Just Confirmed Panelist Matthew Weiner

AFF is excited to announce Matthew Weiner, the Golden Globe, Peabody, and Emmy Award-winning screenwriter, producer and director is coming to this year's 15th annual Austin Film Festival and Conference! Weiner, the"Mad Men" creator, executive producer and writer, is one of the most talked about writers today!

Matthew Weiner is the series creator and executive producer for the award-winning AMC drama "Mad Men" now entering its second season. In its first season, the series has garnered a Golden Globe® Award for Best Television Drama Series, a Peabody Award, a Writers Guild Award for New Series, an AFI award as one of the top 10 Outstanding Television Programs of 2007, and a Satellite Award for Best Television Ensemble. The series also landed on the top of many TV critics’ end-of-the-year lists as one of the top TV programs of 2007.

Weiner was an executive producer and writer on "The Sopranos", the critically acclaimed drama series on HBO. Along with the other executive producers, "The Sopranos" won the 2004 Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series and garnered Weiner an Emmy® nomination with co-writer Terence Winter for outstanding writing in the episode “Unidentified Black Males.” Weiner earned a 2007 Writers Guild Award (TV) for the series and a 2005 PGA Golden Laurel Award for Television Producer of the Year in Episodic.

Before working on "The Sopranos", Weiner produced various television series, including "The Naked Truth", "Becker", and "Andy Richter Controls the Universe". He also wrote and directed the independent feature, "What Do You Do All Day?"

Born in Los Angeles, Weiner studied Philosophy, Literature, and History at Wesleyan University. He also earned his MFA from the University of Southern California School of Cinema and Television. Weiner currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four sons.

ADDITIONAL AFF PANELISTS:

• Distinguished Screenwriter Awardee: Sam Shepard
• John August (writer/director The Nines, writer Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Go, Big Fish, Titan A.E., Charlie’s Angels and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle)
• Craig Baumgarten, Baumgarten Management
• Shane Black (Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Lethal Weapon 1 & 2)
• David Boxerbaum, APA Agency
• Curtis Burch, Latitude Productions
• Michael Connolly, Mad Hatter Entertainment
• Aadip Desai, Northwest Screenwriters’ Guild
• Andrew Dignan, Your Half Media Group
• Channing Dungey, ABC Studios
• Warren Etheredge, The Warren Report
• Juliana Farrell, Groundswell Productions
• Bob Fisher, Wedding Crashers
• Andrew Form, Platinum Dunes
• Mary John Frank, Paramount Vantage
• Mickey Freiberg, ACME Talent & Literary Agency
• Dan French (“Dennis Miller”, “The Late Late Show”, “The Best Damn Sports Show Period”)
• Brad Fuller, Platinum Dunes
• Matthew Gross, ABC Studios
• John Lee Hancock (writer The Blindside, A Perfect World, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Alamo, director The Alamo, The Rookie)
• Patrick Hegarty- 2007 AFF Latitude Award Winner, videogame writer on Ghostbusters, Eragon and Rataouille
• Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard, The TV Set, Orange County, Zero Effect)
• Chris Keane, screenwriter and author of Romancing the A-List
• Lauren Levy, Miramax
• Chris Mass, Chalk 2006 Austin Film Festival Narrative Feature and Audience Award Winner
• Michael McDonald, ABC Studios
• Brian McGreevy, The Fury -2010
• Jimmy Miller, Slugger - 2007 AFF Adult Family Winner
• Rachel Miller, Tom Sawyer Productions
• Jeff Nathanson (story credit - Indiana Jones 4, New York, I Love You, Rush Hour (2& 3), The Terminal, Catch Me if You Can, Speed 2, and writer/director of The Last Shot)
• Gayla Nethercott, Don Buchwald and Associates, Inc
• Susan O’Connor, videogame writer (Gears of War and Bioshock)
• Dan Petrie Jr. (Beverly Hills Cop, The Big Easy, Shoot to Kill, Turner & Hooch, Toy Soldiers)
• Steven Puri, Kurtzman/ Orci Productions
• PJ Raval (filmmaker/cinematographer The Cassidy Kids, Gretchen, Wake, Lead Role: Father, Trouble the Water, Trinidad, The Two Bobs)
• Eric Red (100 Feet, The Hitcher, Near Dark)
• Scott Richter, 2007 Austin Film Festival Drama Teleplay Winner
• Phil Rosenthal- Everybody Loves Raymond, Coach, Man in the Family, A Family For Joe)
• Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Dead Man’s chest, The Curse of the Black Pearl, Déjà vu, Shrek, The Mask of Zorro, Aladdin)
• Andrew Shea, Filmmaker (The Corndog Man, Santa Fe), Associate Professor UT Radio-Television-Film Department
• Chuck Sklar (Everybody Hates Chris, The Chris Rock Show)
• Alex Smith, Creative Director UTFI (writer/director The Slaughter Ruler, Son of the Gun)
• Andrew Smith
• Kirsten Smith (The House Bunny, She's the Man, Ella Enchanted, Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You)
• Yaphet Smith, Screenwriter
• Bob Soderstrom, screenwriter, 2002 AFF Screenplay Competition Winner
• Shana Stern, screenwriter
• Keith Sweitzer, Fort Hill Productions/Warner Brothers Studios
• Robert Townsend (Phantom Punch (2008), Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy (2008), Black Listed, The Meteor Man, The Five Heartbeats,Hollywood Shuffle)
• Mark Vahradian, Di Bonaventura Pictures
• Herschel Weingrod (Trading Places, Kindergarten Cop, Twins)
• Karl Williams (Punctured, 2005 AFF Comedy Winner and Sci-Fi Winner, Super Ego, 2005 Burnt Orange Winner)