Betsy Steinberg, Executive Director of Kartemquin Films, visited the Columbia College Chicago campus to speak with students in the Business of Film and TV class on March 30th. She was able to serve as a expert resource on Chicago film making while giving advice to students aspiring to be active in the industry.

The main points of her talk included the importance of networking to success in the film industry and stressing that incentives matter. Not only is networking heavily reliant on who you know, but your reputation as well. Also, she discussed her instrumental role in getting the Illinois film tax credit in place. This initiative contributed to increased jobs for Chicago filmmakers.

As a result of Betsy’s guest lecture, students were able to understand the multiple roles behind-the-scenes that create a thriving industry and possible career opportunities. Betsy points out that her success is centered around always being open-minded, never being afraid to just “fetch coffee”, and being passionate about what she believes in.

The Business of Film and TV class is taught by faculty member Jason Stephens. This course studies how the movie business works in today’s ever-changing marketplace, concentrating equally on mainstream Hollywood films as well as smaller independent films made outside the studio system.