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November 11, 2016

November 11th News Report from your Los Angeles Representative

Weekly Update from Kelly Graham-Scherer, Los Angeles Representative

Happy Friday everyone,

I didn't send this report last week because I was knee-deep in activities related to American Film Market. which just wrapped up in Santa Monica. AFM provided a great opportunity for me to bring together visiting Ontario producers and potential Los Angeles-based partners and in doing so I was reminded of just how much talent and potential Ontario represents.

Canadian stories and the skill with which Canadians work with international partners has gained worldwide attention the last few years and that, coupled with a favorable exchange rate and stable incentives, has resulted in a tremendous amount of interest in Ontario filmmakers: it has been a good week.

It's unlikely you missed the stunning news this week that Donald Trump won the US Presidential election. While Americans - and people the world over - are still trying to determine how that will affect the economy in general, Deadline Hollywood took a stab at explaining what a Trump presidency will mean to Hollywood and its increasing reliance on Chinese investment.
http://deadline.com/2016/11/donald-trump-presidency-china-and-hollywood-1201851960/

Chinese investment in Hollywood continues to make headlines week after week. As detailed in the Hollywood Reporter this week, the Dalian Wanda Group has finalized its $1 billion purchase of Dick Clark Productions, moving the Chinese company into the television business for the first time.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wanda-closes-1b-deal-purchase-940624

Now that Chinese interest has been ensconced in venerable film and television properties, could investment in established cable and digital streaming giants be next? As reported in the L.A. Times below, a Chinese government official visiting Hollywood this week says his country wants to make co-productions with the likes of Netflix and HBO.
http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-china-netflix-20161102-story.html

Finally this week, the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike against several major video game companies is now three weeks old and there are concerns it could embolden other unions to take a harder stance, thereby creating a cascading effect throughout the entertainment industry. As detailed in the L.A. Times below, the strike comes at a time when producers and studios face enormous financial pressures as new technologies threaten old business models and, with industry change often comes labor unrest.
http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-sag-aftra-strike-follow-20161109-story.html

Warmest regards,

Kelly

Kelly Graham-Scherer
Los Angeles Representative
Toronto/ Ontario Film Office

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