COLUMBIA, SC — The South Carolina Film Commission and Trident Technical College have announced a new entrepreneurship program for in-state producers and filmmakers. Named LONG LENS, it’s a production cohort consisting of South Carolina 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 professional production community,” said Matt Storm, Director of the South Carolina Film Commission. “The Project Teams come into it with initiative and experience, and the cohort will allow them to work together to move forward, feeding off each other’s energy, ideas, and determination.”

The program will also provide access to Advisors who are experts in areas key to successful manufacturing and distribution, laying groundwork for a financially viable in-state development and production industry within the $300B video market. It will function as a meeting of the minds between Producers, Directors, Advisors, and Staff who will advise, inspire, and assist each other, developing relationships and collaborations within overlapping circles.

The Projects all plan to shoot in South Carolina. They will be able to leverage existing South Carolina motion picture incentives as they capitalize, as additional small business support. The state’s incentive program is one of the most effective in the nation, with 20% cash rebates on wages and 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 Facilitator 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)
Sara and her son Titus face challenges after the disappearance of Titus's father, Shawn. Titus uncovers a plot at school involving stolen musical talents and discovers a portal to the treacherous and exotic “Eworld” during an audition. Will Titus and Shawn survive the journey through the Eworld, reconcile their relationship, and confront Principal Rex, who exploits this power?
Moondog Animation Studio
Producer: Ben Davis (Charleston)
JM Khayat, Head of Production (Charleston)

MANIAC RIDGE (Episodic/Dark Comedy)
Hailed as "The Female Stephen King" by writers and critics alike, Joyce Evans and her record-breaking MANIAC RIDGE book series have made her the pride of Charleston. Once a secretary barely making ends meet, she is now part of the city's wealthy connected elite. In ten years she has written eleven books. Each more popular than the last. Each more sinister. Each more detailed. Her secret: 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 the Turner Networks and Warner Media, 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 for Relativity Media, an independent entertainment studio focused on acquiring and distributing commercial films 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 every platform, including 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.  He is noted for his innovative approach to content monetization, including the integration of AI into sales workflows.  His previous consulting engagements include work for Fox Entertainment Global, the CW Network/OTT, and Dynamic Television.

MARKETING:
Liza Burnett Fefferman
Most recently, Liza 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 and Sam Goldwyn films), McCarthy also charged her with launching and overseeing MTV Documentary Films, a specialty label she founded and ran that has partnered with high profile filmmakers to produce impactful and timely stories, earning critical acclaim and prestigious accolades. In five years the label garnered seven Oscar-nominations, made fifteen Oscar Shortlists, won two Peabody® Awards, four Emmys and received 12 Emmy nominations.  

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.