Paul Johnson

World Screen Weekly, September 20, 2007

Director, Television Division

Reed MIDEM

The Grand Auditorium at the Palais des Festivals is a hub of activity during the Cannes Film Festival, but it has never been used during one of Reed MIDEM’s television markets; until now, that is. At MIPCOM next month the famed hall will be opened up to accommodate the market’s high-profile list of speakers, led by this year’s Personality of the Year, Leslie Moonves, the president and CEO of CBS Corporation. “No one will be disappointed by what Les is going to deliver,” says Paul Johnson, the director of Reed MIDEM’s television division, hinting at what promises to be a buzz-worthy presentation. Also for the first time, Reed MIDEM has tapped a television executive instead of a journalist to moderate the keynote, with Endemol’s chief creative officer, Peter Bazalgette, slated to employ a “real coffee-with-approach” to his session with CBS’s head honcho, who leads off a keynote lineup under the theme “Visionaries, Moguls, Entrepreneurs” on Monday, October 8.

The first day of MIPCOM will also feature the country focus on India, with Subhash Chandra, the founder and chairman of Zee Network and the Essel Group of Companies, and Ronnie Screwvala, the founder and CEO of the UTV Group, providing insights into this lucrative market.

“India is obviously one of the largest territories in the world,” Johnson says on the organization’s decision to focus on the subcontinent this year. “It’s going to be Asia’s leading pay-TV market in the next ten years or less. It’s certainly going to be in the top ten most important territories in the world for acquisitions and productions. That’s going to increase everyone’s distribution revenues for the years to come. The question for every company attending MIPCOM is, if you have an Indian strategy, is it the right one? And if you don’t, where is it?” The sessions planned, Johnson says, will look to answer those questions.

The country spotlight also enables Indian media executives “to get together with the international community and find out what other partnerships and growth they can have outside of India,” Johnson says. “We’re putting together an entertainment master class for the Indian delegation [so they can learn] how to best utilize international markets to their advantage. We have a VIP networking lunch on Monday, by invitation only, which will be for the very senior VIPs from India to meet with the other VIPs at MIPCOM and really start forging business together.”

Johnson adds, on a lighter note, “we’re going to have a very, very cool [Indian-themed] opening-night party at the Majestic.”

Another growing market that Johnson expects MIPCOM attendees to be interested in is Latin America, and Emilio Azc�rraga, the president and CEO of Grupo Televisa, will be on hand to deliver a keynote—to be moderated by World Screen’s group editorial director, Anna Carugati—on Tuesday, October 9. Azc�rraga’s presentation will look at the Mexican media giant’s growth strategy and will cover the company’s 50-year-history in the telenovela genre, as an extension of the third-annual Telenovela Screenings, taking place Sunday, October 7.

Other executives slated to deliver keynotes at MIPCOM this year include Paula Wagner, the CEO of United Artists, Ben Silverman, the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, and Mike Volpi, the CEO of Internet streaming platform Joost.

The keynote lineup is complemented by a host of panels under the theme “Content on the Move,” many of which, Johnson says, feature executives who “are easily keynotes in their own right, we just didn’t have any more space! Some of our Super Panels will be like watching multiple keynotes together.”

Another highlight, Johnson says, is Pangea Day, the organizers of which will be hosting a press conference during MIPCOM. The initiative is being led by Jehane Noujaim, who directed the Al Jazeera documentary Control Room. She is planning a worldwide cross-platform event, similar to Live Earth, on May 10, 2008, that aims to bring people together and increase cross-cultural understanding through film. Noujaim was able to embark on the initiative after winning the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Prize, which offers $100,000 to projects that aim to change the world for the better. Past recipients of the TED Prize include Bill Clinton and Bono.