Horror Equity Fund, Inc, an investment platform for solicitation and sale of funding solutions for pre-screened and professionally vetted Horror genre entertainment projects, announced this week it has named a seasoned team of advisors, underscoring the company’s commitment to quality.
The advisory team includes the following:
David Bergantino: He is a gaming and video game consultant. His career reportedly spans the globe and 30 years across all forms of entertainment. He’s worked at nearly all the major Hollywood entertainment studios and has held executive positions at Nickelodeon, THQ, Visual Science and Promineo Studios. For the latter, he served as President and designed the studio’s casual match game Feed My Alien, which is currently under development as an animated TV series with Toonz, India. Among the video games he’s produced are several 1M+ unit sellers featuring SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Avatar the Last Airbender.
Alan Brewer: He is president/owner of New Brew Entertainment and is currently on the Advisory Board for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, has served on the Board of Directors of the Burbank International Film Festival and is a past President of the Board of Directors of the Nashville Film Festival, one of the longest-running film festivals in the U.S. Brewer has worked as a film producer, score composer, and music supervisor on feature films and television productions for companies such as Universal, Miramax, Summit Entertainment, MGM, Fox, Warner Bros., Anonymous Content, Bold Films, CMT, and VH-1.
John Crye: His experience in the independent film industry combines a deep knowledge of story development, a keen understanding of production and a firm grasp on the realities of the marketplace. As a creative executive and producer, Crye has honed his skill for selecting quality content, shaping it to meet its greatest potential, and then helping it achieve success via fiscally-responsible production, distribution and marketing methods. With over 18 years working on both sides of the camera and the negotiating table, John Crye has developed an invaluable insight into what makes independent film successful, artistically and financially. Working with such independent film industry leaders as Newmarket Films, Exclusive Media and Wrekin Hill Entertainment, Crye has shepherded a body of work to the screen that reads like a roll-call of great indie cinema, including such films as Memento, Donnie Darko, The Prestige, Whale Rider, Monster and The Passion Of The Christ.
Suzanne De Laurentiis: She is a producer, writer, director and actress with 33 producer credits, four as a writer, three as a director, and five as an actress. She is also the founder of the Cinema City International Film Festival. Many of her films are in the horror genre.
Jesyca Durchin: She is a producer that is known for innovative transmedia products for global brands such as Harry Potter, Barbie, Disney, her own IP products including All-Star Cheer Squad (THQ) and Digital Dollhouse as well as part of Tim Burton’s early production group in the 1990’s. Jesyca continues to explore cutting edge digital experiences across all platforms including AR, VR and 3D printing for toys, theme parks, digital books, webisodes and more.
Robert Duvall: Academy Award and Golden Globe winner, and heads Butchers Run Films. He serves as an industry liaison for Horror Equity Fund. Some of Mr. Duvall’s iconic roles include star turns in Apocalypse Now, The Godfather (Parts I & II), Tender Mercies, and his recent Academy Award nominated film, The Judge.
Alyssa Padia: She is general manager at Hitbox Entertainment and her expertise includes business development, company operations, sales, brand building, and the creation and implementation of global marketing programs for interactive programming (including console videogames, apps, web-based experiences and more). Highlights of Alyssa’s career include negotiating national sports league agreements, re-launching the Atari brand, and developing international distribution markets for Sony PlayStation. At Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, she was a member of the senior management team that launched PlayStation across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. As Senior Vice President, Corporate Evolution at Infogrames/Atari, Alyssa played a significant role in the integration of both GT Interactive and Hasbro Interactive.
Franco Sama: He has executive produced for over 20 independent feature films including, most recently, Guns, Girls and Gambling which is quickly becoming a cult favorite. His shingle, Samaco Films, is currently producing a slate of several independent feature films including Farewell Party starring legendary actor, John Amos and Fine Young Gentleman starring funnyman Anthony Anderson. Samaco Films released two films in 2015. The first, The Livingston Gardner, stars James Kyson the beloved Ando from the NBC television hit series HEROS and the second, 3 Days in Havana starring Ally McBeal alum, Gil Bellows; both films have been released through Samaco Films’ sister company, Synergetic Distribution and have been released via all digital and Video on Demand platforms worldwide.
Horror Equity Fund is one of the companies showcased on Crowdfunder‘s Regulation D platform. It is approved to launch soon on StartEngine, a platform dedicated to showcasing companies that wish to solicit interest from prospective investors in their Tier II Regulation A+ offerings, pursuant to Rule 225. This new regulation allows companies to “test the waters” with prospective investors at an early stage and is possible because of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Regulation A+.