1 THE NEW YORK TELEVISION FESTIVAL MISSION: The NYTVF, now entering its sixth year, is the leading American fesval celebrang the art, craſt and business of television and new media. NYTVF SHOWCASES EMERGING TALENT: The Independent Pilot Compeon provides an industry development plaorm for thousands of emerging television & new media arsts. Fesval alumni have projects appearing on or in development at: FOX, NBC, CBS, Discovery, Comedy Central, Spike, IFC, Sundance Channel, Lifeme, Atom, Xbox and MSN, among others. NYTVF CELEBRATES THE BEST IN TELEVISION: NYTVF Prime-Time showcases the new fall season with red carpet premieres and post-screening discussions with stars and creators. 2009 examples include: ABC’s Modern Family and Cougartown and FOX’s The Cleveland Show. NYTVF Panels have featured speakers like Jason Sudekis, Ron Moore, Ben Silverman, and the writer’s rooms of 30 Rock and The Late Show.
Transcript
1
THE NEW YORK TELEVISION FESTIVAL
MISSION:The NYTVF, now entering its sixth year, is the leading American festival celebrating the art, craft and business of television and new media.
NYTVF SHOWCASES EMERGING TALENT:The Independent Pilot Competition provides an industry development platform for thousands of emerging television & new media artists.
Festival alumni have projects appearing on or in development at: FOX, NBC, CBS, Discovery, Comedy Central, Spike, IFC, Sundance Channel, Lifetime, Atom, Xbox and MSN, among others.
NYTVF CELEBRATES THE BEST IN TELEVISION:NYTVF Prime-Time showcases the new fall season with red carpet premieres and post-screening discussions with stars and creators.
2009 examples include: ABC’s Modern Family and Cougartown and FOX’s The Cleveland Show.
NYTVF Panels have featured speakers like Jason Sudekis, Ron Moore, Ben Silverman, and the writer’s rooms of 30 Rock and The Late Show.
2
THE NEW YORK TELEVISION FESTIVAL The New York Television Festival is a watershed event in television history. As the first creative festival for television artists, the NYTVF was a pioneer of the “independent television” movement, constructing a new and innovative path of program development. For the first time, an international group of talented writers, directors, and producers, selected from a grassroots search, were given the opportunity to showcase pilot programs directly to network and cable executives in one forum.
Celebrating the fifth anniversary event in September 2009, the New York Television Festival continues to grow in its role as the preeminent platform in the industry for showcasing the work of independent TV producers and digital video creators. The ever-changing broadcast and cable landscape coupled with the growth of online video sites has had a profound impact on the nature of television development, and the NYTVF continues to provide an alternative pipeline for decision-makers in the industry to view first-hand the best and most talented independent producers out there. As the evolution of development continues, the NYTVF is positioned at the forefront of the independent television movement, providing convenient and cost-effective access for industry to artist, and vice versa.
Since its inaugural year in 2005, the New York Television has united the New York-based television community each September to celebrate the industry and to help shape its future. In addition to presenting its annual Independent Pilot Competition, the NYTVF also features a number of special events aimed at honoring innovation in television and giving the industry and fans a chance to experience first-hand the new trends and programs affecting the TV landscape. In 2009, the NYTVF welcomed over 19,000 attendees to events at its two main venues in midtown Manhattan: The Times Center Theater at the New York Times Building and New World Stages.
3
NYTVF 2OO9 - SPONSORS
4
NYTVF 2OO9 - EXECUTIVE BOARD
ROB BENNETTGeneral Manager, Entertainment & Video Services, MSN
ADAM BERKOWITZCo-Head of Television, Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
BRIAN CAHILLSenior Vice President and Managing Director, TeleNext Media, Inc.
BILL CELLAChairman and CEO, The Cella Group
MICHAEL DAVIESPresident and CEO, Embassy Row Productions; Executive Producer, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Wife Swap
DONNY DEUTSCHChairman, Deutsch Inc.
NANCY DUBUCExecutive Vice President and General Manager, The History Channel
DOUG HERZOGPresident, MTV Networks
RICHARD HOFSTETTERPartner and Co-Chairman of Entertainment and Sports Group, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, PC
RICHARD LEIBNERPresident, N.S. Bienstock , Inc.
JORDAN LEVINCEO, Generate
KATHERINE OLIVERCommissioner, New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting
KEVIN REILLYPresident of Entertainment, FOX
BEN SILVERMANFounder and CEO, IAC’s Electus, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning Executive Producer, The Office and Ugly Betty
CODY SMITHPrivate Investor
CARA STEINWilliam Morris Endeavor
ROBERT THOMPSONFounding Director, Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture, Syracuse University
ANDREA WONGPresident and CEO, Lifetime Entertainment Services
TERENCE GRAYFounder and Executive Director, New York Television Festival
EXECUTIVE BOARD
5
NYTVF 2OO9 - OVERVIEW
NYTVF 2009 OVERVIEW
In 2009, the NYTVF celebrated its fifth anniversary with the most successful festival to date.
• Festival Venues: The New York Times Center and New World Stages
• Festival dates: September 21-26
• Attendance: 19,116
• Featured 37 independently produced pilots
• Hosted 6 Network Primetime Events• Opening Night Celebration: ABC’s New Night of
Comedy• Inside the Writers Room with CBS’s Late Show• NBC Short Cuts Festival• Special Sneak Peek: ABC’s FlashForward• Screening Event: ION’s Durham County• Red-Carpet Premiere: FOX’s The Cleveland Show
• First annual Creative Keynote by Ronald D. Moore
• Second annual Industry Day Presented by NATPE
• Second annual Digital Day Presented by MSN
• Fourth annual Development Day
6
NYTVF 2OO9 - ATTENDANCE
Below is a small sampling of companies that have had representatives at the NYTVF:
Entertainment Companies:MSNProcter & Gamble Productions William Morris AgencyCAANS BienstockEndeavorMAGNA GlobalThe New York Times TV GuideVarietyHollywood ReporterWarner Bros 2.0Embassy Row New Line CinemaTeleNext MediaNext New NetworksBlip.tvFrederator StudiosUniversal Media GroupBad RobotMagical ElvesAdobeMinyanvilleUnilever EntertainmentPeople’s Choice AwardsStage 9AFIRainbow Media NATPEMIPCOMMint DigitalLoeb & Loeb, LLP Frankfurt Kurnit Klein and SelzXboxZune
Networks:NBCABCFOXCBS CWA&EE!Comedy Central MTVBravoLifetimeHistoryTruTVHBOVH1 IFC WE Spike NickelodeonSundance ChannelAMCSyFyION Television
Television Shows:30 RockThe Simpsons The OfficeUgly BettyThe Late Show with David LettermanSaturday Night LiveThe Daily ShowAmerican IdolGuiding LightAs The World TurnsPushing DaisiesLaw and OrderWife SwapDesperate HousewivesFringeLife on MarsThe Colbert ReportLate Night with Conan O’BrienProject RunwaySamantha Who? Life and Times of TimTop ChefChuckThe Cleveland ShowCougar TownModern Family
New York Television Festival Attendance Estimates 2009
Total Industry PublicFESTIVAL SCREENINGS ATTENDANCE: 8,405 1,806 6,599
SPECIAL EVENTS ATTENDANCE: Total Industry PublicOpening Night Event 802 438 364NYTVF Production Day 2,209 200 2,009NYTVF Industry Day 1,206 853 353NYTVF Digital Day 3,309 1,976 1,333Primetime Screenings 1,893 645 1,248Closing Night Event 432 180 252 NYTVF Hosts: IGNITE NYC 457 0 457NYTVF Hosts: NBC Short Cuts 403 65 338 Total Industry PublicESTIMATED NYTVF TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 19,116 6,163 12,953 32% 68%
Race% White 72% African-American 12% Asian 6% Hispanic 10
7
NYTVF 2OO9 - PRIMETIME
NYTVF PRIMETIME SCREENING SERIESNow in its fourth year, the NYTVF Primetime brings audiences red-carpet, star-studded debuts of the hottest new and returning network shows, and intimate conversations with the artists who create them.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21Opening Night Celebration: ABC’s New Night of ComedyThe NYTVF and ABC teamed for a sneak preview of two of the fall’s most anticipated new comedies: Modern Family and Cougar Town. The Opening Night event (hosted by ABC for the second consecutive year) included red-carpet arrivals, premiere episode screenings, an exclusive talk-back with artists from both shows and a post-show cocktail reception for guests.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22Inside the Writers Room with CBS’s Late ShowCBS joined the NYTVF to present this unique event, featuring the writers of The Late Show with David Letterman. Addressing the topic of late night comedy, this hilarious panel offered rare glimpses into the writers room of late night’s biggest hit. The panel featured the Emmy-winning writing staff from The Late Show and was moderated by Saturday Night Live’s Jason Sudeikis. Guests enjoyed an open bar, sponsored by Stella, following the event.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23NBC Short Cuts FestivalFor the fourth consecutive year, the NYTVF hosted a specialty presentation of NBC-Universal’s Short Cuts diversity program. The screening highlighted the finalists in the diversity program launched by NBC-Universal to celebrate the work of accomplished, emerging filmmakers.
Special Sneak Peek: ABC’s FlashForwardFour hundred lucky NYTVF community members were treated to an exclusive sneak peek of ABC’s hottest new drama, FlashForward. The premiere episode bowed before a packed Festival audience, offering attendees a rare opportunity to see the highly anticipated new show before it bowed on the network later that week. Guests enjoyed giveaways from Festival sponsors including Xbox and ABC Studios, as well as early release copies of the novel, FlashForward, the SciFi cult favorite on which the series was based.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24Screening Event: ION’s Durham CountyNew Festival sponsor, ION Television presented a screening of the critically-acclaimed fall drama event, Durham County. The intimate event included a pre-screening cocktail party for guests as well as a post-screening panel with the executive producers and writers of the drama.
Red-Carpet Premiere: FOX’s The Cleveland ShowFor the final Primetime event of 2009, the NYTVF welcomed The Cleveland Show, from perennial Festival sponsor, FOX. The fan event included red-carpet arrivals, a screening of the premiere episode from the creators of FOX’s monster hit, Family Guy, a post-screening talkback and an open bar, sponsored by Stella Artois. Additionally, fans were treated to photo opportunities with the show’s voice actors and giveaways of Cleveland Show items from FOX.
8
NYTVF 2OO9 - INDUSTRY DAY
NYTVF Industry Day - Tuesday, September 22ndPresented by NATPE
The NYTVF’s second-annual Industry Day presented an opportunity for television insiders and the general public to examine the current TV landscape. The inaugural Industry Day in 2008 featured TV heavyweights including NYTVF Board Members Ben Silverman and Donny Deutsch as well as Nancy Dubuc (History), Tony DiSanto (MTV Networks), Ed Carroll (Rainbow) and Rob Sharenow (A&E). In 2009, the NYTVF, along with NATPE were proud to present the following:
What Works: A Level-Headed Look at Tomorrow’s TelevisionPanelists:Bonnie Hammer: President, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment & Universal Cable ProductionsRick Rosen: Head of Television, William Morris Endeavor EntertainmentRick Feldman (Moderator): President and CEO, NATPE
The television industry has always been in a state of perpetual change, but few could dispute that the challenges of the past few years have been unprecedented. Despite these challenges, there have been bright spots and opportunities for growth. Bonnie Hammer and Rick Rosen offered insights to their strategies for ensuring the long-term health and viability of both the industry and the art form of television.
The Future of ComedyPanelists: Brent Haynes - SVP of Series Development, East Coast - MTV Debbie DeMontreux - SVP of Original Programming, IFC TV Comedy has been a staple of the television programming landscape since its inception, from the days of “Leave it to Beaver” to the mockumentary style of “The Office.” This panel looked at current trends in the field, and some of the many approaches to developing and producing within the genre.
9
NYTVF 2OO9 - DIGITAL DAY
NYTVF Digital Day - Wednesday, September 23NYTVF and MSN celebrated the second edition of Digital Day at fifth annual Festival on Wednesday, September 23.
Digital Day is dedicated to exploring the creative side of the digital frontier and what opportunities are being created for artists exploring this space. For 2009’s Digital Day, the NYTVF compiled some of the most successful artists working in the space today for a sold-out day of panels and an evening of screening events and celebration, supported by Chipotle and Anheuser Busch.
Events included:
PANELS
Easy to Assemble: A Case StudyA screening and discussion with actress/writer Ileana Douglas and Rob Barnett of My Damn Channel, focused on the success of Douglas’ witty satire, Easy to Assemble, which is entering its second season of partnership with international furniture super store, Ikea.
A Nexus Conversation, Presented in Partnership with Advertising WeekA very special forensic look at the art of the branded entertainment deal with industry leaders including Tim Kring (creator, NBC’s Heroes), Bill Morgan (Sprint) and Mike Pilot (NBC Universal).
The Straight Dope on Web TVAn unfiltered conversation on succeeding online – both artistically and commercially with NYTVF alums and friends including web star, Douglas Sarine of Ask a Ninja.
MSN Video: The Challenge of Original ContentDigital Day sponsor MSN hosted a session, designed specifically for producers and content creators, on developing, pitching and lessons learned.
An Evening with EqalNYTVF joined with Festival sponsor, Loeb & Loeb LLP for a Digital Day keynote conversation with Web Television power players, Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried of Eqal. In addition to their ground-breaking work with Lonely Girl 15, the duo discussed their current initiatives with Food Network star Paula Deen, CSI-creator Anthony Zuiker and the Harper’s Globe experience.
SCREENINGS and PRESENTATIONS:
Channel 101 New YorkWeb 2.0 Expo’s Ignite NYCStreamy’s ShowcaseYou Suck at Photoshop Premiere
10
NYTVF 2OO9 - DEVELOPMENT DAY
NYTVF Development Day - Saturday, September 26Rooted in the Festival’s mission to provide educational resources to aspiring television professionals, NYTVF Development Day closed the 2009 Festival with a day of free panels and info sessions, offering emerging producers, writers, and directors insight on structuring their storytelling and developing new scripted or nonscripted television show ideas. For the first time in 2009, the NYTVF partnered with LiveStream to stream and archive the Development Day events, providing millions of aspiring artists access to the invaluable information imparted by the participating artists and executives.
The day’s featured event was the Festival’s first ever Creative Keynote Address, featuring the esteemed Ronald D. Moore, creator and executive producer of SyFy’s Battlestar Gallactica and the upcoming Caprica. The conversation, streamed by SyFy.com, provided unprecedented access to, and insight from, the TV visionary.
Additional Development Day highlights included:
Inside the 30 Rock Writers RoomJohn Riggi, Matt Hubbard and Kay Cannon, writer-producers for the Emmy Award winning comedy, 30 Rock, led a hilarious and eye-opening panel exploring what makes the show work and how episodes are crafted.
Showrunners PanelOnce partners in a comedy/theatrical team, writer-producers Peter Tolan (Resuce Me) and Linda Wallem (Nurse Jackie) have each gone on to enjoy accomplished careers in television as showrunners. The duo led a a lively conversation about the responsibilities of a showrunner, the current state of TV comedy, and finally treated the audience to outtakes from their old cabaret act, providing one of the Festival’s most priceless experiences.
Developing Scripted and Nonscripted TelevisionDesigned for both working professionals and aspiring artists, a selection of writers and executives discussed the core elements of creating scripted and non-scripted television.
Panelists for the Scripted Panel:• Lisa Leingang - SVP of Original Programming and Development, Comedy
Central, East Coast • Ali Farahnakian - Founder, The PIT, Simple Studios • Brian Cahill - Senior Vice President and Managing Director TeleNext
Media,Inc. • Gabriel Marano - VP of Programming, Fox Television Studios
Panelists for the Nonscripted Panel• Dave Hamilton (VP of Development and Production, Vh1) • Scott Lonker (VP, NonFiction & Alternative Programming - A&E) • Lori York (Packaging Agent, NS Bienstock) • Moderator: D. Benjamin McLean (Senior Counsel, Business and Legal
Affairs, Sundance Channel)
Developing for the WebThe past few years have seen an explosion of serialized content online, but the nature of that content has varied widely. The following executives led a discussion of the core elements of a successful web series. • Ilsa Berg - Director of Programming, Fox Television Studios • Tina Santamauro - Acquisitions & Development Manager, Atom.com • Mark Grande - President, Little Grande Inc.
