Los Angeles, CA

2006-2012

The festival was founded in 2006 by television Producers AJ & Jenny Tesler.

Websites such as YouTube were just beginning to launch and streaming video was not seen as a valid competitor to traditional television networks. 

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Access to the industry was very tightly guarded by a few gatekeepers who kept it closed off to new voices & creators, especially in new formats such as short series and small budget projects.

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During the festival's 7 years in Los Angeles, it began to break down the barriers between the existing industry and a new generation of creators who were independently producing their own narrative content for the first time.

Many discussions at the festival focused on the future of the industry and how the internet and TV would soon be the same thing...

Vermont

2013-2018

By 2012, it was clear that streaming content would become a serious economic challenger to the existing TV network & studio system.

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With the fundamentals of the industry quickly undergoing radical changes, the festival needed to adapt its approach as well.

Philip Gilpin, Jr. took over as the organization's Executive Director in late 2012 and moved the festival from Los Angeles to Vermont.

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Vermont's extremely rural foliage setting allowed creators and executives to escape the busy city lights, relax, and create working relationships focused around storytelling.

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As the industry was opening up to new voices creating their own series, deals began to happen and a core community of thousands of creatives, executives, and industry talent began to work together...

Duluth, MN

2019-

As the festival's global community of creators & executives continues to grow while the industry accelerates its shift away from traditional TV, our organization needs to adapt again - this time relocating to a permanent home with the infrastructure and resources to support not just the annual festival event but also year round productions and educational programming.

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Duluth strikes the perfect balance with both a rural small town vibe and a thriving young arts scene that has the energy & support to grow.

Incredible theatres, historical venues, hotels, restaurants, universities, the support of the state of Minnesota - plus a generational renaissance of arts & culture such as the ballet, symphony orchestra, and film/TV productions make Duluth the perfect year round creative hub for the festival and its worldwide creative community to thrive in for the decades ahead.