Monthly Film Festival

March 21, 2025 03:00pm PDT - 04:30pm PDT

Join us for a virtual conversation with Maddy Bilder, Project Director at 26 Keys Productions. We will discuss Maddy’s current work at the banner run by Noah Hawley (creator of FX’s FargoLegionAlien: Earth), where she project manages the company’s film and television projects from script through production phases as well as oversees the company’s external projects such as branding and events across Hollywood, Austin, and beyond. We will also discuss Maddy’s development background, including her role at Texas Monthly Magazine, where she developed projects including MAX’s Love & Death, How to Create a Sex Scandal, and Netflix’s Hit Man. Maddy will also speak to her experience working in the industry from Austin, TX and advice for emerging creatives.

Maddy Bilder 26 Keys Productions

About Maddy Bilder:

Hailing from Austin, Texas by way of Irvine, California, Maddy Bilder is an experienced and notable Project Manager, with a strong producing, development, and operations background managing major projects across film, television, and other media. Recently named one of Variety’s 2024 Hollywood New Leaders, Bilder serves as Project Director of 26 Keys.

In her role, she works closely with Noah Hawley and Michael Garcia to oversee the project management of the company’s current programming including multiple film and television projects, project managing through the script, prep, and production phases. Additionally, Bilder oversees various external-facing projects, education programs, and events for the company across the Hollywood, Austin, and global filmmaking communities.

Prior to the role, Bilder served as the Senior Producer of Film & Television Development at Texas Monthly Magazine where she managed the day-to-day department operations and collaborated on the development of over 2 dozen projects based on Texas Monthly journalism, most notably Max’s Love & Death, the 3-part docuseries How to Create and Sex Scandal, and the Netflix film Hit Man. Additionally she served as the Executive Producer on The Official Love & Death Podcast which was a joint partnership between Texas Monthly Studio and HBO. The podcast recently garnered her two 2024 Webby Awards.
Prior to her work in the film & television space, Bilder spearheaded numerous high profile events ranging from festivals, branded experiential events, corporate conferences, private events and more.

She received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Film, Television, & Digital Media from Texas Christian University.

Merced Elizondo Filmmaker

About the moderator:

Merced Elizondo is a Mexican-American filmmaker based in Texas.
After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin in 2016, Merced launched his filmmaking career by working on multiple productions all across Texas and served as a Producer with both AMS Pictures and DHD Films. Since then, he has devoted his attention to independent filmmaking, commercials, and branded content. His latest short, The Mourning Of, is a proof-of-concept film that won Silver at the Young Director Award Dreampitch Competition (Cannes Lions) and was awarded a NewNarratives Filmmaker Grant through NewFilmmakers Los Angeles and Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022. It’s currently on the 2024-2025 festival circuit and won the “Best Live Action Short Film” award at the 2024 St. Louis International Film Festival, officially making it Oscar® Qualifying. Merced is currently writing and developing his debut feature film, The Thing About Elephants.

Merced was selected as a Directing Fellow for Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative in 2022, which is a program dedicated for emerging TV directors. In 2021, Merced was nominated for an Imagen Award and selected as a fellow for the Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today program, presented by WarnerMedia and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. He has also been shortlisted for a Young Director Award at Cannes Lions and was selected as a mentee for the AICP (Association of Independent Commercial Producers) Mentoring Program, where he was paired with a mentor from Park Pictures. He was also honored as “Person of the Year” by the National Hispanic Institute in 2021.

His previous award-winning film, MANOS DE ORO, is a black-and-white short film that stars Julio César Cedillo, who can be seen in works such as Netflix’s Narcos: MexicoSicario, and the Cannes-winning drama The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. The film was acquired by Argo.

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

This panel will take place virtually over ZOOM. Ticket purchasers will receive a ZOOM link to this panel 2 hours before the published start time. If you don’t already have the ZOOM app, please make sure to download on your device before the panel start time.

If you purchase an All-Access Pass for our March Festival events prior to the date of this panel, you will also receive admission to this virtual panel, included as part of your pass.

If you are a current Annual Member of NFMLA, please email info@nfmla.org to receive a complimentary ticket to this panel. If you are not an Annual Member of NFMLA and would like to join, you can become a member here.