May 2013 30 (Continued on Page 32) L.A. Screenings’ History ( Co n t i n u e d ) In 1964, Pedro Simoncini was running one of ABC’s TV stations, channel 11 in Buenos Aires, Argentina (that in 1989 became Telefe’s flagship station), and was part of the first LATAM contingent in L.A. Of the early Screenings he remembered that they visited only MCA and that, starting in 1967, he reviewed the new U.S. season at MIP-TV in April, instead of at the Screenings in L.A. The fact that the L.A. Screenings began in February was documented in a 1977 article by Television/RadioAge, which reported that, “up until the late ’60s, U.S. advertising agencies viewed all the networks’ pilots in late February.” This was confirmed by Solomon: “We had [the Latins] visiting originally in February and it became May later on as the nets decided on their schedule at that time.” This was corroborated by Herb Lazarus, who at that time was at 20th Century Fox: “The networks originally screened the pilots in February and the schedule was put together soon after. In the ’70s it changed and the networks didn’t put their schedule together until May.” Marcel Vinay, whose first Screenings was in 1976 while working with Mexico’s ProteleTelevisa, remembers, “The change was not that important to [Latin] buyers due to the fact that the new [U.S.] season always started in September.” The reason the networks moved the Upfronts from February to May was due to December 1978 AFTRA and SAG union strikes that delayed the new season. However, prior to 1978 the Screenings moved was involved).” Similarly, according to Pip Wedge, from 1975 to 1981 the Canadians stayed for two weeks and always in the month of April. After that they were closer to one week in the month of May. The changing length of the Screenings throughout the years was buyer-driven up until 2000 when the studios began instructing their regional offices to book their clients’ screenings within a 10-day period, giving them two or three openings. Recalled Alan Silverbach, then head of domesticand international TVdistributionat 20th Century Fox since 1961, “[the buyers] just showed up. Only later, when the number increased, we started to invite them.” Susan Bender, then at Metromedia, recalled that from 1980 she invited clients to screen at KTTV, followed by a cocktail party on the station’s rooftop terrace and in 1984, Metromedia began having the stars of their shows (Fantasy Island, Charlie’s Angels, etc.) meet with the buyers. Before today’s fabulous studio extravaganzas, parties were held at executives’ homes like, in 1985, at Paramount’s Mel Harris and, later, at Joe Lucas’s. Another attraction in the mid-1980s, but just forAustralianbuyers,were thescreeningsand cocktail at the home of Bea Arthur, star of Buena Vista’s (nowDisneyDistribution)TheGoldenGirls. In 1989 house parties became elaborate events for thousands of guests like the ones hosted by Michael J. Solomon, then heading Warner Bros. TV International, and Haim Saban, then owner of Saban Entertainment. Starting in 1993, with increased buyer participation these parties were around the months of February, March (1968, 1970, 1971), March-April (1972, 1973) and April (1974). Recalled Solomon, “The screening dates were set when we were told the pilots would be ready to screen.” As for the sequence of arrivals, Horowitz remembers that Britain’s BBC and ITV buyers were the first Europeans to screen in L.A. and, “as a rule they wanted to screen more than just the pilots and meet with the producers.” As ITV buyer Leslie Halliwell posted online at www.lesliehalliwell.com, his first trip to Hollywood was in 1967 (before that he went to New York City to screen new U.S. network product). Horowitz recalled that the Australians followed the British. Similarly, Pip Wedge said that in 1975 “the Australians were there but after [the Canadians].” The Screenings remained in May for over In 1992 Artear’s Lucio Pagliaro received an L.A. Screenings Award fromVideoAge On the Fox lot in 1993: TV3’s Gary Brown, Ken Clark, Fox’s Marion Edwards The Protele (now Televisa Internacional) team in 1994: Damaso Santana, Emilia Nuccio, Cary Miller, Lenda Ramos L.A. Screenings 1993: Telefilms’ Tomas and Sebastian Darcyl, Alfredo Andreotti, with E! Entertainment’s Cathie Trotta L.A. Screenings 1993: Armando Nuñez, Sr., Neil and Aurora Pennella, Armando Nuñez, Jr., Dora Serafini Summa L.A. Screenings 1993: Joe Lucas (fifth from right) welcomed Canadian buyers at the Paramount lot 10 years, and it was during that period that international TV executives and buyers alike began to refer to them as the “May Screenings” (before 1978 there was no name attached). Then, as VideoAge’s 1991 issue attests, the Screenings moved to late May, lasting until June 27. By then, the Screenings had developed into a well oiled machine and possibly the world’s only organic market created and developed on its own — like Paul Dirac’s antimatter — and graciously evolved in accordance with the changing environment and without any input or guidance. At one point, it lasted four weeks, with the Canadians and Europeans the first groups to go (as early as May 28 in 1991), followed by the Latins (May 31), the Pan-Pacific territories (June 3) and South Africa ending on June 27. Vinay recalled: “[For us] it lasted two weeks as only one studio presented its shows each day and only from Monday to Friday (no Saturday or Sunday
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI4OTA5