Deborah Sheppard

Marketing and Distribution Consultant

Deborah Sheppard is an award-winning producer and highly experienced senior marketing and distribution executive who believes in the power of connecting talent to opportunity. Deborah’s background in advertising, and then as Director of Marketing for UIP and Paramount Pictures for 16 years has given her a strong foundation in the distribution marketplace and understanding of both the studio and independent environments. She has presided over the release campaigns for 423 features across multiple genres, from festival films and local acquisitions, to major blockbuster studio franchises and more recently, independent features. This invaluable experience has helped provide a uniquely commercial footing from a producing perspective.

She has executive produced and produced a number of award-winning shorts, and is shortly to deliver an independent feature animation, as well as being in advanced development on multiple live action features and a documentary.

As an independent consultant, running her own company, IHeartCinema, she works across education, (predominantly as a regular Producing and Screen Business Skills tutor at the prestigious Metfilm School, and on the Raindance Foundation Course), as well as across production and distribution helping filmmakers put their projects in front of audiences. In her current work with independent filmmakers, she supports them through festival activation, hybrid distribution campaigns, and sales/distribution.