Rainer Soehnlein
President & CEO, BFC Berliner Film Companie Productions GmbH
The Marketability of Animation

Rainer Soehnlein brings to his position as CEO of BFC Berliner Film Companie Productions GmbH a wealth of experience in worldwide film and broadcast production and distribution, as well knowledge and expertise in nearly all areas of media, both new and old. BFC is currently in production with seven television shows and the feature film Happily N'Ever After, produced by John Williams (Shrek).

His career began while he was still a student at Munich University, working as a first assistant director and production manager. He went on to write and direct numerous TV series and films for the European community, which has awarded him many of its top honors. Since 1979, he has also executive-produced or produced a number of feature films, including Seven Minutes (1989),which he co-produced with Moritz Borman; starring Brian Dennehy and Klaus Maria Brandauer (who also directed), it won all the German Film Prizes, and was named Outstanding Film of the Year at the London Film Festival.

Also during the 80s, Soehnlein's consulting firm, Brainstorming Agency, Inc. was formed in New York, as a means of making connections between European and East Coast producers. Soehnlein also worked as an Executive Producer for CBS at this time.

In the 90s, Soehnlein moved west to Los Angeles, becoming involved in a number of ventures, including Picture Fund, Inc., a partnership with Moritz Borman that developed and produced motion picture and television projects for the U.S. and Europe. From 1994 to 2000, Soehnlein acted as President of U.S. Operations for Telepool, a subsidiary of the first German television station, ARD. Soehnlein facilitated Telepool's efforts to broaden its reach in acquiring German-speaking rights to television product and feature films, as well as developing co-production partnerships with U.S. studios. Perhaps most notably, he was the "point man" on Telepool's output deal with DreamWorks SKG, handling negotiations from the earliest stages through their successful completion.

During his tenure with TP, Soehnlein began the shift in focus that led him to his other current position as Executive Media Advisor to Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, moving into the field of entertainment and new media technology. In the course of this project, he established connections with leading high-tech companies on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as the Pacific Rim. His experience over the ensuing years has broadened and deepened these connections, and afforded him a unique perspective on the Internet/High Tech "bubble" of the late 90s.

A large part of his role at DKW has been the development and administration of funds for investing in motion picture production and distribution, both in Europe and the U.S. He also maintains his close personal ties to both the business and creative ends of the entertainment industry in Europe, and his strong interest in bringing European and U.S. forces together to create new and exciting projects in every area of media and technology. At BFC, he is actively pursuing these interests and bringing them to reality.