Water Cooler

By Leah Hochbaum Rosner

As NATPE approaches, TV executives are busy prepping their catalogues and themselves for a Las Vegas market that’s sure to give people something to talk about — what with the Writers Guild of America strike and a number of companies leaving the convention floor in favor of the suites or vice-versa. Herb Lazarus, president of the International Distribution division of California-based independent studio Carsey-Werner, is no different. He’s busy getting his catalogue — which consists of series like The Cosby Show, Grace Under Fire and Cybill — market-ready (although he joked that it isn’t hard considering “it’s the same library we’ve had for the past 25 years”).

VideoAge spoke with Lazarus to find out how NATPE has changed in the years he’s attended and to learn why the market is still as important to Carsey-Werner as ever.

Video Age International: How has NATPE changed in the years you’ve attended the market?

Herb Lazarus: When I first started going to NATPE, it was part of the NAB convention in Chicago. Then, when it became the NATPE we know today, we still came. For more than a decade now, I’ve been going with Carsey-Werner, and every year we’ve been on the floor.

VAI: So you like the floor better than the suites?

HL: Definitely. People don’t haphazardly stop by the suites — especially with how bad the elevator service is. When you’re on the floor, people come visit. You make connections.

VAI: In recent years, NATPE has become somewhat Latin America-focused. What does Carsey-Werner have to offer to the Latins?

HL: NATPE’s always been Latin America-focused. NATPE and the L.A. Screenings are the two markets in which Latins always participate. We sell a lot of our programming to Latin America, but nowadays, we’ve embarked on a big campaign to reformat our shows and make local versions of them. We’ve seen local versions of That ‘70s Show and 3rd Rock From the Sun. We made a deal for Cosby in Ecuador and they produced 90 some odd episodes. We currently have things going on in Chile, Argentina and Peru for other shows in our catalogue.

VAI: If you could change anything about NATPE, what would you change?

HL: I would try to make it as long as possible rather than as short as possible. Our clients come in from all over the world and it’s tough for them to only be in Vegas for two and a half days. So, the longer the better as far as I’m concerned. Also, I’ve had discussions with [NATPE president] Rick Feldman about taking people off the floor for seminars. But nothing’s really come of that.

VAI: This year, it seems like a number of studios have either opted out of NATPE or taken a lower profile. Do you ever worry that the studios will drop out altogether? And if that happens, what will become of NATPE?

HL: No, the studios won’t ever completely drop out. But if they did, NATPE would be in trouble.

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By Leah Hochbaum Rosner

In the days leading up to NATPE, some exhibitors are worried about the consequences the U.S. studios will face due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike; some are concerned about whether a suite or a spot on the floor is the way to go; and others are just anxiously waiting to learn how their product will fare at the market.

Alfred Haber, founder of New Jersey-based Alfred Haber Distribution, Inc., which is bringing shows such as Most Daring and Most Shocking to Las Vegas, in addition to awards shows like the Grammys and the Golden Globes, isn’t worried at all. He’s confident that the strike won’t yield too many problems, that choosing a spot on the floor was the right thing to do, and that the company’s shows will sell like gangbusters. VideoAge spoke with Haber to learn the secrets of his self-assured NATPE attitude.

Video Age International: It seems that some companies are opting to take a lower profile at the upcoming NATPE. How come you’re not?

Alfred Haber: We’re eagerly anticipating NATPE. We had a very strong fourth quarter and we have a significant number of unfinished deals to attend to. It’s always a busy convention for us. I’m especially looking forward to day three of the market. Last year, we had our busiest day ever at NATPE on day three. It was like we were the last jelly doughnut in a hungry town. I wish NATPE were five days long.

VAI: Do you worry that the studios may one day drop out of NATPE altogether?

AH: I don’t. Even if its gets really thin as far as majors on the floor, so long as buyers are in town, we’ll be there. It’ll be tough to shake us. We’ll probably have about 200 meetings at NATPE. The convention is an incredible distillation of what we do on a daily basis in an exponentially concentrated basis. Meetings move along very quickly there and you can close transactions fast.

VAI: A lot of companies have taken to the suites this year, why have you decided to remain on the convention floor?

AH: I’ve seen the line for the elevators at the Venetian stretched to the Waldorf in New York. People eventually get fed up and make their way to down to the floor, to where we are.

VAI: In recent years, NATPE has become somewhat Latin America-focused. What does Alfred Haber have to offer to the Latins?

AH: We have a bible series that we started in 1989 that is the most successful series in the history of Latin America. We’re in our sixth cycle with it. We’ve had episodes on Jesus, David, Moses, Joseph and more. They’ve aired on such varied channels as Telemundo, Televisa, Globo and Caracol. Come Easter or Christmas, networks want to air these stories.

VAI: How will the WGA strike affect NATPE?

AH: International buyers won’t stay home because of the strike. There may even be some interesting substitutes for scripted programming. I bet we’ll see lots of exciting reality show ideas. There will probably be more network reality series from independents than we’ve seen in the past since nets are ordering less writer-driven stuff. But I don’t think there will be a diminution in attendance.

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By Leah Hochbaum Rosner

With the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) strike raging and a mass studio exodus from the floor, the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) conference is sure to be different this year. Taking place January 28-31 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, NATPE 2008 will offer a raft of panel discussions, keynote addresses and an expanded NATPE Mobile++ event.

VideoAge spoke with NATPE president and chief executive officer Rick Feldman to find out how the WGA walk-out is affecting this year’s market, whether the Latins or the independents will one day inherit NATPE, and what will happen when Feldman’s contract is up in 2009.

VAI: How will the writers’ strike impact NATPE? It is possible that it will actually be beneficial since NATPE is the best place for buyers to meet with studios?

RF: I’m not 100 percent sure how to answer that question, except to say that I can’t think of anything good that will come of it. People are not in a great mood. It’s been hard to attract people to speak, specifically about production. People are wondering what they’ll be doing in January and how it’ll all work out. It could be that they’re still on strike, so they’ll have time to come to the market. Or they could be going into production and they’ll be really busy. NATPE is about TV and this is not a great time for TV. I hope this thing gets resolved quickly. But it’s hard to know how and when the strike is going to end or how it’s really going to impact the industry. To me, it’s more of a minus than a plus, obviously.

VAI: What do you think about the studio situation at NATPE? Do you feel it’s important to try and lure the international divisions?

RF: We are a nonprofit that creates a market and conference for people in the business. We started 45 years ago and we are still the number one market in the U.S. At NATPE 2008, we expect 400 exhibitors and 8,000 people. No doubt I’d rather have a conference with CBS International and Domestic on the floor, as they were in previous years. And again, this isn’t necessarily what will happen in 2009. Some of the studios could be back on the floor or in the suites. But I don’t profess to tell studios how to do business or what’s good for them. Certainly, the market would be better with them.

VAI: You’re entering the second year of a three-year contract, after which you’ve said that you might want to retire. Will you?

RF: My contract runs out in May 2009. I’m going to table discussion of what will happen then until next spring. It’s premature for me to think about it, but I’m certainly not getting any younger. I have friends who retired at my age and they’re great, and I have friends who retired at my age and they’re looking for stuff to do. I’ve decided to wait and figure it out next year.

VAI: Is it possible that NATPE will become a Latin-focused market and move to Miami?

RF: No, we’re not considering that. The Latins are certainly an important and major group at NATPE, but we have people coming from over 70 different countries. Maybe someday we’ll decide to do another Latin-centric market in Miami, but we have no plans for that at this time. And as far as keeping NATPE in Las Vegas, it’s really the only place to have it. We want to keep it close to L.A. so people from the business can come in for a day or two. There’s a certain consistency to keeping the market in Vegas because it makes it easier for people to plan their time and schedule meetings. Plus, it’s tough to find alternatives. So for now, Vegas is where we should be.

VAI: The independents are assuming an important role at NATPE. Are there plans to move from a studio-dependent market to a market that depends on indies?

RF: The problem with independents is that the big get bigger. The second an indie starts growing, someone bigger comes to eat it. As a result, there aren’t that many major independents that remain independent for long. Consolidation is a big issue in the industry. As soon as a company gets successful, a bigger company comes along and buys it up.

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