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Tag: MIPCOM JUNIOR

  • “New, developing sectors, crucial to today’s audiovisual businesses, will be at the heart of the agenda” : Paul Johnson – MIPCOM television division director

    “New, developing sectors, crucial to today’s audiovisual businesses, will be at the heart of the agenda” : Paul Johnson – MIPCOM television division director

    Paul Johnson is Television Division Director at Reed MIDEM where he is responsible for managing and developing the company’s television markets: MIPTV, MIPDOC, MIPCOM and MIPCOM JUNIOR.

    Johnson earlier served in VNU Entertainment Media, where he was European sales and marketing director for The Hollywood Reporter. During his 14 years at The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson was responsible for sponsorship, events and advertising and was instrumental in making the magazine VNU’s fastest-growing publication of the past decade.

    A veteran of international tradeshows and exhibitions, Johnson worked closely with VNU’s sister division, the Sunshine Group, on all their Film and Theatrical shows including Showest, ShowEast, Cinema Expo and Cine Asia.

    In addition to his duties at Reed MIDEM, Johnson is a Director of the management committee of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and is an International Emmy Awards board member.

    In an exclusive interview to Indiantelevision.com, Johnson talked extensively on the MIPCOM market and the upcoming 2004 conference.

    Excerpts:

    What is the theme of this year’s Mipcom?

    This will be a very exciting and innovative MIPCOM with a host of high profile events, industry leaders and talent.

    One of the most outstanding aspects this year is the scope and relevance of the topics that will be discussed throughout the conference programme and the quality of the speakers. New, developing sectors, crucial to today’s audiovisual businesses, will be at the heart of the agenda.

    The huge progress of mobile, broadband and interactive TV will be highlighted via a series of conferences brought to us by MILIA. Numerous panels, including those of MIPCOM Junior, will discuss the developing importance of licensing and merchandising, which will culminate in a keynote to be given by Disney Consumer Products Chairman and CEO Andy Mooney. DVD and home entertainment will be a focal point in a number of panels and in recognition of this flourishing sector we have launched the first MIPCOM DVD Awards which will pay tribute to the creative people that make DVD viewing such an agreeable experience.

    Is the market showing signs of picking up – In terms of attendees – individuals, countries, – sales, etc?

    We are pleased to see that the upswing in attendance that we saw at MIPCOM 2003 has now been confirmed and we expect to surpass the 10,200 participants that attended the 2003 event.

    I am also very happy to see that in addition to core industry professionals, numerous key players from emerging sectors will be coming to Cannes. This is paramount for our clients and opens the doors for new business opportunities and exchange for both the traditional and developing sides of the industry. Leading international brands already signed up are, O2, Orange, Ericsson, Toys “R” Us, Inc., BT and T-Online among others.

    Advertising, which has always been an integral part of television, will also have a heightened presence at MIPCOM. The sector is undergoing important changes, production companies are searching for new financing sources and advertising professionals are examining new programming investment opportunities and strategies. I am very proud to announce that on 5 October, a giant of the advertising world, Publicis Group Chairman and CEO Maurice Levy, will give the inaugural MIPCOM Advertising Keynote Speech, in which he will focus on the current and future relations between advertising and television.

    Do you expect any change in the kind of sales the various countries generate? Will the UK spurt or will the US?

    There are three key development areas in the audiovisual industry, home entertainment, mobile and broadband. Important players from all these sectors attend our TV markets and are strongly implicated in the business that goes on there. These new platforms are creating huge new opportunities that are benefiting the whole sector, of course the US and UK represent major territories for television but they are not the only countries who will be seeing a boost generated by new technologies.
    “Important players from all these sectors attend our TV markets and are strongly implicated in the business that goes on there“
    What is the buzz at MIPCOM for this year?

    Our 20th anniversary event will kick off with an opening cocktail sponsored by Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution and Latin American Television Corporation, 4 October at the Martinez Hotel.

    The stars will be out in Cannes that night as Fox will be accompanied by the beautiful and talented, Nicole Richie (The Simple Life), Lake Bell (Boston Legal), Brooke Burns (North Shore), Portia de Rossi (Arrested Development) and Marjolaine (from the French TF1 TV series “Marjolaine et les Millionnaires”). The whole evening will have a strong Latin flavour that will keep us partying until the early hours.
    “The one thing everybody needs more than ever is content and the best places for that are our two TV markets“

    How is it doing compared to Natpe?

    There are a number of events designed for professionals from the audiovisual industry, however MIPCOM and MIPTV are the world’s largest international markets for entertainment content. With the rapidly changing modes of consuming television, that are evolving each day, the one thing everybody needs more than ever is content and the best places for that are our two TV markets. In addition to this MIPCOM is a full-service event, complete with conferences, screenings, round-table debates and presentations, designed to keep attendees informed of the latest developments affecting their business.

    As for the future – MIPCOM and MIPTV are world renowned hubs for the international television industry, and to further reflect the major transformations within the sector we will expand the focus which has been given to licensing and mobile at MIPCOM in future editions. For MIPTV we are elaborating a totally integrated digital media section, highlighting broadband, mobile and interactive television.
  • Michael Williams to head communications at Reed Midem

    Michael Williams to head communications at Reed Midem

    MUMBAI: Journalists and television executives visiting Reed Midem’s markets – including MipTV, Mipcom, Mipim, Midem, Milia, Mapic, Mipdoc and Mipcom Junior – will now be interacting with a new director press and public relations – Michael Williams. Williams will be overseeing corporate communications as well as press and PR operations for the above exhibitions.

    42-year-old Williams joins the Paris-based Reed MIDEM from Vivendi Universal Net, where he was executive vice-president corporate communications, responsible for the communications strategy of Vivendi Universal’s Internet activities.

    Prior to working for Vivendi Universal, he spent 10 years as the Paris Bureau Chief of the international, entertainment trade newspaper Variety.

    A British citizen, Williams has lived and worked in France for 20 years and holds a degree in Political Science from the University of York (UK).

  • Mipcom Junior to look at the state of animation in India

    Mipcom Junior to look at the state of animation in India

    MUMBAI: The organisers at the television trade event Mipcom in France Reed Midem have announced that Mipcom Junior which is dedicated to kids content has enhanced its conference programme.

    Mipcom Junior takes place from 7-8 october 2009.

    Some of the key topics scheduled to be discussed include multi-platform content, licensing and merchandising and programming strategies. There will also be a special session on the evolving landscape of animation in India. The country is already known worldwide for its animated series in 2D and 3D for TV and DVD and this spotlight will enable potential investors to keep abreast of the developments which are attracting more and more foreign investment.

    Another highlight this year will be a special discussion between two executives, DIC Entertainment’s chairman and CEO Andy Heyward and Cookie Jar Entertainment president and COO Toper Taylor. The session is co-organised with Licence! magazine and will focus on the importance of licensing for children’s TV companies.

    On 7 October three separate sessions, partnered with Kidscreen Magazine, will demonstrate to participants the art of pitching projects to broadcasters, optimising new digital platforms and anticipating the needs of buyers.

    Also on the agenda are two specialised licensing workshops. The first is in collaboration with the French consultancy agency Kazachok and is called I Have a Great TV Programme, How do I Licence it?. During the session leading experts in the licensing/merchandising field will give participants first-hand advise to help them successfully license their products.

    The second workshop organised by The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA), demonstrates via case studies with companies such as Nickelodeon, the mechanics of producing spin-off products parallel to the TV success of a programme.

    The “Mipcom Junior Licensing Challenge” returns to Cannes on 8 October. This gives delegates the opportunity to put their property forward in full view of the TV community in the hope of finding tomorrow’s licensing star. The competition is held in association with US trade publication, Licence! magazine.

    Following a pre-selection process led by the Editor-in-Chief of the publication, a jury of experts, predominantly toy manufacturers, agents and broadcasters, will evaluate a total of five non-aired projects selected on the basis of their strong potential for licensing and merchandising exploitation.

    For those presenting, as well as those in attendance, the event is sure to be informative, eye-opening, and fun. The “MIPCOM Junior Licensing Challenge” was launched for the first time in 2004.

    The number of programmes screened at the 2005 edition of Mipcom Junior reached an all time record with the easy-to-use digital video library launched in 2004. A total of 39,134 screenings were recorded compared to 13,956 in 2004. Once again this new digital technology will offer optimal screening conditions for all the programmes listed in the Mipcom Junior 2006 catalogue.

    Last year’s edition of Mipcom Junior 2005 welcomed, 819 participants from 497 companies and from 53 countries. 839 programmes were presented of which 462 were new.

  • Kids prog & merchandising debate opens Mipcom Junior

    CANNES: Two powerful executives from the world of kids television made their presence felt at Mipcom Junior’s opening conference in Cannes’ Hotel Martinez by the picturesque seaside today – 4Kids Entertainment chairman & CEO Alfred Kahn and Warner Brothers Consumer Products executive vice president worldwide marketing Jordan Sollitto.
    License USA editor in chief Joyceann Cooney moderated the session with aplomb.
    Kahn is a leading figure in the licensing industry, responsible for many of its biggest hits, including Pokémon, Cabbage Patch Kids and Yu-Gi-Oh! A pioneer in identifying trends in Japanese popular culture and adapting them to a global audience, he pitched and won a four hour programming block on Fox called Fox Box running Saturdays 8 am to 12 noon while Sollitto has been driving Warner Brothers Consumer Products’s initiatives globally.
    The biggest trend driving the business according to Kahn is the fact that you have to be multimedia. “You have to aggregate content everywhere for kids– be it for television, the computer in the form of flash animation or in retail sales,” he pointed out. “You have to maximise revenues. The next most important trend is that you have produce programming that follows children’s play patterns or leads to them. Boys emulate what their cartoon heroes. So create content that leads to play patterns – in fact it is what drives the business.” he added.
    He also pointed out that his company is responsible for more than $18 billion in retail sales, across the various elements of the vertically integrated value chain.
    Sollitto’s take on the biggest trend was the reduction in attention spans that the kids programming business is witnessing. “A decade ago, the attention span used to run five years, now if it runs a couple of years you can consider yourself lucky,” he pointed out. “You have to constantly produce new product or revitalise the product.”
    Kahn differed from Sollitto in that the kids programming business today has evolved to mean that you have to deal with it show by show. “Kids respond to their heroes, their shows. They do not respond to corporate brands. You have to make them eat their favourites, watch them, drink them, sleep them, anything you can do with your property. Entertain kids at every level while you make money,” Kahn stressed.
    Sollitto said partnering with Warner brings many benefits to the table. “While the kids animation business is tough and we are all crying, the good news is Warner Brothers is thriving. To our partners we bring what has been associated with Warner Brothers for the past 80 years, content, branding icons and assets, and relationships in the areas of toys, retail and promotions we have forged globally,” he said.
    Kahn highlighted the new shows that 4Kids is planning to roll out or has rolled our recently. These include Shaman King, Sonic XT, Funky Cops, Winx Club, Magical Do Re Mi as well as new episodes of returning shows Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kirby: Right Back At Ya! and Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy.
    He said that his company had done very well in creating the phenomenon of trading in playing cards of Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and other characters. “There is great potential and we would like to explore it every inch of the way.”

  • Mipcom to be held 10-14 Oct this year

    MUMBAI: Mipcom has clarified that MIPCOM JUNIOR this year will preceed the TV programme market as usual, and is fixed for 8 and 9 October, and not 12 and 13 October as reported in some sections of the media.
    MIPCOM JUNIOR 2003 will be held at the Hôtel Martinez while MIPCOM 2003 will be held from 10 to 14 October at the Palais des Festivals.
    This change is due to the Palais des Festivals’ availability, together with public holidays. In 2004, MIPCOM will take place from 4 to 8 October, according to a press release.

  • Paul Johnson to head TV division at Reed Midem

    Paul Johnson to head TV division at Reed Midem

    PARIS: Paul C. Johnson has been named Director of the Television Division at Reed Midem. He will manage Reed Midem’s international television exhibition business, which includes MIPTV, MIPCOM, MIPCOM Junior and MIPDOC.
     
     
    Johnson joins Paris-based Reed Midem from VNU Entertainment Media, where he was European sales and marketing director for The Hollywood Reporter.

    A 14-year veteran at The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson has been responsible for sponsorship, events and advertising at the magazine, and was the driving force behind its foreign language websites slated to launch later this year. During his tenure, THR’s European market share grew significantly, circulation grew sixfold and the magazine was VNU’s fastest-growing division of the past decade, an official release says.

  • 9th MIPCOM JUNIOR opens in Cannes 6 Oct

    9th MIPCOM JUNIOR opens in Cannes 6 Oct

    As it enters year 9, MIPCOM JUNIOR, the youth screenings event held in Cannes from 6 to 8 October, will open amidst a hyperactive and rapidly changing children’s content market.

    To cater to the growing number of MIPCOM JUNIOR delegates, an extra 30 screening booths will be added this year, bringing the total number of booths to 230, according to an official release.

    Last year MIPCOM JUNIOR saw 386 companies from 51 countries and 418 buyers attending. A total of 771 programmes were presented and 12,572 screenings took place.

    Kids’ programming faces new challenges. With the emergence of additional outlets – enhanced TV and the web – and children’s growing attraction to interactivity, producers are creating content suitable for a wider variety of platforms. As a result an increasing number of programmes are now launched with both broadcast and web versions. On the technology side, CGI development is offering vast creative opportunities and is driving programme production towards a new level of sophistication and eye-appeal.

    However, the basic premise for children’s prgramming stays unchanged. “Innovation and creativity are the key element if you want to create series that will be picked up by the major channels,” comments Roberto Mitrani, director of international business, Neptuno Films.

    As the competition between terrestrial, cable, and satellite channels for an unpredictable and selective young demographic gets tougher, it is essential to offer content that stands out. Producers must go all-out to crop up quality driven properties with innovative storytelling, strong characters and merchandising spin-offs that will provide broadcasters with longer-lasting brands and allow them to capture audiences.

    Andy Heyward, president and CEO, DIC Entertainment – a pioneering participant – says: ” MIPCOM JUNIOR is an indispensable event for the children’s television business, the only conference where all the children’s TV broadcasters participate. I cannot imagine launching a new property without it!”

    MIPCOM JUNIOR 2001 is a marketing event and learning forum with global sales opportunities and co-production prospects, the release states.