NATPE to Honor Steve Levitan, John Langley, Debra Lee

September 19, 2012 World Screen Top Stories

LOS ANGELES: The Tartikoff Legacy Award recipients for the 2013 NATPE Market and Conference are Steve Levitan, the creator of the hit comedy Modern Family; John Langley, creator and executive producer of Cops; and Debra Lee, the CEO of the U.S. network BET.

Levitan, Langley and Lee will accept their awards during a special reception to take place in Miami at the Fontainebleau. The forth honoree will be announced in coming weeks, as will the keynotes.

Rod Perth, NATPE’s recently appointed president and CEO, announced highlights of the conference that will be built around the theme “Beyond Disruption” and said that NATPE will make a priority of being as customer-service-oriented as possible.
 
While many people interpret the word disruption negatively, explained Perth, “I see it as a metaphor for opportunity, and a word that describes how content, advertising and technology are now interdependent ecosystems that are encouraging reinvention of tomorrow’s business models.”
 
Perth says he is very optimistic about NATPE, which will take place at Miami’s Fountainbleau Resort from January 28 to 30 and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. “Each of the major domestic studios have committed will be attend, in addition to Debmar-Mercury/Lionsgate, Banijay, Electus, CableReady, Content Media Corp., FremantleMedia, Globo TV, Hasbro Studios, Lionsgate International, MGM Worldwide Television, Televisa, Univision and Venevision, to name a few, he said.
 
Room reservations are pacing well ahead of last year and Perth stressed that NATPE’s organizers will become as service oriented as possible. “We want to be increasingly thoughtful and reflective about the experience that attendees have at NATPE. It’s all about return on their investment on their time and on their money. We are all about the connection between NATPE and our customers. Every time an attendee has an issue, we want them to have an answer. And if we don’t have an answer, we’ll get back to them as soon as we can with an answer. It’s all about the customer experience.”

Highlights include a Game Changers session, spotlighting leaders from some of the world’s top companies that have continually challenged mainstream thinking; Masters of Messaging, feature top brand execs, production companies, studios and ad-solution providers; Storytellers That Shape Pop Culture, pairing TV’s top icons and creators; and Visionaries, viewing the media world through the eyes of innovators.

“We’re grateful to provide all who attend the chance to celebrate NATPE’s important role in the history of the television business, as well as to be able to take a thoughtful, reflective, service-oriented approach to exploring the many exciting opportunities and serious challenges that lie ahead,” said Rod Perth, NATPE’s new president and CEO. "Our objective is to encourage a sense of optimism and reason to the conversation. With the 50th Anniversary celebration providing the perfect opportunity to honor the early foundations of the industry and map out its future, we look forward to a fantastic market and conference in January.”