I N T E R N A T I O N A L www.V i deoAge.org THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, STREAMING, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION November 2022 - VOL. 42 NO. 7 - $9.75 (Continued on Page 18) Anumber of the TV executives contacted for this article didn’t want to comment publicly, but the general impression seems to be that most industry green-lighters want to keep their jobs and therefore refuse to take chances with anything new and unfamiliar. While going through a list of recent reboots, remakes, spin-offs, and revivals, this reporter realized that just laying out those titles — and not even writing anything else — would take up more space than this entire story. Such is the state of the “retread” mentality that is After Last Year’s Test Run, a “New Normal”MIPCOM My 2¢: Yes, history repeats itself, but is anyone listening? Flight delays are the new travel reality. Some are avoidable AFM is here to stay. Int’l sellers stage a great show of support DISCOP Miami takes NATPE’s mantle and revitalizes the market Page 22 Page 20 Page 10 Page 6 During a press conference held at exactly 12 noon on MIPCOM CANNES’s third day, Lucy Smith, the market’s director, summarized the results of MIPCOM 2022. As far as attendance was concerned, the number was estimated by VideoAge to be an impressive 8,000. Informally, however, a rep for RX France (the market organizer) reported that 11,000 badges had been issued. At the press conference, Smith said that there were exactly 10,896 participants from 108 countries with 3,100 buyers and 321 stands. The dates for next year’s event are already set for October 16-19, 2023, and, once again, the event KnowWhat To Expect at MIP Cancun (Continued on Page 12) Is Fear of the New Stifling Originality in TV Content? D uring MIPCOM, Maria PerezBellière, market director of MIP Cancun, gave VideoAge a preview of what to expect at the Mexican TV market, now in its eighth year. “With 600 participants, we’ll be back to pre-pandemic levels”, she said, pointing out that last year’s (Continued on Page 16) evident throughout the U.S. TV landscape, and is (unfortunately) becoming the norm around the globe, too. With the exception of some non-U.S. shows (including, for instance, South Korea’s Squid Game), updated shows, spinoffs, remakes, and reimaginings, many of which use the titles
Cover Stories The fact that history repeats itself is noted in many an expression, including “Everything is cyclical” and “Back to the future.” But is anyone listening? Page 22 News Creative block: Is job safety stifling creativity? Or is it TV biz as usual? After a 2021 test run, a “new normal” MIPCOM in 2022 Free advice: Know what to expect in Mexico at MIP Cancun 4. Asian TV Q&A with Singapore’s Sonia Fleck 6. DISCOP Miami takes NATPE’s mantle and sets out to revitalize the January market 10. AFM Review: AFM is here to stay. International distributors staged a great show of support 12. Book Review: A new biography reevaluates filmmaker Michael Cimino’s life and films 16. MIP Cancun buyers explain where, what, and when at the Mexican LATAM mart 20. Flight delays are the new reality: Some are avoidable. Plus, calendar of industry events MAIN OFFICES 216 EAST 75TH STREET NEW YORK, NY 10021 TEL: (212) 288-3933 WWW.VIDEOAGEINTERNATIONAL.COM WWW.VIDEOAGE.ORG P.O. BOX 25282 LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 VIALE ABRUZZI 30 20131 MILAN, ITALY EDITOR-in-CHIEF DOM SERAFINI EDITORIAL TEAM SARA ALESSI (NY) BILL BRIOUX (CANADA) ENZO CHIARULLO (ITALY) LEAH HOCHBAUM ROSNER (NY) SUSAN HORNIK (L.A.) CAROLINE INTERTAGLIA (FRANCE) OMAR MENDEZ (ARGENTINA) LUIS POLANCO (NY) MIKE REYNOLDS (L.A.) MARIA ZUPPELLO (BRAZIL) PUBLISHER MONICA GORGHETTO BUSINESS OFFICE LEN FINKEL LEGAL OFFICE STEVE SCHIFFMAN WEB MANAGER BRUNO MARRACINO DESIGN/LAYOUT CLAUDIO MATTIONI, CARMINE RASPAOLO VIDEO AGE INTERNATIONAL (ISSN 0278-5013 USPS 601-230) IS PUBLISHED SEVEN TIMES A YEAR,. PLUS DAILIES, BY TV TRADE MEDIA, INC. © TV TRADE MEDIA INC. 2022. THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF VIDEO AGE INTERNATIONAL ARE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT IN THE U.S., U.K., AND ALL COUNTRIES SIGNATORY TO THE BERNE CONVENTIO AND THE PAN-AMERICAN CONVENTION. SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO VIDEO AGE INTERNATIONAL, 216 EAST 75TH STREET, SUITE 1W, NEW YORK, NY 10021, U.S.A. PURSUANT TO THE U.S. COPYRIGHTS ACT OF 1976, THE RIGHTS OF ALL CONTENT DONE ON ASSIGNMENT FOR ALL VIDEOAGE PUBLICATIONS ARE HELD BY THE PUBLISHER OF VIDEOAGE, WHICH COMMISSIONED THEM Features
4 World V I D E O A G E November 2022 challenging norms on fashion (see English singer Harry Styles), acceptable and perhaps softer expressions of love and lust, as well as less forced and slightly more basic yet wittier humor. Additionally, due to the Korean promotional machine — fan bases were expertly built, and if there is anything we know about Korean drama and K pop— it’s that they have a coveted following. A polished and cultivated presentation of a unified cultural storytelling will have an impact — and we see this clearly from South Korea. Now, other territories such as Thailand, China, Taiwan and the Philippines are also on the rise and on the move, so stay tuned. VA: How do other Asian TV producers compete with the success of South Korean TV content? SF: I don’t know if I want to look at the success of South Korean content as simply creating a higher entry barrier for other Asian IP. One could argue that the success of South Korean content has actually put lesser-known Asian producers from other nations in a new light on the international stage. It shows that there are diamonds all over the Asian region. Furthermore, I think the success of South Korean content, and before that Japanese, have had far-reaching ramifications in opening the exchange with the Western world on more equal terms. The world of popular entertainment has seen a high degree of globalization with Hollywood. However, Hollywood has proved to be a dystopia to the peoples of Asia in certain ways; it was often dominated by non-Asians, and underpinned by what is sometimes perceived here as the contemporary Western ethos (i.e., individualism, commercialism, and sensationalism). Scenes containing heavy unadulterated sex and violence, which may create discomfort or offend the sensitivities of the Asian general public, are almost an integral part of many a commercially successful Western film. Other nations in Asia are now reaping the benefits of bringing forward their own unique way of cultural storytelling off the back of South Korea’s “blowing the Western doors wide open.” Asia and Asians is/are not uniformly the same. This region is really a treasure of unique gemstones and I for one am so happy to see the interest levels globally. In preparation for the Asia TV Forum (ATF) in Singapore this December, VideoAge contacted Sonia Fleck (pictured at right), the CEO of Singapore-based Bomanbridge Media, a company she founded in 2007 with the goal of promoting Asian film and TV content around the world, to expand on the wide-ranging Asian TV content currently available. Fleck, of French-American background, relocated to Singapore in 2009 fromMonte Carlo. VideoAge: To what do you attribute the success of Asian TV content in Europe, LATAM, and the U.S.? Sonia Fleck: Everyone is aware that South Korean content has had a huge impact on the global industry. I’ll try and take a slightly different and less visited explanation on this. In 2012, Rolling Stone published an article on Korean pop (K-pop) bands that would break through in the U.S. Korean influence was clearly on the radar. South Korea has spent a lot of money in promotion to export South Korean culture abroad, and it certainly helped. We call this the “Hallyu” trend, which translates as the “Korean Wave.” Television drama series, as well as films coming from South Korea, have risen to prominence and broken the cultural barrier overseas due to a combination of factors, but in short, it’s about change. Changing depictions of masculinity have been key, Asian TV Q&A with Singapore’s Sonia Fleck
AMERICAN CINEMA / AMERICAN CINEMA INSPIRES Please contact George Shamieh, Chevonne O’Shaughnessy, Carlos Herrera at george@aci-americancinema.com | chevonne@aci-americancinema.com | carlos@aci-americancinema.com
6 World V I D E O A G E November 2022 hotel and the aforementioned Fontainebleau. As for NATPE, according to U.S. bankruptcy law, through the Chapter 11 provisions, companies can ask the courts to schedule a reorganization of a debtor’s business affairs, debts, and assets, and get breathing room while they develop a plan in order to return to doing business. However, in the case of NATPE, the financial situation is dramatic, and, on October 26, 2022, the association officially announced that its January 2023 event in The Bahamas was canceled. The decision to move the NATPE market to the expensive Baha Mar complex in The Bahamas was controversial, and had NATPEmoved forward with the January event, its income would have been drastically reduced. This is because some companies that paid in advance for exhibition space at NATPE Miami 2022 (canceled due to COVID concerns) were expecting to use their credit for the 2023 event. And it isn’t simply a matter of the NATPE market being taken over by some other organization. It has been widely assumed that NATPE has no assets to be taken over outside its brand, which now could be shattered by the Chapter 11 filing. Also, with the filing of Chapter 11, NATPE’s president JP Bommel became its “interim” president, some of its key executives became “consultants,” and the rest of its reduced staff is now reportedly working on a freelance basis. Basic Lead has informed that, at the Grand Beach hotel, eighty rooms and suites will be converted into basic and premium ‘showrooms’ with rates ranging from US$5,750 to US$7,500. Non-exhibiting distributors and producers will have access to private meeting tables offered at a rate of US$2,000. Incentives to register before November 30 include a 4-night complimentary stay at the Grand Beach for companies booking a showroom or a meeting table, and a complimentary market badge for acquisition and commissioning executives, co-production influencers and marketers. To provide additional value to DISCOP Miami exhibitors, Basic Lead is reportedly inviting a few U.S. organizations, like the Washington, D.C.- based National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), to stage their own domestic-centric TV events at DISCOP Miami, with the intent of attracting executives from local TV stations. The Miami TV market in January is alive and well. But it’s not NATPE Miami — it’s DISCOP Miami — and it comes courtesy of Basic Lead, the folks who’ve already given the international TV industry markets such as DISCOP Budapest and DISCOP Johannesburg. The former was later sold to NATPE and became NATPE Budapest. Now, it seems that DISCOP would like to take back its Budapest dates for June 2023. Meanwhile, DISCOP Miami is set for January 31-February 2, 2023, at the Grand Beach Hotel Miami Beach, a complex that’s close to the Fontainebleau, where the last in-person NATPE Miami market (NATPE 2020) took place. (The 2021 edition was held online, and the 2022 in-person edition was canceled.) After NATPE announced that it had filed for Chapter 11 on October 3, 2022 — and 23 days later canceled its controversial NATPE Global Bahamas 2023 event entirely—Basic Lead’s Patrick Zuchowicki, DISCOP’s founder and general manager, moved quickly to secure hotel space at the Grand Beach (pictured), which offered suitable facilities at very low rates for such a high-season period. Since time was of the essence, Zuchowicki was able to secure a good number of rooms at this four-star luxury hotel. This is especially impressive considering that the event was exactly 100 days away. The overflow could easily be accommodated at hotels that are within walking distance, including the Eden Roc DISCOP Miami Takes NATPE’s January Spot
A BEAUTIFUL AND HAUNTING TALE ABOUT ONE WOMAN’S FIGHT TO TELL HER STORY @all3media_int all3mediainternational.com
8 Book Review V I D E O A G E November 2022 What happened to Michael Cimino? The acclaimed Italian-American filmmaker rose to fame with his 1978 war drama The Deer Hunter, which won five Academy Awards, but his follow-up film, 1980’s Heaven’s Gate, an epic American Western, was a boxoffice bomb. The critics and audience response were so poor that United Artists ended up pulling it from theaters, with the popular myth being that UA tanked two years later due to this cinematic failure. Cimino’s pull on Hollywood was never the same afterward. Author Charles Elton tackles the life and career of Cimino in his latest book, Cimino: The Deer Hunter, Heaven’s Gate, and The Price of a Vision (352 pgs., Abrams Press, 2022, $28). The biography looks at the span of Cimino’s life and demystifies the hearsay around his fall from grace in Hollywood, with chapters dedicated to his childhood, his early career in directing commercials, his films, and what happened after the release of Heaven’s Gate. Cimino is the perfect subject for a biography, and in Elton’s hands, he is shown to be as complicated a man as he was. “Of all Hollywood directors”, writes Elton, “Cimino is one of the most fascinating, mysterious, and enigmatic figures, both reviled and praised, his controversial behavior welldocumented but often misunderstood.” Cimino was born in New York City on February 3, 1939. As Elton notes, Cimino often self-mythologized by offering contradictory information in interviews. “Sometimes Cimino said he was born in 1952, sometimes in 1943.” Elton doesn’t dwell too long on Cimino’s childhood, but notes that he was raised outside of the city inWestbury. His parents were Italian immigrants, but Cimino seemed detached from his cultural heritage. “He never talked about his Italian roots and tended to avoid questions about the date his family emigrated to the U.S. or even where they came from”, writes Elton. He studied graphic art at Michigan Stage, pursued grad school at Yale, then moved to New York City, where he got into directing commercials. “Cimino’s commercials break the rules”, comments Elton. Of an early Pepsi commercial, Elton notes: “It looks like it was shot by Jean-Luc Godard on a day off from À bout de souffle with a kinetic energy and a kaleidoscopic array of effects — jump cuts, point-of-view shots, slow motion, rack zooms, vertigo-inducing camerawork.” In his commercial directing career, Cimino came across Joann Carelli, an agent who would become an influential force in his life. Carelli would be many things to Cimino, including lover and loyal confidante, but she also served as a producer on Cimino’s major films. Cimino got his start as a screenwriter in Hollywood, where he was represented by the persuasive Stan Kamen at William Morris Agency. Among projects he wanted to work on, one was an adaptation of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. He soon found himself with an opportunity to come up with the script for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot which he wrote with Clint Eastwood in mind. Cimino went on to write the script, as well as direct the feature. With 1978’s The Deer Hunter, Cimino achieved the glory thatmost filmmakerswant. Featuring stars such as Robert de Niro and Christopher Walken, the war drama revolves around three steelworkers who were greatly affected after fighting in the Vietnam War. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards in 1979, and it won five, including Best Picture and Best Director. “The Deer Hunter has never lost its power”, says Elton. “It is still remembered as the most influential and visceral of all the Vietnam movies.” The high of critical acclaim and boxoffice success allowed Cimino to make his next film, Heaven’s Gate. Heaven’s Gate was inspired by the Johnson County War, a frontier conflict that took place in Wyoming from 1889 to 1893. The film starred an unbelievable cast that included Kris Kristofferson, Walken, Jeff Bridges, and Isabelle Huppert, among others. One of the problems with the film was the budget, which was initially set for a cool $11.5 million but ballooned to $40 million ($144 million in 2022 money). With poor theater attendance and harsh criticism, it was no wonder UA withdrew the film. Elton outlines the difficulties and interpersonal conflicts that beset the making of the film, and he helpfully offers historical context as to why United Artists decided to work on the film. One important point comes down to where UA was at in its own trajectory. Following its acquisition by Transamerica in 1967, the studio had new leadership through the next decade. “With such an undynamic and unproven team at the helm”, writes Elton, “the studio was not at the top of anyone’s list for submitting projects to”, which was one of the reasons the studio took on the risk of Cimino’s film. With Cimino, Elton has drawn a compelling portrait of the filmmaker, who died in 2016. The tragedy of Cimino’s story is not of a failed artist but one thwarted by an industry. Years later, Cimino’s work, including Heaven’s Gate, has been reassessed, with critical adoration. As early as the start of the book, there’s the sense that, although Cimino’s cinematic output dropped later in his life, he still had much more to offer cinema. “In the last 20 years of his life, he did not direct a single movie”, writes Elton. “Instead, inside the house, he worked constantly. He said he had written at least fifty scripts, although few people know exactly what they were.” Author Charles Elton presents the first biography of the acclaimed and misunderstood filmmaker. Michael Cimino: A New Biography Reevaluates His Life and Films By Luis Polanco “Cimino is one of the most fascinating, mysterious, and enigmatic figures, both reviled and praised, his controversial behavior often misunderstood.”
F R O M T H E C R E A T O R S O F B I T T E R L A N D S www.intermedya.tv
10 V I D E O A G E November 2022 The term “elevator pitch” takes on a whole new meaning when it involves the Loews Hotel in Santa Monica, home of the American Film Market (AFM). This phrase was heard frequently at this year’s AFM — at least during the first couple of days of the film/TV market — due to the long wait times for elevators, which gave attendees an extra opportunity to pitch a deal. However, the long waits did not seem to keep participants from enjoying the fact that the market was finally back in person (after two years of virtual-only events). The entertainment industry has always been somewhat touchy-feely, and no matter what the business has managed to accomplish remotely in recent years, there is nothing like the faceto-face experience that an in-person market can offer. The more serious concern for attendees from the TV sector in particular seemed to be the short two-week gap between MIPCOM and the AFM, though a survey of a good cross-section of international participants who attended both markets revealed that a considerable percentage had unpacked after Cannes and then re-packed to prepare for the Santa Monica, California-based AFM. Another matter that was addressed by some AFM attendees was the strength of the U.S. dollar and its effect on content prices for nonU.S. buyers. There were also cries from some about the increased expenses involved in getting to and staying in southern California. This particular gripe was something of a surprise when coming from regular global market attendees who should know by now that hotels are rather pricey these days, and that an apartment or house is always the best value for their money. That aside, there were a mix of positive reactions from those exhibitors VideoAge spoke to at the market. Electric Entertainment’s Raul Piñawasmorethanupbeat.“We’vebeenactively selling new seasons of our four series (Leverage: Redemption, The Deal, The Ark and Almost Paradise) and coming back to in-person has shown a difference. Our traffic has increased. We came from MIPCOM two weeks ago — one of our busiest, most successful markets — and now our follow-ups are coming in. We haven’t seen a slow market or days (at AFM). It’s been very consistent, with broadcasters, streamers and distributors.” “It feels good” to be back at a ‘live’ AFM, said Chevonne O’Shaughnessy, co-founder and president of Los Angeles-based filmproduction and distribution company, American Cinema International (ACI). But “it’s slow”, she noted. “There’s only 750 badges — and that’s with 500 buyers.” She continued, “I’ve had great meetings and I’ve gotten a lot of stuff done between MIPCOM and here. But it’s not like it used to be. You’d have meetings every half-hour, now it’s every hour-and-a-half, and everything is streaming. ACI is on over 150 platforms. Linear has gone. There’s no [market in] France anymore. There’s no Spain. [But] we’re [still] trying to do linear, [and] we have new opportunities coming up in several territories, like Eastern Europe [which in the past] wouldn’t do drama, [and] now they’re starting to buy drama. Money from other countries is starting to come in, but your return on investment takes a lot longer than it used to. It used to be six to 10 months, now it’s more like 18 months to recover your money.” O’Shaughnessy also thinks that with three trade events —MIPCOM, the AFM, and MIP Cancun — taking place so close together, at least one of themhas to go. “Emerging markets are the place to be and RX organized one in South Africa, and it was good”, she said. Multicom Entertainment Group’s chairman Irv Holender saw this AFM as “a much more focusedmarket. The people who are coming know exactly what they want to see. And it makes it easier for us to concentrate on the direction, or the platform. We see a growth [with audiences], but we’re also seeing a consolidation with the buyers, where there’ll be more and more mergers and more and more major acquisitions coming up in order to minimize not only the competitive market but to upscale and increase the advertising revenue. Right now the advertising revenues are at very low CPMs and everybody is trying to increase it. There is a boost temporarily because of the [U.S. midterm] elections, but that’s going to fall apart next week. We need to find a way to not only increase the CPMs on the platforms but help the television clients get a higher rate as it’s all embedded. Coming in it’s more of the digital side of the business, not as many television buyers, not as many television networks, as you can see when you walk around — you don’t feel like it’s television.” Holender continued: “We’ve brought our major catalogs, plus our new content and our platforms’ major films and television series, as well as major off-network television series.” The Italian Film Commission had a good presence inside the Loews, and Nevina Satta, CEO of the Sardinia Film Commission, was “pleased to be back again (in person).We had two years of virtual market (and) COVID proved we could do business in different ways, but in terms of oneon-one meetings it’s going a bit slow for us.” Nonetheless, their presentation onWednesday, November 2, the second day of the six-day AFM market, went very well. “Many people are not traveling, and L.A. has become a bit more — way more — expensive, but this is a business of people with people looking each other in the eye and not on a screen with Zoom”, she said. “We’ve developed the animation sector very strongly over the last few years through the creation of a lab, which is really the hub of production in training, so we’re meeting with a lot of animation companies and distributors who intend to develop new content. The market was a little bit more alive before COVID. Sardinia is an indigenous culture, it’s a mini continent, and it’s in the center of the Mediterranean. We work a lot on sustainability and on environmental topics”, Satta concluded. Finally, Chris Benn, Feature Film coordinator at Toronto-based Breakthrough Entertainment, said that he’s finding that “a lot of people who are traditionally film [buyers] are now open to other [rights].” Breakthrough’s Michael McGuigan suggested that in today’s world “people have to be flexible. Content is content. Look at how many film actors are now in television. It’s a new world.” (By Mike Reynolds) Good Business at the American Film Market, Despite USD’s Strength AFM 2022 Report The Multicom Entertainment Group team at their AFM suite (l. to r.): Josi Chow, Bryan Crocker, Irv Holender, Niloo Badie, Jesse Baritz, Darrin Holender.
V I D E O A G E November 2022 12 event had just 450 participants. As far as the number of buyers and commissioners, there will be 180, who will be meeting with 114 exhibitors from 27 countries (as per October 21, 2022) for 20 minutes at a time during pre-scheduled sessions that will take place between November 14 and 16, 2022. But after the October 3, 2022 announcement that NATPE would be filing for Chapter 11 with the bankruptcy court, and the October 26 announcement that NATPE would be canceling its 2023 market in the Bahamas, come opening day, MIP Cancun could expect a surge of both sellers and buyers. Indeed, on October 28, RX France, the event organizer, announced that the number of participants swelled to 800 from 40 countries. Like MIP Cancun, NATPE was also a LATAM-centric market. However, a new trade show, DISCOP Miami, is replacing the NATPE show with a January 31-February 2, 2023 event, which could be very promising (see full story on page six). This year, the eighth annual in-person edition of MIP Cancun will kick off on Sunday (instead of Tuesday like in 2021), which could generate some extra traffic among the vacationing weekend crowd. Originally, the dates were set for November 15-18, but were later moved to the current November 13-16, 2022. The official reason for this change is that it was done “for a combination of operational reasons and after taking into account feedback from delegates.” The MIP Cancun 2021 market began on November 16 and was held at the Moon Palace Hotel complex in the Mexican resort city. The complex is also the venue for this year’s event. The hotel fully reopened the summer of 2021 following the COVID emergency. Even though MIP Cancun 2022 will begin on November 13, the market portion will start the next day and will consist of buyers meeting with sellers at tables in a large room. The start date comes just 25 days after MIPCOM and just eight days after the AFM, which tends to attract some LATAM buyers looking for movies. The Ecuador-born Perez-Bellière was given the responsibility for MIP Cancun by RX France, which organizes the market, following the departure of Benedicte Touchard de Morant, who last year led a team of 16 people in Cancun. Perez-Bellière is a company insider who previously organized for RX France’s Esports BAR markets. This will be her first time heading the Cancun TV event. During the interview, Perez-Bellière also executive producer and partner at Sao Paulo, Brazil’s Boutique Filmes. It’ll be moderated by VideoAge’s Dom Serafini. The session will be held in the Main Auditorium on November 14, the market’s second day, from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by 15 minutes of meeting with the speakers. The theme of the talk will be “Spotlight on Brazil: A View to Its Voices, Content, and Evolution of the Sector.” Alex Marin, a former Sony Pictures Sales executive who now runs Media Advisors, his own Miami-based production company, will be attending MIP Cancun with four staffers, and will be bringing different content with him than what he highlighted at MIPCOM. As far as meetings are concerned, he will be checking in with “more traditional clients” rather than new potential ones. Touching on the costs, Marin said that he expects that this MIP Cancun will be more expensive than the previous ones. A similar sentiment was expressed by Beatriz Cea Okan, VP and head of Sales and Acquisitions for Istanbul-based Inter Medya, who noted that her concerns aren’t simply due to the high inflation rates experienced now in Turkey. “The prices of MIP Cancun have increased”, she said, pointing out, however, that she will have a minimum of 20 meetings, and that MIP Cancun is “a very good market.” Inter Medya is bringing series that are new for the market, and all are dubbed in Spanish. Also from Turkey, former Inter Medya Sales exec Sibel Levendoglu is heading to MIP Cancun as Kanal D’s Sales manager for LATAM and the U.S. It will be her first time under the Kanal D brand, and she will be bringing one title from last year (Three Sisters) and one from this year (That Girl). Levendoglu also reported that she had received the list of buyers scheduled to meet with her fromMIP Cancun organizers and “had no objections.” In terms of exhibitors, the largest groups hail from the U.S. and France (with 21 companies each), followed by the U.K. (with 12 distribution companies), and Turkey (with 10 exhibitors). On the buying side, a large contingent will be from the U.S. with 35 acquisition executives, followed by Mexico (24), Brazil (19), Argentina (14), Ecuador (10), Colombia (eight), and Chile (seven). On the next page Latin American program buyers explain to VideoAge their views on MIP Cancun. addressed the higher cost concerns of many small distribution companies, and pointed out that they could attend as visitors before graduating to exhibitors by renting a table. “It’s a good way to come and try”, she advised, noting that that option is affordable by all since they only have to pay for registration. Naturally, once registered as visitors, participants can attend all conferences, parties, and special events, where they can meet with buyers informally. This relatively high cost of attending a market these days is mostly because travel expenditures in the post-pandemic period are much higher than before. The current cost of plane tickets and accommodations are frequently cited by Latin American executives as a reason for skipping out on in-person industry events. However, MIP Cancun has gained relevance for the Latin American TV sector, so many companies are expected to attend. A survey conducted by the Spanish-language publication, The Daily Television, among sellers and buyers from Latin America found that MIP Cancun has become the number one market for television companies and executives from the Latin American and Hispanic market in the United States who do not regularly attend European events. MIP Cancun’s organizers are also arranging 18 conferences. One that shouldn’t be missed is withBrazil-bornbutBuenosAires-basedCecilia Mendonca, head of Content Development for The Walt Disney Company, and Tiago Mello, MIP Cancun: What to Expect (Continued from Cover) (Continued on Page 14) MIP Cancun has become the number one market for television companies and executives from the LATAM and Hispanic market in the U.S. Maria Perez-Bellière is director of MIP Cancun and Esports Conex
Looking forward to seeing you at DISCOP Miami! www.videoageinternational.net
14 V I D E O A G E November 2022 (Continued from Page 12) Before meeting with Pedro Lascurain (pictured), Content Acquisition director of Mexico City-based TV Azteca, at MIPCOM CANNES, VideoAge had a chance to get his thoughts on the upcoming MIP Cancun via e-mail. “I will be going to MIP Cancun and all the meetings the organizers suggest for me are fine”, he wrote, adding that some meetings are strictly for background purposes and likely won’t lead to an acquisition. “Not all of [the meetings that I’ll have will] be under TV Azteca’s profile, but it gives me an idea of what other programs are out there.” He continued: “I always try to look for new distributors from different countries. The main reason is to find out if something new is out there for us. Usually I end up buying more product from the usual partners because we know what kind of results we are going to have on the screen.” Lascurain then touched on the topic of costs, a sore point with some exhibitors and even some acquisition executives. “As a buyer”, he said, “I have a great deal with MIP Cancun. They pay for my accommodations and my plane ticket. [But I’m] guessing that everything has to be more expensive this time just because we in Mexico have eight percent inflation this year.” About the pre-selection of sellers assigned to buyers by MIP Cancun organizers, Doris Vogelmann, vice president of Programming and Operations for the Doral, Florida-based V-Me Media, said: “I never refuse any meeting that is assigned to me. I give myself and the other party the opportunity to meet and figure out if there is something we can do together.” She then added: “It is true that it is always easier and more comfortable to meet with traditional partners, but by meeting new distributors you can get pleasantly surprised with new business opportunities.” As for the increased costs involved in attending this year’s MIP Cancun versus past editions, Vogelmann said: “As a buyer I want to say [my cost] is similar to previous years.” In other words, the organizers paid all of her participation costs. But not all buyers will have all of their expenses paid by the market organizers, and MIP Cancun director Maria Perez-Bellière made this clear during an interview with VideoAge during the recentlyconcluded MIPCOM Cannes. Indeed, in order to take advantage of the all-expensespaid opportunity, buyers have to be acquiring programs for their own broadcast or any form of transmission. Those participants who attend MIP Cancun with the intent of buying new content in order to fill their owndistributionpipes only get free registration. The situation is even more complex when the seller is also acquiring for a major television station group. “Each case is matched to the profile with the client”, said one RX France representative, before adding: “[We] will politely decline from going into the details of each respective case, but below is a quote [that] should help: A company can attend as a distributor, co-producer, and/or buyer. RX teams look for the right profile to propose either the distribution or the coproduction market.” MIP Cancun: Buyers’ View DO YOU WANT TO REACH BUYERS? DO BOTH... ONLY WITH VIDEOAGE! DO YOU WANT DISTRIBUTION AT ATF?
V I D E O A G E November 2022 16 TV Content Original ity tent officer at Channel 4 in the U.K. A recent announcement that the BBC was programming Gladiators, a onetime hit ITV show from a few years back, prompted him to suggest that it was “depressing” howmany old shows were coming back to screens and called it a “microwave moment” of “reheated old TV shows.” Katz isn’t alone in such feelings, but not many others in the industry are as forthcoming. In fact, it’s rather difficult to get leading figures in the entertainment field to go public on the subject, even though those in the TV biz seem obsessed with recycling old TV shows. But why is this happening? Audiences have not been demanding these returns, so why then is it happening? Is it the execs that are pushing to go with what they know to be safe? Originality in program content seems to have taken a hit in recent times and, as noted earlier, it’s not for a lack of new ideas. There are so many new and good ideas out there, but they are not being picked up in favor of the oldies. There’s always been movement in the executive suite, but we’ve had a dizzying diet of exec musical chairs of late. So is this a case of green-light execs worried about their jobs if they say “yes” to something new that fails? This problem also existed to a certain degree in the past, but in those days in order to try something new, at times, the decisionmakers who commissioned the programming, especially at the TV station level, protected their jobs by hiring outside consultants who were paid to be willing to take the blame for shows if they failed. According to Joanne Morreale, an associate professor of Media and Screen Studies at Boston’s NortheasternUniversity, and author of several entertainment industry-related books, the reason is simple. “There is just so much TV out there”, she said. “Execs need content to fill the airwaves, so retreads are easy because they pull in older audiences who remember programs and they hopefully get new viewers, as well.” Of course, even from the early days of TV, a copycat syndrome has been in play, according to Morreale. “Just about every live drama was an adaptation of a film or Broadway or radio play”, she said. “Even after there were original dramas, adaptationswere common. The dramas even copied each other, so that a ‘teleplay’ that was successful on one program would often be replayed on a different program. Remakes are in TV’s DNA.” While it’s difficult to argue with DNA, when TV was in its infancy, it didn’t offer the amount of content that is available today. Nor did it have the number of channels that we have today or a knowledge of what the viewing public might want to see. Everything was in the realm of the unknown. The upside of these current revivals, suggests Morreale, is that they’re “a very low-risk proposition. If a show turns into a hit, they can always order another season.” Today, one might expect that these shows are brought back to try and retain audiences and stop them from going to the streamers. Amazingly, streamers are taking the same tack — reviving cancelled shows — but not at the same percentage levels. Are they doing this only to add to their content lists? The strange thing is that while reviving old shows canbeperceived as goingwithsomething that audiences are familiar with, these “bringbacks” are happening with content for children who have no knowledge of the past. Sure, the parents could have something to do with it, but… The amalgamation of so many entities into a single streaming service may eventually change the mindset. However, the fact that TV entities are now more “in bed” with film entities than ever before could very well be a reason both will continue going for the safe, familiar route, with the occasional foray into some “daring content.” (By Mike Reynolds) (Continued from Cover) of older, beloved shows (as the photo on the cover indicates), inundate the TV landscape, prompting one to ask: “Why?” Where has the originality gone? When seeking the answer, it quickly became evident that it isn’t due to a lack of creativity among the alleged creatives, as there are plenty of new ideas floating around in the ether. But because they are new, it seems that the green-lighting powers that be believe that audiences will steer clear of the unfamiliar, so they instead opt to stick with what they know, whether that be a recognizable title to use to lure in audiences, or an update of an old series. It can even be content taken from a popular, much-loved book series (George R.R. Martin’s 1996 Game of Thrones saga comes to mind). Still, in the majority of cases, these “revivals” haven’t lasted all that long. While one might expect that it’s only the major U.S. networks guilty of this retreading, streamers have also been jumping onto the trend bandwagon, albeit in a much smaller way. The situation isn’t just restricted to comedy or drama, but also happens with children’s shows, animated fare (for adults and children), and reality content. All have received the repurposed treatment of late. And this was very evident at a recent MIPCOM conference that promoted “new reality formats”, but went on to highlight old ones instead. It left the audience in the room disappointed. It seems that once they reach a certain level, too many decision-makers are scared to put something new and original out there lest they lose their jobs. A survey could determine if this “fear of the new” can also be a consequence of the so-called “cancel culture.” Meanwhile, it is becoming abundantly clear that TV audiences are getting too many of these reboots, revivals, spin-offs, and blasts from the past, and would rather get new and innovative original content, instead. This “fear of the new” could also be extended to talent agents, who are reluctant to take on new, unknown writers and/or directors without any prior screen credits. Those in the streaming world can be a bit more “daring” because there is so much content available that they can afford to give something fresh and new a try. Additionally, they don’t have time slots or advertisers that they need to be concerned about. Ian Katz oversees all editorial decisionmaking and commissioning as the chief conThe original Love Boat romance/comedy series aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986 Joanne Morreale is the author of several entertainment industry-related books Dating Show The Real Love Boat is currently on Paramount+ (the format is licensed by Paramount Global Content Distribution) Originality in program content seems to have taken a hit in recent times and it’s not for a lack of new ideas... Is this a case of green-light execs worried about their jobs?
V I D E O A G E November 2022 18 MIPCOM CANNES Report (Continued from Cover) Lucy Smith at the press conference held on MIPCOM CANNES’ third day will go on without a “Personality of the Year” celebration — contrary to what happened in pre-pandemic times. This year some participants left as early as Wednesday, October 19. Still, the presence of a large number of MIPCOM old-timers made the event feel like a family reunion. The above are the facts and figures. But they don’t tell the full story of a market that has finally fully rebounded following the pandemic — after a “dry-run” in October 2021 that left the door open for the more normal-feeling event experienced this year. Formats and reality shows reigned supreme, dominating print and poster promotion at the Palais and its environs. In addition, a highly anticipated seminar held on the first day of the market, and the FRAPA format summit held on the second day, focused on new ideas in the format genre — even though few new ideas were actually presented — and were packed with people. There were also other content issues, like the one expressed by Banijay’s Marco Bassetti during his keynote presentation, when he called for greater equity in the sharing of IP and rights between talent, producers, and streamers. “It is not fair [for streamers] to ask the talent or producers to give up everything when they have a successful show”, he said. Naturally, the news that the NATPE organization had filed for Chapter 11 created some confusion and consternation, especially among those distributors who fully paid for exhibition space at NATPE Miami 2022 (which was ultimately canceled), and were expecting to be credited for NATPE 2023… which has also been canceled. According to U.S. bankruptcy law, through the Chapter 11 provisions, companies can ask the courts to schedule a reorganization of a debtor’s business affairs, debts, and assets and get breathing room to develop a plan in order to return to doing business. Nonetheless, the overall mood of the market was uplifting (helped by the fact that the weather was beautiful and sunny), with a huge presence from the major U.S. studios. As Smith said during the press conference, “The studios brought Hollywood to Cannes.” MIPCOM 2022 was hyped up as the “Mother of all TV Markets”, and even though it didn’t come close to the splendor that was MIPCOM 2019, it was much better than MIPCOM 2021, so much so that VideoAge was able to publish one VideoAge Daily. And indeed, the daily market publication became a symbol of a rebounding MIPCOM. In pre-pandemic times, VideoAge traditionally received enough support to publish three Daily editions, while at MIPCOM 2021 was only able to publish its Monthly. (This year, it published its Monthly and one Daily edition.) It is well known in any industry that the success of a trade show can be judged by the number of trade publications distributed at the event. The better the expectations are from the exhibitors, the more executives will be willing to invest in promotional activities. And MIPCOM 2022 rebounded big-time with big, fat publications, as well as numerous cocktail parties. The basement level of the Palais (aka the “bunker”) also reopened, and only a scant few of its exhibition spaces were left without stands. And the beachfront portion leading to the Palais was filled with several new additions (like FOX Entertainment Global). As expected, Turkish companies dominated the market due to the sheer number of their companies in attendance. The U.S. studios also resurfaced, with all in attendance, even though a distinction is now being made between “studios” and “majors” since the word “studios” is becoming a favorite addition to many production and distribution companies. Paramount was there with a gigantic structure along the beach. Warner Bros. Discovery was nearby with another enormous stand. Disney gave up its former ground location in favor of a large room on the third floor. And NBCUni retained its traditional space on the fourth floor with a spacious terrace. Among the indies, the most striking stand belonged to Banijay, that basically built a two-story ecofriendly building right in front of the main Palais entrance. Veteran German distributor Reiner Moritz of Poorhouse International gave his assessment: “MIPCOM 2022 clearly had more visitors than the preceding one. But from our point of view the Latin Americans, and some Asians — in particular Japanese and Chinese — were missing. [Still] everybody was happy to meet again and have person-to-person conversations.” This last sentiment was echoed by Francis Humble,AcquisitionsexecutiveatTVCatalunya, “The market was back to normal”, he said. Nicole Schulman, head of Acquisitions at Axess, Sweden, noted that there was “great content — and not only from Europe.” Finally, TarmoKivikallio, headofAcquisition and Commissioning for Finland’s YLE, summed it up: “MIPCOM was a very good market, with many interesting meetings and projects. It felt like a new start after the pandemic.” If one could miss something from the MIPCOMs of years past, it would be the printed market guide. These days, it’s only available online, and searching for executives’ names requires a large amount of time. New this time around was the need for participants to have a market badge (or a room key) in order to enter major hotels, like The Majestic, to discourage people from being able to conduct meetings in prominent places without paying registration fees. As for the city of Cannes, the entire town seemed to be under construction, with a good number of big hotels being remodeled. The town’s iconic carousel near the Palais had also been dismantled. Electric Entertainment’s Steve Saltman, Entertainment Studios’ Tom Devlin, Access Entertainment’s Ken DuBow Turkey’s pavilion stand was located in the ‘bunker’ area of the Palais
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20 V I D E O A G E November 2022 Event Planner Flight Delays Are The New Reality: Some Are Avoidable Flight delays and cancellations are obviously problematic to business travelers. They were big concerns before the pandemic, and have now become even bigger. For example, the number of flight delays in Germany has doubled since 2018. And with the number of air passengers continuing to grow, we can expect flight delays and cancellations to continue to grow, as well. By 2040, this number is expected to be nine times bigger than it is now, according to a report by Eurocontrol, the Brussels, Belgiumbased European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation. The reasons for delays are varied and includeweather conditions, security issues, technical issues with the aircraft, strikes, waiting for connecting passengers, airport congestion, and missing passengers with checked-in luggage. But there are other things that could conceivably be avoided, such as reduced staff, incompetent ground personnel at check-in counters, and even air spaces that are temporarily closed due to military exercises. MIP CANCUN November 13-16 Cancun, Mexico Tel: (33 1) 4756 5000 www.mipcancun.com DISCOP KIGALI November 29-December 1 Kigali, Rwanda Tel: (323) 594-8010 www.discop.com ASIA TV FORUM December 7-9 Singapore, Rep. of Singapore Tel: (34 692) 553 999 www.asiatvforum.com SUNDANCE FILM FEST January 19-29 Park City, Utah, U.S. Tel: (310) 360-1981 www.sundance.org DISCOP MIAMI January 31-February 2 Miami, FL, U.S. Tel: (323) 594 8010 www.discop.com BERLINALE February 16-26 Berlin, Germany Tel: (49 30) 2592-0707 www.berlinale.de SERIES MANIA March 17-24 Lille, France Tel: (33 6) 2010-4056 www.seriesmania.com Recognized standard of quality in Audio Description Descriptive Video Works is committed to providing access to all forms of visual media With more than 40,000 television shows, feature films and LIVE shows completed, you can rely on us to deliver your project on budget and on time. Our technical expertise guarantees a top quality product - a commitment we’ve made to our clients for more than 17 years. Request a Quote info@descriptivevideoworks.com descriptivevideoworks.com
Miami Beach proves that it’s still the premier U.S. location for international film/TV markets with DISCOP Miami. www.discopmiami.com NEW DATES January 31- February 2, 2023 NEW VENUE Grand Beach Hotel NEW MANAGEMENT The Organizers of DISCOP Let’s celebrate 2023 with the most important film/TV market v t e h n e u U e . i S n .
22 November 2022 Now that the few remaining cinemas have gone digital, 35-mm film projectionists are being sought after. If you want to know how to prepare for the future, just ask talent agents or... cell phone manufacturers. The former are now advising their clients that everything is cyclical and that talent should invest in their careers by keeping an eye to traditional television. That history repeats itself (an old saying that has been replaced by “Everything is cyclical”) has just been rediscovered by, among others, Samsung, Motorola, and Alcatel, which have just reintroduced the iconic “flip” phones of the 1990s. Even Mark Zuckerberg went back to 1992 to look for a new corporate name for his Facebook: Meta, for metaverse, which means mixing virtual and real reality. The current expression of “metaverse” was introduced in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash. And now that the few remaining cinemas have gone digital, 35-millimeter film projectionists are being sought after by specialized movie theaters in New York City. As a recent article in the Arts section of The New York Times was titled, “The Old is New, Again and Again.” Now, a few words about this overused expression, “History repeats itself.” Apparently, it has several fathers. The first seems to be Irish statesman Edmund Burke (1729-1797), who once wrote: “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” Then came German philosopher Karl Marx (1818-1883), who said, “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.” Third was Spanish philosopher Jorge Santayana (1863-1952), credited with the aphorism, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Finally, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1955) couldn’t help but contribute with his: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Wanting to throw my own two cents into the ring, I came up with the expression, “Time changes tragedy into comedy”, when describing my 2019 book I Was Frail: The Revenge of the B12 Vitamin, which described how I couldn’t help but laugh when recalling heartrending events from my youth (like when my father, who was in an ambulance due to a severe bout of Crohn’s disease, was complaining that his chicken dinner had sent him to the hospital). Because of my fondness for “cyclical” expressions, I take pride in returning to them again and again, even though the links between “Time changes tragedy into comedy” and “History repeats itself” are evident only through the aforementioned Karl Marx’s quote. The point of this My2¢ is that the content industry needs to keep focusing on today’s trends and technologies without losing sight of upcoming trends, which most likely will be something that will take us back to the future. Today, even the fashion world is looking back, with casual garments generally said to “epitomize modernity”, but which are modeled after the stylish looks of the 1960s, as seen in the movies of the late French director Jean-Luc Godard. The question is: The news is obviously out, but is anyone buying it? Some readers could see this insistence of mine on “looking back” as a sign of conservationism, but I’d argue that it is instead a sign of progressivism, if not outright modernity. Dom Serafini The fact that history repeats itself is noted inmany an expression, including “Everything is cyclical,” “Looking back epitomizes modernity,” and even “Back to the future.” But is anyone listening? “One thing I’m sure of, common sense will never triumph!” My 2¢
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