July 17 12:00PM-1:30PM PST
WIF Seattle’s Community Partner, Women in Film San Francisco Bay Area, presents Self-Distributing Independent Films, on ZOOM: a candid conversation with filmmakers, producers, and distribution experts who have successfully navigated multiple paths to market. Panelists share real-world insights from international sales and acquisitions, wide independent theatrical release, festival-driven distribution, streamer licensing, grassroots audience-building, and event-based release strategies. The conversation will demystify the distribution landscape and give filmmakers a clearer understanding of how to evaluate options, prepare projects for the marketplace, and build a release strategy that aligns with their film’s audience, goals, budget, and long-term potential. Whether you are preparing for festivals, seeking a sales agent, considering self-distribution, building an impact campaign, or simply trying to understand what happens after your film is finished, join the conversation to get practical distribution guidance from people who have been there.
Ticket Link: https://www.wifsfba.org/ WIF Members/Film Community receive $15 discounted tickets Use the CODE: CPMJULY when registering
About the panel:
Mark Padilla is a seasoned film executive with over 20 years of experience in the independent film and TV industry. As President of Worldwide Sales and Acquisitions at Jackrabbit Media, he oversees global sales, acquisitions, and distribution of the Jackrabbit lineup. He executive produced Ghosts of Red Ridge, Lookout, Christmas in Mistletoe, and most recently Bloom. Padilla’s background features senior roles at DDI, Myriad Pictures, Essential Entertainment, and Arclight Films, contributing to the films The Doorman, The Virtuoso, MS. Meadows and Defiance. In addition to his industry work, Mark teaches courses on film marketing, distribution, and acquisitions at UCLA Extension and the Seattle Film Institute. A frequent speaker and panelist for organizations like IFTA and New Filmmakers Los Angeles, he is a respected authority on international film distribution and the global independent film market.
Sean Harris Oliver is a Canadian writer and producer working across film, television, and theatre. He screen-wrote and produced the supernatural thriller Hunting Matthew Nichols, a mystery inspired by real events on Vancouver Island, delivered through a wide theatrical rollout on over 900 screens across North America. His stage play The Fighting Season was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for English-language drama and later developed for television. Sean is deeply involved in the business of filmmaking with a hands-on approach to raising and structuring financing, navigating tax credits, building investor relationships, and designing marketing and distribution strategies for independent projects. He believes today’s filmmakers must be both artists and entrepreneurs, and his career reflects that hybrid model. Sean is passionate about getting independent movies seen.
Katherine Dudas is an award-winning director and screenwriter whose work has drawn acclaim on the festival circuit and beyond. Her debut feature Juniper (2022), made on a shoestring budget, was acquired by STX Entertainment and licensed to Showtime and Tubi. Her second feature, Comedy-Horror Theater is Dead (2025), premiered to sold-out audiences at Fantastic Fest, and received rave reviews from Filmhounds UK and Dread Central. It went on to win Outstanding Horror Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival, the Audience Award at Nevermore Film Festival, and the Top Feature Award at Another Hole in the Head Film Festival.
Julie Rubio is an award-winning film director, producer, writer, actor bringing to light narratives that are often overlooked. She is the founder of East Meets West Productions and President of Women in Film San Francisco Bay Area (WIFSFBA). Her producing credits include the critically acclaimed East Side Sushi, the story of a single Latina mother pursuing a better life, which received 16 festival awards and nominations for Cinema Tropical’s 2016 Best Latino Film of the Year and Mexico’s Diosa de Plata Award for Best Picture. It is distributed through Samuel Goldwyn Company, Sony Home Entertainment, HBO North America, and Netflix. Rubio’s work includes writing, directing, and producing Too Perfect, Six Sex Scenes and a Murder, Soledad Is Gone Forever, Oakland B Mine, Del Cielo, Everything Is Temporary, and Impression. Her projects have screened at Mill Valley Film Festival, Cinequest, Miami International Film Festival, Napa Valley Film Festival, CAAMFest, San Francisco Latino Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Festival, and the World Film Festival of Bangkok, and reached audiences through Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Apple TV. Most recently, Rubio directed, wrote, and produced the feature documentary The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival, a deeply researched 96-minute documentary exploring the life and legacy of artist Tamara de Lempicka. Rubio continues to connect audiences across Jewish, Polish, Art Deco, fashion, and LGBTQ+ communities through themes of survival, exile, reinvention, artistic courage, and unapologetic self-expression.
Blake Wellen is a distinguished film producer based in Orinda, California. Since joining East Meets West Productions, LLC. in 2007, Blake has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s creative and commercial success. With a focus on feature films, narrative shorts, and short-form documentaries, he helped position the company as a respected force in independent cinema both domestically and internationally. Blake was on the production team of the multi-award-winning feature East Side Sushi, a breakout success acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Company, Sony Home Entertainment, HBO North America, and Netflix. In 2019, East Side Sushi was named one of the Top 20 Bay Area Films of the Decade by the Mercury News. Blake has spearheaded national and global distribution initiatives for the company’s recent projects and secured widespread distribution for The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival, forging partnerships with prestigious film festivals, museums, and cultural institutions around the world. Blake’s strategic vision and dedication to stories that bridge cultures and communities continues to elevate East Meets West Productions as a leader in culturally resonant independent filmmaking.