7 May, 2013 – NATPE BUDAPEST, the premier market for the dynamic content and multi-platform broadcast business in the CEE region, is to team up with the international format industry association FRAPA during the forthcoming market which takes place at the Sofitel Chain Bridge in Budapest 24-27 June 2013.

FRAPA Chair and Absolutely Independent’s CEO & President, Patty Geneste will join HBO Europe’s Antony Root and other experts as a speaker at the NATPE BUDAPEST breakfast briefing on 25 June.  The session, entitled Extending the Value of Content – Beyond Borders and Across Platforms and created in collaboration with leading trade publication Broadband TV News, will take place between 8.00am and 10.00am at the iconic Budapest venue Café Gerbeaud.  Moderated by Broadband TV News Editor Julian Clover, the session will look at the opportunities and challenges of re-versioning programming in the CEE region.

Dedicated to the protection of formats, FRAPA will also be part of the NATPE Navigator customer service initiative, created by NATPE to assist buyers and sellers, which launches later this week.  NATPE Budapest registered delegates will be able to contact FRAPA through NATPE Navigator and ask questions concerning the legalities surrounding format production, acquisition or sales prior to the event in June or arrange meetings with FRAPA consultants to take place at the market.  Based on business objectives, the NATPE Navigator team creates, free of charge,  targeted prospect lists and offers a customized experience developed to help maximize business opportunities.  Following its launch in May,  the service will be available at all forthcoming NATPE events.

NATPE||Content First President and CEO Rod Perth said, “Many of our clients own content which has the potential to be re-versioned in other territories to further extend its life and optimize its value.  Having FRAPA work alongside us in Budapest we will be able to offer first hand guidance and expert counsel for those looking for additional assistance to get the most from their programming within the CEE region.”

Patty Geneste added, “We are delighted to join NATPE||Content First at their annual European event focusing on the CEE territories.  The protection of formats across all genres is of paramount importance to our members and their clients.  We look forward to being available through NATPE Navigator and on hand in Budapest to offer our support and advice to enable content re-versioning to flourish throughout the region and beyond.”

For Breakfast Session online reservations; full program timetable, accreditation, travel and housing details plus information about NATPE’s unique Navigator meeting concierge service visit www.NATPEBudapest.com.

Other NATPE BUDAPEST activities include a welcome networking reception for all attendees at the Paris Restaurant in the Sofitel Chain Bridge on Tuesday, 25 June at 6pm.  “Invitation Only” screenings from the major studios will kick start the annual event on Monday 24 June and continue through Tuesday 25 June.

Evolving to meet the needs of a changing media landscape, NATPE through its many activities including exclusive videos, live streaming events and vibrant annual markets is the facilitator between content creation and monetization in the multiplatform world. The annual NATPE Market and Conference held at the Fontainebleau Resort, Miami Beach is the first must-attend content market for the Americas held each year in January (January 27-29, 2014). NATPE also produces two other annual events; NATPE||BUDAPEST (June 24-27, 2013) the premier market for the dynamic and evolving content industry centered in the CEE; and PitchCon (Los Angeles, May 9-10, 2013) a program development accelerator for new TV and digital video content ideas. Visit us at www.natpe.org

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

Producer Oliver Goldstick to Keynote PitchCon (Exclusive)

The executive producer of "Pretty Little Liars" will address aspiring writers at the annual event
put on by NATPE/Content First in Beverly Hills May 9 and 10.

Last weekend Oliver Goldstick, executive producer of the hit ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars, was visiting his hometown of Detroit to attend a funeral, but at times it felt like he was back in Hollywood. “People were pitching TV show ideas to me over the casket,” he says. On May 9, people will be pitching ideas at Goldstick again, but in a more appropriate forum. Goldstick will be the keynoter at NATPE/Content First’s Pitchcon 2013 in Beverly Hills.

While he will be talking about his own career in a question and answer session with journalist Ray Richmond, Goldstick says he hopes to also hear from the audience of aspiring television writers.

“We’re so insulated in this business,” says Goldstick, “that I’m lucky if I can get off the lot some days for lunch, so I am looking forward to hearing what they have to say.”
What Goldstick will not be doing is accepting any scripts or treatments. His contract with Warner Bros. forbids that, he explains, because there have been so many lawsuits.
His advice is to get proper representation -- an agent or lawyer -- who can help pave the way to have the writer’s work seen. And the key to success, he notes, is to have things to show, what he calls “a portfolio of work.”

“Know what you want to do,” he will tell these aspiring writers. “Have a clear goal of where you want to be. What are the shows that get you excited and that you want to writer an episode for?”

“You have to know how to market yourself,” he adds. “You have to ask where would I sit in this universe? Where does my sensibility best exist? So I encourage people to have self-awareness and know where they can get a foot in the door. You don’t even have to have a TV spec script. It can be original material, such as a play. My background is in theater.”

After he left Detroit with a degree from the University of Michigan, Goldstick did graduate work at Columbia University in New York, where he had plays produced off-Broadway. One of the actors in two of his plays was Phil Rosenthal, who became his buddy and writing partner.

Rosenthal went on to create and executive Everybody Loves Raymond, while Goldstick worked on such shows leading up to Pretty Little Liars as Coach, Caroline In the City and Ugly Betty.

The worst thing a new writer can do is try to be cynical and write what he or she thinks is hot at that moment. “That’s a recipe for disaster,” says Goldstick. “You will have HACK on your license plate before you know it. We all have to draw on our own experiences and perceptions of the world and how we came to it.”

Pitchcon will take place over two days. On May 10, NBC’s reality show Fashion Star will be honored with the sixth annual Innovator Award, which will be accepted by executive producer Ben Silverman, CEO of Electus.

At Pitchcon attendees receive help with preparing pitches for shows they want to sell. This year NATPE has also partnered with Sell Your TV Concept Now, a mentoring service led by Mark and Jeanne Simon.

They also helped create the Hollywood Player Pitch Contest which is open to all attendees. The top 25 pitches will have a chance to go before a group of industry judges and win prizes including four meetings with “high profile media executives.”

Other topics this year include crowdfunding, developing reality TV show ideas and how to operate in a multi platform world. The full schedule is available at PitchCon.org.

LOS ANGELES, April 18, 2013 – FASHION STAR, NBC’s reality competition series devoted to bringing the creations of young unknown designers to consumers nationwide, will be honored with NATPE||Content First’s Sixth Annual Innovator Award at PitchCon 2013 on Friday, May 10. Series Executive Producer Ben Silverman, CEO of Electus, will accept the award on behalf of the show during a special luncheon and panel discussion at the SLS Beverly Hills Hotel, NATPE President & CEO Rod Perth announced today.

“FASHION STAR is a pioneer in seamlessly bridging the gaps between traditional broadcast, digital platforms and cutting edge retail e-commerce,” said Perth. “It has taken the model of a reality contest show to a whole new level, incorporating brand integration and social media into a true second-screen experience that has served as a springboard to launch creative careers and bring something new to consumers. NATPE is delighted to honor this show for being a true example of programming innovation.”

Fashion Star features designers who are competing for a chance to have their creations purchased each week by buyers from Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Express. Each week, the contestants are given a challenge to design clothing with a certain look, feel and function. Working with their designated team, the mentors Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, and John Varvatos offer insight and advice to contestants as they design their creations, shop for materials and oversee the production of their garments. At the end of each episode is a fashion show with each contestant’s designs. Any designer whose clothes are not purchased that week is up for elimination from the show.

NATPE created the Innovator Award to recognize outstanding achievement in programming. Recipients of the award showcase extraordinary passion and leadership, leveraging their platform in new, innovative and productive ways. The award luncheon will be the culmination of PitchCon 2013 at the SLS Beverly Hills Hotel May 9-10, where independent content producers will have unparalleled access to influential, multi-platform media executives in clinics, educational sessions, pitch critiques and occasions for networking centered on this year’s theme, “Where Dreams Meet Deals.”

At PitchCon 2013, attendees can receive more help with additional pitch prep packages, and when pitches are polished, the Pitch Pit guarantees face-to-face meetings with influential “catchers” from the multi-platform world, as well as targeted conference sessions and speakers offering guidance on getting projects sold.

In addition, NATPE has partnered with Sell Your TV Concept Now, a mentoring service led by development and pitch experts Mark and Jeanne Simon, to establish the Hollywood Player Pitch Contest, which is open to all PitchCon attendees at no additional entry cost and to unregistered pitchers for a small fee. The top 25 pitches will have the chance to go before a panel of judges at the event, with four finalists selected to pitch to the entire audience. The finalists and the winner will receive meaningful prize packages, including the following:

Grand Prize: (approx. value $3,500)
- At least four (4) meetings with high profile media executives in Los Angeles** 
- A GoPro camera package to own 
- Lunch at The Palm, a well-known Hollywood restaurant
- Complimentary admission to both NATPE 2014 and PitchCon 2014 
- Best-selling TV development and pitch home study course - TV Pitch School
- One hour TV Concept Breakthrough Session with Sell Your TV Concept Now, Inc.

Runner-up: (approx. value $2,000)
- A camera rental courtesy of Division Camera
- Best-selling TV development and pitch home study course - TV Pitch School
- Free pass to NATPE||Miami 2014 and PitchCon 2014

For more information on the Hollywood Player Pitch Contest, visit http://pitchcon.org/schedule/hollywood-player-pitch-contest.html

PitchCon’s schedule will feature a diverse slate of speakers, master classes, workshops and hands-on sessions.  Diverse topics will range from crowdfunding and developing reality TV ideas, to business integration and story analysis for independent producers operating in a multi-platform world. A complete list of speakers and Pitch Pit Catchers, along with the full schedule, is available online at PitchCon.org.

Evolving to meet the needs of a changing media landscape, NATPE offers many industry activities, including live streaming events, vibrant annual markets and exclusive videos. The organization is the facilitator between content creation and monetization in the multiplatform world. The annual NATPE Market and Conference, held at the Fontainebleau Resort, Miami Beach, is the first must-attend content market for the Americas. Held each year in January, the 2014 confab is slated for Jan. 27-29, 2014. NATPE also produces NATPE||BUDAPEST (June 24-27, 2013), the premier market for the dynamic and evolving content industry centered in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. Visit us at www.natpe.org.

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Press Contact:
Cassy Salyer - The Lippin Group
csalyer@lippingroup.com ; 323-965-1990

NATPE BUDAPEST ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF JUNE 2013 EVENT

Including a brand new breakfast briefing session; extended market hours;
unique concierge meeting services and networking events.

March 27, 2013 – NATPE BUDAPEST, the premier market for the dynamic content and multi-platform broadcast business in the CEE, today announced details of its forthcoming event which will take place at the Sofitel, Chain Bridge, 24-27 June 2013.

For the first time, NATPE BUDAPEST in collaboration with leading trade publication Broadband TV News will host a breakfast briefing session between 8.00am and 10.00am at the iconic Budapest venue Café Gerbeaud.  Moderated by Broadband TV News Editor Julian Clover,  the session, entitled Extending the Value of Content – Beyond Borders and Across Platforms, will look at the opportunities and challenges of reversioning programming across all genres for content rights owners, local producers and digital and multi-platform owners in the CEE region.  Antony Root, EVP Original Programming and Production, HBO Europe is already confirmed as a speaker.

Other NATPE BUDAPEST activities include a welcome networking reception for all attendees at the Paris Restaurant in the Sofitel Chain Bridge on Tuesday, 25 June at 6pm.  “Invitation Only” screenings from the major studios will kick start the annual event on Monday 24 June and continue through Tuesday 25 June.

NATPE BUDAPEST will also launch an innovative meeting concierge service for attendees. NATPE Navigator customer service initiative will assist buyers and sellers attending NATPE Budapest by providing assistance with scheduling meetings. Based on business objectives, the Navigator team will deliver targeted prospect list and offer a customized experience developed to help maximize business opportunities.

With three months to go there are already 250 content buyers from more than 30 countries registered to attend. There are also 150 program suppliers confirmed as exhibitors.

NATPE||Content First President and CEO Rod Perth comments, “We are looking forward to returning to Budapest this summer.  The dynamic CEE market is becoming ever more important for the global content industry.  There is an increased desire for international content owners to sell into the region and, with a significant growth in local production, for CEE producers to sell their shows and ideas to other broadcasters both internationally and cross border within the region.  NATPE Budapest offers a truly 360 degree opportunity for members of the global content business.   We are particularly pleased to introduce a briefing session at the start of our market – which we expect to be over-subscribed – which will offer a deep insight into the region and the huge opportunities that reversioning of material can deliver.”

For Breakfast Session online reservations; full program timetable, accreditation, travel and housing details plus information about NATPE’s unique Navigator meeting concierge service visit www.NATPEBudapest.com.

Evolving to meet the needs of a changing media landscape, NATPE through its many activities including exclusive videos, live streaming events and vibrant annual markets is the facilitator between content creation and monetization in the multiplatform world. The annual NATPE Market and Conference held at the Fontainebleau Resort, Miami Beach is the first must-attend content market for the Americas held each year in January (January 27-29, 2014). NATPE also produces two other annual events; NATPE||BUDAPEST (June 24-27, 2013) the premier market for the dynamic and evolving content industry centered in the CEE; and PitchCon (Los Angeles, May 9-10, 2013) a program development accelerator for new TV and digital video content ideas. Visit us at www.natpe.org

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