Transforming Hollywood is an annual summit where communication and media studies scholars join with media industry professionals, creators, producers, talent, and executives to engage in panel discussions regarding the future of entertainment. Comprising a partnership between USC Annenberg and the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Transforming Hollywood 10 will focus on the topic of Global Streaming Video. Panels will discuss the disruptive influence of these new players and technologies that are dramatically reshaping the global media industries landscape, the challenges and opportunities for cross-cultural programming across a global streaming environment, data harvesting, and the cultural politics engaged by programming strategies.

Program

The program panelist line up is still being finalized. This site will be updated periodically.

Opening Remarks

9–9:15 a.m.

• Willow Bay, Dean, USC Annenberg
• Hector Amaya, Professor of Communication, Director of the School of Communication, USC Annenberg
• Henry Jenkins, Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, Cinematic Arts and Education, USC Annenberg
• Denise Mann, Professor, Cinema and Media Studies, UCLA School of TFT

Panel 1: Carnival Row: Producing world-building TV originals to access global markets 

9:15–10:35 a.m. PT

Panel 1 engages in a deep-dive exploration of Amazon Studios’ Carnival Row to discover whether not just Amazon but all U.S. streaming platforms are expediting a shift in overseas media industries by financing high-profile TV originals that use world-building, media franchising, and interactive, digital media marketing experiences to keep global consumers actively engaged within their 24-7 ecosystems.

• Denise Mann (moderator), Professor, Cinema and Media Studies, UCLA School of TFT
• Petr Szczepanik (panelist), Associate Professor at Charles University, Prague
• Kevan Van Thompson (panelist), Producer, Czech Anglo Productions
• Betsy Paterson (panelist), VFX Supervisor, Carnival Row Season 1/Amazon

Break: 10:35–10:45 a.m. PT

Panel 2: Towards data-driven entertainment?

10:45 a.m.–12:05 p.m. PT

This panel will bring together various types of data specialists working for the streamers or the studios, as well as expert scholars, who will engage in a conversation about the central impact of data in the age of global streaming.

• Violaine Roussel (moderator), Professor, University of Paris VIII; Affiliated Scholar, UCLA, TFT 
• Chloé Delaporte (panelist), Associate Professor, Film and Media Studies, University Montpellier 3, France
• Nirmal Govind (panelist), CTO, Fable
• Marina Kosten (panelist), Head of Research and Strategy, Storyfit; Senior Fellow, USC Center for Digital Future
• Rohit Joshi (panelist), Senior Director, Data and Analytics, NBCUniversal
• Rohith Nandagiri (panelist), Global Head of Data Strategy, Operations and Governance at HBO Max / Warner Media

Lunch (informal networking event): 12:05–1 p.m. PT

Panel 3: Streaming the global majority

1–2:20 p.m. PT

As film and TV distributors shift to global streaming, how does that shift the conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion? Join executives from across the industry and the world to discuss how Hollywood is expanding the concept of representation in 21st century.

• Aymar Jean Christian (moderator), Associate Professor Communication Studies, Northwestern University
• Ramon Labato (panelist), Associate Professor DSC School, Media and Communication, RMIT University
• Erik Barmack (panelist), Producer, CEO Wild Sheep Content
• Ishita Tiwary (panelist), Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Break: 2:20–2:30 p.m. PT

Closing discussion: U.S. SVODs going global: A conversation with Amanda Lotz

2:30–3:30 p.m. PT

Amanda Lotz is a media scholar, professor, and industry consultant. She leads the Transforming Media Industries research project in the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology. She is the author, coauthor, or editor of ten books that explore television and media industries including We Now Disrupt This Broadcast: How Cable Transformed Television and the Internet Revolutionized It All, The Television Will Be Revolutionized and Portals: A Treatise on Internet-Distributed Television, and Media Disrupted: Surviving Cannibals, Pirates and Streaming Wars.

• David Craig (moderator), Clinical Professor of Communication, USC Annenberg
• Henry Jenkins (moderator), Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, Cinematic Arts and Education, USC Annenberg
• Amanda Lotz (speaker), Professor and Transforming Media Industries program leader, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology

RSVP