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Tag: Chris Dodd

  • MPAA extends CEO Chris Dodd’s contract to 2018

    MPAA extends CEO Chris Dodd’s contract to 2018

    MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) has extended chairman CEO Chris Dodd’s contract to 2018.

     

    In a joint statement, MPAA member companies’ representatives namely – Twentieth Century Fox chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos, Paramount Pictures chairman and CEO Brad Grey, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn, Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Michael Lynton, NBC Universal vice chairman Ron Meyer, Universal Filmed Entertainment chairman Jeff Shell, Warner Bros. Entertainment chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara said, “We are pleased to announce that Chris has agreed to extend his contract into 2018. He has been an impactful leader and a vigorous champion for the industry. We are confident he will continue to effectively help steer our interests through a challenging media and policy landscape and represent our member companies around the globe.”

     

    Dodd added, “I am grateful to our member companies for their continued support. This is an exciting time of almost unparalleled creativity and innovation in film and television and I look forward to continuing to promote and protect that creativity, and the jobs of the men and women who go to work in this industry every day.”

  • MPAA unveils site to help audiences find movies, TV shows online legally

    MPAA unveils site to help audiences find movies, TV shows online legally

    MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has announced the launch of www.WheretoWatch.org, a new site that will serve as a resource for audiences to access movies and TV shows seamlessly and legally. Today‘s media landscape offers audiences the opportunity to watch movies and television shows in more ways than ever before, an environment created in part through a copyright system that empowers creativity and promotes innovation.

    MPAA chairman, CEO Senator Chris Dodd emphasised the importance of delivering content in new, creative ways saying, "Audiences want seamless access to film and TV shows. Our industry has listened, and we are now delivering more choices than ever before.

    "There have never been more ways to access movies and television legitimately online, and those platforms continue to grow and develop thanks in large part to a copyright system that encourages innovation, risk and growth. The companies I represent are committed to continuing to create and develop the best ways for audiences to enjoy the entertainment they love."

    The website, at www.WheretoWatch.org aims to makes it easy for audiences to watch content online by breaking the various services into relevant categories and summarising what each platform provides, including what content is available, how it is supported, and what devices are compatible. The list is an aggregate based on services available in the US, and although the set of services offering movies and TV shows differ by country, several services are available in multiple countries.

  • Jackie Chan and Chris Dodd will headline networking event at TIFF

    Jackie Chan and Chris Dodd will headline networking event at TIFF

    MUMBAI: Jackie Chan will join MPAA chairman and CEO Chris Dodd at the networking event for the Asian and western film industries to be held at the forthcoming Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on 10 September.
    “As both a key launch pad for films in North America and home to huge audiences for Asian cinema, we think Toronto can be a prime meeting place for the Asian and western film industries,” said TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey while announcing the upcoming Asian film summit.
    Names of other guests at the summit will be announced in the coming weeks as Toronto continues to establish ties with the Asian film industry.
    The Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run on 6 to 16 September.

  • Fox embraces digitization, to stop distributing 35mm films within two years

    Fox embraces digitization, to stop distributing 35mm films within two years

    MUMBAI: Bringing an end to 35mm film prints, 20th Century Fox has become the first major Hollywood studio to officially announce that it will distribute all of its films domestically in a digital format within the next year or two. bringing an end to 35mm film prints, according to National Association of Theatre Owners president-CEO John Fithian.

    “Last year, I stood on this stage and predicted that domestic distribution of movies in the format of celluloid film could cease by the end of 2013. That prediction is becoming a reality,” Fithian has reportedly said. “As a letter from our friends at Fox confirms, no one should rely on the distribution of film prints much longer.And we know that most other distributors share that belief,” he added.
     
    The CEO said that 27,000 US screens have been converted to digital, more than two-thirds of the total. He also promised that efforts to help smaller cinema operators convert to digital continue in earnest. The movement to digital is designed to cut down dramatically on print fees and projection costs.

    Fithian and Motion Picture Association of America chairman and CEO Chris Dodd were speaking at a press briefing. Dodd suggested that the rift between Hollywood and Silicon Valley over recent online piracy legislation could solve itself without congressional input if the sides can come to an nderstanding.

    He said that entertainment companies and technology firms could sign a memo of understanding whereby piracy sites are identified by certain means, but he didn‘t rule out another round of legislation that could be supported by both sides. He also conceded the consumer was left out of the discussion by the MPAA during the SOPA battle.

    On the subject of premium VOD, both speakers said studios and exhibitors no longer are feuding over the topic and are working to find an acceptable compromise.

  • India, Hollywood working on ways to collaborate

    India, Hollywood working on ways to collaborate

    MUMBAI: The ball has started rolling for more collaboration and cross pollination of knowledge, technology and talent between two of the world’s largest film communities – Hollywood and India.


    The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) chairman, CEO Senator Chris Dodd participated in an event of the LA India Film Council during the 2012 Ficci Frames Convention to discuss how to push this partnership forward.


    The event included the announcement of the Council’s governing body, the premiere of a “sizzle” video highlighting the initiative, and a presentation of the Council’s enhanced website. A special Council publication commissioned from Ernst & Young providing further information about the LA and Indian industries was released and plans for upcoming activities, including film premieres and conference events, were discussed.


    Dodd said, “The LA India Film Council is a natural corollary to the rapidly increasing creative, technological and location partnerships developing between the two countries and promises to set new benchmarks in the world of cinema. On the behalf of the MPAA, and as a big fan of Indian cinema, I wish the Council great success in the future”.


    The LA India Film Council was set up in 2010, as part of a declaration between the city of Los Angeles and the Indian film industry. The initiative aims to explore mutual opportunities in fostering and encouraging partnerships between the two influential film industries.


    Filmmaker and producer Ramesh Sippy said, “We can learn from schools in LA. We should learn from each other. Create and enrich each other‘s knowledge, strengths and experiences. I feel the council can only take us forward. One thing is for sure, it will bring people of two cultures closer together.”


    Hollywood is looking at the growing Indian market even as its threatical revenues from overseas have overtaken that of US. A flood of 3D movies has also made the products popular in tough markets like China.


    “India is a preferred destination for a lot of films, and I think the LA India film council will hugely benefit both countries. We could co-create film schools and schools of technology. The mingling and merging of the two cultures is essentially the desire behind a co-production”, said filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.


    The Council focuses on developing and strengthening motion picture production, distribution, technology, content protection and commercial cooperation between the two filmmaking communities. Members of the Council’s governing body comprise powerful film guilds, government organisations, industry experts and leading companies in the areas of VFX, animation and post production from both Los Angeles and India.


    Actor Anil Kapoor said, “Without a body like this people may get connected with wrong people. A body like this can help and support those who seek guidance”.


    In recent years, the Indian film industry has globalised its reach as producers have improved the international marketability of their films by building partnerships with international domain experts. More and more producers in India are considering foreign locales to shoot their films. Previous big budget Indian productions filmed in Los Angeles include: Kites (2010), My Name Is Khan (2010), Kambakkht Ishq (2009), Kaante (2002) and Pardes (1997)


    Other joint ventures and co-productions between individual Hollywood studios and Indian production houses over the past two years alone include: Ek Deewana Tha (2012), Dum Maro Dum (2011), Stanley ka Dabba (2011), Force (2011) and Engeyum Eppothum – Tamil (2011).


    Indian investment in Hollywood has also been steadily increasing, most notably with Indian entertainment conglomerate Reliance Entertainment’s (A.DAG) acquisition of DreamWorks SKG and the launch of YRF Entertainment in Los Angeles.

  • India must act strongly against piracy if cinema is to thrive: Dodd

    India must act strongly against piracy if cinema is to thrive: Dodd

    MUMBAI: Even though the Indian cinema is thriving and poised to become a $ five billion industry in the next two years, the government must act strongly against piracy if this growth has to be sustained.

    Motion Picture Association of America CEO Chris Dodd said during his keynote address at Ficci Frames on the opening day that movies contributed about $ 640 million to the Indian economy annually. “India is the biggest movie ticket market in the world, with 3.3 billion tickets sold every year. India‘s movie industry is in transition from being a $ 3.2 billion industry until two years ago, towards becoming a $ five billion industry in the next two years,” he added.

    But he regretted that India was among the top 10 markets when it comes to copyright infringement online. He called for joint efforts between the industries to end theft of content as it is a major threat.

    Dodd quoted an Ernst & Young report which said the Indian movie industry loses around $ one billion due to content theft every year.

    He said the notion that one cannot be pro technology and pro copyright at the same time is false. It is important to build relationships between content and technology. The Indian government must act to protect against online theft, he said, adding the government should pass anti-camcorder laws since camcorders are used in cinema halls to pirate films which are then made available on Indian streets within a few days of a film‘s launch.

    He noted that it was important to end piracy in India as money is lost not just by the faces seen on the screen but also by other people like truck drivers, dry cleaners etc. who contribute to the film industry by working in it. He mentioned Creative America which is a grassroots coalition in the United States aimed at protecting intellectual property and commercial interests of Hollywood.

    He noted that in 2010, the Los Angeles India Film Council was formed to facilitate the exchange of ideas, talent and investment. This will lead to more activities, he said. The aim of the council is to also break down barriers in production and distribution. The Council will also look at harnessing the power of emerging technologies and bring artistes to collaborate on new ideas. “Film remains a key growth driver despite economic uncertainties,” he said.

    Hollywood will release around 36 films this year, he said, and the India market was a huge opportunity that the US motion picture industry is keen on tapping.

    Stating that collaboration between the Indian and the US movie industries is expected to increase, Dodd said “barriers that prevent production and distribution of content must be brought down.”

  • MPAA announces 2 key appointments

    MPAA announces 2 key appointments

    MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) President and CEO Chris Dodd has made two key appointments that he feels would broaden the depth and breadth of his team.

    While Cybele Daley has been appointed the new senior vice president, in charge of government affairs, Anna Soellner has been named as vice president, corporate communications. Daley, who has been promoted to the post formerly held by Michael O‘Leary, will report to O‘Leary.

    She will be responsible for developing the agenda for activities on the federal level, including strategy and implementation which includes congress, agencies and regulators. She will also be primary liaison to the members companies on dealing with those entities. Daley was previously Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice and held other positions at Justice, Treasury among others.

    The second vital announcement is that of Anna Soellner who has been asked to oversee ‘message strategy and public programming‘ according to the announcement. She will report to Laura Nichols, exec vp for global communications.

    Soellner, who was earlier vp for communications at the Center for American Progress, has also been assistant to the legislator at the office of Martin Lee, chairman of the Hong Kong Democratic Party and had held positions at the Treasury Department.