International Academy Hails Successful Brazilian Event

NEW YORK, September 17:
More than 300 TV executives took part in the International Academy Day in Rio
de Janeiro last week, a three-day networking event inaugurated by Brazilian
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The event was organized by
the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, in conjunction
with TV Globo and Sony. Welcoming attendees, da Silva acknowledged the
importance of democracy in media and the role television plays in national
culture. He also talked about how many International Emmy nominations Brazil
has received over the last few years.

The opening dinner was
held at the Copacabana Palace Hotel and officially launched the first Academy
Day held in South America. In addition to President da Silva, speakers included
Sergio Cabral, the governor of Rio; Roberto Irineu Marinho, the president of Globo; and Bruce L. Paisner, the president and CEO of the International Academy. Participants
included International Academy members, government officials and television
executives and producers from around the world.

“Over the last few years,
the International Academy has grown in stature to become a representative of
the world’s media interests and a place to learn and understand,” said Paisner.
“I am delighted that the President of Brazil is keeping track of how many
International Emmy nominations the country receives. We are grateful to TV
Globo and especially to Roberto Irineu Marinho and Octavio Florisbal for making
this event possible.”

Program highlights of the
three-day event included three keynote speeches and four panels. The keynotes
were given by Helio Costa, the Brazilian Minister of Telecommunications; Octavio
Florisbal, the CEO of TV Globo; and Flavio Ferrari, the CEO of IBOPE Media.
The first day sessions presented a CEO overview of the Latin American
television industry and a discussion on telenovelas, while the second day
addressed the use of new technologies in the region and the role of socially
responsible programming. Panelists included Marcos Santana, the president of Telemundo International, and Nadav Palti, the CEO and president of Dori Media, among others. All panels took
place at PROJAC, Globo’s production center and studio back lot.

This was the third
International Academy Day to be organized by the International Academy after
Mexico City in 2005 and Beijing in 2006.

—By Mansha Daswani