May 2013 10 Indies Ride the Tide among program buyers and expect more interest in our content. We are hoping to reach the key buying prospects fromLatinAmerica and develop relationships with potential sub-distributors.” He noted, “As an independent exhibitor, I am expecting the same level of attendance as last year from Latin American buyers, which are our primary focus.” Entertainment One’s Valerie Cabrera also expects “the same turnout as last year” as far as Latin buyers go. But, she added, “Most new buyers are coming from all sectors, and more from digital this year than last year.” Marielle Zuccarelli of A+E Networks said that her company attends the Screenings “with a major focus on Latin America, and executives plan to meet with all buyers from every country in the region.” “Since so many Latin American buyers skip MIP-TV in early April, it’s great for us to be able to catch up at the Screenings. It gives us a chance to connect with buyers and plan a few market trips for early summer,” Zuccarelli added. Pepe Echegaray of Power concurred with Weir and Cabrera: “I don’t believe we’ll see much of a difference from last year. There should be a similar or larger presence.” However, he added, “The difference is that people can’t be out of their offices for 10 days for the Screenings. Buyers are shortening their trips, arriving a bit later and spending less time, and when they spend less time in L.A., the indie distributors really have to juggle for their time and attention. “At this point I’m at the same level of scheduled meetings as I was last year, which was slower than in past years, and the reason is that although as many buyers, or perhaps more, are coming, the number of days they are staying has decreased,” he said “NPN has been in business for 15 years, and it continues to generate programming in the consumer, cultural and health related fields, and we’re expanding that internationally,” said John Cuddihy of NPN Media. “The goal internationally is to continue to provide high quality video content, and we’re rapidly moving in that direction both in Latin America and China.” Executives also shared their thoughts on the length of the Screenings. “This year’s entire L.A. Dates. eOne will also host a cocktail party. According to Power’s Echegaray, “Primarily, our slate will be the same as at MIP. We’re really focusing on our end-of-the-world series, which launched very successfully during MIP as a package of five miniseries. The great thing about the package is that the miniseries are already dubbed, so we can close deals in no time at all.” In addition to the miniseries package, Power will have its production Air Force One Is Down and factual programming including documentaries The Birdman Chronicles and Two Wings, Many Prayers. Another title that’s in production is Message from Mandela. In the wildlife category, Power is offering The Animal Communicator and All the President’s Elephants. A+E’s Zuccarelli echoed Echegaray’s comment about dubbed programs, noting that “the programs A+E focuses on are generally fully dubbed into Spanish to showcase versions that are ready to be broadcast.” She added, “Our newest titles that premiere in Cannes at MIP are not always available immediately in Latin America, so we make sure we bring a mix of titles. We also have a strong back catalog of evergreen programs including big history titles that we always make available to our clients.” FremantleMedia International’s Sheila Aguirre noted that the company will “utilize the L.A. Screenings as an opportunity to further showcase our MIP-TV titles, but we may showcase something above and beyond, too.” She elaborated that in L.A.: “We’ll be unveiling some fantastic new formats,” such as Dutch dance format Everybody Dance Now, innovative crossgenre format Perfect Score, dating format The Year of Making Love and more, includingBang! Bang!, family singing show Family Harmony, factual entertainment format The Internand studio game show The Noise. Finished titles include period drama The Making of a Lady, Tattoo Nightmares, Lily Cole’s Art Matters and children’s adventure comedy series Strange Hill High. Record TV Network’s Delmar Andrade noted that his company will “present Joseph, our fourth epic series,” as well as a new telenovela the company is currently producing. “At the L.A. Screenings, we will be making the official presentation of El Señor de los cielos and we will be bringing the products that were presented at MIP-TV, but this time with greater informationtoshare,”saidTelemundo’sEtchison. “For this market, we will have performance results of our newest titles and those that have premiered since [MIP-TV].” As for the future of the Screenings, Multicom’s Holender noted that “the direction of the Screenings is going digital; more digital buyers are starting to attend, and they’re looking for broader catalog rights.” According to Power’s Echegaray, “the interesting thing about [digital] is [the rights] are not exclusive, so we can sell the same product to several buyers, which is different from selling to cable.” But he also pointed out that “not all countries in Latin America are ready for digital, so the digital platforms are discovering that there’s business and a future in it, but it’s not as easy as they thought it would be.” (By Sara Alessi) Screenings is about two weeks long. Perhaps the L.A. Screenings could be organized more comprehensively, giving clients the opportunity to screen and have individual meetings with sellers over the span of [the event], just as is possible at NATPE, MIPCOM and MIP-TV,” said Karina Etchison of Telemundo Internacional. “As Los Angeles is home to the major studios, there will always be attendance, but the decision of adding these extra days may not be as effective, considering that it also coincides with the week of the Upfronts in New York.” Irv Holender of Multicom Entertainment Group also commented about the organic nature of the Screenings, saying that the indie portion of the market is “too short a period. Four days is not long enough. Six or seven days would give everyone the time to acclimate themselves and to not only keep appointments, but also have longer appointments. Last year, we had a lot of missed and canceled appointments because buyers were going off to the studios.” Due to the close proximity of MIP-TV and the L.A. Screenings on the calendar, VideoAge wondered whether indie distributors’ slates would look similar to the ones in Cannes, or whether they would feature new titles. “We continue to bring new programming to everymarket we attend and the L.A. Screenings is no exception,” said Echo Bridge Entertainment’s Emilia Nuccio. Echo Bridge is presenting The Apartment and The Challenger, as well as documentaries Jeff and I’m Carolyn Parker. At the Screenings, Estrella will “be making [its] latest primetime hit, Noches con Platanito, available for the first time,” according to Weir. “As part of Starz Worldwide Distribution’s new initiative to expand its distribution slate, we are expecting to add even more third-party content to our distribution slate,” said Gene George of Starz. “The recently announced one-hour scripted series Hit The Floor from VH1 will be a terrific new addition for us.” Starz will also have the initial episodes of the second season of STARZ Original Series Magic City. Cabrera of eOne noted that the company brings “the same offering as [MIP-TV],” including the upcoming drama series starring Thandie Newton, Rogue; half-hour comedy series, Seed; holiday television movie, The Carpenter’s Miracle; factual documentary series, Perfect Storms; and a new drama series, A+E’s Christopher Barry, Sean Cohan, Marielle Zuccarelli, Dean Possenniskie, Christian Murphy eOne’s Valerie Cabrera and Peter Emerson (Continued from Cover)
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