James Farrell & Akihiko Okamoto Set for Joint MIPCOM Keynote

James Farrell, head of international originals at Amazon MGM Studios, and Akihiko Okamoto, president and representative director at Yoshimoto Kogyo, are on board to deliver a joint keynote at MIPCOM CANNES.

Together, Farrell and Okamoto will share the origination and approach that has made LOL: Last One Laughing one of the most successful and traveled formats of recent years and Prime Video’s most-watched title ever in several countries.

The session, part of the market’s Media Mastermind Keynote series, will be staged on the first full day of MIPCOM CANNES on Monday, October 21, at 10:20 a.m. in the Grand Auditorium of the Palais des Festivals.

“LOL: Last One Laughing is proof that competition formats drive audiences to streamers,” said Lucy Smith, director of MIPCOM CANNES and MIP LONDON. “Amazon is leading the way, emerging as key producers of unscripted formats. Understanding the strategy behind this hugely successful rollout and how each version has been adapted culturally and comically will be invaluable for anyone in the business of traveling IP and production globally.”