Videoage International January 2020

I N T E R N A T I O N A L www.V i deoAge.org D E F I N I N G E N T E R T A I N M E N T THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, BROADBAND, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION January 2020 - VOL. 40 NO. 1 - $9.75 By Dom Serafini I t seems that themoney people are actually in search of producers as an alternative to producers selling out to streamers. Apparently, there is a pool of money in Holly- wood for producing independent mo- vies and TV shows that is available for the asking. Banks (debt), private investors (equity), film commissions (rebates, cash back, and tax credits), crowdfunding, distribution advan- ces, pre-sales, product placement, revenue sharing commitments from key actors, foundations’ grants, co- productions, and contributions from brands, all account for this cash. Plus, if the production has some foreign elements, money can even be gotten from various government programs. The concept of brands contri- buting to TV financing isn’t new. Red Bull, for example, has its own content-investment division. Brands have also been part of film financing for years. There is also a growing tendency to use distributors as com- missioners. Today, distributors often put more money into productions than broadcasters. Tony Friscia, a Los Angeles-based financial consultant, added three ex- Meeting of The Wallets: Money And Productions (Continued on Page 26) My 2¢: A unified vision of TV’s future is needed at trade shows Hall of Fame: Robert Chua on sharing life, TV biz with wife in Hong Kong DISCOP Joburg recalibrates after problematic 8th edition Sección en Español: Streaming; Trump y TV; producción original Page 34 Page 28 Page 20 Page 13 I t’s impossible to tell yet if this year’s MIP Cancun was a suc- cess in terms of sales — a bet- ter opinion will be formulated at NATPE Miami, which is set to take place in late January. What is clear, however, is that last year’s three- day, sixth annual edition of MIP Cancun in Mexico (which took place MIP Cancun: A Prelude of Things To Come at NATPE (Continued on Page 22) (Continued on Page 24) By Mike Reynolds T he ability to negotiate the appropriate location, and one offering tax and/or cash-in- hand incentives, can be a godsend when seeking funds to start and complete a production. However, at times, a seemingly dream incentive becomes a night- mare when trying to wade through the grants, tax rebates, or cash-back deals offered by about two-thirds of U.S. states, every Canadian province and territory, and a growing list of countries around the globe. That said, eye-catching incentives from film and TV commissions and entities can certainly be important in helping achieve and overcome TheRebateDebate: CashwithCaveats forProductions