Sally Jo Effenson
- Producer
- Executive
Sally Jo began her career with acclaimed director Peter Masterson
(Academy-award winning The Trip to Bountiful with formation of the
independent film Production Company Masterson Films. She was
responsible for the acquisition and development of material for this
company, as well as for all development aspects relating to the
establishment of the company. Travelling extensively to Los Angeles and
New York and attending major markets and festivals, Sally Jo
established and maintained contact at executive level with
distributors, as well as writers, directors, and talent.
During her tenure with this company, she had the privilege of working with director Chris Eyre on developing his first feature This is What it Means to Say, Phoenix Arizona. This project originated at the Sundance Institute's Screenwriter's Lab and was the recipient of the Cine/100 Award at the '95 festival. The film went on to be produced by ShadowCatcher Films and subsequently purchased within 24 hours after its first screening in New York by Miramax. The film, re-titled SmokeSignals, was accepted in the competition section of the Sundance Film Festival '98 where the picture was awarded the Film Makers Trophy and the Audience Award.
Upon her departure from Masterson Films, Sally Jo served as Vice-President to an entertainment division of a capital venture firm in Austin, Texas. She was responsible for the acquisition and development of film properties and identified such projects as Restaurant, Eve's Bayou and A Slipping Down Life for investment, while entering into profitable distribution agreements on behalf of the company's prior film investments, including Lovelife with LionsGate.
Sally Jo implemented a marketing project for a film project created by musical artist Neil Young. The project, titled Greendale, began with positioning the film for theatrical distribution with exposure in the film festival circuit. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2003 where it received key critical acclaim. Greendale was independently booked in over fifty theaters nation wide and opened mid February 2004.
Sally Jo most recently produced an independent film project titled Mexican Sunrise. Written and directed by actor Rowdy Stovall, the picture was the type of challenging project in which Sally Jo likes to throw her resources behind. Armed with a strong script and a first-time director, she enlisted many of Austin's most experienced crew to support the project on very limited financial resources. Focusing on the script and cast, the completed film has gone on to receive numerous awards on the film festival circuit, including Best Feature: Breckenridge Film Festival and Worldfest Film Festival, and the Audience Award at the California Independent Film Festival. Mexican Sunrise is scheduled for fall 2008 DVD domestic release through The Weinstein Company, and internationally through Bauer/Martinez.
During her tenure with this company, she had the privilege of working with director Chris Eyre on developing his first feature This is What it Means to Say, Phoenix Arizona. This project originated at the Sundance Institute's Screenwriter's Lab and was the recipient of the Cine/100 Award at the '95 festival. The film went on to be produced by ShadowCatcher Films and subsequently purchased within 24 hours after its first screening in New York by Miramax. The film, re-titled SmokeSignals, was accepted in the competition section of the Sundance Film Festival '98 where the picture was awarded the Film Makers Trophy and the Audience Award.
Upon her departure from Masterson Films, Sally Jo served as Vice-President to an entertainment division of a capital venture firm in Austin, Texas. She was responsible for the acquisition and development of film properties and identified such projects as Restaurant, Eve's Bayou and A Slipping Down Life for investment, while entering into profitable distribution agreements on behalf of the company's prior film investments, including Lovelife with LionsGate.
Sally Jo implemented a marketing project for a film project created by musical artist Neil Young. The project, titled Greendale, began with positioning the film for theatrical distribution with exposure in the film festival circuit. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2003 where it received key critical acclaim. Greendale was independently booked in over fifty theaters nation wide and opened mid February 2004.
Sally Jo most recently produced an independent film project titled Mexican Sunrise. Written and directed by actor Rowdy Stovall, the picture was the type of challenging project in which Sally Jo likes to throw her resources behind. Armed with a strong script and a first-time director, she enlisted many of Austin's most experienced crew to support the project on very limited financial resources. Focusing on the script and cast, the completed film has gone on to receive numerous awards on the film festival circuit, including Best Feature: Breckenridge Film Festival and Worldfest Film Festival, and the Audience Award at the California Independent Film Festival. Mexican Sunrise is scheduled for fall 2008 DVD domestic release through The Weinstein Company, and internationally through Bauer/Martinez.
