Neha Shastry
Director (The Murdochs: Empire of Influence)
Documentary Series Day (Nov. 16)
Unpacking the nuts and bolts of creating, selling, and distributing a doc series. Hear from both leading executives and filmmakers.
Doc Series Day is co-presented by:
In the NBC News Studios Lounge, the day starts with Breakfast (9-10 AM) and ends with a Happy Hour (4:30-5:30 PM).
10am – 11:15am
Making the Leap from Feature Directing to Doc Series
With increasing regularity, documentary feature directors are now helming documentary series. Our panelists will prepare you for that potential career leap by sharing honest and concrete advice from their experiences. What are the differences between directing features and episodic projects? And how do you break into the documentary series landscape as a director? Moderated by Amelia Hanibelsz (ABC News Studios), filmmakers Neha Shastry (The Murdochs: Empire of Influence), Geeta Gandbhir (HBO’s Black and Missing) and Ben Selkow (Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller) talk about their transition from the feature to episodic world and the challenges faced along the way.
Neha Shastry
Director (The Murdochs: Empire of Influence)
Neha Shastry is an award winning documentary filmmaker. She has produced and directed films across 5 continents for clients like CNN, Amazon Studios, National Geographic, Netflix and Vice News. Because of her background in journalism, she is known for taking nuanced and balanced approaches in her storytelling, letting the truth reveal itself in her films.
She produced All In: The Fight For Democracy, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award and nominated for a Peabody. Her next project, The Murdochs: Empire of Influence, is currently airing on CNN and HBO Max.
She is one of 9 directors who have been selected to participate in Netflix’s inaugural Nonfiction Producer and Director Fellowship in collaboration with Ghetto Film School.
Geeta Gandbhir
Filmmaker (Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power)
Geeta Gandbhir
Filmmaker (Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power)
Geeta Gandbhir is an mutiple award winning filmmaker over 25 years of experience in the industry. Her latest film, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, will premiere on Peacock in 2022. Her short film from the HBO series Through Our Eyes won a 2022 Emmy Award.
Amelia Hanibelsz
Tell2C Productions
Amelia Hanibelsz
Tell2C Productions
Amelia is an Award-Winning Executive Producer, Primetime Emmy-Nominated Supervising Producer, Genesis Award-Winning Producer-Director, and most recently, Executive Director of Development at ABC News Studios -Disney, where she focused on developing premium documentary specials and series for Hulu and ABC Broadcast.
Over the past 20+ years, Amelia has acquired extensive experience in discovering, and cultivating new talent for content initiatives on leading media networks such as Hulu, ABC, Discovery, A&E, National Geographic, Animal Planet, The Smithsonian Channel, MTV, and VICE World News.
She is the Founder and Executive Producer of Tell2C Productions, a global collective of award-winning female filmmakers for change. An active member of the Television Academy, Global Impacts Alliance, IDA, and a proud member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia.
A global nomad, having lived and worked in over 10 Countries, Amelia is passionate about empowering diverse voices through authentic storytelling.
Ben Selkow
Producer (Trafficked)
Ben Selkow
Producer (Trafficked)
Ben Selkow is an Emmy-nominated documentary film & television director, showrunner, and executive producer with over twenty years of experience making prestige docu-series, such as HBO’s Emmy-nominated “Q: Into the Storm” and “The Invisible Pilot”, Netflix’s “Rapture”, international hosted travel series like Nat Geo’s Emmy-nominated “Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller” and CNN’s Emmy Award-winning “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” and “Believer with Reza Aslan”. Currently, Ben is producing the definitive feature documentary on Mary Tyler Moore “GIFTED & BLACK” both with Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad and through his production company Good Trouble Studios, which he co-founded with creative partner James Adolphus.
11:30am – 12:45pm
The Art and Business of Doc Series Storytelling
Senior development and production creatives from ESPN’s decorated 30 for 30 team, Marsha Cooke, Adam Neuhaus and Marquis Daisy engage in conversation with Malikkah Rollins (DOC NYC) on the art and business of documentary storytelling. Gain an in-depth understanding of what it means to develop, pitch, sell, produce and distribute a documentary series. The discussion will provide an in-depth look at what the marketplace looks for in a pitch, finding the thematic essence and ideal format of a project, crafting surprising new angles to familiar stories and understanding the distribution realities and trends of the broadcast and streaming business.
Adam Neuhaus
Senior Director of Development, ESPN Films and ESPN+
Adam Neuhaus
Senior Director of Development, ESPN Films and ESPN+
Adam Neuhaus is the Senior Director of Development for ESPN Films and ESPN+ leading creative development for original content on the award winning 30for30 documentary series across feature films, shorts and the 30for30 Podcasts. Adam has served on the Board of Directors and currently serves on the Advisory Board for The Ghetto Film School. Additionally, Adam is on the Board of Directors of the Bushwick Film Institute and is on the NY board of HRTS.
Marsha Cooke
Vice President & Executive Producer, ESPN Films and 30 for 30
Marsha Cooke
Vice President & Executive Producer, ESPN Films and 30 for 30
Marsha Cooke currently serves as vice president & executive producer for ESPN Films and 30 for 30. She is responsible for overseeing development, production, distribution, branding and strategy of all projects under the ESPN Films umbrella, including the 30 for 30 series.
Cooke joined ESPN from VICE Media Group, where she served as senior vice president of global news and special projects. In her role at VICE, Cooke developed and produced special news and entertainment projects across VMG digital and broadcast platforms, leading the youth media company in pushing the limits of broadcast news formats and playing a key role in integrating VICE’s forward-thinking values with its award-winning content.
Marquis Daisy
Producer, ESPN Films
Marquis Daisy
Producer, ESPN Films
Marquis Daisy, co-director of “Baltimore Boys,” is a producer for ESPN Films. Among his most notable work includes Rand University, a 30 for 30 film on the often-turbulent career of former NFL great Randy Moss and Black Hoosiers, a Spike Lee Lil’ Joint on the high school years of NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. Daisy’s 2021 project, “The March on Washington: Keepers of the Dream,” debuted on NatGeo and is available on-demand from Hulu.
Malikkah Rollins
Director of Industry and Education
Malikkah Rollins
Director of Industry and Education
As the new Director of Industry and Education at DOC/NYC, Malikkah will oversee a portfolio of projects including DOC NYC PRO, the festival’s line-up of educational courses and industry networking opportunities; Only In New York industry meetings for filmmakers with works-in-progress; and the 40 Under 40 list. Malikkah brings 15 years of experience in education, counseling, and professional development to the role. As a freelance doc producer, WIFV/DC board member, Sundance Collab Community Leader and D Word Ambassador, Malikkah’s passion is rooted in connecting people and building stronger, more collaborative film communities.
Co-presented by:
1:45pm – 3pm
Digging Through the Archives
Archival material can illuminate a story and provide a vivid foundation for the narrative. But knowledge about the legal considerations in using such footage is key to your project’s successful production. Join Fox Rothschild entertainment attorneys Marc H. Simon, Daniel Benge and Daniel Spencer and producers of the critically acclaimed HBO Max documentary The Last Movie Stars, Emily Wachtel and Lisa Long Adler, as they discuss legal issues arising from the use of archival materials in documentary projects.
Daniel Benge
Partner, Entertainment and Sports
Daniel Benge
Partner, Entertainment and Sports
Daniel Benge is a Partner in Fox Rothschild’s Entertainment & Sports Department who works advises clients in the documentary space and the live performance and digital media industries. He has experience counseling writers, producers, agents and corporate clients on a broad range of media projects, including acquisition and entertainment financing, production and distribution.
Daniel Spencer
Associate, Entertainment and Sports
Daniel Spencer
Associate, Entertainment and Sports
Daniel Spencer is an Associate, Entertainment and Sports, at Fox Rothschild’s Entertainment and Sports Department who advises clients in traditional and emerging media, including narrative, unscripted and documentary films, episodic series, podcasts, literary publishing, advertising and other digital media content. In the film and television sectors, Daniel counsels clients in all stages of project development, rights acquisition, financing, production and distribution. Daniel represents production companies, producers, financiers, on-camera talent, directors, writers, and other content creators, as well as businesses in the digital, gaming and new media industries. With experience on both the business and creative sides of the entertainment industry, Daniel provides clients a collaborative approach while obtaining favorable terms at the bargaining table. He is passionate about connecting key players with creatives to help bring projects to life.
Emily Wachtel
Producer (The Last Movie Stars)
Emily Wachtel
Producer (The Last Movie Stars)
Emily Wachtel is a producer and screenwriter. She originated and produced The Last Movie Stars, a six-part documentary film purchased by CNN Films that aired on HBO Max in July 2022. The film, which chronicles the lives and careers of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, was directed by Ethan Hawke and executive produced by Martin Scorsese. It was presented as a Cannes Classics selection at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022 and was a Special Presentation at SXSW in March 2022.
Emily is a member of the Actor’s Studio, SAG/AFTRA and the Writer’s Guild of America (East). She has been a guest lecturer in film at the University of Denver and Sacred Heart University and has participated in producer panels worldwide on women in film.
Lisa Long Adler
Producer (The Last Movie Stars)
Lisa Long Adler
Producer (The Last Movie Stars)
Lisa Long Adler is a seasoned marketing and production executive with over 20 years’ experience creating domestic and international brand recognition with a focus on marketing, public relations, special event production, and promotions.
Adler began her career overseeing publicity for feature films including Dances with Wolves, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and The Fugitive, among others. As Executive Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for Planet Hollywood, she managed relationships with celebrities, film industry executives and brand partners to produce over 45 star-studded events for the brand across the globe. Adler most recently produced The Last Movie Stars documentary series, directed by Ethan Hawke.
Co-presented by:
3:15pm – 4:30pm
Case Study: Couples Therapy
Go behind the scenes of one of the most tender and vulnerable doc series on tv, Showtime’s Couples Therapy, with creators and executive producer Josh Kriegman and producer Maya Seidler. Lead by moderator Eric Kohn (Indiewire), Kriegman and Seidler discuss the challenges encountered and discoveries made in the process of filming the very private space of a couples therapy session. They explore the hard questions and difficult discussions that informed the making of the award-winning series.
Joshua Kriegman
Executive Producer (Couples Therapy)
Joshua Kriegman
Executive Producer (Couples Therapy)
Josh Kriegman created, produced, and directed Couples Therapy, The Fight and Weiner, for which he was nominated for a DGA award and named one of Variety’s “Top Ten Documakers to Watch.” In a previous life, Josh was a political consultant and campaign advisor.
Maya Seidler
Producer (Couples Therapy)
Maya Seidler
Producer (Couples Therapy)
Maya Seidler is currently Head of Production at Edgeline Films. She directed/produced Season 3 of COUPLES THERAPY and produced Season 2. She also produced THE FIGHT (Sundance 2020 Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking) and co-produced the BAFTA-nominated CITY OF GHOSTS, plus the ESPN 30 for 30 short THE THIRD MAN.
Eric Kohn
Executive Editor and VP, Editorial Strategy at IndieWire
Eric Kohn
Executive Editor and VP, Editorial Strategy at IndieWire
Eric Kohn is the New York–based Executive Editor and VP, Editorial Strategy at IndieWire, where he has worked since 2007. Kohn travels to film festivals around the globe, interviews filmmakers, and managed IndieWire’s network for professional film critics, the Criticwire Network. Prior to joining IndieWire, Eric contributed to the New York Times and other outlets.
To experience the DOC NYC PRO lineup, purchase an individual PRO Day Pass (via the Buy Ticket button) to hone in on a specific subject, or benefit from discounted pricing when you purchase Multi-Day Pass Packs to an assortment of topic strands.
All guests & staff will be required to comply with our Health & Safety protocols while attending DOC NYC events. For the latest information, please review our policies here.
DOC NYC PRO is co-presented by:
