Amazing Kids! Gives Amazing Opportunity to Young, Aspiring Producer, Andrew Sibner

By Andrew Sibner, age 14, California

What if you got the chance to observe and learn from the best producers in the industry? With the help of Amazing Kids!, I was given the incredible opportunity! Paired with animation producer, Helen Kalafatic, (best known for her work on Spongebob Squarepants, Maya and Miguel, and more!) we took to the panels of the “Produced by 2009” conference at Sony Pictures Studio. On arrival, Helen and I got our passes and continued to the lecture of our choice; "Who Does What? The Role of The Creative Producer".

We found some seats and listened to the three speaking producers. Lucy Fisher and Dough Wick, being two of the three, are Co-Heads of Red Wagon Entertainment and have produced such films as Memoirs of a Geisha and the Stuart Little films. The third speaker, Kathleen Kennedy, may be best known for her recent works in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. However, she also produced many famous classic movies! E.T., Back To The Future, Jurassic Park, and Schindler's List were all made possible by Ms. Kennedy. You can imagine the stories she has to share! While writing E.T., a film about a friendly alien, they had hit a wall in their creative process. How would NASA react if they discovered a creature from space? The studio had to send Kathleen Kennedy to go ask NASA themselves! Also, the speakers told a story about an action favorite called "The Fugitive". They had started production on the film, before they had an ending to the script! They considered it a miracle that the movie turned out as it did and with so much success!

Helen and I left the auditorium having learned a lot about producing! Helen was surprised by the similarities between live-action producing and animation producing, while I was surprised how last minute the process can be! We had such a great time and really learned a lot! Thank you, Amazing Kids! for making it all possible!