News & Opinion

M&E Daily- HITS Spring Kicks Off with a Message for Hollywood: Embrace Risk By Chris Tribbey M&E Daily May 17, 2018 UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — To kick off the annual HITS Spring: The Hollywood Innovation & Technology Summit, a collection of technology experts and studio reps looked at the state of productions embracing — or shunning — new, advanced technologies. And the panelists all agreed: the deployment of digital technologies for productions has been slow, despite the obvious benefits. “Risk is the 900-pound gorilla in our industry,” said Yves Bergquist, director of the Project on AI and Neuroscience in Media, at the Entertainment Technology Center at USC (ETC@USC). He shared how ETC@USC is working on using AI to build a map of the “emotional journeys” of thousands of characters in TV shows and films, and then cross-referencing that data with social media reactions from viewers. The endeavor — and others like it — has the potential of opening up an amazing avenue of new storytelling, Bergquist said. “The spectrum of possible stories is very, very narrow,” he said. “We’re sitting on the cusp of creativity in Hollywood.” Still, Bob Gold, founder and CEO of Bob Gold & Associates, said he sees the embracement of new technologies in the century-old business of making movies as a slow drip, with those dictating how things are done from the top continuously cautious. “[It’s] risk averse people taking more risk by way of technology,” he noted. But the benefits are showing: Computer-aided script writing. More direct digital marketing to consumers. Cloud and workflow technologies that allow for instant, worldwide collaboration on productions. All are recent — and game-changing — introductions into how productions are done. In a way, the key to embracing any new technology into productions revolves around one question, according to Patrick Baca, CTO of Entertainment Partners: “Not only does it work, [does] it provides value to the people using it?” “You have to be comfortable with change,” he added. “It’s here and it’s not going away. If you’re not comfortable with it, you risk being stagnant.” And on a larger scale, Bergquist sees things turning a corner when it comes to traditionalists in the entertainment industry changing their minds: “The studios are tired of saying no all the time.” HITS Spring was produced by the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance (MESA) and the Hollywood IT Society (HITS), in association with Women in Technology: Hollywood (WiTH); the Content Delivery & Security Association (CDSA) and the Smart Content Council. The event is being presented by Entertainment Partners, with sponsorship by Expert System, LiveTiles, Microsoft Azure, Ooyala, Veritone, Amazon Web Services, Avanade, Avid, IBM Security, MarkLogic, Aspera, Light Point Security, MicroStrategy, SAS, Scaeva Technologies, Western Digital, Brainstorm, Zaszou IT Consulting and Bob Gold & Associates. See the original posting here: http://www.mesalliance.org/2018/05/17/hits-spring-kicks-off-with-a-message-for-hollywood-embrace-risk/

NBC Olympics, Cisco, Grass Valley, EVS take a look back at the Winter Olympics in SVG-moderated session. With the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in the books, the global sporting event – and the technology that made it a success – were a big topic of conversation last week at the 2018 NAB Show. Cisco hosted a special panel discussion in Las Vegas analyzing the PyeongChang Games as a television production, its impact on the continued evolution of technological infrastructures such as the Cloud and IP, and much more. The talk featured: Dan Robertson, Vice President, Olympics Information Technology, NBC Olympics; Dave Ward, CTO of Engineering and Chief Architect, Cisco; Benoît Quirynen, Chief Market Officer, EVS; and Sydney Lovely, SVP, Worldwide Products & Technology, Grass Valley. The session was moderated by Brandon Costa, Director of Digital, SVG. The panel shared insight and lessons learned in bringing IT and Broadcast technologies together to produce Olympic experiences and crossed key milestones, delivering a record of 2400 hours of programming with more streams, feeds and screens than ever before. By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital, Sports Video Group

At Bob Gold & Associates, our passion for our clients and knowledge of the industry is unmatched - and we keep getting recognition for it! We have been named a top Los Angeles PR agency by Clutch.co and the team couldn't be more proud. Check out the full release here. Top PR Agencies in Los Angeles

Working with McCoy Law Firm– BG&A brought national and local attention for a multi-million dollar law suit A News Conference Announcing the Lawsuit Will Take Place Today, November 14 at 11:00 A.M. PST In Front of the Park CNN U.S. News Coverage ABC News Coverage DUBLIN, CA November 14, 2017 -- Civil rights attorney Waukeen McCoy today announced he has filed a lawsuit (Superior Court of California County of Alameda case # RG17882249) on behalf of the parents of a 10-year-old boy injured May 27 at the publicly owned The Wave Waterpark in Dublin, California. Among the defendants are the city, the state of California, the manufacturer WhiteWater West Industries which also advised on the construction; the contractor C. Overaa & Company, and subcontractors which together built the 48-ft.-tall water slide, known as the Emerald Plunge. The lawsuit alleges the slide was “defective in manufacture and/or design.” The water pressure on the slide was too powerful; and the “run-out” lane at the bottom of the slide provided no padding or protection from a child being ejected, according to the suit. The ride left the child with injuries to his head, back, arms and legs. The suit also alleges that a pre-opening inspection of the ride identified 17 unsafe conditions, citing dangerous sharp edges and cracks in the infrastructure. “If the slide was tested properly this horrendous incident wouldn’t have happened. If the slide has since been tested and found safe, why hasn’t it reopened? We believe the slide was not properly tested and should never have opened,” said McCoy of McCoy Law Firm, PC. The spot where the boy was thrown from the slide was an “agitated, churning swirl of water” likely created by the junction of the incline and the straightaway, the suit adds. When the child hit that spot he hydroplaned and shot over the edge. According to the suit, The Emerald Plunge and another “thrill” slide in the park were closed following the incident and never reopened during the park’s inaugural season, which ended in September. The parents, local professors at a major university, ask to please help keep the boy’s identity anonymous. In addition to damages and penalties, the parents want all issues properly corrected so that the municipal facility will be safe for all attendees. For More Information contact: Bob Gold & Associates Linda Haugsted Linda@bobgoldpr.com 310-320-2010 Or Waukeen Q. McCoy McCoy Law Firm, PC. 415-675-7705

ALLIANCE FOR WOMEN IN MEDIA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCE 2016 GENII AWARDS HONOREES Los Angeles -- March 7, 2016 – Alliance for Women in Media Southern California Affiliate (AWM SoCal), a nonprofit organization helping to empower and fuel professional development of women across the media landscape, today announced the names of six women who will be honored at the 57th Genii Awards. More women will be honored at the gala event, which will be held on Thursday, May 5th as part of Digital Hollywood at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. The Awards (pronounced “Jeannie” and named in honor of Jeanne Gray McDonald, the Affiliate group founder) acknowledges the notable achievements of women in media and entertainment. Honorees are selected based on their pioneering efforts, dedicated leadership, commitment to quality and excellence, and their community contributions. Genii honorees have made significant contributions to advance the impact of women in media by educating and acting as a resource to its members, the industry and our community. “The Genii Awards honors Southern California talent within the arenas of radio, television, film, documentary, journalism and entertainment,” said AWM SoCal president Samantha Brown. “We’re excited to celebrate the contributions of our esteemed colleagues.” Nicole Boxer, a documentary filmmaker (The Invisible War, The Hunting Ground) will be honored with the Excellence in Documentary Award Christine Devine, Television News Anchor at Fox KTTV, will receive the Excellence in Journalism Award Pat Prescott, On Air Personality for 94.7 The Wave, will receive the Excellence in Radio Award Xanthe Wells, Former Chief Creative Officer at the Los Angeles boutique agency Pitch will receive the Excellence in Advertising Award Maggie Bellville, Vice President at Hitachi Consulting, will receive the Inspiration Award Annette Covarrubias, AWM SoCal’s Corresponding Secretary for the Executive Board of Directors and Digital Sales Planner at CBS Radio will receive the Rising Star Award Former Genii winner and former president of the ABC-Disney Television Group Anne Sweeney will present the award to her longtime friend, Maggie Bellville. Past Genii Award Recipients Include: Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Betty White, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Whoopie Goldberg, Ellen DeGeneres, among others. Sponsorship and ticket information is available at www.awmsocalfoundation.org/genii-awards-2016. Ticket proceeds help fund the AWM SoCal scholarship program. For more information about Alliance for Women in Media Southern California, please visit www.awmsocal.org.

In this month's issue of Streaming Media Magazine, Bob gave a look into what he and our clients will be watching this year in media. Read on to see what Bob has his eye on in the media industry. TV DISRUPTION: LARGE AND LOUD MAKES FOR LOVELY In 2016, the biggest stories about new technologies will be created and managed by PR agencies. It will be a major challenge to break out of the cacophony of innovation noise. Great technology alone won’t change business or consumer behavior, because game-changing storytelling is best told and managed by the pros. There are a lot of reasons to be motivated—$57 billion to be exact. That’s how far the market capitalization of the largest public US content companies fell in 2015, according to Needham & Company. Cloud streaming has sonic speed momentum and new brands will either enhance your equation or disrupt your old economics. Here’s what we—along with our clients—will be watching in 2016: Streaming services gaining on cable TV in market penetration. Products from cable companies like Comcast’s Watchable and Verizon’s Go90, or Cox’s Flare, who are all courting cord-cutters. You don’t even have to subscribe to use the service. Content everywhere that will require a download-to-go feature—so the non-connected device connects with the consumer. When video is viewable off the U.S. linear TV ecosystem, it creates a headwind for revenue growth. New virtual MVPDs like Victorious, who will offer streaming packages not based on traditional linear video networks, but rather featuring YouTube stars bundled into subscription offerings. Video as the preferred content format for consumers. If you are reading this and not watching this, you—like me—are a dinosaur. And most importantly, we are looking for the consummate single app aggregator that can provide access to a world of mobile content and declutter my smart phone. Because anyone who can create one app to rule them all and reduce clutter, wins! -Bob Gold President & CEO | Bob Gold & Associates

by Seth Fiegerman@sfiegerman for @mashable Miley Cyrus and the Royal Baby may have been all over Facebook this year, but neither proved to be top conversation driver on the social network. Pope Francis was the most talked about topic on Facebook worldwide this year, according tonew data from the company, which measured the number of posts mentioning a particular person or event, including related hashtags. The word "election," broadly, was the second-most talked about topic followed by the royal baby. Cyrus came in at No. 7 on the list, one spot behind another viral phenomenon, the Harlem Shake. More somber subjects like the Boston Marathon bombings and the deaths of Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela also ranked among the top 10 on Facebook's list.   In the United States, the list of top topics looks much different. Pope Francis ranks just No. 6 on the list and the Royal Baby ranks No. 8. The Super Bowl takes the top spot on the list, followed by the government shutdown.   For those interested, Facebook also offers the option for individual users to create their own years in review, which highlight some of your biggest posts from the year. Image: Chris Jackson/Getty and Facebook

In August, Bob Gold & Associates settled into our new 7,000+ square-foot office just two blocks from the ocean in the Riviera Village community of Redondo Beach, California. Our staff can now enjoy a view of the mighty Pacific from their new offices and walk to over 24 local restaurants and boutique shops. “This has been a longtime dream – to create a work space that reflects our flexibility and engages our associates,” said Agency President and Founder, Bob Gold. “Our office space is designed to reflect how we really work – collaboratively and efficiently.”

Paul Taylor From Financial Times, Brian Coyne From Freiedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co, and Richard Doherty From Envisioneering Group discuss Consumer Electronics Trends. Moderated by Bob Gold of Bob Gold & Associates.