The 2015 DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books, produced by JM Northern Media, has themed the conference "For Mature Audiences Only." They aren't advising on how to create X-rated content, but aiming the forum towards a more seasoned group of musicians, authors and filmmakers who are transitioning away from corporate supported cultural creation models to a more DIY future. Honoring the best of independent content, the 2015 DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books has announced the schedule for its 14th annual event.
"After 13 conferences we noticed that mature artists need somewhat different info than newer creators who have grown up in a more DIY era," said conference managing director Bruce Haring. We are excited to focus on the challenges faced by over-30 content creators in the market."
The DIY Convention kicks off on Friday, March 6 with the DIY Music Festival's annual showcase luncheon for the top music supervisors, publishers and managers in music at Hollywood's Bardot. It is a boutique festival that puts two new artists or bands, along with a well-known headliner in front of a high-powered audience. The annual DIY Music Festival is partners with Hunnypot Unlimited, an independent music publishing/placement company representing the catalogues of Far East Movement, the Dollyrots, A House for Lions, Louis Prima Jr. and more. Past headliners have included Lyrics Born, Steve Wynn, Pat DiNizio, Lisa Loeb and Thomas Dolby.
Also on Friday, March 6 the DIY Film Festival takes place at Silver Lake's Lyric Hyperion Theater & Café and features a cocktail party and screening of the top award winners from the DIY Film Festival annual competition. Past winning films include American Drug War, which appeared on cable's SHOWTIME, and Dolby's The Invisible Lighthouse, which featured a live performance by Dolby at the 2013 event. In addition to the honor and screening, winners will receive Pinnacle Editing Software and the opportunity to have their films distributed gratis by VOD leader Kinonation.
On Saturday, March 7 the DIY Convention offers a free panel schedule featuring noted experts at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel:
12NOON: Not Fade Away: Being Older in a Young Person's Business
2PM: I'll Try to Make It: Social Media and Marketing
4PM: War Stories from the DIY Front
Also on March 7 the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will host the 13th Annual DIY Book Festival East Meets West Awards. The awards consider major publisher, independent publisher and self-published works in the following categories: general non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children's books, young adult, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, business, wild card (anything goes), compilations/anthologies, sequels (for books that are part of a series), photography/art, poetry, romance and regional literature published on or after Jan. 1, 2011.
Tickets for the party portion of the festival are now available for $125 at diyconvention.com/14th-annual-diy-convention. The panels are free and open to the public.
