continued commitment to raising public awareness on environmental issues. “They’ve been [trying to raise awareness] for over 50 years — way before it was even cool or trendy,” said Johnson. Teri Fleming, vp, Marketing, for Santa Monica, California-based Lionsgate, also took it upon herself to ensure that her company’s new booth and location were as green as possible. “The decking is all reusable,” she said. She also brought biodegradable cups and reused walls from Lionsgate’s old booth. “We’re just trying to be as eco-friendly as possible,” she said. Being eco-friendly is less expensive for new booths. Re-fitting older booths can be quite pricey, however. Plus, it seems that the new trend is having a booth with terrace space, which offers lots of natural sunlight. And while entertainment companies were successful in their attempts at being green (meaning environmentally conscious), it seemed that they were holding onto their greenbacks (as dollars and other currencies are sometimes called) this year. Lavish parties are usually a large part of MIP-TV, but this year, they were few and far between. Of course, there was the traditional opening night gala provided by Reed Midem. This year’s had a Japanese theme complete with paper lanterns and ladies dressed in traditional kimonos. Also on the first night, Granada, Portman and Distraction all threw their own shindigs. On the second day of MIP, Dori Media, Court TV (launching its new rebrand as truTV) and the Singapore Media Development Agency hosted some bashes. Regardless of the dearth of gettogethers, the stars were out in full force. Actors Shirley MacLaine, Derek Jacobi and Sam Neill graced the hallowed halls of the Palais with their presences. Simon Beaufoy, writer of The Full Monty, was also on hand to meet and greet. At VideoAge ’s traditional MIP-TV breakfast, held at the Plage Royale in Cannes, editor Dom Serafini told a crowd of 20 executives that this year’s L.A. Screenings could finally be the break that independents have been waiting for. “This is a unique opportunity simply because the studios have fewer pilots this year,” said Serafini, alluding to the after-effects of the writers strike. “The independents need to capitalize on this.” Representatives from such indies as Ledafilms, Televisa, CDC United Network, RCN, Globo TV and RAI Trade were present looking for suggestions on how best to take advantage V I D E O • A G E MAY 2 0 0 8 16 M I P - T V R e v i e w MIP-TV Power Women: Mediaset’s Nella Allegretti, SPI’s Revi Benshohsan, Rai Trade’s Marilena Avola and Rita Lombardi, Funwood Media’s Almudena Campo, Zebracom’s Amanda Garay Sarasti, Sonaecom’s Susanna Barbato, Telemundo’s Esperanza Garay Turkish Power lunch: Antalya Fest’s Ziya Temeltas, Comcast’s Nazan Giasson and Regent’s Merve Berker discuss how to best promote the Antalya Film Fest. Launch -pad for Philip Mazzei, a film by Francesco Fulcini (left) to be produced by Buskin Film’s Roberto Bessi, here with Bavaria Media Italia’s Giuseppe Proietti (right) MIP-TV Power Women II: Sony’s Hayley Babcock, NBC Universal’s Pauline Bohm, Channel Four’s Ruby Kuraishe, Programs4Media’s Tracy Vaughan, Granada’s Jennifer Harrington, NBC Universal’s Lara Ingle, Outline Productions’ Helen Veale, Promofilm’s Marcela Campos, NBC Universal’s Millie Savinon, Mediaset’s Nella Allegretti, International Emmys’ Camille Bidermann, Debmar-Mercury’s Beata Hegedus of this unexpected development. Serafini pointed out that the studios might keep buyers in their screening rooms for fewer hours, leaving them ample time to spend with independents. “This year, buyers will have more time to visit independents at their hotels,” said Pedro Leda of Ledafilms. “It will be a very good year for independent product.” The L.A. Screenings were on many executives’ minds at MIP. “Like everyone else, we’re still recovering from the hit of the strike,” said Henri Ringel, vice president of Sales for Walt Disney Television International (Latin America). “But if anything, that’s only given us more strength.” Keith LeGoy, executive vice president, Distribution, Sony Pictures Television International, said that he believes the Screenings will be “pretty much the same as any year.” But he did mention that he thinks the Screenings might be shorter this year. “The real difficulty for buyers will be how to evaluate a series that has been picked up straight from a script,” said LeGoy. On the seminars side, there were a total of 51 seminars, including keynotes, pitch sessions and master classes. MIP-TV 2008 drew 13,360 participants up from 13,311 in 2007. Some 4,551 companies from 111 countries took part in the market. MIP-TV 2009 will take place March 30-April 3. (Continued from Page 12)
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