Film Financing for Indie Creators featuring Chiquita Banks, Esq., and the hosts of Bitch Talk Podcast
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 @ 5:30 pm PST / 8:40 pm EST
The podcasting team of Bitch Talk Podcast will chat with Chiquita Banks about her life, how she landed in the film and tv industry, why it was important for her to take a leap and leave a company like Disney for a smaller, more nimble one, what indie filmmakers need to focus on beyond the creative, and what projects she's currently excited about. We're sure the conversation will get a little spicy when we talk about the reality of BIPOC voices in the industry and how urgent it is that we keep pushing for the stories we want to see and tell.
Recording coming soon!
Our Featured Creators
Chiquita Banks, Esq., President of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA)
Chiquita is a jack of all trades so she wears multiple hats including (i) guiding the production incentive Advisory & Administration Team with a specific focus on international jurisdictions, (ii) finding new Storytellers to help fund their projects, and (iii) connecting Film/TV projects (whether big studio or indie projects) with our brokerage arm for the sale of multi-state incentives.
Born and raised in Chicago with its thriving production community, Chiquita always loved the power that is storytelling but she doesn't have a creative bone in her body (most attorneys don't!). So when she went away to Florida A&M University (FAMU), it was a no-brainer that she was destined for business school and specifically accounting/finance. After graduation, Chiquita took her MBA and ran off to Ernst & Young as a Tax Consultant. But since she’s a glutton for punishment, she decided to increase her debt-to-income ratio and decided to attend law school at Georgia State University College of Law. BEST. DECISION. EVER.
Chiquita graduated law school in 2009 in the same year that Georgia overhauled its Film Tax Credit and the State quickly became thee destination for new Film/TV projects. Being on the ground in those early days at Bennett Thrasher LLP, Chiquita was able to build her client base to include household names such as Warner Bros., Viacom/BET, CBS, Disney, Fox, AMC and other large independent production companies. Because of her focus on client service and dedication to getting the job done, she was hired as in-house Tax Counsel at Viacom in New York and eventually moved to Disney/Fox in Los Angeles.
Recently joining TPC has allowed Chiquita the chance to leverage upon her vast rolodex (#TBT) to offer our world class services to today's content creators and to share her passion for tax with the world.
Angela Tabora (left) and Erin Lim (right), hosts of Bitch Talk Podcast
Bitch Talk is a podcast that boldly highlights the ongoing need for BIPOC women representation in media, film, and the arts. The show features thoughtful and fun interviews of marginalized and indie voices working as performers, comedians, independent filmmakers, and activists. Bitch Talk co-hosts Erin Lim and Ange Tabora engage the audience through witty banter and unfiltered honesty.
Erin Lim was born on the Peninsula and raised in the East Bay, Erin has lived in San Francisco for a while and has worked in the film, sports, hospitality, television, arts, and radio industries her entire working life. Recently laid off from her job, Erin is thinking about working on writing her first “tight five” stand-up comedy, getting fit because THE PANDEMIC, and finally finishing her first documentary she and her podcast partner, Ange, started in 2013 - The Nomadic Family Project.
Angela Tabora is the co-host of the Bitch Talk Podcast. Ange has worked in post-production for several production companies in the Bay Area. Most recently, she managed political campaigns in Oakland and San Francisco. She is a documentary filmmaker and a world traveler. When not working on her personal projects (and sometimes during), she enjoys a glass of whiskey and a game of pool.