Saturday I attended the 2010 USC Institute on Entertainment Law & Business – terrific speakers on the state and future of the industry. The quality of the topics was exceeded only by the high caliber and knowledge of the speakers.
Highlights included…
• The section on the Asian film market. While it’s accurate to say that China and India are a “developing” film market for the American and European film industries, it is also a gross understatement. These countries are already a huge market opportunity for the right films. They will grow exponentially in a very short time. And they are beginning to be enter the arena for American film investment.
• The luncheon keynote by Sony’s Chairman & CEO, Michael Lynton, whose wide ranging conversation reflected on the past, and informed about the future of film, television, new media, 3D in theaters and homes, and how the new generation of entertainment consumers will interact with media in ways we can’t yet imagine.
• The segment on digital distribution and the evolution from the DVD model, to Netflix/Redbox, to Video-on-Demand, purchase vs. rental/timed access, and all the many permutations beyond – multiple devices, revenue models, and where it’s all headed.
• The session on Negotiating TV Deals with Media Giants – authoritative advice and opinion from those representing talent, and counterpoint from representatives of two media giants, Twentieth Century Fox Television and CBS Television.
A terrific day of deepening knowledge and meeting others in the industry.
I even met an attorney from Louisiana who is the cousin of a college roommate! Weird.
