FIU Miami Film Festival Names David Poland Festival Director

David Poland

MIAMI, Fla. (Aug. 7, 2001) - A Miami native who has been both a respected journalist covering the film and television industries over the past eight years as well as a writer for them has been named head of the FIU Miami Film Festival, event leaders announced today.

David C. Poland, author of the widely read, Internet-based entertainment industry column, "The Hot Button," begins work immediately as Festival Director, said officials with Florida International University, parent of the 18-year-old annual event.

In addition to writing his column, Poland, 36, has served in recent years in roles ranging from editor-in-chief of Turner Network Television's roughcut.com website to consultant on the Bermuda International Film Festival to guest critic on "Roger Ebert & The Movies." His coverage of the entertainment industry has appeared in such publications as Entertainment Weekly, the Chicago Tribune, the Philadelphia Inquirer and many others.

"David's intimate, personal knowledge of both the motion picture industry and film festivals combined with his appreciation of what the FIU Miami Film Festival can be made him a perfect choice for this position," said FIU Vice President for Advancement & Marketing Dale C. Webb. "His collegial attitude and strong commitment to inclusiveness and top quality are exactly what we were looking for. His thoughts on how we might nurture further interaction between the Festival and our faculty and students are intriguing and fresh.

"We look forward to his leadership as we reshape and energize this cultural treasure."

Poland grew up in Miami, spending a year in the University of Miami's fledgling film program after graduating from Ransom-Everglades High School in 1981, one year early. From there, he moved to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned a bachelor's degree with a double major in Film and Politics. He worked in off-Broadway theatrical production and for the Lou Harris polling company before joining Saturday Night Live's film unit as production coordinator in 1985.

From 1987-'91, Poland worked in New York as a television producer, as an advertising executive and as a corporate sponsorship representative on the 1990-'91 Fleetwood Mac World Tour.

He wrote for both television and film between '91 and '92 before becoming a journalist covering entertainment in 1993. Since then, he has appeared in The New York Times, the Chicago Sun-Times, Film Comment, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, among other publications.

Poland joined the staff of Entertainment Weekly in 1995 for a two-year stint. He moved to the world of the Internet in 1997, launching daily (The Hot Button) and weekly (The Whole Picture) columns, serving as a host for entertainment industry live discussions on the Yahoo! web site and joining TNT's Roughcut.com. With Poland as editor-in-chief, the latter was subsequently named "Best Movie Website" by Yahoo! Internet Life.

In 1999, he branched out to radio and television, adding co-host duties on KABC Radio's "The Movie Show" and guest slots on "Roger Ebert & The Movies" to his expanding workload. He has since become an often-sourced industry expert in such publications as Variety, Media Week, The Los Angeles Times, Inside.com and others.

He was featured in E! Entertainment Television's coverage earlier this year of the Academy Awards. Poland also served as both consultant and master of ceremonies for this year's Bermuda International Film Festival.

"David has both the experience and the film industry contacts to lead our efforts in putting together an exciting, engaging FIU Miami Film Festival for 2002, even though he'll be working on a shortened timeline," said FIU Associate Vice President for Advancement & Marketing Pauline Winick, who oversees Festival operations. "It's going to be a tremendous experience to work with someone who not only shares our vision of making this festival a true 'destination event,' but who enthusiastically embraces it."

Poland, who lives in Los Angeles, is expected to commute regularly between California, Florida and a variety of film festival venues during the fall, working out of Miami for extended periods of time as the Festival's February 2002 dates draw closer.

The FIU Miami Film Festival set records for attendance and ticket sales during its critically acclaimed 18th edition in 2001. For more information on the Festival, visit www.miamifilmfestival.com.

Media contact: Todd M.-P. Simmons - (305) 348-2232.