Banff! (Some specifics)

Fave sessions:

• Carol Mendelsohn (CSI) - Powerful creative woman!
• Ben Silverman (NBC, Ugly Betty) - Powerful inspiring, energetic man!
• Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) - the CFC gang lingered and got an impromptu master class!
• International Trends - niche TV, vertical integration, aggregators, global programming
• Brave New World - we gotta drop the "new" from "new media", Joost
• User Generated Content - SO key - and good to finally understand LonelyGirl15 (200 eps in 1 year = impressive!)
• Big Drama, Small Screen - I wish all the Canadian net execs had been forced to attend to hear why hour-long drama is rocking in the USA so they could get pumped about putting on more Canadian one-hours.

My main thought out of these last two was that with the rise of UGC, drama is the key to the future of broadcasters - because users can create passable low-budget "reality" tv or even LG15, but I can't make Galactica or Ugly Betty in my basement.

That said, clearly I need to go to Next when it comes to Toronto in November.

Fave quotes:

• "If you're not here at Banff, the conversation goes on without you." (Peter Mowan)
• "Broadcast television is the common language, but the web is the conversation"
• "Message (content) has to supersede platform."
• "We're all in the hit-making business." (Susanne Daniels)
• "Creativity is the most valuable asset."
• "No-one is more aware than the show-runner when an episode is less-than stellar." (Rob Thomas)
• "Where are the Canadians producing online content?"
• "You can't get away with not writing if you want to be a tv writer." (Thomas)
• "We ask ourselves if we're over the line and we keep going." (Carol Mendelsohn)
• "Writers running television is what makes it the best entertainment." (Mendelsohn)
• "Passion moves mountains." (Ben Silverman)
• "Grab a camera and go do it! The distribution channels are wide open." (Greg Goodfried)
• "There are an infinite number of channels now, and you can have one." (Goodfried)
• "We're making TV! How fun is that?" (Silverman)

Things I'm still thinking about:

• How the web and TV can feed (into) each other - "connecting over content"
• Consumer -> Producer
• Extended, Enhanced Experience of content over multiple devices/settings
• Democracy of Media - how to organize the chaos
• Pay TV - not constrained by advertisers or broadcast standards
• Non-linear entertainment
• Fragmentation vs Expanding Market
  
• Personal Storytelling <-> Community Storytelling
• Subliminal advertising = the future? (30 sec -> 5 sec -> 2 frames)
• "Disintermediation"