Videoage International December 2021

V I D E O A G E December 2021 8 MIP Cancun Estelar Review one VideoAge spoke with said any-thing about the market being slow or about it being boring. They only mentioned back-to-back meetings, screenings, seminars, an awards ceremony, and parties galore — basically one shindig per night, starting with the Welcoming Party, followed by the Opening Night Party, and ending with the closing Fiesta Party on day three of the market that began on November 16, and was held in the Moon Palace Hotel of the Mexican resort city. The hotel fully reopened in the summer after the COVID emergency. Adeline Ferro, who attended MIP Cancun for the first time in her role at the newly established Olympusat Content Sales division, added that while the crowd didn’t seem that big, the executive level of participants was very high, and that she was just barely able to juggle the many meetings that happened at both of her two rented tables. Another first-timer was Marek Kadiec, CEO of the production company Watts English Ltd., located in Liberec, a small city in the Czech Republic. He reported having several successful meetings at MIP Cancun. Among the top-level TV executives present in Cancun was Sandra Smester, EVP and chief content officer for all four of Mexico’s Azteca TV channels, who during a conference presented a tribute to Azteca’s late chief content & di- stribution officer, Alberto Ciurana, who died in March due to complications from COVID. Last month, in its Water Cooler feature, VideoAge reported that the success of this MIP Cancun edition came against all odds. Indeed, it started with a Cancun that had once been declared a high COVID-19 contamination area but managed to become a safe or “green zone.” Then came a shootout between rival gangs in a downtown Cancun hotel in early November. This was followed up by a full week of rain during the market. In terms of facts and figures, those reported in VideoAge ’s No- vember 18 Water Cooler feature are still valid, since they were not officially contested. Themarket ended onNovember 19 after three days of intense meetings between 82 distribution companies from 22 countries and 96 buyers (also from 22 countries). Among the sales contingent, the largest number came from the U.S. with 20 companies, followed by France with 16 distribution companies, and Turkey with nine. Russia also sent a delegation of seven TV executives representing five com-panies, who took the time to gather together for a VideoAge group photo. WAWA, the Miami, Florida-based Worldwide Audiovisual Women’s Association, also took the time for a group photo for the international press. On the buying side, the U.S. sent the largest delegation with 24 acquisition executives, followed by Mexico with 16, and Brazil was a distant third with eight buyers. RX France, the market organizer, guaranteed each distribution company a minimum of 17 total meetings (and up to 25) with buyers. A few distributors reported last-minute travel cancellations from some buyers, but there were several buyers at the pre-opening cocktail party who said that they’d decided to come at the last minute. This is especially interesting considering that air travel to Cancun from many Central American countries is pretty tough, often requiring multiple connections and different anti-COVID requirements. The process of registering for the market was easy since badges were sent via e-mail. The hotel registration, set up in a separate area than for those not MIP-bound, took some time due to the large crowds of MIP attendees trying to check in. On the other hand, obtaining the negative COVID test certificate, which was needed to enter the MIP convention area, took less than 30 minutes to procure. The test was free for MIP participants. For other guests it cost U.S.$19. As an extra precaution, the market floor was sanitized every three hours, with meetings interrupted for each cleaning. Plus, wearing facemasks was required. MIP participants also had to wear two bra- celets throughout the market. The first was needed to access the sleeping rooms (and for other hotel services). The second was given to show a negative COVID test. On day one, the market started with a buyers’ breakfast meeting, and featured a seminar about the challenges that face writers and agents alike these days. And, with three major U.S. literary agencies represented, the market acquired an added feature. The day’s other highlight was a screening presentation by the Turkish content distribution group, Inter Medya. There were a number of dignitaries on the scene. November 17 saw both the Colombian Ambassador in Mexico, Angela Ospina De Nicholls, and the Colombian Consul in Cancun, Maria Fernanda Grueso Lugo, in attendance at the market. The Turkish Commercial Counselor, Inci Selin Bal Salkim, also paid a visit that same day. During the three days, the market hosted 16 conferences, three parties (as mentioned above), and the Produ Awards, which during a one-hour video presentation, handed out a whopping 67 prizes to LATAM TV executives. The most moving segment of the night, however, was a memorial dedicated to those Latin American TV executives who died during the past year. (Continued from Cover) VideoAge ’s Dom Serafini moderated a writers-agents seminar with Brazilian author Raphael Montes de Carvalho (l.) and U.S. literary agent Noah Jones (r.) A few members of WAWA, the Worldwide Audiovisual Women’s Association, gathered for a commemorative photo Meeting tables at the exhibition hall The Russian delegation of five companies, coordinated by Moscow-based Expocontent At the Produ Awards (l. to r.): MIP Cancun’s show director Benedicte Touchard de Morant, Lucy Smith, director of MIPTV and MIPCOM, guests, Beatriz Cea Okan, vice president and head of Sales and Acquisitions of Inter Medya, and Can Okan, founder and CEO of Inter Medya