JHRTS has had quite a line-up this month! Our calendar was full of exciting panels, social events and a more intimate round table.
On September 24th, we held our first JHRTS event in the valley! The JHRTS Roundtable Series had a special guest speaker, Michael Riley, President of ABC Family. The room was packed full proving that our members are more than happy to trek over the hill for an opportunity to attend our events. After viewing an ABC Family reel Michael spoke on a wide variety of subjects from defining the ABC Family brand to the growth of international markets to scheduling and how it can affect ratings. He also discussed the differences between ABC Family and other networks with similar targets. One question that created discussion was in regards to the digital space and how ABC Family wants to expand on its digital platforms to be even more accessible to its viewers. Michael was very engaging with his audience and described experiences, examples and comparisons with shows currently on the air. Overall, a positive experience for all involved and we look forward to providing more opportunities for our members who work and live in the valley to attend our events.
JHRTS presents: An Evening with the Network Schedulers
On October 15th, the head network schedulers from FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC, and CW got together to have a lively discussion on the current state of scheduling and the changing landscape of TV. About 150 JHRTS members attended to watch Jeff Bader, Dan Harrison, Kelly Kahl, Andy Kubitz, Kevin Levy answer questions from the audience. The moderator for the evening was Preston Beckman, Senior Strategist at Fox Networks Group. It was one of our largest panels to date, so large that we had to move it to the Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to accommodate all the attendees!
On October 22nd, we had a Digital Panel. The executives with their hands in the Youtube Channel Space shared their trials and tribulations of navigating the digital ether as they shared their insights over questions and laughs. The JHRTS members filled the CAA screening theater to broaden their entertainment horizons as they watched a star studded panel consisting of Ezra Cooperstein, Barry Blumberg, Larry Tanz, Eric Day, and Michael Palmer — moderated by Ian Moffitt.
JHRTS Digital Series: The YouTube Channels
Looking at the coming months, the board is busy at work planning for our annual holiday party to be held this year on Tuesday, December 11th. This year we’ve decided to keep our charitable focus on the LA Regional Food Bank, a nonprofit charitable organization that has been distributing food to those in need throughout the LA County. The Party location and details are almost finalized and will be released soon.
In addition, this month we started accepting applications for our 4th annual Professional Mentorship Program! This is a fantastic program, and we’re so excited to be teaming with HRTS again this year. Last year we had the largest mentor turnout in the program’s history, tripling the previous year’s numbers, and we’re striving to do even better this year! We will be accepting Mentor applications now through November 6th. If you haven’t applied yet, please do!
Lastly, we are thrilled to be bringing back the ’35 Under 35 Next Gen Panel’ this year in conjunction with The Hollywood Reporter’s Annual Next Gen Issue. The panel will be held on November 13th. We are also looking forward to our November mixer and there have been some enthusiastic conversations about more philanthropic opportunities to carry us through to the New Year!
Rachel Polan & Melissa Pangkey
JHRTS – LA Co-Presidents