V I D E O • A G E MA Y 2 0 1 0 32 (Continued from Cover) Indies Make Up In Number from the Middle East and Eastern Block countries,” she said. Toronto-based company The Fremantle Corporation is likewise keeping a broad, international scope. “Even though most of the attendees are from Latin America, we have a global focus,” said Fremantle director/principal Irv Holender. Holender and his associates will be at the Screenings launching new pre-school HD animated series Bug Rangers, in addition to highlighting miniseries The Merchant of Flowers and primetime series The Code. Overall, Holender was optimistic about the market. “The advertising business is picking up. The need for content has increased,” he said. Additionally, he noted that while the Screening are indeed often studio-dominated, this year they have fewer scripted programs on offer, which should give the indies a leg up. “There are no green lights for long form series yet,” he said, adding, “The need for scripted product is going to pick up in the next few months.” Like Holender, Emilia Nuccio, vice president of International Sales for Massachusetts-based Echo Bridge, enjoys the Screenings’ environment. “I like the pace of this market,” she said, “Because it’s an opportunity to spend more time with clients and get to know their needs and concerns better.” In addition to promoting movies and series like Trauma and Fortier, Nuccio said she plans to use these Screenings to go after free TV sales. “We would like to do more free TV sales, as I am sure everyone would,” she said, “With our disaster movie slate, I think Echo Bridge is positioned to increase that piece of Latin American business.” Latin Media’s Jose Escalante will be in L.A. with an eclectic mix of series from Latin America and Asia. Asked if he predicted any Latin territories to be more aggressive than the others, Escalante said the Latins will get most of their product from the studios. “It’s very difficult to estimate a percentage,” she said, “But there is no doubt that the main amount of product acquired by the Latin networks come from major studios and the largest independent Hollywood producers.” Sally Treibel, executive vice president of New York-based Bender Media Services, will be on hand highlighting eight new shows. Bender’s roster is comprised of animation, beauty, adventure, cooking, entertainment, music and sports shows. As for programming trends to expect for the Screenings, Treibal pointed to “interstitial” product (short programs that run between two movies or events), as well as cooking, entertainment and family programming. However, unlike many other companies, Treibel and her team will not be pushing hard to attract Latin buyers. “For the programs we represent worldwide, we have seen more interest 75 compared to 73 actively screening in 2009. A good number of distributors will also be inviting buyers into their offices, if conveniently located, such as Lionsgate, Porchlight, MGM and GK-TV. This year, the Indies Screenings take place May 18-21, and some distributors will remain on hand to take advantage of the opportunity tomeet with buyers during the Studio Screenings (May 20-28). Since, for the indies, the Screenings have become a Latin-driven event, the aim of many sellers will be to target buyers from the region. VideoAge spoke to several distributors to find out their plans for the market, which Latin territories they expect to be more aggressive this year and how much product they expect to sell. Argentina-based Ledafilms walks the line between studio and indie. It acts as a sales agent for Paramount PicturesDreamworks as well as for independent companies such as Los Angeles-based Lucasfilm. Ledafilms’ senior vice president Gabriela Lopez said that, although a good number of companies her firm represents are focused primarily on Latin America, her team has other goals for the Screenings. “We’re also launching a new animated production project in association with Miami-based Exim and Italy’s Mondo TV,” she said. “It’s called BondiBand, and it will have worldwide distribution plus licensing and merchandising.” Lopez also emphasized that although some sales will go to the independents, indies sets up camp at the hotels in the Century City section of Los Angeles to impatiently await the arrival of a few scattered buyers. Some indie companies, such as several Latin American distributors, actually succeed in attracting some buyers. In fact, for some of them, the L.A. Screenings have become their major market. The market is problematic mainly for European distributors, which struggle to get attention, but nevertheless are persisting in becoming part of this huge organic (i.e., not organized) market called the L.A. Screenings. By the way, before VideoAge got involved with the event in 1982, it was called the “May Screenings,” as some old-timers still call them. Over the years, VideoAge single-handedly managed to change its name to the currently, universally accepted “L.A. Screenings.” Now in its 46th year, the L.A. Screenings kicks off May 18-28 in Los Angeles, California. Last year’s event attracted 1,100 buyers, 300 fewer than in 2008, due to the economic crisis compounded by the flu scare, which kept many executives, especially Asians, home. This time the buying contingent — scattered throughout Los Angeles — is expected to return to a record high, because of the improved financial conditions and also the increased number of pilots commissioned by the U.S. TV networks, which is around 90, as compared to 75 in 2009. Not to be underestimated is also the power of the studios’ parties, which are a magnet for both buyers and shoppers: this year almost all the studios are throwing bashes (with the exclusion of Sony Pictures and CBS Studios). As far as the indies are concerned, the Century Plaza Hotel will have the bulk of exhibitors, followed by the Intercontinental Hotel. The studios, of course, will screen on their lots. There will also be a larger number of exhibitors, MYRA BRACER’S INDIE TAKE ON THE L.A. SCREENINGS Mayra Bracer, a Latin America Content Sales executive for New York-based AETN International, summed up the challenge for indie companies at L.A. Screenings. “Independents have always been fighting for that 10 to 20 percent of product that is not produced locally [in Latin America and other countries], and most of that slice is taken by the studios. So it’s always an uphill battle, and it’s been even harder as markets have tightened with the down economy,” she said. Nevertheless, AETN has high hopes for the market, where it’ll be promoting The Real Face of Jesus? — a special that uses digital technology and CGI to investigate biblical mysteries — as well a host of formats. However, looking forward, Bracer remarked that she would like to see the indies carve out more of a place for themselves at L.A. Screenings. “I am curious to see how long the independents will continue to piggy back off the studios in L.A. for this market,” she said. “In the past, buyers would allocate a number of days in L.A. to spend with us before heading into the Studio Screenings. With shrunken travel budgets, fewer buyers are coming ahead of the main screenings, so we are getting less face time.” Bracer elaborated that, with fewer buyers able to meet with companies like AETN, it may not be worthwhile, in the coming years, for indies to go to the expense and trouble of getting a suite and sending a sales team. Telefe’s traditional party Even though in 2009 the large indie party was scrapped, there were plenty of individual indies recreational activities, like the “Veteran Luncheon.” (Continued on Page 34)
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