The Film Collaborative

Orly Ravid, founder and co-executive director

Orly is committed to helping artistically and intellectually rigorous and important films reach their respective audiences via a financial model that is sustainable for filmmakers.

At TFC, Orly works primarily on distribution, sales/licensing and contract/negotiation services with a focus on new media digital distribution. She also handles theatrical releases. A “big picture” thinker, Orly created TFC in response to a dominant and overarching structure that favors middlemen, not filmmakers. Her intense diligence in protecting filmmakers’ rights and revenues is equally matched by her passion for art film and socio/political issue-focused documentaries.

Previously Orly was a programming consultant at Palm Springs International and a Programming Associate for documentaries at Sundance. Other past affiliations include Senator Entertainment (VP Acquisitions and Distribution); Wolfe Releasing (Director: Acquisitions, Theatrical, Non-Theatrical, Business Affairs and Digital Distribution); Ravid Film Consulting (Distribution and Marketing for filmmakers and distributors); Maxmedia (Development); Picture This! Entertainment (Acquisitions, Distribution and Sales); and Outfest (Board of Directors and Associate Programmer). Orly is also presently Co-President of marketing services agency, New American Vision. A regular panelist and blogger about new media and distribution in general, Orly regularly contributes to indieWIRE, Ted Hope’s blog “Truly Free Film,” and Sundance’s Artists Services.

Jeffrey Fabian Winter, co-executive director

Jeffrey is drawn to The Film Collaborative and the act of championing independent film because of his love for the process by which good movies can effect positive change in our world today.

Jeffrey's areas of specialty include niche distribution, niche marketing, and festival/non-theatrical/ special events distribution. Representative career highlights include five years managing strategic investments and U.S. sales/acquisitions for the largest media conglomerate in Spain (under the banners Maxmedia, Sogepaq, Sogetel, and Sogecine); several years handling grassroots marketing for L.A.'s two largest film festivals (the Los Angeles Film Festival and AFI FEST); a long tenure handling non-theatrical/festival/educational screenings for Wolfe Releasing (the world's largest catalogue of LGBT films); and 11 years as a panel programmer/programming consultant for the Sundance Film Festival's Digital Center (now called New Frontier on Main).

Jeffrey is also the former principal of the San Francisco-based film/video production company Please Louise Productions, where he directed and produced commercial video for numerous companies including Microsoft, Lucas Films, and the California Bar Association; and created/produced the 38-part documentary series FLIQ VIDEO, in association with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and The United Way.

If "the medium is the message," Jeffrey's goal is to make sure the message gets heard.

David Averbach, creative director

David is passionate about communicating ideas, whether they are textual, informational, or graphical.

In addition to handling all internal design work for the company, David excels at translating marketing objectives into creative and workflow strategies. With over 15 years of experience in graphic marketing, graphic design, database design and web design, David's skill set combines a strong sense of visual design with a knack for problem-solving.

David holds a PhD in Japanese literature and film from the University of California, Berkeley, and his knowledge of film and understanding of how people absorb new information make him a valuable part of any project, whether it be extending existing branding/campaigns or creating new ones. He works with filmmakers, festivals and distributors on key art, posters, print ads, web sites, databases, social networking, electronic marketing, and, most recently, iPhone Apps.

David has taught Japanese film at Berkeley and at the University of Washington in Seattle and continues to teach occasionally.

Cherie Song, legal counsel

Cherie brings her passion for artists’ rights and the law to the Film Collaborative. She is an experienced transactional attorney who counsels filmmakers and producers in the development, production and distribution of indie films, including award-winning and official selections from Cannes, Berlinale, Sundance, SXSW, Toronto, Frameline and Outfest, as well as television and digital content. She has also advised corporate and real estate clients in transactional matters, including the largest wireless telecommunications provider in the U.S., an institutional real estate investment company with $4 billion in assets, Fortune 500 companies and high net worth individuals. Cherie received her law degree from Northwestern University and her B.A. in English Literature, cum laude, from Columbia College, Columbia University. She has been recognized as a Southern California “Rising Star” by Law & Politics Magazine for 2009 and 2010.

In addition to being on TFC’s Advisory Board, Cherie is a member of the Board of Directors of Outfest. Cherie is available for direct consultation with filmmakers.