Halloween Mixer: 10/28
On Wednesday, October 28th, 2015 JHRTS partnered with SelvaRey Rum hosting a Halloween mixer at the Garland Hotel Courtyard in North Hollywood. JHRTS members from far and wide showed up to join in the revelry, including a few in costume. The valley event was a massive success with great conversations fueled by stylized drinks, and our very own dedicated taco cart. The crisp autumn air, the ambience of the Garland, and the service provided by their staff made our Boos & Schmooze Halloween Mixer a hit with members new and old. It was a perfect kick-off to the wicked weekend. JHRTS is excited to have hosted this event at the Garland and looks forward to returning again next Halloween.
State and Future of the Industry Panel: 10/27
On October 27, JHRTS held “The State and Future of TV” panel featuring some of the top minds in research and scheduling across the industry. Panelists Jeff Bader (NBC) and Julie Piepenkotter (FX) provided our membership with tremendous insight into the network side while Liz Huszarik (WB) and Bria Dotson (WME | IMG) brought the studio and agency perspectives. Moderated by Daniel Fitzgibbons (WB), the group participated in a lively discussion, covering a variety of topics such as how the importance of ratings and audience viewing patterns have changed drastically in the last few years, the complicated measurement issues that arise from this vast and fragmented landscape, the value of the traditional schedule, the emerging SVOD platforms (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon), new business models, and cord cutting. The roughly 60 members who packed the intimate screening room at WME | IMG were incredibly engaged and asked thoughtful questions during the Q & A portion. Overall, the panel illustrated a fascinating and often unexplored side of the TV industry and many members commented on how much they had learned throughout the evening as the exited the theater.
New York Television Festival Mixer: 10/21
On Wednesday, October 21, 2015 per tradition, JHRTS hosted a mixer in conjunction with the NYTVF at the Helen Mills Event Space in New York City. JHRTS NY and LA members were both present as well as emerging artists participating in the NYTVF. With both JHRTS chapters and young up and coming talent in one space, the event was a massive success with lots of handshakes and great coversations being exchanged. With a fun step and repeat for the perfect photo opps and popcorn available to snack on, the mixer truly felt like a premiere and prestigious event for people to meet and network. JHRTS is excited to have co hosted this event with the NYTVF and hopes to continue in this great tradition in coming years.
Heal the Bay Philanthropy: 10/17
A proud supporter of the Heal The Bay organization, once again JHRTS Los Angeles members joined hundreds in Venice Beach, California to do our part to clean up the beach and surrounding areas. In total, the October 17th event collected over 190 pounds of trash. The JHRTS LA Philanthropy Committee is already planning for the next beach clean up scheduled for February 2016.
AIDS Walk: 10/11
On October 11th, JHRTS Los Angeles participated in the 2015 AIDS Walk. 21 JHRTS members braved record-breaking heat and joined 20,000 caring people to show support for those living with HIV and AIDS. Beating their team goal, JHRTS was part of amazing efforts and, in total, the AIDS Walk raised over $2.38 million for AIDS Project Los Angeles and 20 other important AIDS-service organizations. Together the team was able to bond, network, and exercise for an important goal.
How to Run an Emmy Campaign Panel: 9/29
On September 29th, 2015 JHRTS held a “Running an Emmy Campaign” panel where many JHRTS members interested in marketing and publicity came to hear about awards publicity from professionals fresh out of Emmy season. Panelists Ryan Aguirre (AMC) and Tracy St. Pierre (USA) gave the network perspective, while panelist Hilary Hansen (PMK*BNC) spoke to awards campaigning a personal publicist perspective. Moderator, awards pundit and managing editor of awards site Gold Derby, Chris Beachum, asked insightful questions of the panelists and explained some of the intricacies of awards season to the attendees. Overall, the fun and informative discussion covered everything from broad campaign strategy to the the funny opinions and anecdotes of the panelists.
#HashtagLunchBag Philanthropy: 9/27
On Sunday, September 27th, several JHRTS members teamed up with #hashtaglunchbag in West Hollywood to put together lunch bags for the homeless. The turnout was wonderful and all the work was done within a couple of hours. Volunteers assembled over 1,000 sandwiches and wrote sweet, uplifting notes for each recipient. Our members collaborated with non-JHRTS volunteers to make a positive and meaningful impact on the community.
Chimp City Comedy Showcase: 9/24
This month’s Chimp City Showcase was filled with JHRTS members. They came for the good food, cold drinks and new comedians. There were a total of five comedians ranging from somewhat fresh faces to TV show creators. The line up consisted of; Shea Spillane, Brandie Posey, Travis Clark, Willie Hunter (Co-creator, The Carmichael Show) Sammy Obeid (Last Comic Standing). Overall the crowd laughed and had a great time until next month’s showcase.
Los Angeles Dance Marathon: 9/23
On September 23rd, a team of 6 JHRTS members participated in the 1st Annual Los Angeles Dance Marathon at the Greek Theater. The 4 hour dance marathon raised $20,818 by roughly 60 participants in just under three weeks. All proceeds from the event benefitted Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.
Streaming Services Panel: 9/22
On September 22nd, nearly 175 JHRTS members had the opportunity to hear about the future of the Television Industry at the Streaming Services Panel moderated by Frank Jung at CAA. Panelists Morgan Wandell, head of Drama Development at Amazon Studios, and Beatrice Springborn, head of originals at Hulu, spoke about the pros and cons of developing for the digital marketplace, the ways each network approaches storytelling, and how watching habits affect the way they distribute their shows. This panel will be available for all JHRTS members to stream online in the near future at hrts.org.
Trivia Night: 9/16
On September 16, JHRTS hosted a “Trivia Night” at Busby’s East in West Hollywood. The last trivia event took place two years ago at the same location and was such a success that members had been requesting JHRTS to host another one. There was a great turnout and because of the intimate setting, attendees were encouraged to pair up in groups of four with members they hadn’t met before to stimulate new friendships. The game was divided into four unique sections, each featuring extremely challenging entertainment-related questions. With only a limited amount of time per round, all teams did impressively getting more answers right than wrong. Unfortunately though, only one team could take home the grand prize of 4 priceless tickets to the upcoming October HRTS Luncheon. Second and third place teams also received goodie bags containing DVD box sets, shirts, and posters. Between mingling over cocktails and bar food, and putting that random entertainment knowledge to the test, the night concluded as another successful JHRTS event. We are excited to put on more trivia nights in the future.
End of Summer Social: 8/26
Our end of summer social hosted at the Next Door Lounge in Hollywood, on Wednesday, August 26th was a smashing success. Members and non-members alike came out to mix and mingle, discussing current trends of TV development season and raving over the Sony Drama Development Panel that was held two days earlier. The turnout far surpassed our expectations and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their time.
A Conversation with Chris Parnell & Jason Clodfelter: 8/24
JHRTS was in for a treat Monday, August 24th with An Evening with Chris Parnell and Jason Clodfelter. These two development EVPs at Sony Television had a packed room at WME where they offered a candid conversation with professional moderator, Ben Blacker (Nerdist Writers Panel). Both Chris and Jason shared their career paths that started with similar goals of acting, but happened to naturally follow a progression to becoming successful development execs. They talked about their take on the digital landscape, recognizing and buying projects with strong creator visions behind them and gravitating towards pitches that emphasize characters and relationships above anything. It was apparent during this panel that these two men are passionate about their work, which is obviously carrying over into their careers and their projects.
Reading to Kids Philanthropy: 8/8
JHRTS LA volunteered with Reading to Kids on Saturday, August 8, 2015 at Politi Elementary School. In total we had 9 volunteers attend Reading to Kids in grades kindergarten to 5th grade. The event involved reading to kids as well as an arts and craft project to follow the reading. Members were paired with other members, allowing them time to meet each other while also spending time interacting and educating the kids. Overall, the members had a fun time as always and we look forward to volunteering with Reading to Kids again in the coming months.
UCLA Film and Television Mixer: 7/30
For the second year in a row, JHRTS members came out on Thursday, July 30th to Westwood in support of UCLA’s summer film.tv program. Participants of the program had their end of term gala, and were greeted by industry professionals from JHRTS afterwards to help answer and questions they had regarding their future after graduation. About twenty JHRTS members came to support and were able to connect with students all over the United States that participated in the program. UCLA was very gracious of the turnout and wants to partner with JHRTS for future events as they said their students greatly benefited from the advice of our members.
A Conversation with Matt Cherniss: 7/21
Matt Cherniss, President of WGN America, gave an in-depth look into the television industry Tuesday night July 21st at CAA. Andrew Miller, CAA TV Lit agent, moderated the panel. Matt talked about how to find yourself and your unique qualities and perspectives and embrace them. He also discussed how the television industry is changing as well as his approach to running a cable network. Nearly seventy members attended the event and were extremely engaged in the conversation.
Midsummer Mixer: 7/14
On July 15, JHRTS had their “Midsummer Mixer” at Sassafras bar in Hollywood. It was attended by over 150 people who stayed well into the evening. Attendees talked business while mingling over haute cocktails and the bar even provided live music for the crowd to enjoy. Sassafras had enough space to fit everyone who came and even opened the back room to accommodate the group as it continued to grow throughout the night.
The event was made possible by the bar’s owner, the 1933 Group, with whom JHRTS is excited to have formed a new relationship. 1933 has been blowing up the LA cocktail scene for the past 10 years, with over 8 unique bars around town. JHRTS looks forward to working with them again for future mixers and networking events.
PetSmart Adoption Philanthropy: 7/12
On Sunday, July 12th twenty JHRTS members and friends volunteered their time at the PetSmart Charities’ “Fur of July” Adoption event. Various organizations were present from Los Angeles (and surrounding) counties including Kitten Rescue, Southern CA Pomeranian Rescue, No Stray Left Behind, Kitty Bungalow and So. Cal Golden Retriever Rescue. Our team played a major role by promoting the event with enthusiasm and decorative signs around local businesses and foot traffic, as well as helping the organizations set up animal crates, tents and guiding visitors throughout the store as they looked for a new furry friend. JHRTS was proud to have been part of this event, which successfully adopted eighteen animals and helped spread animal awareness to the residents of Los Angeles.
ComicCon Mixer: 7/12
On July 12, we had a Comic-Con mixer at the Palace Bar at the Grand Horton Hotel in San Diego. It was a great location with a wide open layout making it is easy for young professionals in the building to see and join our mixer along with our JHRTS members. The mixer was a nice and intimate, allowing JHRTS members a breath of fresh air in contrast to the other San Diego Comic Con events. The mixer went well and we hope to continue this tradition in future years.