Press Releases

Conference and Marketplace Set for January 19-21, 2016 at the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc Resorts in Miami

LOS ANGELES, January 12, 2016 – The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) today announced Netflix Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos as the moderator for a conversation with Norman Lear and Quincy Jones. It is expected that Sarandos will have a lively discussion with these two industry legends as part of the Storytellers and Pop Culture track at NATPE Miami 2016. This marquee session is one of several conversations showcasing major creative forces spanning numerous genres of television. Mr. Lear and Mr. Jones will take the stage on Wednesday, January 20th at 2:00 pm at the Eden Roc Miami Beach Resort in the Ocean Tower Salon. 

Ted Sarandos has led content acquisition for Netflix since 2000 and in the process built Netflix into a global and respected force. With more than 20 years of experience in home entertainment, Ted is recognized in the industry as an innovator in film acquisition, distribution and the creation of award-winning original content. Before Netflix, Ted was an executive at video distributor ETD and Video City / West Coast Video. He also serves on the Peabody Advisory Board, Film Advisory Board for Tribeca and Los Angeles Film Festival, the retail advisory board for the Digital Entertainment Group and is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. 

The NATPE Miami Market and Conference returns to Miami Beach next week – January 19 – 21, 2016. This year’s newly expanded campus will span both the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and neighboring Eden Roc resort. The conference operates under the banner theme “Be Creative. Be Fearless. Be Ready.” encouraging attendees to be imaginative, tenacious and equipped to succeed in the ever expanding, interdependent content community. For more details on the schedule at NATPE Miami 2016, please visit www.natpe.com. 

About NATPE 
Celebrating 54 years of service to the ever-evolving global television industry, NATPE inspires the growth and success of content development, creation, production, financing and distribution across all platforms through interdependent marketplaces where industry powers gather to offer insight and make deals. NATPE is the leader in developing international markets and conferences for the entire spectrum of the dynamic content business. For more information, please visit www.natpe.com.

###

Press Contacts:

Kevin Broderick/Megan Levy
The Lippin Group/LA
kevin@lippingroup.com
megan@lippingroup.com323.965.1990

Debbie Lawrence
The Lippin Group/London 
dlawrence@lippingroup.com
+44 203 008 5406

2nd Annual NATPE REALITY Breakthrough Awards Finalists Revealed and Howie Mandel Returns as Host

LOS ANGELES, ‪December 2, 2015– NATPE President and CEO Rod Perth announced today, details regarding NATPE Miami 2016. Growth remains the dominant theme with domestic and international buyer, exhibitor and general attendance pacing well ahead of last year. Perth confirmed expansion of the market and conference to the Eden Roc Miami Beach Resort to accommodate the overall growth, which is scheduled to take place in Miami ‪Jan. 19-21 at both the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc Miami Beach resorts. The conference and market will bring together every sector of the industry under the banner theme, “Be Creative. Be Fearless. Be Ready.”   

Perth also announced the finalists for the 2nd Annual Breakthrough Awards and the return of host Howie Mandel. Initial session details for NATPE 2016 were also revealed.

“We are delighted that with all of our most important numbers tracking ahead of last year’s capacity turnout, we have moved to substantially increase our physical space in 2016 by expanding to the Eden Roc next door to the Fontainebleau,” said NATPE President and CEO, Rod Perth. “The increase in exhibition sales and expanded events reflects the tremendous growth we are seeing throughout the conference.”

There are 29 new exhibitors from virtually every sector of the business attending the conference for the first time. Because of this demand, Perth also noted that all of the Fontainebleau tower suites have sold out with very few booths and meeting tables still available on both the Market Floor and within the Fontaine Ballroom, respectively. 

This year’s conference features sessions and events with a focus on scripted television, including a session on the first day titled “The Business of Scripted.”  Within the Storytellers and Shaping of Pop Culture track, NATPE has lined-up a slate of intimate conversations showcasing major creative forces spanning numerous genres of television. Powerful combinations set to take the stage in Miami this year include chats with: Legends Norman Lear and Quincy Jones; non-scripted talents Kris Jenner and Todd Chrisley; showrunners Graham Yost (The Americans), John Eisendrath (The Blacklist) and Howard Gordon (Homeland); and Michelle Ashford (Showrunner, Masters of Sex), Ilene Chaiken (Showrunner, Empire), and Sarah Treem (Creator, The Affair). 

In an environment in which advertisers are seeking access to the earliest stages of content development, the Masters of Marketing track at NATPE opens up the conversation about the opportunities, challenges and new business models around marrying creative visions with brand marketing objectives. An example of this includes a session entitled “What Creators Want to Say, What Brands Need to See”, which features Dan Harmon (Writer/Creator, Community), Marc Cherry (Executive Producer, Desperate Housewives and Devious Maids), Mitch Hurwitz (Writer/Producer, Arrested Development), Kristin Patrick (Global CMO, PepsiCo, Inc.), David Beebe (VP Global Creative & Content Marketing, Marriott Int’l) and more, together on one stage. 

After a successful debut last year, NATPE REALITY is back and expanding from one to two days. Officially the first reality and formats market of the year, NATPE REALITY will be the epicenter of the non-scripted world with a programming track overflowing with big names and breakthrough ideas. NATPE has curated this dedicated track to provide conference attendees with access to reality executives, cutting edge information and insights on the latest trends in reality programming.

A highlight of this two-day track is the 2nd Annual NATPE REALITY Breakthrough Awards.  This luncheon event will honor those reality programs that “broke through the clutter and made noise” in the preceding year becoming part of the cultural conversation and generally altering our perception of what’s possible in the genre. Perth also announced Howie Mandel (America’s Got Talent) as the returning host of the award show along with the following finalists in five categories:

COMPETITION – Alone; American Ninja Warrior; Lip Sync Battle; MasterChef Junior; Shark Tank; The Voice 

DOCUSOAP – Alaskan Bush People; Chrisley Knows Best; I Am Cait; Real Housewives of Beverly Hills; Vanderpump Rules; Wahlburgers

GAME SHOW – ‪@Midnight; Billy On The Street; Celebrity Family Feud; Hellevator; Hollywood Game Night 

REALITY – Catfish; Hard Knocks; Married At First Sight; Naked & Afraid; Project Greenlight 

FACTUAL – Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown; Last Week Tonight With John Oliver; The Daily Show; The Jinx; Vice 

Platforms are changing and NATPE continues to provide access to the shared knowledge needed to anticipate how the industry is evolving.  One of the many highlights of the Platform Accelerated track is the session “I Want What They’re Having,” featuring Chris Williams (Chief Audience Officer, Maker Studios), Chris Jacquemin (Agent, Digital Media, WME), Jordan Gilbert (Head of Digital Programming, Lionsgate) and Harley Morenstein (Creator, Epic Meal Time). The panel will bring together this accomplished group to discuss how to bridge the divide between traditional and digital in views, audience appeal and gravitas.  

NATPE’s continued emphasis on digital and mobile has expanded to include a broader focus across the conference. In the Game Changers track, digital is on display in “The Rise of New OTT Platforms” with David Freeman (Co-Head of Digital Talent, Packaging, CAA),Seth Laderman (EVP & GM, Comic Con SVOD, Lionsgate), Evan Shapiro (Executive VP, Digital Enterprises, NBCUniversal), Jimmy Maymann (President, Content & Consumer Brands, AOL), Floris Bauer (Senior Advisor, Otter Media) and Ben Relles (Head of Comedy and Unscripted, YouTube). 

One of the ways NATPE will address the importance of mobile in the content business includes the session “Cracking the Mobile Code and Its Perceived Return on Investment”, which features Marcel Reichart (EVP RTL Digital Hub, RTL Group, and EVP, Digital Development and Partnerships, Bertelsmann), Allie Kline (CMO, AOL), and Tom Pickett (CEO of Ellation/AT&T), for a sharply focused look into the future of mobile monetization. 

For more details on the NATPE Miami 2016 schedule, please visit: www.natpe.com.

About NATPE 
Celebrating 54 years of service to the ever-evolving global television industry, NATPE inspires the growth and success of content development, creation, production, financing and distribution across all platforms through interdependent marketplaces where industry powers gather to offer insight and make deals. NATPE is the leader in developing international markets and conferences for the entire spectrum of the dynamic content business. For more information, please visit www.natpe.com.

###

Press Contacts:Kevin Broderick/Megan Levy
The Lippin Group/LA
kevin@lippingroup.com
megan@lippingroup.com
323.965.1990

Debbie Lawrence
The Lippin Group/London 
dlawrence@lippingroup.com
+44 203 008 5406

LOS ANGELES, November 10, 2015 – NATPE will strengthen its focus on reality programming by adding a second day to the track as the entire industry gathers in Miami Beach for the annual market and conference January 19-21, 2016.  For two days, NATPE REALITY will be the epicenter of the non-scripted world with a programming track overflowing with big names and big ideas. 

Building on the success of 2015, NATPE will return in January with an even larger slate of cutting-edge sessions and events devoted to the genre, including the 2nd Annual Reality Breakthrough Awards and the launch of the Reality Buyers Hall.

The Reality Buyers Hall will offer executives, producers, writers, creators and agents from all over the world a one-stop venue for meetings, networking, and the ability to interact with buyers, distributors, creators, producers and stars from every corner of the content business. It will provide the place for a high-level exchange of ideas and meetings about how to capitalize on new opportunities and emerging trends that can enhance every aspect of the reality pipeline.  

“The growth of NATPE REALITY mirrors the surge in attendance we have enjoyed from this critically important segment of the business,” said NATPE President and CEO Rod Perth. “Reality is intensifying its footprint at the conference as a strong and vibrant economic force, reflecting its role as a permanent fixture of the interdependent television constellation alongside scripted programming. This is the first conference of the year for the reality community, and we’re delighted to host this important gathering with the Miami Beach setting in the dead of winter!”

Unlike any other market in the U.S., NATPE REALITY’s programming sessions and events will provide attendees with an unparalleled and immersive experience in the unscripted universe. This will consist of intimate discussions, robust panel conversations with iconic creatives, producers, and executives, a new buyers’ hall and other features as part of the new curated track for 2016.

“NATPE is an ideas market – a place where producers, writers, creators and talent can pitch new ideas to buyers and commissioners and development executives,” said Phil Gurin, President, The Gurin Company, a member of the NATPE Board of Directors and co-chair of the NATPE REALITY committee. “It is exciting to imagine the fresh new pitches that will be at NATPE as part of the larger reality track the conference has planned.”

Following a sold-out event this past year, NATPE will bring back the Reality Breakthrough Awardsto honor today’s most innovative reality content in five categories: Reality, Reality Competition, Game Shows, Docusoap and Factual. The winners will be announced during a prestigious celebration on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 at NATPE Miami. Tickets to the ceremony will be available to purchase for $90.00 online.

A blue-ribbon panel of judges will collectively select winners in each of the five categories. Judges include:

Meredith Ahr, EVP, Alternative Programming & Development, NBC Entertainment & Universal Television
Rod Aissa, EVP, Original Programming and Development, Oxygen Media
Carlos Bardasano, VP, Original Content, Univision Communications, Inc.
Todd Christopher, Partner, Chief Strategy Officer, The Gersh Agency
Denise Contis, EVP, Development and Production, Discovery Channel
Christy Dees, VP, Development, Bravo
Lauren Dolgen, EVP of Series Development, Head of Unscripted Programming, MTV
David Eilenberg, SVP, Unscripted Development, Late Night, and Specials, TNT and TBS
Eliot Goldberg,SVP, Nonfiction and Alternative Programming, AMC and Sundance TV
Brett Hansen, Partner, Head of Alternative TV, United Talent Agency
Michael Kagan, Head of International TV and Media, ICM Partners
Eli Lehrer, SVP, Non-Fiction Programming, Lifetime/A&E Television Networks
Susan Levison,EVP, Original Programming & Production, VH1
Sharon Levy, EVP Original Series, SPIKE TV
Russ McCarroll, SVP, Programming and Development, History
Josh Pyatt, Partner, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment
Jessica Sebastian, VP, Head of Unscripted Programming, USA
David Stefanou, VP, Development, WE tv
Eric Wattenberg, Co-Head, Alternative Television, Creative Artists Agency

This year’s newly expanded NATPE campus will span both the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and neighboring Eden Roc resort, operating under the theme of “Be Creative. Be Fearless. Be Ready.” Attendees will be encouraged to be imaginative, tenacious and equipped to succeed in the constantly expanding, interdependent content community.  Please visit https://www.natpe.com/market/ for updates.

*Sessions and participants subject to change. 

About NATPE

Celebrating 54 years of service to the ever-evolving global television industry, NATPE inspires the growth and success of content development, creation, production, financing and distribution across all platforms through interdependent marketplaces where industry powers gather to offer insight and make deals. NATPE is the leader in developing international markets and conferences for the entire spectrum of the dynamic content business. For more information, please visit www.natpe.com. 

###

Press Contacts:

Kevin Broderick/Megan Levy
The Lippin Group/LA
kevin@lippingroup.com
megan@lippingroup.com 
323.965.1990

Debbie Lawrence
The Lippin Group/London 
dlawrence@lippingroup.com
+44 203 008 5406

Special Awards Reception to be Held on January 20 at the 2016 NATPE Market and Conference in Miami Beach

LOS ANGELES, October 26, 2015 – Steve Harvey, Doug Herzog, Quincy Jones, Sophie Turner Laing and Norman Lear will receive NATPE’s 13th annual Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award at a special reception on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach. The announcement was made today by NATPE President and CEO Rod Perth.

The award ceremony will take place during the annual NATPE Miami Market and Conference, which returns to Miami Beach January 19 – 21, 2016.  Operating under the banner theme “Be Creative. Be Fearless. Be Ready,” this year the conference will debut a newly expanded campus that includes both the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and neighboring Eden Roc resort, encouraging attendees to be imaginative, tenacious and equipped to succeed in the ever-expanding, interdependent content community. Schedule and speaker announcements will be made in the coming weeks; please visit https://www.natpe.com/market/ for updates.

Named in honor of Brandon Tartikoff, one of the most esteemed programmers in the history of television, the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award was created to recognize a select group of television professionals who exhibit extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision in the process of creating television programming. The Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award is presented each year at a special reception in association with Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News during the annual NATPE Market and Conference.

Event tickets are available for $190 per ticket, $2,200 for a table, benefiting the NATPE Educational Foundation, and can be purchased online at https://www.natpe.com/market/register.

“Each of these honorees has had enormous impact on our culture and our business, which is dedicated to celebrating content excellence across multiple platforms,” says NATPE President and CEO Rod Perth. “Steve Harvey, Doug Herzog, Quincy Jones, Sophie Turner Laing and Norman Lear are fearlessly creative innovators and we can’t think of a more fitting group to honor for this year’s Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award. We look forward to honoring their achievements in television at this momentous event at NATPE Miami 2016.”

“It would have meant so much to Brandon that NATPE has kept alive his love for what has become a new world of entertaining content that now reaches across every platform,”  said Lilly Tartikoff.  “Norman, Quincy, Sophie, Doug, and Steve embody the creative brilliance and passion for the business that was his trademark. I wish warm congratulations to each of them!”

The 2016 Legacy Award recipients are recognized for exhibiting extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision in the process of creating compelling content.

Steve Harvey is a comedian, businessman, radio mogul, TV personality and best-selling author. He is the host of the Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show Steve Harvey currently in its fourth season. Harvey has led the hit talk show to win back-to-back Emmys for “Outstanding Talk Show/Informative” (2014 & 2015) and NAACP Image Awards for “Outstanding Talk Series” (2014 & 2015). As host, Harvey was awarded the People’s Choice Award in 2013 for “Favorite New Talk Show Host” and an NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Host” in 2015. In addition to hosting his eponymous daytime show, Harvey is also at the helm of FremantleMedia’s long-running hit syndicated game show, Family Feud. In 2016, Feud will be celebrating its 40th anniversary and Harvey’s milestone 1000th episode as host. Most recently, Harvey helmed the primetime celebrity version of the show on ABC. Celebrity Family Feud debuted as the top-rated series launch of summer 2015 and came in as the #2 show of the summer overall. Harvey is also the host of the #1 rated nationally syndicated morning radio show, Steve Harvey Morning Show. His first book “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man” was released in 2009 and became an international bestseller, spending 64 weeks on the prestigious New York Times Best Seller list. In December 2010, Harvey’s follow up, “Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep, and Understand a Man,” debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. The hit film based on Harvey’s book, Think Like A Man, debuted in 2012 as the #1 movie in America and grossed $33.6 million its opening week. Harvey’s latest book, “Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success” (2014) debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

Doug Herzogis the President of Viacom’s Music & Entertainment Group, which includes Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Spike, and Logo. Over the course of his career, Herzog has launched some of television’s most successful and culturally resonant original series, including The Daily Show, South Park, The Colbert Report, Malcolm in the Middle, Broad City, Key & Peele, Inside Amy Schumer, Hot in Cleveland, and Lip Sync Battle. In April 2015, Herzog’s network portfolio expanded to include MTV, VH1, and Logo, in addition to Comedy Central and Spike, with the merging of Viacom’s Music & Entertainment Groups. Herzog began his career at CNN before joining MTV in 1984 to create MTV News.

During his first tenure at MTV, he developed groundbreaking MTV series including The Real World, Unplugged and Road Rules, as well as the network’s signature MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Movie Awards.

Over the years, multi-media entrepreneur Quincy Jones‘ career has encompassed the roles of composer, record producer, artist, film producer, arranger, conductor, instrumentalist, TV producer, record company executive, magazine founder, best-selling author and humanitarian. Currently celebrating more than 60 years performing and being involved in music, Jones has won 27 Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy’s Trustees Award and the Grammy Living Legend Award.  He also holds the record for the most Grammy nominations with a total of 79.  He is an Emmy winner and seven-time Oscar nominee, and was recently honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with their Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.  In 1997, he formed the Quincy Jones Media Group (QJMG) which develops and produces feature films, television, live entertainment, direct response marketing, and cross-media projects for home entertainment and educational applications.

Sophie Turner Laing, Chief Executive Officer, Endemol Shine Group, oversees a network of more than 120 creative production companies in over 30 markets with a portfolio of approximately 600 revenue-generating titles across scripted and non-scripted genres. With productions in over 50 languages for multiple platforms around the world, Endemol Shine Group’s best-known international hits include Big Brother, Black Mirror, Broadchurch, Bron (The Bridge), Deal or No Deal, Hell on Wheels, Humans, Hunted, The Island, MasterChef, Mr. Bean, Peaky Blinders, The Biggest Loser, The Fall, The Money Drop and many more.  Prior to taking up her current role in in December 2014, Turner Laing held a number of senior positions at Sky in the UK, including Director of Movies and Managing Director, Content. She was instrumental in forging Sky’s ground-breaking partnership with HBO, which led to the launch of Sky Atlantic and was also the driving force behind Sky’s commitment to increase investment in original British programming to £600m a year, achieved in 2014. Sophie also helped set up Hit Entertainment and held a number of senior roles at the BBC, including Acting Director of Television.  She began her TV career at Henson International Television where she worked on programmes like The Muppet Show and rose to become Sales Director.

Norman Lear, producer, writer, director and author – Act III Communications, has enjoyed a long career in television and film, and as a political and social activist and philanthropist. Lear began his television writing career in 1950, producing the iconic series All in the Family, which in its nine seasons on CBS, garnered four Emmy Awards for Best Comedy series and a Peabody Award in 1977. The series was followed by a succession of other television hit shows, including Maude, Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Lear founded People For the American Way, a non-profit organization designed to speak out for Bill of Rights guarantees and to monitor violations of constitutional freedoms. Additionally, he formed other nonprofit organizations, including the Business Enterprise Trust (1989-2000), which spotlighted exemplary social innovations in American business; the Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communication (2000-present), a multidisciplinary research and public policy center dedicated to exploring the convergence of entertainment, commerce and society; and with his wife, Lyn, and Alan and Cindy Horn, co-founded the Environmental Media Association (1989-present). Lear is the author of a best-selling memoir, “Even This I Get to Experience”, now available in paperback.

About NATPE

Celebrating 54 years of service to the ever-evolving global television industry, NATPE inspires the growth and success of content development, creation, production, financing and distribution across all platforms through interdependent marketplaces where industry powers gather to offer insight and make deals. NATPE is the leader in developing international markets and conferences for the entire spectrum of the dynamic content business. For more information, please visit www.natpe.com. 

###

Press Contacts:

Kevin Broderick/Megan Levy
The Lippin Group/LA
kevin@lippingroup.com
megan@lippingroup.com 
323.965.1990

Debbie Lawrence
The Lippin Group/London 
dlawrence@lippingroup.com
+44 203 008 5406