Southwestern University alumni and Georgetown community members will host The Central Texas Film Conference on the Southwestern campus on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015. The conference features speakers from around the state who work within the various aspects of the film industry and will provide a unique, hands-on experience for future and current filmmakers.

Speakers and panelists will include screenwriter Alvaro Rodriguez (keynote); Andrew Richey ’05, producer of Code Black; Heather Page, Texas Film Commission Director; Meredith Johns, Emmy award nominated makeup artist; and RJ Freitag, a post-production sound mixer who has worked on trailers for The Hunger Games and Django Unchained, among others.

Attendees will have opportunities to learn about screenwriting, auditioning techniques and pitching stories from industry leaders like Bryan Poyser, Karen Hallford and Owen Egerton. In the afternoon, attendees will have an opportunity pitch story ideas and meet the speakers.

Richey, one of the event organizers, says. “This is a very exciting event because it is bringing together established professionals, burgeoning artists, members of the local government and chamber of commerce to discuss how to foster more film in our area.”

Southwestern’s Associate Vice President of University Relations - Alumni and Parents, Megan Frisque, adds that the “event also benefits Southwestern because the film industry is a great example of the liberal arts in a professional context, as multiple scholarship areas (e.g., economics, writing, theater, communications, science) are necessary for success in film.”

The full conference schedule can be found here. Registration opens Sept. 21, 2015.