The June 2018 calendar of global media and showbiz industry social networking events thanks to Paul Mitchell at The Actor’s Checklist. Included are Digiday Video Anywhere Summit Europe, MIDEM, Miami VR Expo Producers Guild of America, the Tony Awards, and the New Media Film Festival.
Video Anywhere Summit Europe
Digiday is a media company and community for digital media, marketing and advertising professionals. Their three-day (June 5-7) Video Anywhere Summit Europe in Amsterdam has many planned activities and events to jump-start the learning, networking and socialization process among professionals in digital video, TV and publishing. Dinner With Strangers will be a group reservation with fellow attendees during the summit at Silk Road Restaurant in the hotel.
Afternoon Suggestions will be about the many ways to spend free, relaxation time, like spending the afternoon on a cruise down one of Amsterdam’s 165 canals, taking in the history of this city, or touring the first Heineken brewery built in Amsterdam while learning about the beer’s history. Dinner With Friends, another event theme, encourages participants to reassemble with new friends for a casual meal at Restaurant Greetje, in Amsterdam.
After Hours Drinks is set for the last night out in Amsterdam, set at one of the city’s oldest bars, Proeflokaal de Druif, aka Testly the Blue Grape, for one last cocktail with your fellow attendees. Attendees can also count on a Broadcaster and Publisher Reception, 8-Minute Meetings, cocktail receptions, and the After-Hours Hangout.
Topics
Selected topics from the entire conference agenda will include: Authenticity and Brand Storytelling – Great Big Story’s Curious Videos & Audience, International Expansion Through the Universal Language of Comedy, Leveraging International Athletes for Global Expansion, How Discovery is Engaging New Audiences in a World of Distributed Video, Redefining TV as Total Video, Determined to Make Money: News UK’s Video Model, How Nickelodeon is Innovating Influencer Experiences to Develop New Audiences, Capturing Audience Attention & Redefining Engagement, Making YouTube & Third Party Make Sense, Leveraging Innovative Formats to Amplify Audience Experience, The Science of Digital Video for Business, 5 Things We’ve Learned – summarizing the events top themes that emerged from the three-day event.
Speakers you can expect to hear from will include, Kate Sils, Viacom International Media Networks; Pippa Scaife, CNN; Karmelina Parouka, MTV International; Yacine Messaoui, Al Jazeera Media Networks; Claire McArdle, Comedy Central International; Michael Lang, Discovery Networks International; Steve Broadhead, Video Intelligence and others. Awards programs will honor leading edge and stellar achievement and include the Digiday Awards, the Digiday Content Marketing Awards, Digiday Publishing Awards, the Digiday Video Awards, and the Digiday Signal Awards.
MIDEM
Operating annually from the seaside resort of Cannes, MIDEM is an annual music market, workshop and conference that is dedicated to discovering rising musical talents, while also helping the music industry and its partners develop business and creativity by looking to connect key players of the music ecosystem. This year when MIDEM runs June 5 to 8, keynotes will be delivered during the conference portion of the music market.
MIDEM Speakers
Participating speakers include, but are not limited to, Jennifer Breihaupt, Global Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, Citi; Black Coffee, Artist and Founder, Goingbox, South Africa; Hartwig Masuch, CEO, BMG, Germany; Themis Christophidou, Director-General, European Commission, Directorate General, for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (Belgium); Ben Schwerin, VP of Partnerships, Snap Inc. (USA) in conversation with Neil Jacobson, President, Geffen Records (USA); Bill Patrizio, President & CEO, Rhapsody International-Napster(USA). The Official MIDEM After Party takes place every night, except the final night, on the Annex Beach.
Every year MIDEM (#midem) generates fresh perspectives through event highlights that help it stay on the leading edge as a music industry resource. Los Angeles attorney Dina LaPolt, an advocate for creators’ rights and in favor of the Music Modernization Act, is in a featured Q&A with Variety Executive Editor, Shirley Halperin. She will receive a special Award during the MIDEM Top Lawyers’ lunch.
MIDEM beach
Try out the MIDEM beach! It is a brand-new leisure amenity and “chillout space” set-up to facilitate networking and relaxation. Puerto Rican songwriter and producer, Eduardo Cabra, also known by his artistic name “VISITANTE.” He is currently developing La Casa del Sombrero, a cultural exchange project that will serve as a production house for various artists. He will explain the creative process behind his projects and collaborations.
There will be an international premiere screening of documentary film, ‘Word Is Bond,’ by Sacha Jenkins, which examines the transformative power of hip-hop lyrics. And, international associations of independent labels will present a series of talks on the “State of the Independent Nation,” and identify any trends, opportunities and challenges that the sector faces today.
MIDEM Keynotes
Despite having a multitude of activities to attend, MIDEM does have several 
individual activity areas that form the core of its offerings and can help organize a visit and aid decisions on what to focus on.
MIDEM Keynotes is a chance to hear from international music industry players and their ideas on where the music business is heading.
MIDEM Summits has its own focus on Streaming, Legal (in association with IAEL), Live (in association with Pollstar) and Copyright Summits structured to form the basis of a briefing on key industry topics. Music Lab is a platform on which MidemLab Start-Up Competition finalists and selected innovative companies showcase solutions to take a business venture forward. Worldwide Village, are sessions on how to develop a business internationally by finding the opportunities in music markets. It will assist in the launch of the MIDEM African Forum.
Ca$h Factory
Ca$h Factory, are MIDEM sessions imparting expertise on strategies of monetizing music through panels and case studies on Music and Brands, Film/TV Music, Sync, Marketing and Promotion and Talent Development. MIDEM Beach is a new chillout and creative space to enjoy music, discover stimulative content and meet new people. MIDEM Beach will be located next to the Palais des Festivals and will open from 08:30 until 02:00. There are other featured activity areas to the MIDEM Music Market that make it the music industry resource that it is.
The MIDEM Legal Summit in association with IAEL, offers a seminar, ‘Re-thinking and Closing the Value Gap.’ Partners’ Sessions has two separate sessions dedicated to ‘Indonesian Music Market Opportunities,’ and Africa as a new music frontier. SYNC will have an invitation-only session presented by A&R Worldwide MUSEXPO, and is titled ‘Global Sync & Brands Summit.” Speed Meetings Countries offers opportunities to get before and present to Japan, Indonesia and Latin America. Mainstay event MIDEM at Night will be back presenting acts like MIDEM Artist Accelerator, Taiwan Beats, British Music Night, Sacem African Night, performing at the new MIDEM Beach.
Miami VR Expo
Miami VR Expo will happen at the new Magic City Innovation District, and it opens on June 7 with an opening reception by partnering with Pérez Art Museum Miami for an evening of networking and showcasing a sampling of Miami’s up and coming VR and AR startups, and to launch MiamiVR Expo 2018.
The World’s Game: Fútbol and Contemporary Art is a related exhibition presenting the art form of soccer through the works of more than 20 artists in video, photography, painting, and sculpture. Just after the MiamiVR opening remarks that will be given by Adrian Allen and Michelle McKoy, MiamiVR plunges into its first full day of conferences.
Speakers
Speakers you can expect to hear from at MiamiVR Expo include, Manny Ruiz, MixedRealityExpo; Tony Cho, Magic City Innovation District; Hector Garcia, Venture Capitalist, RKTR; Steven Yang, MoreEqualStudios; Antonio Delgado, Miami Dade College; Cathy Hackl, Futurist @ You Are Here; Sandy Lighterman, Miami-Dade County Film and Entertainment; Johnny Monserrat, Warner Bros. Exit; Paul Davies, Fellow at Boeing; Dr. Angela M. Shuttlesworth, Corporate Consultant; Jesse Miller, Midtown Video.
Highlights
Highlights from Miami VR Expo (#MiamiVRExpo) day one include, Innovation in Miami, and the pipeline to assist VR & AR startups in the tech community; The History of VR in Miami; Game Over: How a $215B AR Market Will Gamify Everything; 360-Virtual Reality: The Ultimate Storytelling Platform; Discover New Worlds: Reignite Your Brand Through AR, VR and MR.
On day two, conference highlights will include, The Future of VR & AR in motion picture and television production; Journey Into the Future of a New Digital Reality, Emerging AR: The Game Changer with VR & AR; Emerging Technologies In The Arts; Shared Immersive Reality- What’s all the hype? In addition to conference panels, also expect to find an Art Zone in the exhibition area, speed networking done during a set period of time. And expect an exhibition area with participants from, Skydance Interactive, Loft VR, Virtual Reality Park, Intel, Samsung, and others.
Producers Guild of America
The signature event of the Producers Guild of America (PGA), the Produced By Conference (#ProducedBy2018), is a Los Angeles conference event created by producers, for producers. The annual two-day, weekend event features decision-makers in the entertainment industry who represent the diverse Hollywood creative community working in film, television, and digital. Attendees have the opportunity to network with Oscar-winning filmmakers, Emmy-winning showrunners, and the next generation of creative entrepreneurs during a full weekend of panel discussions, group mentoring sessions, and networking opportunities.
Learning Sessions
Learn from producers and decision-makers in film, television and digital media. Panels, workshops, and ‘Conversation’ sessions reveal Hollywood’s vibrant and diverse creative community. Rounding out the programming are networking sessions, including the popular “Producers Mashup.” Attendees have the opportunity to network with Oscar-winning filmmakers, Emmy-winning showrunners, and the next generation of creative entrepreneurs during a full weekend of panel discussions, group mentoring sessions, and networking opportunities. Produced By Conference will be hosted by Paramount Pictures Studios.
Limited Preview
For two days opening June 9, a limited preview of the PBC 2018 session schedule will include such topics as, Conversations With Jim Gianopulous and Neal H. Moritz, The Art of Producing Animation, Conversation With Kevin Feige, Produce Smarter: AI, Machine Learning and Content Creation; Powerful Voices: Telling Stories that Rewrite the Rules, Building Your Indie Feature Toolkit, Inside the Entertainment Cloud: Technology, Efficiency and Better Movies, The Art of Pitching, The Streaming Revolution, Unlocking Digital Production and Post: From Indies to Majors.
Produced By Conference offers Mentoring Roundtables consisting of small groups of up to ten attendees will get to ask questions to, and seek advice from, the mentor of their choice. This forms a chance to ask any question about a project to a top producer. Established producers will be scheduled throughout the day conducting the Roundtables. No pitches allowed, just questions. The “Producers Mashup,” a networking event, gives attendees the chance to ask direct questions to a number of veteran producers and development executives.
Confirmed Speakers
Confirmed speakers on the Produced By Conference schedule include, Samantha Bee and Jason Jones, Executive Producers; Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Detour; Kevin Feige, Producer, Marvel Studios; Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War; The Producing Team from The Handmaids Tale, Beatrice Springborn, VP of Content Development, Hulu; Bruce Miller, Showrunner; Elisabeth Moss, Executive Producer/Actress; and Warren Littlefield, Executive Producer; Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO, Paramount Pictures Corporation; Dan Bucatinsky, Partner, Is Or Isn’t Entertainment (Who do you think you are?, The Comeback); Justin Simien, Dear White People, Bad Hair; Lena Waithe, Creator, The Chi; Nnamdi Asomugha, Principal/Producer, I am 21 Entertainment 1 (Crown Heights, Beasts of No Nation) and others. Produced By Conference’s day one conclusion will feature a Networking Mixer.
Tony Awards
The annual Tony Awards celebrating achievement on the Broadway stage and the world of the theater will feature some of the biggest names in theatre, film, TV, and music coming out for an evening of tributes and performances. It will broadcast live in New York City at 20:00 ET/delayed PT, airing on CBS Television Network.
Appearances and presentations will be made by, Uzo Aduba, Matt Bomer, Claire Danes, Armie Hammer, Tatiana Maslany, Leslie Odom, Jr., Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, and others. The 2018 Tony Awards® ceremony will be broadcast to theatre fans across the globe.
TV Coverage
In United Kingdom on BBC Radio 2, in Japan on WOWOW, in Canada on Bell’s CTV, in Latin America, Central and South America on Pramer’s Film and Arts (AMC), in Australia on Foxtel’s Arts Channel, in New Zealand on Sky Network Arts Channel, in China on BestTV and Tencent Video, on Armed Forces Network Television. Unless otherwise noted, the broadcasts will occur either live or within a week of the June 10 U.S. broadcast on CBS. If a country or region is not listed, viewing fans may watch live coverage of Tony Awards events at TonyAwards.com.
Red Carpet
Red Carpet coverage begins at 17:30 ET. Watch “NY1 On Stage’s Live Red Carpet to the Tonys,” live at TonyAwards.com (17:30-19:30 UTC -4). The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban will host the American Theatre Wing’s 2018 Tony Awards. Broadway fans will be able to go backstage at the Tony Awards with BroadwayHD’s Behind the Scenes Livestream during the CBS telecast.
Tony Nominees
Tony Nominees in the category of Best Play include, ‘The Children’ (author: Lucy Kirkwood); ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two’ (author: Jack Thorne); ‘Latin History for Morons’ (author: John Leguizamo); ‘Farinelli and the King’ (author: Claire van Kampen); ‘Junk’ (author: Ayad Akhtar).
Nominees in the category of Best Musical include, ‘The Band’s Visit,’ ‘Mean Girls,’ ‘Frozen,’ ‘SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical.’ Nominees in the category of Best Revival of a Play include, Tony Kushner’s ‘Angels in America,’ ‘Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh,’ Tom Stoppard’s ‘Travesties,’ Edward Albee’s ‘Three Tall Women, Kenneth Lonergan’s ‘Lobby Hero.’
Nominees in the category of Best Revival of a Musical include, Lerner and Loewe’s ‘My Fair Lady,’ Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Carousel,’ Lynn Ahrens ‘Once On This Island.’ Nominees in the category for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play include Andrew Garfield for ‘Angels in America.’ Tom Hollander for ‘Travesties.’ Jamie Parker for ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,’ Parts One and Two; Mark Rylance for ‘Farinelli and the King;’ Denzel Washington for Eugene O’Neill’s ‘The Iceman Cometh.’ Nominees in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play include Glenda Jackson for Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women; Condola Rashad for ‘Saint Joan,’ Lauren Ridloff for ‘Children of a Lesser God,’ Amy Schumer for ‘Meteor Shower.’
New Media Film Festival
In Los Angeles, the Ninth Annual New Media Film Festival opening night festivities on June 16 will present five short film premieres from Poland, Netherlands, UK, France and USA, followed by the Sneak Peek of Living In Future’s Past, directed by Susan Kucera, and produced by and be starring Jeff Bridges. Mr. Bridges is the 2018 Recipient of the Socially Responsible Conservationist award championed by the Festival.
This year’s two-day festival boasts 110 New Media Films and Content from 40 Countries with 36 World, seven US, and 24 LA Premieres. The New Media Film Festival program seeks to produce a festival devoted to upcoming and seasoned digital content creators.
Highlights
Attendees can expect screenings with Q & A sessions, Producer Panel and Pitching, a Networking Lounge, International Art Exhibit, Marketing Table, Creative Mixer, various screenings, awards ceremony, and food trucks as an added consideration. The Festival also claims to work on behalf of all their official selections to find distribution and other opportunities and not just winners. The Festival openly encourages content creators to submit their work through the website. The deadline for next year’s festival is January 3, 2019.
Wide Category Acceptance
The New Media Film Festival has a wide category acceptance list that illustrates the reach and impact of new digital technologies and how they now affect audio-visual storytelling. Since New Media is an ever-evolving arena, the category is included for those that have created something that is not right for our other categories. Content created with 3D, Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or 5D technologies. Animation, including but not limited to Stop Motion, Claymation, Classic, etc. Apps can be created for Mobile or tablets and will be screened via app demo video if accepted. Digital Comics are accepted in digital format only, no physical books. Non-fiction documentary. Content created with a drone. Media content created with your cell or phone or tablet. STEAM entertainment platform popularly adapted to multiplayer gaming, video streaming, and social networking services, but for the Festival submission subject matter must at some point touch on or involve science, technology, engineering, art and/or math. Any content created with Virtual Reality or 360 technology. A web series of scripted or non-scripted videos, generally in episodic form.
June 2018 Calendar of Global Media Extras
The above June 2018 Calendar of Global Media events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the “Calendar of Global Media and Showbiz Industry Social Networking Events” page. If you like this report and other content found on The Actor’s Checklist, like the Facebook page at this link. Next month is July and the events calendar slows down a bit as the season hits the summer vacation period. But here are dates to know about that will be coming up.
A Children’s Media Conference will happen in Sheffield, RadioAsia Conference 2018 will be in Astana, Beijing Music & Life Show & National Music Education Conference will be in Beijing, the New York Venture Summit for VR/AR Startups comes to New York City, ABU-RT 360 VR Short Film Co-production Creative Workshop and Meeting meets for three days in Moscow, DISCOP Zanzibar content marketplace will be held in Abidjan, Latin Alternative Music Conference returns again to New York City, the always anticipated Comic Con International returns to its home in San Diego.
