BY SARA ALESSI As NATPE — which will be held at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach once again on January 28-30, 2013 — starts to reach senior status with its 50th anniversary, it’s not slowing down with age, and organizers and attendees alike are gearing up for an energetic event. “Everything is going to be bigger and grander and more about the future in every way,” said Los Angeles-based Rod Perth, NATPE’s new president and CEO. “We’re going to be doing more things that integrate technology in terms of [what is] going to have an impact on the business.” Plus, he added, “We’re planning a big birthday bash on Tuesday night.” Other activities in store will be a “surprise,” said Perth, in his usual reserved way. In its 50th year, Perth sees “NATPE [as] a bridge between content creation and monetization. It does [this] by facilitating and connecting the ongoing conversations between Hollywood, between the world of international, digital and the world of brand and agency communities.” As far as attendance goes, registration is “way ahead of pace” as compared to last December. NATPE is traditionally a strong market for Latin America, but Perth said, “We will have a lot of Canadian buyers and European buyers and exhibitors. We believe all of these territories will be represented in major ways. We don’t have a weakness there.” Ahead of the event, participants were enthusiastic about the market. From Los Angeles, Valerie Cabrera, EVP of Canada’s Entertainment One TV International (eOne) said, “NATPE has become significantly more important for eOne with the rise of all things digital in Latin America and also for European territories, as it seems attendance from that particular continent has been steadily increasing.” For Miami, Florida-based Jack Alfandary, SVP of Latin America and U.S. Hispanic for FremantleMedia, “Participating in [NATPE is] a vital element in the making of our sales strategy.” Alfandary explained his company’s goals for NATPE as follows: “First and foremost, we look to connect with our clients, present them with new product launches, and work with them to help them meet their content and programming needs and objectives. Second, we always look to meet new partners in this type of market and last, but of course not least, we look to connect with both young and established content creators.” “NATPE is becoming increasingly important to Starz, as we accelerate our efforts in the U.S. post pay-TV market and in Latin America,” said Gene George, EVP of World Distribution for Starz Media. “We continue our initiative to license directly to free TV broadcasters throughout Latin America, and NATPE offers a terrific opportunity to see many of them again.” However, Nat Abraham, president of Distribution for Canada’s Breakthrough Entertainment, had a different opinion. “There was a time several years ago when NATPE was perhaps the most important of all markets. However, once the studios stopped exhibiting, there was an almost immediate falloff in international buyer attendance. As a result, for smaller companies like ours, it became costprohibitive to continue to spend the money for booth rental and setups, advertising, graphics, etc., and consequently, it has become a lesser priority,” he said. In terms of buying territories on which exhibitors are setting their sights, FremantleMedia’s Alfandary stated that even though Latin America as a whole is an important target, “the larger markets take a big part of the focus, and these include Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, among others.” New York-based Marielle Zuccarelli, managing director of International Content Sales for A+E Networks, said her company “uses NATPE primarily to target Latin American program sales clients, though increasingly broadcasters from Europe and Canada are attending the market. Since it’s the first major international market of the year, we use [it] to introduce new programs from our catalog. We’re also ramping up our format distribution efforts, and we’ll be meeting with clients and production companies to explore opportunities.” Cabrera of eOne also noted that her company will target “all the usual suspects in Latin America,” while at the same time, “ramping up our Hispanic U.S. target.” For his part, FremantleMedia’s Alfandary doesn’t doubt that the 2013 market will be even better than last year from both a business and organizational standpoint. He said, “NATPE always strives to offer an improved market year to year, and I am sure this upcoming edition will continue to evolve. Additionally, the market in general has been active over the past few years and [I] expect in our region that will continue for the foreseeable future.” eOne’s Cabrera concurred, stating, “It can only get better year [after] year with respect to organization and business. Last year, it was organized more efficiently with a better European attendance than in the previous year.” Breakthrough’s Abraham was positive while entertaining some reservations: “It seems from everything I’ve been reading that NATPE is on its way back, but there is still a long ride to reach the level of market importance it once held.” NATPE is famous for an abundance of conferences, but Perth told VideoAge, “We’re actually reducing [the number] because we want each one to be more significant…We want each one to stand on its own in a significant way.” Yet, he noted, “If you wanted to go to a conference every hour for two days, you could.” As VideoAge has long maintained, the reduction in conferences will surely help generate more traffic in the exhibition hall and corridors of the hotel. As far as the elevator situation, which was a problem two years ago when NATPE first moved to the Fontainebleau, Perth maintained that now, “It is a non-issue.” However, eOne’s Cabrera had a suggestion in that regard, hoping the organization would, “arrange designated elevators for bottom and top floors.” In no unclear terms, Abraham of Breakthrough believes organizers must build up the studio presence on the exhibition floor. “Get the studios back on the floor — not in separate suites where there is no benefit or leveraging of the buyers for other exhibitors on the exhibition floor.” He added, “Also, the distance between the exhibition floor and the hotel suites — where the majors typically hold their meetings — and the elevators — results in a frustrating experience for those smaller companies who have invested to exhibit.” Starz’s George suggested NATPE “continue to invest in the conference, making it more of a true showcase for buyers, talent and press.” With this year’s theme, “Beyond Disruption,” NATPE is showing that it has endured and is looking to emphasize the fact that the market is about content. “The reason we picked that theme is that it is representative of what we think is the opportunity that is hidden by how disruption can preoccupy you,” Perth said. This year, the 10th annual Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards will honor Steve Levitan, co-creator of Modern Family; John Langley, executive producer of Cops; Debra Lee, CEO of BET and Herbert Kloiber, chairman of Germany’s Tele Müchen Gruppe. As far as the future of NATPE, Perth reported, “We are planning to grow the conference in ways that serve our attendees. We will add the capabilities to accommodate more attendees. It’s not just about the number, it’s about the quality of the experience for those who invest in us.” V I D E O • A G E DE C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 12 N A T P E P r e v i ew As The TV Market Turns 50, Middle Age Is The New Age This year the number of conferences and seminars will be reduced Starz’s Magic City talent during a breakfast meeting with the press
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