Xbox, Microsoft Leaders To Highlight 2020 Louisiana Entertainment Summit

BATON ROUGE, La. — The third annual Louisiana Entertainment Summit will take place Feb. 12 in Baton Rouge with opportunities to connect with entertainment professionals; Louisiana businesses; content creators; and national, regional and local industry leaders. Hosted by Louisiana Economic Development, the daylong event will explore motion picture, music and video game production in the state.

This year’s keynote speakers will be Peter Zetterberg, senior director of business management for Xbox/Microsoft, and Melissa Boone, a senior research manager on the Xbox Research team. Vans Stevenson, the Motion Picture Association’s senior vice president for state government affairs, also will be a featured speaker.

“LED is pleased to present another dynamic Louisiana Entertainment Summit, as we continue to build on the successes that our skilled workforce, production infrastructure and incentive programs have helped to create,” Secretary Don Pierson said. “The summit is a great opportunity for individuals from all of Louisiana’s entertainment sectors to connect and develop industry relationships.  We are confident that this forward-looking industry will grow jobs for residents of our state. We look forward to hosting our entertainment industry stakeholders from across Louisiana.”

The summit will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at L’Auberge Casino Hotel in Baton Rouge. Registration is available through the event website louisianaentertainmentsummit.com. Early registration at a discounted rate of $50 is offered until Jan. 29. After that, advance registration will be available until Feb. 11 for $75, and on-site registration the day of the event will be $100.

Industry panel discussions have proven to be a popular feature of the summit, and two are planned for this year’s event.

A filmmaker panel discussion will be led by Darcy McKinnon, with filmmakers Phillip Youmans (Burning Cane), Josh Penn (Beasts of the Southern Wild), James Harlon Palmer (Anniversary) and Jolene Pinder (All Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk) participating.

A Louisiana music industry panel discussion will be moderated by Reid Wick. Panelists will include multiple Grammy winner PJ Morton, Tarriona Ball of the Grammy-nominated Tank and the Bangas and entrepreneur Brian Zisk.

“This summit is a great chance for crew, screenwriters, producers, directors and filmmakers of all ages to connect and learn from national, regional and state experts in our field,” said President Trey Burvant of the Louisiana Film Entertainment Association, the summit’s presenting sponsor. “We are proud to support this summit and highlight this clean, diverse industry that provides high-quality jobs for our residents.”

Louisiana offers a package of incentives uniquely designed for motion pictures, digital interactive and software development projects, sound recording and live performance productions. The film industry alone has generated more than $7 billion in motion picture production activity in Louisiana since the modern-era program was launched in 2002. The state enhanced these programs in 2017 to create a more sustainable industry, providing opportunities for more permanent investment and job creation in Louisiana’s entertainment sector.

About Louisiana Entertainment
Louisiana is one of the top destinations in the world for motion picture production; digital interactive and software development projects; live performance; and sound recording. With state-of-the-art facilities, a wealth of talent, production-friendly communities and a competitive incentive program, Louisiana is the perfect location for the entertainment industries. For more information on Louisiana film, digital interactive, live performance and sound recording programs, visit Louisiana Entertainment, a division of Louisiana Economic Development, at louisianaentertainment.gov.

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