Overview
Work History
Timeline
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Lynn Hirshfield

Los Angeles,CA

Overview

40
40
years of professional experience

Work History

Head of Strategic Alliances and Publishing

Participant
06.2022 - Current
  • Responsible for leading creative partnerships in support of films, campaigns, corporate brand, and related publications
  • Nurtures existing relationships as well as surfaces new partners
  • Brings potential production financing partners to the table for consideration
  • The Head of Strategic Alliances and Publishing functions as Editor-in-Chief for the publishing imprint, related publications, and educational materials
  • Collaborates with group leads on the creation of campaign strategy to determine the need for campaign fundraising, partnership support and brand integration
  • Creates film and campaign strategy based on title, issue priorities and needs, working from clearly defined campaign/project objectives
  • While these opportunities can often be opportunistic and spontaneous, HSA will provide regular updates of outreach and progress
  • Cultivates and develops leads for opportunities as well as evaluates and redirects incoming inquiries
  • Cultivates interest in production financing and brings opportunities to content strategy and docs
  • Identifies, maintains, and expands partnerships which will add in-kind support, publicity, marketing and/or cash resources to campaigns and creative efforts
  • Serves as Publisher for Participant’s imprint with PublicAffairs Books and the development, production, marketing, and outreach for this line of books or related books
  • Creates strategy for and executes other special projects, as necessary
  • Manages relationships with necessary vendors and partners
  • Manages relationships with the company’s legacy partners and funders
  • Serves as a leader to break down silos and reinforce a collaborative culture

SVP Strategic Alliances

Participant
03.2014 - 06.2022
  • Company Overview: Foremost socially conscious film company behind such dramas as Lincoln, The Help, Contagion, Good Night, and Good Luck, Spotlight, and documentaries such as An Inconvenient Truth, Food Inc., The Cove, and Citizen Four
  • Worked at the nexus of where film, TV, social action, publishing, philanthropy, new media and Hollywood meet
  • Integrally involved with all of PM’s 150+ documentary and narrative films from submission or consideration for development, green-light, or acquisition through theatrical release, DVD, VOD, awards season, and as part of Participant's ongoing legacy library
  • Activated programs including digital content, exclusive previews, college competitions, academic symposia, film festivals, tastemaker screenings, premieres, governmental agency events, and social media outreach
  • Collaborated with filmmakers to support their social cause vision with access to vetted experts, celebrities, VIPs, and NGOs
  • Launched Participant Jr
  • With interactive social action e-book The Magic Beach for younger readers and their parents
  • Continued to manage influencers, partnerships, press opportunities, distributor relations, and celebrity associations that plug into the company’s film, TV, websites, social cause network, and corporate departments and to speak at conferences and events promoting the company’s products and mission
  • Handled oppositional screenings
  • Oversaw all educational materials including Common Core curriculum, discussion guides and educational database
  • Delivered multi-platform, two-year digital content campaign for TEACH
  • Foremost socially conscious film company behind such dramas as Lincoln, The Help, Contagion, Good Night, and Good Luck, Spotlight, and documentaries such as An Inconvenient Truth, Food Inc., The Cove, and Citizen Four

SVP of Publishing

Participant
02.2009 - 03.2014
  • Created the imprint with Perseus/PublicAffairs Books
  • Published 9 film companion books in 4 years, two of which hit NYT #1, and produced film-related apps (Waiting for Superman game), viral videos (Backwards Hamburger, The Meatrix 2.5), monthly newsletters, annual reports, podcasts, blogs, DVD extras, social media, and cause marketing materials

VP Business Development

Participant
01.2007 - 02.2009
  • Structured deals with a host of non-profit foundations, corporate partners, advocacy groups, celebrities, high net worth individuals and media professionals to generate programs with a triple bottom line per founder’s directive all programs must be financially sound, demonstrate measurable results in shifting public opinion, and must be executed in a sustainable manner
  • Integrated strategic marketing initiatives into film social advocacy campaigns to raise awareness, drive box office and inspire mainstream audiences to take action on issues to compel social change
  • Highlights for Waiting for Superman include a national program with Donorschoose.org that helped millions of students in under-served classrooms through a multi-platform, prepaid gift card and an online “pledgemeter” with a $5 million grant from NewSchools.org
  • For Food, Inc
  • Stonyfield Yogurt branded 10 million yogurt caps with the film’s poster art, which could be cashed in for $30 of free organic products provided by a consortium of brands and grocers including Wal-mart and Whole Foods
  • Instituted a program of film pre-screenings for likely oppositional groups and companies for mutually beneficial discussion

Consultant

Participant
09.2005 - 01.2007
  • Oversaw social action campaign and cause marketing for “An Inconvenient Truth.”
  • Galvanized teacher support for nationwide field trips and matched high net worth individuals, corporations and foundations with schools and other communities for group sales and content creation
  • Created newsletter for 108,000 socially conscious K-12 teachers that became the foundation for community outreach on Participant's digital arm takepart.com
  • Notable campaign highlight was the company’s first integrated corporate engagement program (BMW’s giveaway of 750,000 DVDs of An Inconvenient Truth to its car club members with a promotional value of $25 million.)

Consultant

Paramount Studios
09.2005 - 12.2006
  • Consulted simultaneously for Paramount Studios on marketing and outreach for the films “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Arctic Tale.”

Author

Penguin Publishing
02.2005 - 05.2010
  • Author of three award-winning books, Sassafras: True Confessions of a Poodle Princess, Sassafras Goes to Hollywood and Girls Gone Green, which has an active community of 10,000 eco-minded fans on Facebook and Twitter
  • Actress/Activist Hayden Panettiere (Heroes, Nashville) served as celebrity spokesperson for all three books at book readings, awards, and press events

Consultant/Segment Producer

American Inventor/ABC-Freemantle
03.2006 - 12.2006
  • Worked on ABC show “American Inventor” created by Simon Cowell
  • Segment produced, developed tone, and auditioned top venture capitalists, VIP celebrities, and corporate barons to cast as judges for primetime invention competition show

Consultant

Lumina/Entertec/Menache
10.2001 - 02.2006
  • Consulted for a variety of Internet and independent film start-ups and incubators in need of film industry connections and early adoption strategy including Lumina Pictures (Fred Fuchs/Zoetrope), Israeli incubator Entertec, and motion capture tech firm Menache at Sony Imageworks
  • Matched tech talent with Hollywood talent and set up 2 feature film deals (Coyote Blue, The Crook Factory) and set up major conference for film talent, tech start-ups and U.S
  • Army

VP of Business Development

Oediv
08.2000 - 09.2001
  • Responsible for celebrity partnerships, content creation, corporate alliances and web traffic, as well as product marketing, advertising, public relations, promotions, and customer acquisition for “Vidville”, a precursor to www.youtube.com
  • Oversaw short-term and long-term strategic planning; big-picture strategist for cross-sector push of video technology and services start up

VP of Creative Development

Motion International
06.1998 - 02.2000
  • Company Overview: Canadian entertainment company
  • Was responsible for the development of feature films, television series and television movies
  • Helped to establish a permanent, high profile presence in Los Angeles by diversifying slate and creating relationships with both domestic and international partners for co-productions
  • Negotiated options, production and distribution deals, contracted writers, directors, producers and other creative elements, as well as supervising ongoing development of in-house projects
  • Canadian entertainment company

Creative Consultant

Wishbone-PBS
Dallas, TX
02.1997 - 08.1997
  • Served as production executive for award-winning PBS series (Peabody, Humanitas, EMMY, TCA, and other prestigious awards)
  • Hired writers, and worked with production staff to develop shooting drafts of 25 teleplays during 1996-1997 season

VP, Head of Creative Development

Lyrick Studios
06.1996 - 01.1998
  • Oversaw introduction of Texas-based firm to Los Angeles entertainment community and created first slate of feature films, series and movies for television for 'Barney' family entertainment studio
  • Worked closely with merchandising and home video departments on marketing campaigns, ancillary content, video games and book publishing

Story Editor

National Geographic Feature Films
01.1995 - 06.1996
  • Acquired projects for Sony feature development deal; developed projects for Hallmark/ABC Movies for Television
  • Organized and ran Story Department and readers

Story Analyst

Scott Rudin Productions
01.1990 - 01.1995
  • Worked as freelance story analyst for Scott Rudin Productions, Caravan Pictures, Tim Burton Productions, Fox Circle Films, Norman Jewison/Yorktown Productions, Witt-Thomas Films, Reeves Entertainment and David Permut Productions

Story Analyst

Act III Communications
06.1988 - 12.1989
  • Evaluated screenplays and novels for Norman Lear's television and film company (Fried Green Tomatoes, The Princess Bride)

Publicist

KPRC-TV NBC Affiliate
Houston, TX
12.1987 - 06.1988
  • Wrote press releases, coordinated network talent visits, organized premieres and press conferences

Publicist

PBS KUHT-TV
Houston, TX
09.1984 - 11.1987
  • Wrote articles for monthly magazines, press releases, radio spots and served as production coordinator for original series

Timeline

Head of Strategic Alliances and Publishing

Participant
06.2022 - Current

SVP Strategic Alliances

Participant
03.2014 - 06.2022

SVP of Publishing

Participant
02.2009 - 03.2014

VP Business Development

Participant
01.2007 - 02.2009

Consultant/Segment Producer

American Inventor/ABC-Freemantle
03.2006 - 12.2006

Consultant

Participant
09.2005 - 01.2007

Consultant

Paramount Studios
09.2005 - 12.2006

Author

Penguin Publishing
02.2005 - 05.2010

Consultant

Lumina/Entertec/Menache
10.2001 - 02.2006

VP of Business Development

Oediv
08.2000 - 09.2001

VP of Creative Development

Motion International
06.1998 - 02.2000

Creative Consultant

Wishbone-PBS
02.1997 - 08.1997

VP, Head of Creative Development

Lyrick Studios
06.1996 - 01.1998

Story Editor

National Geographic Feature Films
01.1995 - 06.1996

Story Analyst

Scott Rudin Productions
01.1990 - 01.1995

Story Analyst

Act III Communications
06.1988 - 12.1989

Publicist

KPRC-TV NBC Affiliate
12.1987 - 06.1988

Publicist

PBS KUHT-TV
09.1984 - 11.1987

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Lynn Hirshfield