Our People
Michael Olsen - CEO, TriStar Film Finance
Michael Olsen has over twenty-five years experience in financial services, business development and sales experience, in addition to expertise in strategic marketing, networking alliance development and relationship management.
Following completion of college in Calgary, Alberta, where Michael was born and raised, Michael began working in the financial services in 1980 and with a subsequent move out to Vancouver in 1986, he continued to be a top achiever.
In 2006, Michael, along with two film industry veterans, ventured out on their own to create Yaletown Capital, a company designed to provide tax credits and production services to Western Canada’s film and television industry. During this time Michael entered into an intense hands-on motion picture education, attending major festivals/markets both domestically and abroad.
Eventually preferring to focus exclusively on developing long-term business value and corporate financial strategies for production companies, Michael established TriStar Film Finance in 2008. The company, with offices in Vancouver, Toronto and most recently in L.A., was formed to service an untapped niche in the marketplace. It provides producers with one-stop-shopping for film financing, corporate structuring and business services – primarily for lower to mid-budget film and television productions. It also intends to exploit the financial potential of brand integration (aka product placement) for this tier of production.
Since TriStar was officially launched in July of 2009, the Vancouver based company has provided $2.5 Million in film financing and services to three independent feature films. These include; Paradox, a sci-fi thriller starring Kevin Sorbo; Daydream Nation, a romantic comedy, starring Kat Dennings, Josh Lucas and Andie MacDowell; and Blood: A Butchers Tale, a vampire/horror film starring Aaron Douglas and Kim Coates.
As CEO of TriStar, Michael is a popular guest speaker and panelist on film finance at production industry trade events. His most recent appearance was at The Institute of International Film Finance (IIFF) in Los Angeles earlier this year.
Happily married for 25 years to his wife Laureen, with whom he has three teenaged children, the Olsen family resides in West Vancouver, BC.
A former board member of the Zajac Foundation, Michael assisted the non-profit, philanthropic organization to help raise capital to fund innovative community projects that support disabled children and special needs adults. He is also the founder of Vancouver’s downtown branch of the Rotary Club.
Associates & Consultants
Todd Slater - Strategic Advisor
Todd is recognized as one of the top independent film producers and consultants in Hollywood when it comes to film financial modeling, media and film transactions, and the negotiation of structured media financing. These services primarily involve the implementation of comprehensive production and distribution cost saving programs and locking in worldwide distribution agreements. Along with consulting James Huntsman (via the Huntsman Holdings Entertainment Shingle) on his entertainment and media assets, Slater also produced 5 films that are set to come out in 2010 including; Chain Letter (Starring Nikki Reed of Twighlight fame), Chicago Overcoat (starring Frank Vincent of The Sapranos & Armand Assante of American Gangster), 31 North 62 East (starring John Rhys Davies of The Lord Of The Rings), The American Standards (Starring James Brolin of Catch Me If You Can), and The Other Side Of The Tracks (starring Brendan Fehr and Tania Raymonde of CSI and Lost, respectively). All films were independently financed, produced and sold with Slater's multiple duties associated with each one.
Slater started his entertainment career over ten years ago, working with the President of Television at Paramount Pictures and quickly became the head of distribution, marketing and studio relations at Philip Anschutz Film shingle two years later. Slater is known for having written the business and marketing plan for the Academy Award Winning film Ray (Universal) starring Jamie Foxx, as well as having done one of the largest Brand integration deals (as recognized by Ad Week) of that year with Jeep/Chrysler on the film Sahara (Paramount) starring Mathew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz.
Slater has been highlighted in The Hollywood Reporter's annual "The Next Generation" Issue - dedicated to the top executives under 35 years of age in Hollywood, and has secured distribution for several films including Ray, Danny Deckchair, Swimming Upstream, Everybody Wants To Be Italian, Sahara, The Hustle & Together Again For The First Time. Before landing at Paramount, Slater made his mark in the world of finance and politics having worked and raised millions of dollars for the Paine Webber Private Assets Division as well as the Investment Banking division of Meridian Capital. Before moving to the west coast and taking part in the financial industry, Slater lived and worked in Washington DC and worked for United States Congressman Peter Blute as well as United States Congressman Sherwood Boehlert.
During his time spent between consulting on Media deals and producing films in 2009, Slater also launched his own shingle, Slater Brother's Entertainment with his two brothers. The brothers formed SBE so that they could combine their strengths and establish a multi-dimensional entertainment company, capable of producing major sporting, art and film events. The company places a special emphasis on working with governmental, non-profit and charitable organizations and has offices in Los Angeles, California as well as Tampa, Florida.
This past summer (2009) Slater launched his first film Festival in New York and donated all the proceeds to several charitable organizations in the area, including the Food Cupboard and Homeless Shelter, as well as to local high school athletic departments for those students who do not have the means to pay for equipment, travel or other associated costs.
The company has been associated and helped close several media and sports deals. Slater Brothers Entertainment is planning on hosting an international sports symposium in London this spring as its next project as well as holding their second annual film festival in New York in the summer.
Marty Fink - Production Risk Management
Marty Fink has been involved in the financing, production and risk management of motion pictures for over 40 years. Marty entered film production in the late 1960’s at 20th Century Fox as part of the team that produced “Von Ryan’s Express,” starring Frank Sinatra, “Fantastic Voyage,” starring Raquel Welch, “Our Man Flint” and “In Like Flint,” both of which starred James Coburn. He was the producer of the critically acclaimed “Payday” in 1973 and associate producer of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” which won five Academy Awards including Best Picture in 1976. During the 1980s he was president of Eagle Entertainment, Inc., a fully-reporting NASDAQ company which was active in both the development and production of motion pictures and completion bonding.
From 1990 to 1996, Fink was the president of Complete Film Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carolco Pictures, a producer and financier of high budget “event” movies for the international market. Marty has provided completion bond and/or production management and advisory services for more than 30 feature films, including “Total Recall” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” both of which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger; “Basic Instinct,” starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone; “The Doors.” Starring Val Kilmer; “Rambling Rose,” starring Laura Dern; “Cliffhanger” and “Judge Dredd,” starring Sylvester Stallone; “Stargate,” starring Kurt Russell; “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” starring Bruce Willis; “The Scarlet Letter,” starring Demi Moore; “Shadow Conspiracy,” starring Charlie Sheen; “Nixon,” starring Anthony Hopkins; “Lolita,” starring Jeremy Irons; and “Evita,” starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas. From l996-2000, Marty, as manager of New Beginnings Enterprises LLC, provided monitoring and support services to a London-based financier in connection with approximately 25 lower budget feature films. These services included production, post-production, delivery and sales supervision.
During the same period, he was executive producer of “Beautiful,” starring Minnie Driver and directed by Sally Field, and “Young Blades,” starring Ben Cross, and co-producer of “The Opportunists,” starring Christopher Walken and Cyndi Lauper. Marty was Chairman of the Board of U.S. Stock Transfer Corporation, the largest regional stock transfer agency in the western U.S., until February of 2007 when, after 35 years under the ownership and management of Fink and his fellow owner-directors, the company was sold to Computershare Ltd., the world’s largest share registry company.
He is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science and The City College of New York.
Cam Haynes - Strategic Advisor
Cam Haynes is the President and CEO of Union Pictures. He recently served as the Director of Canadian Initiatives at the Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG). As one of the Heads of Programming for TIFFG he was responsible for Film Circuit (which he founded), a distribution/exhibition model that brings Canadian films to nearly 200 cities across Canada and around the world. He also oversaw Canada’s Top Ten industry initiatives, and was part of the Festival Centre design committee of Bell Lightbox. Prior to his involvement with TIFFG he founded Cinéfest, the Sudbury International Film Festival.