During its Cineposium conference this week in Los Angeles, the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) informed attendees that its 2011 Locations Trade Show will be held in conjunction with the Producers Guild of America’s Produced By Conference. The Locations Show is thus slated for June 3-5, 2011. The Locations venue will be a major as yet undisclosed studio in Southern California.
Reaching across the film, TV and new media industries, the Produced by Conference is an educational forum that drew more than 1,100 people last year, engaging noted producers as well as the next generation of creative entrepreneurs. The AFCI is an educational and showcase event with film commissions and support services companies from around the world showcasing their wares to the production community at large. The coming together of the two events makes sense on several fronts.
Producers Guild president emeritus and Produced by Conference event co-chair Marshall Herskovitz related, “The Produced By Conference is an important initiative for the Guild as it brings together our amazing producer community for two days of learning and networking. By partnering with AFCI, we hope that the Produced By Conference will be an even more invaluable experience.”
Produced By Conference event co-chair Gale Anne Hurd said, “we believe our collaboration with AFCI will enhance learning opportunities and provide the increasingly important global perspective. The other co-chair is Rachel Klein.
AFCI CEO Lawrence Brownell stated, “The ability for producers and the industry to network with commissioners that are providing $2.5 billion in annual funding around the world is a perfect synergy for the entertainment community.”
New FDA Rules To Take Effect For TV Drug Commercials
Those ever-present TV drug ads showing patients hiking, biking or enjoying a day at the beach could soon have a different look: New rules require drugmakers to be clearer and more direct when explaining their medications' risks and side effects.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration spent more than 15 years crafting the guidelines, which are designed to do away with industry practices that downplay or distract viewers from risk information.
Many companies have already adopted the rules, which become binding Nov. 20. But while regulators were drafting them, a new trend emerged: thousands of pharma influencers pushing drugs online with little oversight. A new bill in Congress would compel the FDA to more aggressively police such promotions on social media platforms.
"Some people become very attached to social media influencers and ascribe to them credibility that, in some cases, they don't deserve," said Tony Cox, professor emeritus of marketing at Indiana University.
Still, TV remains the industry's primary advertising format, with over $4 billion spent in the past year, led by blockbuster drugs like weight-loss treatment Wegovy, according to ispot.tv, which tracks ads.
Simpler language and no distractions
The new rules, which cover both TV and radio, instruct drugmakers to use simple, consumer-friendly language when describing their drugs, without medical jargon, distracting visuals or audio effects. A 2007 law directed the FDA to ensure that drug risk information appears "in a clear, conspicuous and neutral manner."
FDA has always required that ads give a balanced picture of both benefits and risks, a requirement that gave rise to those long, rapid-fire lists of side effects parodied on shows like "... Read More