A Note from the Publisher

Ricardo Guise, the president and publisher of World Screen, on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

For 35 years I have been in Cannes at this time of the year, having lunch with friends and drinking rosé wine at my favorite beach restaurant. Although I’ve had this routine for most of my adult life, I have never tired of it, and always looked forward to my next MIPTV.

COVID-19 changed all of this in a flash, and its recent arrival in Manhattan—with an estimated population of 1.6 million people all living in an area of just 23 square miles—is already proving to be devastating. We closed our offices in the city three weeks ago and are doing our best to work remotely and continue to publish our four daily newsletters and ten weekly newsletters covering every aspect of the international television industry. On Wednesday, April 1, we will send out the April digital edition of World Screen to all our online subscribers. This edition, containing some of the articles and interviews meant for the MIPTV print edition, will give us a semblance of closure as we continue to move forward down this unknown road.

I thought that navigating my business in New York City after 9/11 would have been my greatest professional challenge. This new crisis is proving to be much worse. Besides the obvious danger of contracting this virus, the emotional and financial strains have already been significant. The constant barrage of bad news insidiously infiltrates our thoughts. But when I start feeling sorry for myself, I just need to be reminded of the doctors and nurses risking their lives, with barely any sleep or protective equipment, to try to keep us safe. They remind me of the hundreds of firefighters unflinchingly rushing towards the Twin Towers on that cloudless morning in 2001.

These heroes are everywhere—in China, South Korea, Italy, Spain, France, literally every corner of the world. I hope that when this crisis is over, we can repay them for their sacrifice. Just as numerous monuments have been built for soldiers, attesting to their bravery during various wars, monuments should be erected to celebrate today’s heroes—the world’s doctors and nurses—for their Herculean efforts against this invisible enemy.

As for myself and my family, mere mortals who must stay at our farmhouse and practice social distancing, we are trying to find a silver lining from this dreadful experience. We’re attempting to counterbalance feelings of anxiety, fear and isolation with positive and productive outlets that bring us closer together. We decided to learn how to cook, and this weekend we were surprised at how good our Coq au Vin turned out to be! During my breaks from work, I tend to our garden and plant some trees and shrubs. I find that any kind of project involving physical work with a defined positive outcome is very helpful at times like these. And I will double down on my favorite hobby, taking photos of birds, bees, flowers and trees. Exposure to nature always had a calming effect on me. In this respect, the timing for this lockdown is perfect: spring is arriving and it is magical to witness flowers slowly reemerge, migratory birds return and insects make a noisy comeback. This rejuvenation also points us to a brighter future when this microbial scourge comes to its end. Yes, I will miss the lovely tradition of being with my friends in Cannes, but I won’t let it get me down.

Ricardo Guise can be reached at rguise@worldscreen.com.