WEBVTT - Daily Variety -- AI Vs. Script Readers – Who Does the Job Better?; Microdramas, Creators and YouTube Dominate Mipcom Buzz

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Daily Variety, your daily dose of news and

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<v Speaker 1>analysis for entertainment industry insiders. It's Thursday, October sixteenth, twenty

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<v Speaker 1>twenty five. I'm your host, Cynthia Littleton. I am co

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<v Speaker 1>editor in chief of Variety alongside Ramin Setuda. I'm in

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<v Speaker 1>La He's in New York, and Variety has reporters around

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<v Speaker 1>the world covering the business of entertainment. On today's episode,

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<v Speaker 1>we'll talk with Variety's Gene Modis about his eye opening

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<v Speaker 1>article on AI being used in the front lines of

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<v Speaker 1>creative development, reading and evaluating scripts. Is the script reader

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<v Speaker 1>rung of the production latter about to go away? Gene

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<v Speaker 1>unpacks his reporting and we'll conclude our week on the

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<v Speaker 1>French Riviera with the roundtable with my three Variety colleagues

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<v Speaker 1>who joined me in covering the mipcom content market, Elskis Lassi,

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<v Speaker 1>John Hopewell, and Leo Baraclough. Before we get to that,

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<v Speaker 1>here are a few headlines just in this morning that

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<v Speaker 1>you need to know. Warner Brothers Discovery has struck a

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<v Speaker 1>streaming distribution pact with Korea's cj E and M. There's

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<v Speaker 1>HBO Max will distribute CJE and m's t ving streaming

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<v Speaker 1>platform in seventeen markets across Asia Pacific, including Southeast Asia, Taiwan,

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<v Speaker 1>and Hong Kong. CBS News Head of Standards Claudia Milne

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<v Speaker 1>has exited amid the shakeup in the division and the

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<v Speaker 1>arrival of Barry Weiss as editor in chief. My colleague

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<v Speaker 1>Brian Steinberg has the scoop rip to actor Penelope Milford.

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<v Speaker 1>She was so good in nineteen seventy eight's Coming Home,

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<v Speaker 1>for which she earned an Oscar nomination. She was seventy seven.

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<v Speaker 1>You can find all of these stories and so much

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<v Speaker 1>more on Variety dot com. Right now. Now we turn

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<v Speaker 1>to conversations with Friday journalists about news and trends in

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<v Speaker 1>show business. Gene, Variety Senior media reporter, has the details

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<v Speaker 1>about a momentous test that was recently staged by the

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<v Speaker 1>Editors Guild. Who does the job better AI software or

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<v Speaker 1>professional script readers? Gene, Mattis, thank you for joining me.

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<v Speaker 2>Happy to be here.

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<v Speaker 1>Gene, you have been on a mission to look really

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<v Speaker 1>deeply at AI and look at concrete ways in which

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<v Speaker 1>this revolutionary technology is changing the business, and you've delivered

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<v Speaker 1>us a story this week. It's in the Variety's print

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<v Speaker 1>edition as well as online, a great, deeply reported story

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<v Speaker 1>about a very specific use case for AI that definitely

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<v Speaker 1>involves human activity. Tell us the basic concept of what

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<v Speaker 1>you wrote about, and tell us what was the spark

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<v Speaker 1>for you to pursue this story.

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<v Speaker 2>And we've been covering AI certainly intensely since the strikes,

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<v Speaker 2>and the writers and the actors both had their own

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<v Speaker 2>unique concerns about what could happen if AI came into

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<v Speaker 2>their domains and started writing script and started acting in movies,

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<v Speaker 2>right and this I was more interested in this case

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<v Speaker 2>in what is already happening, not what threats are sitting

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<v Speaker 2>on the horizon and could be in the future happening,

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<v Speaker 2>but what is actually happening now. This one was a

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<v Speaker 2>really concrete one of what can AI do that we

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<v Speaker 2>know it can do now today? It can absolutely summarize

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<v Speaker 2>written material. At everybody who's googled something or looked at

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<v Speaker 2>chat GPT or asked for a quick summary of something

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<v Speaker 2>knows that it can do that. And so there are

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<v Speaker 2>people in Hollywood, obviously who are paid to read scripts

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<v Speaker 2>and summarize them, who would be at the front lines

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<v Speaker 2>of people who are impacted by AI if in fact,

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<v Speaker 2>that becomes like a standard thing in the industry. So

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<v Speaker 2>that's what I wanted to look at. What are those

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<v Speaker 2>folks worried about and what.

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<v Speaker 3>Are they doing about it?

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<v Speaker 1>What is the specific program or platform that is the

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<v Speaker 1>focal point of your story.

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<v Speaker 2>So there are a few of them, and they're all

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<v Speaker 2>built sort of on top of the standard lms that

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<v Speaker 2>everybody knows about, you know, chet GPT or LAMA or

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<v Speaker 2>CLAUDE that's available. And what these things are is they're

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<v Speaker 2>very small teams of people three four people who can

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<v Speaker 2>program and an interface that's geared specifically for screenplays based on

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<v Speaker 2>those language models. So there's a couple. There's script Sense

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<v Speaker 2>is a very popular one. There's one called green Light,

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<v Speaker 2>there's a Veil, and we talk about Screenplay IQ in

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<v Speaker 2>the story. But there's a number of these that are

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<v Speaker 2>out there that are using AI technology specifically to give

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<v Speaker 2>feedback and notes on screenplays, to summarize screenplays. And that's

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<v Speaker 2>see exactly what a story analyst in Hollywood does is

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<v Speaker 2>write a coverage report based on a screenplay and tell

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<v Speaker 2>the bosses, here's what's in this and here's whether you

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<v Speaker 2>should make it or not. And that's what these programs

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<v Speaker 2>are reporting to do.

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<v Speaker 1>The proponents of AI say that the AI tools are

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<v Speaker 1>going to do the drudge work, the labor intensive stuff

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<v Speaker 1>that nobody really likes doing but is essential to the process.

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<v Speaker 1>But here we go right to something that there's no

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<v Speaker 1>question reading a script is a subjective thing. They're looking

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<v Speaker 1>for voice and nuance and does a person have a

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<v Speaker 1>flair for dialogue.

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<v Speaker 2>What's interesting is the people who make these platforms, I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>part of their purpose in making them is they feel

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<v Speaker 2>like that subjectivity is a problem, right, And wouldn't it

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<v Speaker 2>be great if there were computers that could objectively analyze

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<v Speaker 2>whether a script is good or not and then sort

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<v Speaker 2>of the best ones flow to the top. And so

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<v Speaker 2>that was the motivation for creating this particular program. And

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<v Speaker 2>so the people who are supportive of AI sort of

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<v Speaker 2>see it as like leveling the playing field, right, opening

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<v Speaker 2>up opportunities and allowing you to focus on things that

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<v Speaker 2>you might not have otherwise seen. But the script readers

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<v Speaker 2>themselves wanted to know, like, what are we up against

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<v Speaker 2>and can this thing actually do my job? And so

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<v Speaker 2>they investigated that and they did a study of it

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<v Speaker 2>to find out what is the difference between AI generated

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<v Speaker 2>script coverage and human generated script coverage.

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<v Speaker 1>And what did they find, Gene.

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<v Speaker 2>It's parallel to what people have found about playing around

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<v Speaker 2>with AI and many others. When it's tasked with just

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<v Speaker 2>distilling the content, it does a pretty good job of that.

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<v Speaker 2>It can write a log line just as well as

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<v Speaker 2>a human being can write a log line, and maybe better. Right,

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<v Speaker 2>it doesn't have maybe the idiosyncratic problems that a human

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<v Speaker 2>would would introduce. It can summarize, so that's a little

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<v Speaker 2>bit longer, but it can do a summary that's pretty good,

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<v Speaker 2>but maybe not as good as a professional script reader

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<v Speaker 2>doing it, but passable. It's when it gets to notes

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<v Speaker 2>that the real problem begins and evaluating critically, is this

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<v Speaker 2>a good script does have something new to say? Is

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<v Speaker 2>it just regurgitating what we've already seen a thousand times.

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<v Speaker 2>That's where it just cannot do the job. That's what

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<v Speaker 2>they found. Now, obviously this is coming from the point

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<v Speaker 2>of view of people who do this professionally, but they

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<v Speaker 2>put it up against human script readers versus all these

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<v Speaker 2>AI programs that we talked about and matched them across

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<v Speaker 2>all these different dimensions and found that the notes are

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<v Speaker 2>where the humans still beat the AI hands down.

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<v Speaker 1>Is there any union or any organization out there that

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<v Speaker 1>is really up in arms about this? On behalf of

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<v Speaker 1>the platoons of script preaders that work in Hollywood.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, so full time story analysts, I should say that

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<v Speaker 2>is the term. Full time story analysts are represented by

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<v Speaker 2>the Editors Guild, which is obviously part of myozzi. Freelance

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<v Speaker 2>story analysts are not. This study was actually done under

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<v Speaker 2>the aegis of the Editor's Guild. And what's interesting about

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<v Speaker 2>that is the Editors Guild is actually pretty pro technology.

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<v Speaker 2>When you think about editors, you know, these are people

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<v Speaker 2>who are pretty comfortable with, you know, learning the next

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<v Speaker 2>software program. The Writer's Guild is obviously very concerned about

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<v Speaker 2>any AI touching scripts at any point and certainly need

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<v Speaker 2>notification if AI is being used to evaluate their scripts.

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<v Speaker 2>And so as of now, this is not really a

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<v Speaker 2>thing that's being used in any kind of formal way,

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<v Speaker 2>certainly at the studios, but independent producers agencies other places,

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<v Speaker 2>they are definitely using this kind of thing. The AI

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<v Speaker 2>companies will tell you that story analysts are using this

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<v Speaker 2>right now on the sly whether their employer is okay

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<v Speaker 2>with it or not.

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<v Speaker 1>What was your sense of talking to industry executives about

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<v Speaker 1>the use of this technology and whether they were concerned

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<v Speaker 1>about a loss of specificity and a loss of finding

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<v Speaker 1>the absolute gem of a writer. In a specscript, if you.

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<v Speaker 2>Talk to the top top people who do story analysis

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<v Speaker 2>at the studios, they will tell you that the executives

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<v Speaker 2>really do rely on them and value their input and

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<v Speaker 2>see it as a vital, essential part of their process

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<v Speaker 2>and would be pretty unhappy to have that person replaced

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<v Speaker 2>by a computer. The concern people have is, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>to what degree does this become kind of normalized over time,

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<v Speaker 2>and when a younger generation comes up that has spent

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<v Speaker 2>their whole school years using AI to help with their

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<v Speaker 2>studying and help write their college essays or whatever, are

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<v Speaker 2>those folks going to be much more comfortable with this

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<v Speaker 2>kind of thing and the way that they do things

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<v Speaker 2>now will just be completely outmoded. That's that's really the fear.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, I think we've probably raised enough nail biting concerns

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<v Speaker 1>for our industry for one segment. Gene, thanks for your

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<v Speaker 1>labor as always, thanks for having me. Now we'll wrap

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<v Speaker 1>up our coverage of the MIPCOM Content Marketing con with

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<v Speaker 1>a lively conversation with my three Variety colleagues, Elsa Caslasi

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<v Speaker 1>International Editor who is based in Paris, John Hopewell, intrepid

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<v Speaker 1>correspondent and editor of our digital dailies franchise, who is

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<v Speaker 1>based in Madrid, and Leo Barakloff International Features Director who

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<v Speaker 1>is based in London. We are all running on fumes

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<v Speaker 1>after a busy market. But here's our best effort to

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<v Speaker 1>make some sense of the week that was. And we

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<v Speaker 1>all extend our gratitude to mipcom chief Lucy Smith and

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<v Speaker 1>her staff for treating Team Variety so well. Elsa Gaslasi,

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<v Speaker 1>John Hopewell and Leo Baraclough. We made it through mip Indeed, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>as we all call it a wrap. Here today on

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<v Speaker 1>Thursday October sixteenth, thought it would be fun to go

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<v Speaker 1>through some questions about things that stood out to us.

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<v Speaker 1>Appreciate you guys coming to play here. Okay, let me

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<v Speaker 1>start pretty broad. Most surprising moment of.

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<v Speaker 4>The week that I noticed how packed the session with

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<v Speaker 4>YouTube was. YouTube celebrates his twenty year anniversary this year,

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<v Speaker 4>and they made their first official presence at Midcom. And

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<v Speaker 4>you had Pedro Pina, who's the bus of EMEA for

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<v Speaker 4>YouTube we had a conversation with a BBC studio's executive

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<v Speaker 4>and the session was packed like no other that I've noticed.

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<v Speaker 1>At Midcomb, we had CEO Neil Mohan on the cover

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<v Speaker 1>in March of this year and really put their twenty

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<v Speaker 1>year milestone into perspective.

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<v Speaker 5>What about you, Leo.

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<v Speaker 3>I did a non stage interview with Robbie Brenner, who's

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<v Speaker 3>the head of Mattel Studios, and she was emphasizing the

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<v Speaker 3>fact that she wanted the projects to surprise, and certainly

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<v Speaker 3>one of her projects surprised me because it's a live

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<v Speaker 3>action movie based on Monster High and the director is

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<v Speaker 3>going to be Gerard Johnston, who's best known for the

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<v Speaker 3>horror hit Megan.

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<v Speaker 5>Mine was probably how happy people seemed, whilst at the

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<v Speaker 5>same time Guy Bison for Exauplet at Ampere Analysis was

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<v Speaker 5>saying we're still at seventy five percent of PEAKTV. In

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<v Speaker 5>other words, you have one hundred percent production sector spawned

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<v Speaker 5>by PEAKTV chasing seventy five percent of the market. If

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<v Speaker 5>it's sunny, people tend to forget that.

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<v Speaker 1>For me, the biggest surprise overall was how significant the

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<v Speaker 1>microdrama business is. I attended a really great presentation from

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<v Speaker 1>an analyst named Claire Thompson, and the size and scope

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<v Speaker 1>of this business is impressive, growing in the US. Most

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<v Speaker 1>surprising single fact you heard. We all moderated panels. We

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<v Speaker 1>sat through panels. There's a lot of facts and figures

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<v Speaker 1>talked about. I will start with this one. Back to

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<v Speaker 1>the microdrama panel. This blew my mind in tracing the

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<v Speaker 1>arc of microdramas starting in China in twenty eighteen. The

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<v Speaker 1>first big audience for them in that timeframe was older people,

0:12:33.880 --> 0:12:38.520
<v Speaker 1>people ages forty to sixty and completely counterintuitive.

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<v Speaker 5>It will be raphalike you've said microdramas. I talked to

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<v Speaker 5>the people who were making the first microdrama in the

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<v Speaker 5>Arab world. The revenue this year not in twenty thirty,

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<v Speaker 5>in twenty twenty five for reach eleven billion dollars, which

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<v Speaker 5>has already double the size of the revenues for fast channels.

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<v Speaker 5>That is huge.

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<v Speaker 1>What about you, Wilsa.

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<v Speaker 4>So for me, the biggest surprise was hearing Marco Bassetti

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<v Speaker 4>from Banije, which is a company best known for unscripted

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<v Speaker 4>format you know, like Master Chef. They're actually looking to

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<v Speaker 4>invest more in movies because Marcos seekings that people are

0:13:17.640 --> 0:13:20.560
<v Speaker 4>going to get tired of series repeating themselves with the

0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:23.280
<v Speaker 4>same plots, and so it thinks that there's going to

0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:25.600
<v Speaker 4>be a growing happetite for movies and he wants to

0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:26.160
<v Speaker 4>invest more.

0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:27.199
<v Speaker 1>Leo, what about you.

0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:31.560
<v Speaker 3>The fact that surprised me was in Junior, which is

0:13:31.600 --> 0:13:35.480
<v Speaker 3>for children's shows, and it's that sixty five percent of

0:13:35.559 --> 0:13:38.920
<v Speaker 3>eight to eleven year olds have their own social media accountant.

0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:43.400
<v Speaker 3>Amongst greet of eight year olds, they watch five and

0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:45.400
<v Speaker 3>a half hours day or more.

0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:51.120
<v Speaker 1>All eric most calm moment something funny, you overheard or observed,

0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:53.199
<v Speaker 1>something that would only happen in Can.

0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:56.840
<v Speaker 4>So for me, the most Can moment was having a

0:13:56.880 --> 0:14:00.400
<v Speaker 4>great launch on the beach with Cheryl l Azar, who

0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:04.360
<v Speaker 4>hosted the Digital up Fronts this year. And then I

0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:09.240
<v Speaker 4>saw Carolyn Benjo, my great friend, a great producer from Friends,

0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:12.199
<v Speaker 4>who actually was on the co production panel that she

0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:15.960
<v Speaker 4>hosted Cynthia, and it was so you know, interesting to

0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:21.360
<v Speaker 4>have a French producer and an American digital creator Shira.

0:14:21.600 --> 0:14:23.640
<v Speaker 4>You know, it was like the best of both worlds

0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:25.560
<v Speaker 4>coming together on the beach in Cahn.

0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:30.200
<v Speaker 1>Yes, she was so impressive. John, you are definitely a

0:14:30.280 --> 0:14:33.040
<v Speaker 1>veteran of the cosset this time around. What was your

0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:34.240
<v Speaker 1>most can moment.

0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:39.360
<v Speaker 5>It's seeing people who know they're on to a great deal.

0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:45.280
<v Speaker 5>A company called Scene based in the Lebanon Rotana Media,

0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:47.960
<v Speaker 5>which is one of the biggest studios in the Arab world,

0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:53.200
<v Speaker 5>presenting that they were going to create the first late

0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:57.720
<v Speaker 5>ever of microdramas in the Arab world, and they knew,

0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:00.600
<v Speaker 5>you could see it from their faces of the press conference.

0:15:01.080 --> 0:15:05.000
<v Speaker 5>They knew that they were going to make a proverbial package.

0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:07.560
<v Speaker 3>I'm going to stretch your definition a little bit because

0:15:07.640 --> 0:15:09.640
<v Speaker 3>last night I went on a set visit to a

0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:13.360
<v Speaker 3>town down the coast called Casis, beautiful town, and that

0:15:13.680 --> 0:15:17.040
<v Speaker 3>there's a German production being shot there, a series called

0:15:17.080 --> 0:15:20.120
<v Speaker 3>West End Girl, and I met the cast and crew,

0:15:20.400 --> 0:15:24.800
<v Speaker 3>and one of them, Lucas Gogorowitz, is very well known

0:15:24.840 --> 0:15:28.120
<v Speaker 3>in Germany. He's in the German version of My Agent.

0:15:28.480 --> 0:15:31.600
<v Speaker 3>For example, he happens to know someone I lived with

0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:35.600
<v Speaker 3>while I was at the university, and I haven't seen

0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:38.800
<v Speaker 3>for decades. So that one of those kind of moments

0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:42.080
<v Speaker 3>where paths cross that you didn't expect.

0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:45.400
<v Speaker 1>That segues nicely into mine, which was I could not

0:15:45.600 --> 0:15:49.640
<v Speaker 1>believe I ran into Paul Siegel, who was in his

0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:52.400
<v Speaker 1>mid eighties now, and he was the owner of a

0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:56.680
<v Speaker 1>little company called All American, which gave the world Baywatch.

0:15:56.920 --> 0:15:59.760
<v Speaker 1>He and his brother sold All American thirty years ago,

0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:03.200
<v Speaker 1>but he's still in the business. He owns an animation

0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:07.480
<v Speaker 1>company in Mumbai. Because I think media entrepreneurs, I think

0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:10.920
<v Speaker 1>they have trouble stopping. Last one biggest questions you have

0:16:11.120 --> 0:16:14.040
<v Speaker 1>leaving this market, what concepts, what stories are you going

0:16:14.120 --> 0:16:14.560
<v Speaker 1>to chase?

0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:18.160
<v Speaker 4>You know, I'm just wondering about the future of the

0:16:18.240 --> 0:16:21.720
<v Speaker 4>creator economy and if we're going to see another platform

0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:26.200
<v Speaker 4>as powerful as YouTube emerging in the future, because right

0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:29.720
<v Speaker 4>now YouTube is in a very dominant position. And also

0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:33.640
<v Speaker 4>if that creator economy is really there to stay or

0:16:33.640 --> 0:16:34.720
<v Speaker 4>if it's a phase.

0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:37.560
<v Speaker 1>I will say that I have been extremely skeptical of

0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:41.160
<v Speaker 1>when this world of creators and social media video, when

0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:44.440
<v Speaker 1>would it amount to a real business for professional, high

0:16:44.520 --> 0:16:48.000
<v Speaker 1>end content producers. And I do think that moment is coming.

0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:51.480
<v Speaker 1>There's a whole world of AI and marketing and branding

0:16:51.640 --> 0:16:55.880
<v Speaker 1>infrastructure around the creator economy. John, what's the big idea,

0:16:55.960 --> 0:16:57.920
<v Speaker 1>the big concept that you're going to be thinking about.

0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:02.840
<v Speaker 5>I think business models which really monetize the collaboration which

0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:06.000
<v Speaker 5>you now see from the old economy and seen new

0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:09.760
<v Speaker 5>economy for example, and YouTube.

0:17:10.320 --> 0:17:11.160
<v Speaker 1>What about you, Leo.

0:17:11.920 --> 0:17:16.320
<v Speaker 3>My question is where is the next big, huge unscripted

0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:19.719
<v Speaker 3>format can come from? Because a lot of the legacy

0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:24.879
<v Speaker 3>formats like Got Talent, Idol, the family Feud, the price

0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:30.000
<v Speaker 3>is right, they are decades old. And so where's the

0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:32.720
<v Speaker 3>next one coming from? I mean, okay, You've got Traitors,

0:17:32.760 --> 0:17:37.520
<v Speaker 3>which is fantastic, and Fremantle have something called Pandora's Box

0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:41.120
<v Speaker 3>which they hope will be us Helper, which is owned

0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:44.240
<v Speaker 3>by John Demole. They've got something called The Floor which

0:17:44.280 --> 0:17:48.840
<v Speaker 3>is now in thirty territories, and ZEP so that is succeeding.

0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:49.960
<v Speaker 3>But these things are around.

0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:52.560
<v Speaker 1>John de mall is a Paul Siegel type. I think

0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:55.480
<v Speaker 1>he's easily on his fourth or fifth company of the

0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:58.400
<v Speaker 1>last twenty five years or so. Well, listen, all three

0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:01.000
<v Speaker 1>of you have worked really hard. Thank you for killing it.

0:18:01.040 --> 0:18:03.720
<v Speaker 1>I hope you worked in some good meals along the way.

0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:07.000
<v Speaker 4>We did have some great meals. Yes always.

0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:14.320
<v Speaker 1>Again, as we close out today's episode, here's a few

0:18:14.320 --> 0:18:17.240
<v Speaker 1>things we're watching. Its Power of Women's season again for

0:18:17.359 --> 0:18:21.080
<v Speaker 1>Variety We're getting ready to celebrate this year's West Coast

0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:24.760
<v Speaker 1>honorees at an event October thirtieth and Beverly Hills. Our

0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:28.720
<v Speaker 1>annual issue will be published October twenty ninth. As ever,

0:18:28.840 --> 0:18:31.679
<v Speaker 1>we will have five gorgeous covers, one for each of

0:18:31.720 --> 0:18:37.120
<v Speaker 1>our honorees Jamie Lee Curtis, Kate Hudson, Nicole Scherzinger, Sidney Sweeney,

0:18:37.600 --> 0:18:42.240
<v Speaker 1>and Wanda Sykes. Stay tuned before we go. Congrats to

0:18:42.320 --> 0:18:47.800
<v Speaker 1>Yoshinaga Sayuri, the legendary Japanese actress, will receive Lifetime Achievement

0:18:47.800 --> 0:18:51.840
<v Speaker 1>honors from the Tokyo International Film Festival. That festival runs

0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:56.120
<v Speaker 1>October twenty seventh through November fifth. Thanks for listening. This

0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:59.280
<v Speaker 1>episode was written and reported by me Cynthia Littleton, with

0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:04.159
<v Speaker 1>contribution from Gene Maddis, Elsi Caslasi, John Hopewell, and Leo Baraclough.

0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:08.080
<v Speaker 1>Stick's Next Hick Picks. Please leave us a review with

0:19:08.160 --> 0:19:11.080
<v Speaker 1>the podcast platform of your choice, and please tune in

0:19:11.119 --> 0:19:15.400
<v Speaker 1>Monday for another episode of Daily Variety. La Belle Franz

0:19:15.840 --> 0:19:20.200
<v Speaker 1>to MOUs Monc. Somewhere Louis B. Mayer is going, how

0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:22.600
<v Speaker 1>did I not think of this? We'll give him one minute.

0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:24.560
<v Speaker 1>At a time and charge him to keep going