## FUND YOUR FILM - Incentives and Insights Workshop for Film and TV Productions

When: 23 Aug 2025 10:00 AM, PDT
Where: Spark Studio Soundstage, 8283 Ronson Rd, San Diego, CA 92111

**EVENT DETAILS:**

# PLEASE SUPPORT THE SAN DIEGO FILM & PRODUCTION COMMUNITY BY ATTENDING THIS IMPORTANT EVENT

**WHEN**: Saturday\, Aug 23 \| 10 AM – 4:30 PM; Doors open 9:30AM
**WHERE**: Spark Studio Soundstage, 8283 Ronson Rd, San Diego, CA
Free parking is available in the lot or on the street

**ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:**
**Unlock Budget Potential Right Here in San Diego**
**Ready to take your production to the next level?** Whether you're a seasoned filmmaker, an up-and-coming producer, or a crew member dreaming bigger, this is your chance to tap into the incentives, tools, and insider knowledge that power major productions.
Join us for a **full-day industry summit** led by the **California Film Commission**, the **San Diego Film Office**, **Panavision**, and **Sony,** designed specifically for San Diego’s film and video production community.
You'll get:

* **Direct access to state and local leaders** who can help you navigate tax credits and funding sources
* **Panel discussions** featuring working producers and crew sharing real-world experiences shooting in San Diego
* An insider look at the **secondary tax credit market**
* Practical tips for **budgeting your next big production**
* A **networking expo** with the vendors and organizations that help bring these projects to life

Whether you’re a director, writer, DP, editor, PA, or grip — incentives impact every role. Productions don’t just land in major hubs like Atlanta or Vancouver by accident. **Production incentives drive those decisions,** and we want San Diego on that list.
Let’s show the industry that **San Diego is ready for more.** Come learn, connect, and ignite your next project.
**HEAR FROM EXPERTS:**

* Leah Medrano, [Deputy Director California Film Commission](https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-m-medrano/)
* Fanshen Cox, [DEIA Initiative Manager California Film Commission](https://www.linkedin.com/in/fanshencox/)
* Aaron Saffa, [Manager, New Filmmaker Program at Panavision](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronsaffa/)
* [MaryAnn Corpuz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcorpuz/) & [Samantha Corn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-corn-88a9852/), Sony
* Guy Langman, [Filming Program Manager- City of San Diego](https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-langman-86265241/)
* Mark Walton, [Location Manager; Lead Project Officer and DoD Coordinator for Top Gun: Maverick](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-walton-30633ab)
* Steve Peace, Executive Producer and Filmmaker
* Rich Varville, [Award-Winning Film Director](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7159404/)
* And many more

Plus, visit our "Media-Con Trade Show" and sign up for giveaways!

And FilmNet will have a table there!!! Feel free to visit us, pass out flyers, spread the word...

**PRICE**: **The workshop is FREE!!!**
**And lunch is only $20 or you can bring your own.**
**Registration WITH lunch: $20**
**Registration WITHOUT lunch: $0**

REGISTER AT: https://sdmediapros.wildapricot.org/event-6263067/Registration

**VENDORS AND SPONSORS** \- Are you interested in being a part of this amazing event and having a table at the trade show? Reach out to [michael.wood@sdmediapros.org](mailto:michael.wood@sdmediapros.org)

**ABOUT SOME OF OUR PRESENTERS:**

**Leah Medrano – Deputy Director**
***California Film Commission***
With 20+ years of State of California public service, Leah’s strategic vision and leadership have significantly contributed to retaining film and television productions in California, along with creation of thousands of creative jobs in the Golden State. Before her tenure at the California Film Commission, Leah had a distinguished blended career in government and entertainment; Leah worked at Fox Television Station, MTV Networks, Fox Sports, and the Los Angeles news group CBS2 and KCAL9.
Leah is a member of Women in Film, Film Independent, and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Leah is also a Board Member for FilAm Arts, a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles since 1992 dedicated to advancing Filipino-American artists and culture bearers, by sharing resources, providing platforms, and building community.

**Fanshen Cox -- DEIA Manager**
***California Film Commission***
Fanshen Cox is the DEIA Manager for the California Film Commission’s Tax Credit Program. She is also the Founder of TruJuLo Productions. Fanshen served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cape Verde, West Africa, and holds a BA in Spanish & Education, an MA in TESOL, and an MFA in TV, Film & Theatre. She has been honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards from CSULA and from Teachers College, Columbia University, and an honorary MFA in producing from New York Film Academy. Fanshen is also a co-author of the Inclusion Rider which was announced at the 2018 Oscar awards by Frances McDormand and the co-creator, producer and host of the Webby nominated podcast Sista Brunch. An award-winning playwright, actor, producer, and educator, she is a highly sought after speaker on narrative for impact, and on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging.

**Guy Langman – Filming Program Manager**
***City of San Diego***
Guy Langman, a Modesto, CA native, retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2013 after 20+ years of service to his country. As a permitting and safety review official with the Coast Guard, Langman was responsible for overseeing filming and special events permits for the coastlines of Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Awarded a 2012 California On Location Award for service to the film industry, Langman has worked extensively with location managers and local communities on large scale projects such as: Dexter, True Blood, Pirates of the Caribbean, X-Men First Class, Inception and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Asked about how he views his role as Filming Program Manager for the City of San Diego, Langman replied, “I have an eye for small details. The work we do with local communities is akin to the structure of a ship. Film supportive communities are the backbone or “keel” of a much larger structure, which is the local entertainment economy.”

**PANAVISION**
*Camera & Optics*
Motion picture equipment company that has been specializing cameras and lenses as a rental company since 1954. From the Super Pantar projection lens to the Ultra Panatar II, Panavison has been helping filmmakers deliver visuals on a completely different level.

**SONY**
*Camera & Optics*
Sony has been supporting the San Diego community since 1972. The first KV-1720 model began to move down the single production line before the eyes of the plant’s 35 employees. Managers wanted to create an atmosphere at the plant that would encourage employees to exchange ideas freely. A system unique to Sony San Diego gradually evolved. In 1974, a CRT factory was built on a connecting lot and comprehensive color TV manufacturing was realized.
The know-how obtained through the San Diego operations was later adopted by plants manufacturing other products, including the speaker plant in Delano, Pennsylvania (opened in 1974); the video cassette tape plant in Dothan, Alabama (opened in 1977); and the audio cassette tape plant in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico (opened in 1979).

REGISTER AT: https://sdmediapros.wildapricot.org/event-6263067/Registration

**Don't miss this incredible workshop from San Diego Media Pros, the California Film Commission, San Diego Film Office, Sony, Panavision and more!**
**Saturday, August 23 at Spark Studio Soundstage**
**Doors open 9:30AM**
**Program starts 10AM**
**Register today and save your seat!**

Karl W

Filmmakers Network (FilmNet) San Diego

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FUND YOUR FILM - Incentives and Insights Workshop for Film and TV Productions

Spark Studio Soundstage

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Filmmakers Network (FilmNet) San Diego

FUND YOUR FILM - Incentives and Insights Workshop for Film and TV Productions

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