COLUMBIA, SC — The South Carolina Film Commission has announced a new production entrepreneurship program for South Carolina producers. Named LONG LENS, the production cohort consists of in-state film and TV projects in pre-production stages as they prepare to launch, shoot, and release their products.

The six-month program kicked off in November.

“This is a mechanism to help further activate the entrepreneurial drive and resources within the state’s exceptional production community,” said Matt Storm, Director of the South Carolina Film Commission. “These are producers and filmmakers with track records of creating quality content, and the cohort will allow them to work together as they drive forward, feeding off of each other’s energy, ideas, and determination.”

A key part of the program is access to Advisors from areas vital to successful manufacturing and distribution, laying groundwork for a financially viable in-state development and production industry within the $700B global film and television market. Producers, Directors, Advisors, and Staff will co-operate, inspire, and assist in each project, developing relationships and collaborations within overlapping circles.

The projects all plan to shoot in South Carolina, enabling them to leverage existing South Carolina motion picture incentives. The state’s incentive program is one of the most robust in the nation, with 20-25% cash rebates on wages and 25-30% on supplies for in-state spends at a minimum of $1M, and a new 25% cash rebate for sub-$1M in-state projects produced by locals.

Contact Producer Gillian Rose for more information at 914-774-1323 or gillian.rose08@gmail.com.

The LONG LENS Projects are:

ALL THE NAMES WE BURIED (Independent Feature/Thriller)
Two strangers wrestle with a decision in the aftermath of a deadly car accident. As they try to bury their secret, the truth comes to the surface. 
Bad Theology Pictures
Writer/Director: Thomas Torrey (Fort Mill)
Producer: Matt Wyns (Fort Mill)
Producer: Noah Lang

BOUND (Independent Feature/YA Thriller)
A celebrated high school athlete’s championship victory takes a dark turn when a mysterious message lures him to a desolate lake house, forcing him to confront a deadly secret tied to his past.
Perry Moore & Out-Barnz Entertainment
Co-Writer/Producer: Stephanie Perry Moore (Columbia)
Director/Producer: Dr. Brandon Glover (Columbia)

HI-5 (Independent Animated Film/Family Feature)
As Principal Rex’s talent-stealing machine threatens his school, reluctant teen fox Zeke is pulled into the Eworld, a musical world forged from pure emotion, where he reunites with his long-missing father and confronts the deepest wounds standing between them and forgiveness in a race to stop Rex from silencing every voice they love.
Moondog Animation Studio
Producer: Ben Davis (Charleston)
Director: Kyle Roberts
Moondog Head of Production: JM Khayat (Charleston)

MANIAC RIDGE (Episodic/Dark Comedy)
Best Selling crime author, Joyce Evans, has been hailed as “The Female Stephen King.” Her record-breaking MANIAC RIDGE book series has made her the pride of Charleston, and famous world-wide. What’s the secret to her books murderous success? She does all her own killing.
The Ministry Filmworks
Writer/Producer: Maximiliano Hernandez (Charleston)

NO WAVE (Independent Feature/Drama)
Inspired by a true story in the racially charged South of the 1950s, a charismatic Chinese-American traveling salesman and a crusading African-American school teacher dare to fall in love, profoundly disrupting their families and societal norms.
Salt Run Entertainment
Writer/Director: Charles Randolph-Wright (Spartanburg)
Studio Operations Coordinator, Salt Run Entertainment: Martin Wilkins (Spartanburg)

SO LONG FAREWELL (Independent Feature/Screwball Musical Comedy)
Struggling middle-aged brother and sister have ten days to produce their deceased father’s autobiographical musical — in the hometown they left long ago, with people they left behind — or lose their life-saving inheritance.
Studio15
Producer: Emily Reach White (Greenville)
Writer/Director: Chris White (Greenville)

THE BRANCH MANAGER (Independent Feature/Sci-fi Thriller)
A bright teen finds himself caught in a bloody heist that fractures more than just the trust of the crew. What he finds inside the vault makes him question his reality, his past and whether he ever had a choice.
19 Pictures
Producer: Kale Murphy (Charleston)
Writer/Director: Bruce Branit

The cohort is rounded out by highly-experienced industry Advisors. These experts from specific areas will consult with each project to provide advice and suggested strategies, plans, contacts, and other resources. The Advisors are:

CAPITAL/FINANCING STRATEGIES:
Michael Quiqley
Michael Quigley is the Co-Founder/CEO of QVH Media, a film production and distribution company in Atlanta. For more than 15 years he worked for Turner Broadcasting, Warner Media, and Warner Bros. Discovery, most recently as Executive VP of Content Acquisition and Strategy. He received his MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and bachelors from Rice University. Under his leadership, HBO Max’s 2022 film offering included more Oscar nominees than any other streaming service, including Belfast, Drive My Car, Dune, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Nightmare Alley, and West Side Story, as well as The French Dispatch, Judas and the Black Messiah, In the Heights, and Last Night in Soho.

Don Mandrik
Don is a Partner at Hall Booth Smith, where he co-chairs the firm’s entertainment practice group. He brings a unique combination of legal, financial, and content production experience to his role, advising clients across film, television, digital media, and branded content. Don most recently served as Managing Director of the media division at Bay Point Advisors, an Atlanta-based private equity firm. In this role, he oversaw the firm’s media investment strategy and financing efforts, working with studios and production companies on content financing and monetization opportunities.

DISTRIBUTION:
Mark Rodriquez
Mark is the Head of Global Distribution at Relativity Media, an independent entertainment studio focused on acquiring and distributing commercial films and series across all platforms.  He assumes this role after successfully consulting on the company's relaunch strategy.  With 16+ years of expertise in TV and film licensing, he has a proven track record of closing high-value IP negotiations for major studios across SVOD, AVOD, FAST, and linear.  With experience as both a seller and buyer, Mark has held key leadership positions at Sony Pictures Entertainment, eOne, and Paramount Global.

MARKETING/COMMUNICATIONS:
Liza Burnett Fefferman
Most recently, Liza Burnett Fefferman was EVP and Head of Communications for Paramount's SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios where she reported to Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO. In this role, Fefferman steered all aspects of the function including corporate, strategy, crisis, media relations, awards, social impact, thought leadership, internal, programming and consumer insights for the portfolio. 

As a result of her prior experience working in film (The Weinstein Company, RADiUS/The Weinstein Company and Samuel Goldwyn Films), McCarthy also charged her with launching MTV Documentary Films,   a specialty label she founded and ran that partnered with high profile filmmakers to produce impactful and timely stories, earning critical acclaim and prestigious accolades. In six years, the label garnered seven Oscar ® -nominations, made fifteen Oscar Shortlists, won two Peabody® Awards, four Emmys® and received 12 Emmy nominations. Titles include: Black Box Diaries, I Am Ready, Warden, The Eternal Memory, The ABCs of Book Banning, Ascension, Last Flight Home and many more. MTV Documentary Films debuted with the Oscar nominated short St. Louis Superman, followed by 76 Days.

LEGAL:
Ranfi Rivera
Ranfi is a long-time entertainment attorney working with major studios and projects. As Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs at Paramount Global, he supported series development, production and live events including NFL Slimetime and the Kids' Choice Awards franchises.  A trusted advisor for both his clients and senior leadership, he was able to influence the company’s stakeholders and help implement best practices and improved processes by leveraging his industry experience and technical prowess. He is a graduate of the Fordham University School of Law and received his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from New York University. 

Prior to joining Paramount, Ranfi served as Deputy General Counsel at WNET, PBS' flagship station (American Masters, Great Performances, Nature, etc.) , where he was responsible for the management of the legal and business affairs department with oversight of the company’s production and distribution related activities and has worked on projects that have earned Emmys, a Grammy, Peabody Awards and other television and film honors. Ranfi is a member of the New York State Bar Association: Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section, has spoken on many panels on a wide variety of issues in the entertainment industry, and was nominated for a New York Emmy award. 

GENERAL ADVISORS:
Josh Foster
Joshua Foster, native of Spartanburg, SC, is a writer/director/producer who works as an executive for Cinetic Media in the company’s film finance and production department. He is the executive producer and/or producer, co-producer on the feature films Blue Moon from Richard Linklater, Old Dads from Bill Burr, Little Rootie Tootie from Dan Algrant, and Nothing But Net from Billy Raftery.

Jeff Howard
Jeff is an actor, writer, and producer from Charleston, SC. He and his writing partner BJ Bales have written movies for companies like Spyglass and Artists Road and have partnered with Counterbalance and Sony Studios on projects currently in development. As co-owner of Big Smits Entertainment, Jeff has pitched to major networks and studios, built relationships with top industry professionals, and completed physical production of their feature comedy Suburban Psycho in the Charleston area over summer 2025.