Panel | Reel Returns: The Smart Money Behind the Movies

Investing in film can be as thrilling as the movies themselves. This panel pulls back the curtain on funding models, market trends, and the balance of risks and rewards in both studio and independent projects. Industry experts will share what investors look for, how data and algorithms shape decisions, and why financing films remains both an art and a business.

Moderator: Steve Alexander

Steve Alexander is a producer and actor best known as executive producer of The Secret Art of Human Flight (Tribeca Film Festival, 2023), in which he also appeared. He is executive producing the upcoming film Nuur (2025), directed by Lula Ali Ismaïl and adapted from Hassan Ghedi Santur's novel, The Youth of God.  He is the executive producer of the documentary, My Elephant Odyssey (2025), produced and directed by Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell and Timothy Rodwell. In 2025, he joined the board of The Museum at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York, on the site of the original 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair. He co-founded and manages AHA Productions with his wife and actress, Idylia Hachi.

Alysha Haran, Producer, Director and COO Chula Vista Entertainment Center, Alysha's career started in theater before moving to LA where she produced commercials and music videos. After a change in plans spared her from the events of 9/11, she spent 17 years serving as a US Navy Officer. A member of the Dramatist Guild with degrees in Directing and Creative Writing, she has been a senior manager for ABC Studios at Walt Disney Television
for the past 5 years

Julien Levesque began his entertainment career in CAA’s mailroom before joining Roeg Sutherland’s desk in the agency’s Indie Film Group. While on Sutherland’s desk, Levesque helmed CAA’s 2019 Task Force, which spearheaded significant fundraising and community activities for CAA’s Foundation. In 2001, he was selected for CAA’s first COVID-era Agent Trainee Class. While at CAA, Levesque worked on films like HELL OF A SUMMER, HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE, THELMA, and FATE OF A SPORT. In 2023, Julien left CAA to produce the film PSYCHOTHERAPY, which stars Steve Buscemi, John Magaro, and Britt Lower, and premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. In Fall 2023, Levesque joined Gersh, where he co-leads the agency’s Indie Film Group. During this tenure, he has worked on films such as Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut URCHIN, Gore Verbinski’s Sam Rockwell-led GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE, and Philipa Lowthorpe’s H IS FOR HAWK. He was also instrumental in setting Tom McCarthy’s overhead deal at Closer Media. Internally, Levesque heads Gersh’s Festival Group, which works to strengthen the agency’s strategy and presence at major festivals. Outside of financing, packaging, and sales, Julien represents clients such as Fangoria and Washington Film Works. Known for combining creative vision with strategic deal-making, Julien is building a reputation as a community-driven executive shaping the future of indie film.