Samantha Shaw

Current assistant to a PYE partner in the motion picture lit department. Former assistant to a manager in youth talent. Responsibilities include development notes for clients, coverage, tracking studio projects and submissions, heavy phones, heavy scheduling, expenses, film festival coverage, etc.

Part-time executive assistant to CEO Michael Connolly. Responsibilities included drafting press releases, coverage, rolling calls, scheduling, and providing creative notes on projects in development.

• Reel Pulse: Was the manager of this weekly film tracker measuring the success of marketing campaigns and the momentum of films opening on 1,000+ screens.
• International Research: Managed international greenlight studies and marketing projects for Universal Pictures and Dolby Technologies in nearly a dozen overseas markets.
• Competitive Trailer Testing: Helped studios shift opening release dates to ensure effective counter-programming or to avoid significant competition on a film’s scheduled weekend.
• Focus Groups: Conducted dozens of focus groups to test the brand health of major film franchises like Planet of the Apes, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and more.
• Box Office Predictions: Used market research to predict opening box office grosses within 15% of actual B.O. for films like Godzilla, The Fault in Our Stars, 22 Jump Street, Tammy, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.