Posts Tagged ‘entertainment’

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From Westerns to Dance Dramas, U.S. Filmmakers Pitch Their Projects to Chinese Investors

April 2, 2014

Marsha McDaniel is a Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate for Hong Kong and Macau.

Our team met with U.S. film producers and Chinese investors at Hong Kong Filmart to support investment.

Our Commercial Service team met with U.S. film producers and Chinese investors at Hong Kong Filmart to support investment in upcoming projects.

What do cowboy shows, hip hop dancer dramas, and adventure thrillers have in common? These are some of the exciting projects that U.S. filmmakers pitched to Chinese investors during SelectUSA’s debut at Hong Kong’s Filmart, Asia’s largest film and media trade show and the third largest film industry trade show in the world.

Commercial Service staff at the U.S. Consulates in Hong Kong and Guangzhou jointly organized this first-ever SelectUSA event at the trade show. The event, which was titled “China’s Pearl River Delta: Opportunities to Finance U.S. Productions” introduced investors to some of the exciting projects that U.S. filmmakers are currently developing.

A Captivated Audience

Five independent U.S. production companies presented a broad range of film projects to a captivated audience of roughly 30 investors. Audience members were clearly excited as U.S. filmmakers pitched numerous movie and television ideas, all with significant revenue potential.

According to Scott Shaw, Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong: “It is an exciting time for U.S. and China movie producers to work together as U.S.-China co-production benefits both the U.S. and Chinese film industries.”

Jim Rigassio, Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China, noted: “From a diplomatic perspective, activities such as this help to bring our two countries closer together, and I hope to see more U.S.-China coproduction in the future.”

Filmmakers: Opportunity to pitch in 2015

Based on the fantastic feedback from participants, Commercial Service teams in Hong Kong and Guangzhou will explore hosting a similar event at the 2015 Filmart show in Hong Kong. U.S. filmmakers with an interest in seeking investment and co-production opportunities are encouraged to get in touch with our Commercial Service staff to learn more.

This was the first of many events that will be organized under the Commercial Service’s Pearl River Delta Initiative, which aims to assist U.S. companies tap into south China’s $1 trillion dollar economy.

How else can we help you?

SelectUSA, along with our teams in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, work with investors and U.S. economic development organizations to facilitate investment into the United States. We provide information and counseling, help you connect to the right people, and serve as an ombudsman to resolve issues related to the federal regulatory system. We also create platforms, such as our upcoming Pearl River Delta Road Show, to bring investors and economic developers face to face.

If you have questions about foreign investment or if we can help you at all, visit the SelectUSA website for more information!

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‘Tis the Season For a Movie!

January 2, 2014

Andrea DaSilva is a Senior Analyst for Media & Entertainment Industries in the International Trade Administration’s Office of Digital Services Industries.

For the movie industry, this weekend is considered the official end of the holiday season.

For me, the holidays aren’t complete until I’ve caught a couple of new releases at the movie theater.  I’m not alone on that; box office sales are normally higher in November and December. According to Box Office Mojo, movie ticket sales during the 2012 holiday season were more than 26 percent of total box office sales for the year, totaling more than $2.6 billion. That’s a lot of movie tickets over a two-month period!

The film and television industry does more than just entertain us during the holiday season; it also supports the U.S. economy. According to the Motion Picture Association of America, the industry directly supports 284,000 American jobs in fields like marketing, production, and distribution. The industry also supports more than 350,000 jobs in related businesses, from caterers to hardware suppliers.

As in other business sectors, exports are a huge contributor to the entertainment industry. U.S. exports of film and television recordings in 2012 were more than $16.2 billion.

We at the International Trade Administration are working hard with the film and television industry to support U.S. exports. Our staff based at Export Assistance Centers across the U.S. and at embassies and consulates around the world, as well as in-house export programs such as the International Buyer Program and the Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP), serve to connect American producers with global buyers, licensors and distributors.

We worked closely with the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) at industry trade shows Filmart in Hong Kong and the American Film Market in Santa Monica. IFTA has been working hard to support exports of film and television products and we’ve been glad to support the organization through the MDCP.

We’ll continue to work with American producers to make sure that global consumers always have access to American creative content. That way, movie viewers around the world will always be able to enjoy their favorite new films over any holiday.

If you have questions about how the American media and entertainment industry competes overseas, please visit our website or contact me at andrea.dasilva@trade.gov.

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Exporting Entertainment to China and Asia-Pacific: It’s a Wrap!

April 25, 2013

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Andrea DaSilva is the Senior Media & Entertainment Analyst for the International Trade Administration.

The Hong Kong Trade Filmart attendees gather around the U.S.A. pavilion.Development Council recently hosted Filmart, the third largest film industry trade show after Cannes and American Film Market in Santa Monica, Cali.

U.S. exhibitors secured film licensing and distribution deals to the tune of $8 million and counting, supporting American exports and bringing some of our most creative exports to new audiences.

U.S. Secured 175 Licensing Deals Worth $8 Million

The International Trade Administration and the Independent Film and Television Alliance co-sponsored the American Pavilion as part of the Market Development Cooperator Program, with cooperation from the Pacific Bridge Initiative.

Buyers from around the region came to purchase U.S. filmed entertainment, which is nothing new; American movies continue to be in high demand globally. China’s State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television reports that seven of the top ten films in China last year were American.

Hong Kong Filmart provides an ideal gateway to reach China and Southeast Asia, especially for small and independent businesses based in the United States who can’t afford to hang their shingle in China.

China’s Film Industry – Expanding Rapidly

China’s entertainment market is growing, and with it demand for new content. Hollywood studios and small producers alike are increasingly partnering with Chinese industry or governmental bodies to bring U.S. films to the Chinese market.

PThe U.S.A. pavilion at Filmart 2013 in Hong Kong.roduction houses like Dreamworks, Marvel Comics, Warner Brothers, Relativity Media, and Legendary Pictures, to mention a few, all have joint projects with Chinese partners and their presence in China is contributing to the development of the country’s film and animation industries, while also increasing U.S. exports. It’s a dramatic shift from past decades when the doors were closed for business; the U.S. industry has a solid foot in the door today.

China’s Box Office – Exploding

China boasts the second-largest box office revenues worldwide at $2.7 billion in 2012, a 30.2 percent increase over 2011. Foreign films accounted for 52.4 percent of box office ticket sales in the country last year, but constituted only about a quarter of the 303 movies screened in Chinese theaters.

These exports aren’t just good for the film industry, they help support one of our most creative industries and help support American jobs.

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Let the Games – and the Exports – Begin!

March 21, 2013

Chris Higginbotham is a Communications Specialist with the International Trade Administration’s Office of Public Affairs.

Chris's Final Four is the University of North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio State and Louisville. He has UNC beating Louisville in the final. Notable upsets include UNC beating Kansas, Florida and Indiana; Wichita State knocking off Gonzaga and Creighton making the Elite 8. He has Duke losing to Creighton in the second round, but a UNC alumnus predicting a Duke loss is hardly notable.

As a UNC alumnus, Chris Higginbotham showed a bias toward the Tar Heels in his bracket.

Well, we all had a couple of days to fill out our brackets. Now the men’s NCAA Tournament games have officially begun and the women’s games are soon to follow. You may have been watching as your brackets were already busted in the First Four games (like mine), or you might be four for four at this point.

One thing we can rely on is that millions of sports fans will be glued to the TV during the next couple of weeks to cheer on alma maters, rivals, and cinderellas. CBS estimates that 21 million sports fans watched last year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game.

On top of those 21 million viewers in the United States were viewers watching licensed broadcasts of the game overseas. That’s not just true for basketball; American sporting events from the Super Bowl to tennis tournaments, golf and auto racing are licensed overseas. And those licensing agreements are considered exports.

Based on the most recent data available, licensing for broadcasting and recording of live events totaled $675 million in 2011. That includes more than just sports; that also counts live entertainment events in other fields, like the Oscars. It counts licenses for both TV and radio. The largest market for these exports in 2011 was Japan, at $57 million.

Sports contribute to exports in other ways than just broadcast licenses; sports and performing arts are a significant part of America’s strong service industry (which achieved record exports in 2012). Exports in sports and performing arts totaled $893 million in 2011. This category includes services in the production, promotion, and organization of live entertainers including athletes, singers, and dancers.

Combining the above figures shows that the entertainment aspect of sports and entertainment events like the NCAA Tournament contributed to more than $1.5 billion in exports in 2011. Those exports continue to support thousands of jobs; it’s now estimated that every billion dollars in exports supports 4,926 jobs in the United States.

So remember, when you watch the NCAA Tournament – or any American sports or entertainment event – you’re supporting American exports and jobs.

I wouldn’t recommend using that justification if your boss catches you watching games at work this week though.

Keep checking back here as we continue to show how events like March Madness help support American exports. Enjoy the games!

(note: the data behind this post can be found from the Bureau of Economic Analysis tables 1 and 4)

(This article was edited on March 22 to clarify that the $1.5 billion figure represents the sum of broadcast licensing export figures and sports and performing arts figures)

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Showing Exports the Love on Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2013

Andrea DaSilva is the Senior Media & Entertainment Analyst for the International Trade Administration (ITA). Chris Higginbotham is a Communication Specialist with ITA’s Office of Public Affairs. What are you doing with your Valentine today? Maybe a movie? Dancing the night away? Or you could be reading poetry to one another… Maybe you don’t have a Valentine but you’re doing one of those things anyway. Either way, you’re supporting creative industries that provide the United States with some of its most unique—and sometimes romantic— exports! Exports in filmed entertainment, which includes movies and television content distributed abroad, reached $14.3 billion in 2011. That includes everything from romantic comedies to game shows, war movies to animated features. This was an increase of almost $700 million from 2010 numbers. Exports in books, records and tapes achieved $1.3 billion. This category includes everything from easy listening to jazz and metal (romantic or otherwise), romantic novels to cookbooks. All of these categories include media or entertainment content that is streamed online or digitally downloaded for a fee to protect the intellectual property and copyrights of the owners and creators. The International Trade Administration (ITA) works closely with professionals in these industries to promote exports and create jobs. We’re supporting both the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) and the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) with Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) awards. These are competitive financial assistance awards ITA provides to industry groups pursuing projects that will help U.S. firms export and create jobs. Whether you’re picking up the tab for your Valentine, going dutch or flying solo, don’t be a cheapskate! Make sure to show love to your date and the creative professionals in these industries by avoiding pirated content or illegal file sharing. Nothing kills the romance more quickly than a computer virus you inadvertently downloaded while stealing music from an illegal site, or if you are an artist, writer, or musician – having your works shared without getting paid. We hope you enjoy whatever entertainment you’re seeking for Valentine’s Day or any other occasion. And remember, there really is no such thing as free except for sharing romance with a loved one!

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