What's the BuZZ?

Brandon Miller - Filmmaker, Charity Films

We first met Brandon Miller last October. After graduating from college with a degree in filmmaking, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of creating films. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out as he expected and he found himself homeless. Rather than give up, he fought back - by making a documentary "Homeless in Los Angeles." This autobiographical work chronicles what it's like to be homeless. But the story doesn't end there. This week, we check back with Brandon to see how he's doing -- and whether he has a home yet, for either his film or himself. This is one story you won't want to miss -- the story of Charity Films!

The BuZZ Beat

Looking Back at 2009

Over this last year, we've built a team of experts that regularly contribute to the Buzz. This week, we've gathered them together to share their insights on the key highlights from 2009.

Jessica Sitomer, Founder, The Greenlight Coach, starts off with a look back at the employment picture for 2009. It isn't all bleak -- and, in fact, for those companies and individuals that attacked the economic challenges there were a number of highlights. Discover the secret to success in economic bad times.

Jonathan Handel, Of Counsel at TroyGould in Los Angeles, is an attorney specializing in entertainment and technology. We heard from him a lot this year during the protracted in-fighting at the Screen Actors Guild. But there was much more going on than just one guild... For instance the ground-breaking purchase of NBC by Comcast. Is this a break-through moment in time or just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic? Jonathan has some very intriguing opinions.

The BuZZ Looks Back - Part 2 - Bruce Nazarian and Philip Hodgetts

Continuing our look back at 2009, we visit next with Bruce Nazarian, The Digital Guy. Probably no one has worked harder to make the latest Blu-ray Disc technology available and affordable to independent producers than Bruce. It has been a year of success - but the format is still struggling. This week, we take a look back with Bruce to summarize the key points of 2009.

Philip Hodgetts, CEO, Intelligent Assistance, is up next with a look back at the key technology highlights of the year. We have turned to Phillip many times this last year to explain the latest announcements. This week, we want to talk with him about which ones were really significant.

Jackie Lee - Director of Sales, Company 3

Company 3 calls itself "independent film friendly," by offering high-end post-production services for feature film, commercials, music video, and entertainment television. (Well, that list certainly covers just about everything...) This week, we talk with Jackie Lee, VP of Feature Sales for Ascent Media, to discuss the role a post-production company serves in this era of eroding budgets, shorter deadlines, and the sense that "one person needs to do it all."

Looking Back at 2009 - Part 3

Michael Horton, head-cutter of the Final Cut Pro User Group in Los Angeles, steps away from his role as co-host of our show to look back at 2009. As he has said many times, we would not be in this industry if we wanted to work a 9-to-5 job. What's his take on 2009? Why did some of us do better than others? And what can we do to make things better next year?

NOTE: For those of you joining us in the Live Chat, tonight's show is pre-recorded so we can enjoy the holiday with our families.

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