Hané ∼ Saga

Event Speakers

Alexia Melocchi

Alexia Melocchi has over 25 producing credits of films from emerging filmmakers from all over the world and has been an instrumental facilitator to the financing process of movies by pre-buying on behalf of her International Distribution clients, which grossed 900 Million US in the box office in the last decade. She attends all Major Film and Television Markets and is fluent in five languages. She is also the host of the 5-Star rated podcast THE HEART OF SHOW BUSINESS and the author of the book by the same name, out for release at Christmas 2021

Christopher Lockhart

Christopher Lockhart is Hollywood’s foremost story professional.  He is an executive,  filmmaker, and educator with over 30 years of industry experience.
As Story Editor at WME, the world’s largest diversified talent agency, Chris curates film and TV projects for A-list actors such as Denzel Washington. His writing workshop The Inside Pitch was filmed for Los Angeles television and earned him an Emmy Award nomination.

Alan D’Escragnolle

Alan d’Escragnolle is the CEO and Co-Founder of Filmhub, a film distribution tech platform where filmmakers maintain their rights and monetize their films by distributing them to streaming services worldwide. A Brazilian-American Wharton School graduate, Alan honed his entrepreneurial skills leading teams at Square/Cash App, Google, Intuit and served on the executive teams of two successfully acquired startups. When he’s not powering Filmhub’s global expansion, Alan escapes to the nature and can be found in Lake Tahoe skiing and mountain biking with his dog, Rio.

Kelly Schwarze

James Fox

Native American and Californian, James Fox is a natural storyteller. After graduating from the Academy of Art in San Francisco, with a BFA in Directing, he became the Founder of Dawnrunner Inc. and has championed the company through numerous award-winning projects over fifteen years. As a writer, Fox devotes his energies to the careful crafting of compelling characters and diverse worlds.

Susan Dynner

Award-winning Director/Producer/Writer Susan Dynner, a recent Sundance Stories of Change Fellow, is gearing up to direct/produce “Fall of Eden”, starring Dylan McDermott and Brianna Hildebrand. Before that, she directed/produced, “Code Blue: A Love Story” starring Andy Dick, for which she was awarded the Sony Television Directing Fellowship. She’s also a Next Level Studio Feature Directing Fellow for the Blackmagic Film Collective, as well as a mentor for the Producers Guild Power of Diversity program. Dynner produced “Free Ride”, starring Anna Paquin and Drea de Matteo (she was a Film Independent Producing Fellow), the documentary, “After Porn Ends”, and she directed/produced/shot “Punk’s Not Dead”, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and received critical acclaim on the festival circuit, followed by a theatrical world-wide release. She was also a producer on “Brick”, winner of the Sundance Film Festival, released by Focus Features. As a Development Executive, Dynner worked for Charlie Sheen and Nick Cassavetes’ Ventura Films as VP of Creative Affairs, and Wolfgang Petersen’s Radiant Productions. Dynner began her career working for Richard Donner Productions and Di Novi Pictures. Prior to that, she was an award-winning band photographer from the age of fifteen. Aberration Films currently has several projects in various stages of development, including a documentary on magic with Samantha Bee’s company, as Susan is also a Magician Member of the world-famous Magic Castle.

Alex Kaplan

Alex has committed the past 20 years to studying the art, science, and impact of storytelling. His extensive professional experience as an actor, writer, director, and producer combined with the life lessons he learned on his own journey through addiction led him to found Of Substance – an innovative nonprofit that’s reimagining education, prevention, treatment, and support for addiction and mental health through movies!
Learn more about Alex and Of Substance at OfSubstance.org