FootageFest '20 Announces Lineup for Next Week's Online Conference

By popular demand, FootageFest returns this Monday for a week of free webinars, covering such compelling subjects as Fair Use, as well as the challenges of acquiring news, archival and user-generated content.  

This year's weeklong conference is being produced with the help of FootageFest's sister associations, FOCAL International, AMCUP, VRSC and ARA, the latter making its FootageFest debut.  Debuting in Los Angeles in 2018, FootageFest is an annual conference dedicated to the acquiring, licensing and archiving of third-party content, as well as celebrating its repurposing.  This year's partners --  AMCUP, FOCAL International, VRSC and the newly-formed ARA -- will all moderate and produce at least one event.  

FootageFest ’20 takes place the week of October 19th, and each day’s webinars will begin at 9 am PST and 5 pm London time – in order to attract attendees from both continents.

The Association of Media Content Users and Providers (AMCUP) will present a webinar on acquiring political news content, as well as an international fair use panel, the latter to be moderated by former Hulu Attorney Heather Bennett, Esq.  The panel will include copyright attorneys from around the world.

“FootageFest offers an amazing opportunity to meet colleagues from all over the world,” says Bennett, who serves on AMCUP’s board of directors, and has produced nearly a half-dozen standing-room-only legal panels for FootageFest and AMCUP.  Bennett adds that with so many members working remotely, their online conference is expecting a record turnout.    

AMCUP’s second webinar will be about acquiring political content, specifically famous campaign moments caught-on-tape, whether they be historically dramatic or just comedic. Titled “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail,” it will be moderated by Rich Remsberg, respected archive producer for Netflix’s four-part Bobby Kennedy for President, among his many credits. Remsberg will be joined by Getty Images’s Eric Simon and Fox Archive’s Brian Sargent. 

The Visual Researchers Society of Canada (VRSC) will present a viral video webinar, discussing the challenges of using UGC content, as well as the pros and cons in licensing from viral video agencies. The panel will be moderated by the VRSC’s Laura Blanet, and will feature Catch & Release Research Specialist Kate Lingley, as well as clip licensing vets Mike Wallis (Weather Channel) and Lale Arpaci, who is currently directing and producing YouTube Mega-Personality "MrBeast".

FOCAL International’s Mary Egan will be discussing the ins and outs of clearing U.K. content, specifically negotiating re-use fees with unions and guilds, as well as dealing with estates. The webinar will feature Helen Hogan from P.A.C.T., as well as UK-based Archive Producers Mark Tinkler and Paul Gardener. 

While AMCUP, FOCAL and VRSC have all co-sponsored previous conferences, the newly-formed Archival Researchers Association will be making their FootageFest debut.  ARA launched less than a year ago, and includes military and university researchers, as well as genealogists. 

“We are very excited to partner with ARA,” says Steve Kozak, who co-founded FootageFest with Lola Clips Proprietor Dominic Dare.  Kozak, who along with Dare founded AMCUP, calls ARA an association of  “real researchers who do real research,” also adding that AMCUP and ARA will be making a formal announcement at Monday’s launch event regarding the future of their organizations.  

ARA’s Steve Green will be moderating a panel on working with the National Archives, featuring Remsberg, as well as Historical Researchers Bonnie Rowan and Myra Miller.   

There is no formal cost to participate in this year’s FootageFest, however you must sign up for each panel you want to attend.  Please go to the schedule link at the FootageFest website and signup at the REGISTER HERE link located at the description text of each panel. 

See you at FootageFest ’20!