The PROOF Pitch Deck Show & Tell

ABOUT THE EVENT:

The PROOF Pitch Deck Show & Tell event offers filmmakers and creators the exciting opportunity to present their pitch decks and project ideas to a live audience of peers, industry professionals, and potential collaborators. Presenting both feature and series concepts, participants will have 5 minutes to show off their materials. Afterwards, attendees will receive real-time feedback from seasoned filmmakers, producers, and executives, providing invaluable insights to refine their projects and take them to the next stage.

This year’s selected pitches:

“Bee” from Amy Omar & Pinar Binay

Suspecting that her seemingly promiscuous upstairs neighbor might be the cause of her father’s sudden disappearance, a reclusive 10-year-old girl goes on a revenge journey that results in her finding unlikely friends. Set in Istanbul, Turkey in 2015, BEE (“ARI”), written by Melis Aker, is a coming-of-age story that explores femaleness in the face of deep communal prejudice, resentment and rage.

“Cult Like Activity” from Sam Schaefer

Following the dissolution of their cult, two lost twenty-somethings realize they only have one option: start their own.

“It Revolves Around Tycho” from Zoe Milenkovic & Elias Kyriakidis

Prague, 1601; The year leading up to egomaniac astronomer TYCHO BRAHE’S mysterious death, through the eyes of his genius apprentice, JOHANNES KEPLER.

“Lucky Lenny” from Jack Campise

When his estranged daughter reappears, a gay wannabe actor’s big break spirals into a chaotic, bittersweet road trip.

“Paper Tiger” from Don Ahmad

A Pakistani-American drug dealer clashes with new cousins, bumbling best friends, and his divorced parents as he scrambles to save his sister’s wedding.

“Skylight” from Adia Ivey

When a concerned daughter returns to her family farm to help care for her grandmother’s progressing dementia, she learns that Grandma Gloria’s strange tales of aliens, spirits, and a nearby cult’s intentions may be rooted in some truth.

“The Re-Education of Jane Brown” from MK McGehee

Imprisoned in a nightmarish re-education facility for women who have had or aided in abortions, a guarded and grief-hardened young doctor must find a way to escape before she’s stripped of her identity and forcibly impregnated.

“When I Taste Blood” from Caydon LiRocchi, Jahziel Chu & Anoop Chaganty

Trapped in a blood bank with the police outside, two eternal lovers fight to escape as an overnight heist turns into a hostage nightmare. This is Dog Day Afternoon with Vampires.

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Reagan Yorke & Jillian Smith

Filmmakers and Content Creators, S&Q Films

Reagan and Jillian are the creators-turned-directing duo who started the wave of online filmmaking after founding their production company, S&Q Films, reaching an audience of over 300 million impressions while sharing every step of their journey. Just a year after S&Q Films was created, the production company is now known for achieving international success with its past short films, “Weight” (2023) and “Cheers” (2024), which have won numerous festival awards, including Best Annual Female Film. The duo received notable recognition after their short film “Cheers,” (2024) premiered at the Academy Award-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival, connecting the bridge between classical filmmaking and the new digital wave. As the duo shares their journey online, they continue to cultivate a growing film community in a space that other filmmaking professionals haven’t yet tapped, with their upcoming film being set to release early next year.

JUDGES INCLUDE:

Elizabeth Archer

Independent Director/Writer and Treatment Designer

Based in Los Angeles, Elizabeth Archer is a left-of-center director and writer who creates stories rooted in vibrant, stylized worlds and has a funny bone for offbeat, comedic filmmaking. Her cheeky sensibility, visual aesthetic and playful tone breathes life into both her narrative and commercial work. She explores the absurdities of modern life from an emotional palette of both subtle, nuanced performances and hilarious physical comedy. She has directed dozens of comedic short films, sketches and commercials – most notably for Almost Friday TV, Keke Palmer’s KeyTV and her latest short film, “Two Women Make a Lunch Plan,” which premiered at Palm Springs Short Fest (nominated for Best Comedy Short and Best Midnight Short). It has gone on to play at over eleven festivals including Silver Lake Shorts, Bend Film Festival and Salute Your Shorts. During her time in Los Angeles, Elizabeth has worked for companies such as Hello Sunshine, Netflix and most recently, as a treatment designer at PRETTYBIRD. She went freelance in 2021 and has since worked for a number of high-profile directors, producers, showrunners and writers to bring their film and television pitches to life. In addition, she has the experience of designing commercial treatments for a wide range of well-known brands, from innovative giants like Apple to beloved fast-food chains like Wienerschnitzel…and everything in-between. She is currently developing her first feature film and trying to maintain a hobby that’s other than…filmmaking. She’ll let you know when she figures that out.

Jared Elice

Manager, Northstar

Jared Elice is an LA based manager at Northstar, a boutique literary management company founded by Tobin Babst, a former UTA agent. Jared previously worked at UTA for 3 years for two partners and a department head in the Motion Picture Lit department, working with clients like Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Radio Silence, JT Mollner, Damian McCarthy, Greg Mottola and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Laverne McKinnon

Founder, Moonshot Mentor LLC

Every career has plot twists—some thrilling, others gutting. When setbacks like layoffs, stalled dreams or burnout go unacknowledged, they erode confidence, momentum and purpose. Laverne McKinnon helps executives, creatives and entrepreneurs navigate these turning points with clarity and direction. A career strategist, Master Certified Coach (MCC), and grief recovery specialist, she draws on her experience as a producer (Girlboss, Netflix), entertainment executive (CBS, EPIX) and faculty member at Northwestern University. She is the creator of the RISE framework, a process that helps people name what they’ve lost, dismantle shame and create meaningful rituals to release what no longer fits—so they can move forward with strength and purpose. Her clients describe her as a thought partner who brings both strategy and soul. Whether in coaching sessions, group programs or keynotes, she equips audiences with tools and insights to reconnect with their work, their lives and their next chapter.

Constanza Castro

Co-Founder, Director and Producer, 271 Films

Constanza Castro is an award-winning Mexican producer, director and co-founder of 271 Films. She earned her master’s degree from the American Film Institute, and her work has been featured on HBO, Amazon, Mubi, The New Yorker, MTV, BET, Sundance, AFI Fest and Tribeca. Her credits include the Netflix series Taco Chronicles: Cross the Border. In partnership with Lena Waithe, she mentors and co-leads the Indeed Rising Voices Initiative, empowering the next generation of directors. Constanza also oversees 271 Films’ expanding slate in film, television and advertising. She is passionate about stories that push culture forward—provocative, inspiring and entertaining.