NEW ORLEANS—The first-ever New Orleans Media Experience (NOME) was held Oct. 26-Nov. 1 at several venues around the town. The convergence festival, which highlights advertising, music, film and video gaming, featured panel discussions, screenings, video gaming sites, and performances by music acts.
Additionally, the Fleur De Lis Award was given to features, shorts and music videos appearing in competition at NOME. The honored projects included: Abby Singer, directed and co-produced by Ryan Williams, which took honors in the feature and independent film categories; Nursie, directed by Ja Trac and Tre Boucher, which won for best horror/suspense film; Sounds of Memphis, co-directed by Allan Hozman and Jeff Scheftel (who also produced), which was tapped as best documentary; Genital Warts: The Musical, co-directed by Patrick Schumacker and Justin Halpern, which won best short; and "Mike Phillips featuring Jr. Wonderful & Special," directed by Eric Shoe, which took the awards for best independent music video and music video. Best animated short was a tie between El Arquero, directed by Raphael Perkins, and Blind Date, helmed by Gary Hsu.
Screenings held during NOME included several projects from the ad world, including the second round of the Sony "Dreams" project. Under the theme "Joy," several short films directed by spot helmers using Sony’s 24p high-definition camera were shown.
PANELS
Several panel discussions were presented during the first two days of NOME. Topics included: advergaming, which examined how advertisers and video game companies could create branded content; a discussion titled "Is Film Dead?," which explored the future of celluloid as digital technologies become more prevalent; and funding and filming with Louisiana’s Film Incentives.
The latter session, moderated by producer Jeff Balis (Project Greenlight), outlined the state’s various film incentive programs, which include tax credits for qualified productions. Also discussed during the panel was LA2, a venture between HSI Entertainment, the feature division of bicoastal HSI Productions, and private sector and state entities that plan to fund a $50 million feature production slate through investment capital from the Louisiana Economic Development Corp. (LEDC) and other lenders (SHOOT, 9/19, p. 1). All films financed by LA2 would be lensed in Louisiana. (Several HSI executives, including company principal Stavros Merjos, COO/general counsel Randy Winograd and Adam Rosenfelt, who heads HSI’s feature division, are all founding members of NOME, although the event is not directly related to the production company.)
Of particular interest to the ad community was a look into the future via the session "2010: A Convergence Odyssey." The panel, moderated by Noah Robischon, a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly, also included: feature film producer Neal H. Mortiz (Sweet Home Alabama, XXX), founder of Original Film, Los Angeles; Scott Ross, chairman/CEO of Digital Domain, Venice, Calif.; Rick Boyko, managing director of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Adcenter, Richmond, Va., and former chairman/chief creative officer of Ogilvy & Mather, North America; Dan Kelly, VP/business development at video game publisher THQ, Calabasas Hills, Calif.; and Scott Stewart, founder of The Orphanage, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Topics discussed included new networks for content delivery, media consolidation and two-way content in the digital age. Ross noted that cell phones will likely become an even larger platform for consumer interaction in the future, citing examples from Japan, where people can use cell phones as debit cards. Boyko related that in terms of approaching advertisers about partnering in content, creators need to team with brands that won’t dictate creative control over a storyline.
"Balancing Content and Commerce" was moderated by Pam Tarr, president of the MVPA, and founder of Squeak, a now closed production company that was active in spots and music videos (Tarr maintains the Squeak name as a creative umbrella under which she produces films and other project). The panelists were: Tim Breitbach, owner of Asylum/Kontent, San Francisco; Mark Sitley, partner/executive creative director of production at Euro RSCG MVBMS, New York; Sam Walsh, head of production at Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco; and John Feist, an independent producer who has worked on several reality shows, including Survivor and The Restaurant. Discussed during the session were examples of when content and commerce come together well, as was the case with the BMW Films, the Internet-based series of short films that Sitley oversaw while director of broadcast, North America at Fallon, Minneapolis and New York.
"The Future of Madison Avenue" included panelists Matt Miller, president/CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP); Frank Scherma, co-proprietor of bicoastal/international @radical.-media; Boyko; and Ken Yagoda, managing partner/director of broadcast production and creative resources at Young & Rubicam (Y&R), New York.
Two music-oriented panels featured advertising themes as well. "Are Musicians Selling Out Just Trying to Sell?" was moderated by Michelle Curran, president/owner of bicoastal/international Amber Music. The panelists included: Mike Caren, senior VP/A&R at Atlantic Records, which is headquartered in New York; Michael Eaton, head of North American sponsorship and merchandising at 19 Entertainment, New York and London; and Josh Rabinowitz, associate partner/music producer at Y&R.
The other music-related panel was "Co-branding and Product Placement in Music Videos," featuring Caren, Winograd, music video and commercial director Little X of HSI, and Mark Humphrey, founder of BandAd, Topang
