-winning producer, the distributor of over 100 titles, and a filmmaker advocate. Recently, she has raised two innovations funds to explore new financing and revenue models for independent storytelling.
Moderated by:
VP, Creative BC
Robert markets British Columbia internationally as a destination of choice for projects and companies seeking a world class creative industries centre in which to do business. In his role, he leads the administration of Creative BC’s tax credit and granting programs, balancing attraction of international business with support for BC’s domestic content creators.
EXNW is supported, in part, by a contribution from Global Affairs Canada’s CanExport Associations program.
EXNW is supported, in part, by a contribution from Global Affairs Canada’s CanExport Associations program.
Founded in 1967, Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation that invests in the development, production, promotion and distribution of the Canadian and Indigenous audiovisual industry. As the largest investor in Canadian cinema, Telefilm supports the economic power and cultural impact of the audiovisual sector in collaboration with industry players. Additionally, Telefilm provides recommendations to the Department of Canadian Heritage regarding the certification of treaty-based audiovisual co-productions, and administers programs of the Canada Media Fund. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Letterboxd.
Creative BC is an independent non-profit society created and supported by the Province to sustain and help grow British Columbia’s creative sector, comprised of five distinct industries: motion picture, interactive digital media, music and sound recording, and both book and magazine publishing. The organization acts as an economic development agency with programs and services that expand B.C.’s creative economy, including: home of the BC Film Commission; administrator of provincial motion picture tax credit programs; administrator of funding programs; and provider of strategic business attraction, export, and research in support of the sector.
Supported by the Government of Canada and Canada’s cable, satellite, and IPTV distributors, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) is a not-for-profit organization that invests in Canadian creators and companies to tell stories that reflect and connect us all. We fund audiovisual and interactive digital media content—across all platforms—that builds a stronger cultural identity at home and on the world stage. The CMF puts stories front and centre, opening pathways to domestic and global markets and promoting a screen-based sector that is more resilient, more inclusive, and fuelled for growth. Visit our website to learn more about what we do: https://cmf-fmc.ca/
Ontario Creates is an agency of the provincial government whose mandate is to be a catalyst for economic development, investment and collaboration in the film, television, music, book, magazine, and interactive digital media sectors, both domestically and internationally. Ontario Creates supports the film and television industries through a variety of programs, events, and funds. The Agency also administers tax credits on behalf of the provincial government: Ontario Production Services Tax Credit (OPSTC); Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit (OFTTC); and the Ontario Computer Animation and special Effects Tax Credit (OCASE).
CEO, Tunnel
Bio +
Since transitioning from tech to film in 2000, Alan Pao has established himself as a prolific filmmaker with more than 200 feature film and television credits as a producer, director, writer, editor, VFX artist, and post supervisor. His notable credits include It Follows, Under the Silver Lake, The November Man, and the upcoming Family Movie and The Dreadful. In 2005, Pao founded Tunnel, where he pioneered a proprietary digital intermediate workflow that helped transform the company into a leading full-service production and post-production studio. Today, he oversees operations spanning film financing, visual effects, color correction, post-production sound, and supply chain automation solutions for major studios. In 2024, he founded New Hollywood and Scriptini, AI-powered filmmaking platforms designed to democratize the creative process and empower both emerging and established filmmakers. Pao is a graduate of UCLA and resides in Santa Monica with his cat Link.