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Events

Click here to download the full 2013 Calendar of Events

Coming Soon:

HITS presents a Burbank Think Tank event produced by MESA, providing members of the entertainment, production and digital services community an easy and accessible way to meet, mingle and advance the creation, production and distribution of entertainment content.

Dive into the critical top-of-mind topics that are pressing content owners across a broad spectrum of the media and entertainment industry. In a 24/7/365 environment file based workflows, asset management, cloud computing, content security, social media, mobile, multiple platform content delivery, disaster recovery, archival and preservation aren’t just buzz words, they’re serious business; affecting the top studio’s management decisions.

The 2nd Screen Summit (S3) takes center stage during CEA’s CE Week in New York City (June 24-28) returning to New York City with a special focus on brands, advertising and broadcast networks.

Produced by MESA and the 2nd Screen Society in partnership with Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News magazines this annual event is designed to gather CE, Broadcast, Advertising, Brand and Content Holder executives along with their technology provider partners for a full day of information, market statistics, education and thought leadership around the emerging 2nd Screen ecosystem.

Past Events:

After two consecutive years of producing this seminal sell-out industry event, MESA and Variety are pleased to announce that the 3rd Annual Hollywood IT Summit will be held on Tuesday, May 7th in the George Elkins Auditorium at the Malibu Campus of Pepperdine University from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with cocktails to follow.

This Summit is the official centerpiece of the year-round series of HITS meetings, initiatives and activities. IT is the lifeline for our new digital economy and, as such, the CIOs at the studios and their peers are responsible for making the high-value, high-return investments that assure our industry’s many stakeholders of an efficient, secure and sustainable digital transition.

DEG and MESA have announced the return of their acclaimed annual event, ESCA, the Entertainment Supply Chain Academy, which for over eight years has advanced efficiencies in the distribution of entertainment media. From the DVD to Blu-ray Disc and now with our industry’s current digital transition, ESCA has always presented innovative ideas and home entertainment thought leadership.

ESCA Digital is scheduled for March 28 at the Luxe Hotel on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles.

This year the partnering associations have announced ESCA is going totally digital — coming at a time when new workflows, standards and processes need to be refined and developed.


2nd Screen Summit – Los Angeles
February 26, 2013
Beverly Hilton, Los Angeles

2nd Screen Summit returns to Los Angeles for an afternoon of programming focused on 2nd screen experiences specific to film and episodic TV as home entertainment. While there are clear monetization strategies emerging in broadcast TV around advertising and in sports around additional content licensing, it is still unclear as to what the right approach is for engaging the consumer with pre-recorded content, while at the same time the industry is still dealing with the onslaught of physical rental kiosks, SVOD streaming, and the deployment of UltraViolet. Can 2nd Screen create enough utility and engagement for consumers to help lift content sell-through and what are the new revenue producing strategies to explore with the connected consumer?

2nd Screen Summit @ 2013 CES
January 7, 2013
Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, NV

Following sold-out meetings in Santa Monica, New York and Amsterdam, this deep-dive into the latest business opportunities, creative case studies and technology innovations related to the creation of supplementary, synchronized and social TV content will feature speakers from Hollywood, Madison Avenue and Silicon Valley. What’s the killer app for 2nd screen? How are device manufacturers positioning themselves with content holders to exploit this opportunity to drive market penetration? How are the brands making use of this new create palette? Is this a threat or opportunity for broadcasters? What’s the difference between 2nd screen, multiscreen and OTT? What are the coolest examples of great 2nd screen creative and applications? Learn this and more at this featured and official International CES event.


Burbank Think Tank @ CES 2012
January 11, 2012 – Las Vegas, NV
What’s Cooking? Technologists Eye the Future of Entertainment

What are the best and brightest brains in Hollywood developing that will change the movie and home entertainment experience? The Burbank Think Tank joins the Variety Entertainment Summit at CES with an exclusive panel discussion amongst senior-level technology executives.  This will be a free session on Wednesday, January 11 from 9-10 a.m. in the North Hall of the LVCC (Room N258) Burbank Think Tank (BT2) is a bi-monthly meet up providing members of the Burbank entertainment, production and digital services community with an easy and accessible way to meet, mingle and advance the creation, production and distribution of entertainment content.


2nd Screen Summit L.A.
February 22, 2012 – Loews Hotel
Santa Monica, CA

A New Medium for Creative Engagement
An estimated 84% of American consumers watch television with a “second screen” in their hands via a smartphone, tablet, laptop or other handheld device. As this emerging trend becomes commonplace, Hollywood will continue to develop new and inventive ways to keep eyeballs focused on both their broadcast/home entertainment content on the big screen as well as their customers devices.


Hollywood IT Summit
March 2, 2012 – Pepperdine Univ.
Malibu, CA

Produced in cooperation with Variety and Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, the Hollywood Information Technology Summit (HITS) brings together the IT divisions of the Hollywood studios and their service provider partners to discuss business optimization practices and to develop innovative solutions for the online and digital world.

Academy on UltraViolet L.A.
May 16, 2012 – Luxe Hotel Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

Learn the latest from the innovators…on technology developments that are driving the implementation and advancement of UltraViolet at this inaugural Academy being held May 16th At the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Los Angeles.

Produced by MESA in cooperation with DEG: the Digital Entertainment Group and in association with the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), the Academy on UltraViolet is designed to provide an authoritative update about new technology challenges and creative opportunities in the UltraViolet production community. What new efficiencies in workflow/production schedules and technology advances will drive the emerging format’s continued evolution, while expanding consumer focus on new opportunities for packaged media? Join us to learn more.

2nd Screen Summit NYC
June 27, 2012
Metropolitan Pavilion
New York, NY

Produced by MESA in partnership with TWICE, Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News magazines and in conjunction with CEA’s CE Week in New York City (June 25-29), the 2nd Screen Summit (S3) NYC event will be a gathering of CE, Broadcast, Advertising and Content Holder executives and their service provider partners for a half-day of information, market statics, education and thought leadership around the emerging 2nd Screen ecosystem. Building on the success of the S3 event held in Santa Monica in February, S3 NYC will emphasize the importance of the 2nd Screen to digital distribution models being explored by content holders and advertisers.

Academy on UltraViolet London
5 September 2012 – Park Plaza Westminster Bridge
London, United Kingdom

Everything you need to know about UltraViolet… Retail, studios, independents and their service provider partners convene in London on 5 September for a full day of sessions to learn the latest from the innovators on technology developments that are driving the launch, implementation and advancement of UltraViolet. This “industry only” workshop, which is closed to media and press, is designed to provide an open forum of dialogue and discussion amongst the relevant players who will bring UltraViolet to market throughout Europe. The event brings with it the successes of the inaugural Academy held May 16th in Los Angeles to the European marketplace with special emphasis on understanding the challenges each company and our industry will overcome in the format’s global roll-out.

2nd Screen Summit: Amsterdam
8 September 2012 – Hotel Okura
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Building on the success of the 2nd Screen Summit events held in both Los Angeles and New York City, 2nd Screen Summit: Amsterdam will emphasize the importance of the 2nd Screen to global digital distribution models being explored by content holders and advertisers. The 2nd Screen Society’s mission and a key element to the success of digital is the engagement of consumers through 2nd screen user experiences, with the resulting data and analytics about consumers driving additional retail/engagement/revenue opportunities.

HITS Digital Marketing & Analytics Summit
September 28, 2012 – W Hotel, Hollywood, CA

The Hollywood IT Society’s Digital Marketing & Analytics Summit presents a unique industry opportunity to bring together the CMOs, CIOs and CTOs from the Hollywood studios, together with their service provider partners, to better understand how we can engage consumers, influence their behavior and introduce new products while optimizing advertising investments, strengthen their brands and transform how the entertainment industry’s traditional marketing approach.

Forecasts: Hollywood 2013
December 3, 2012
Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA
Join leading media & entertainment analysts and consultancies at the industry landmark Beverly Hills Hotel on December 3rd and find out what’s new, what’s trending, and what’s right around the corner in movies, TV, home entertainment and digital — all pulled together as a lightning round of expert advice and market intelligence for senior studio executives and their partners.

Content Protection Summit 2012
December 6, 2012
Los Angeles Hilton Universal City, CA
Produced by Variety Magazine and the Content Delivery & Security Association (CDSA), CPS is a gathering of executives from across entertainment to focus on securing our companies’ most valuable assets — our content — as well as enhancing our businesses in today’s global environment of piracy & cyber-attack. As the entertainment industry moves toward online services and digital products, we are experiencing a “perfect storm” of threats to our business, yet it is also a time of vast opportunity, disruptive business models, and remarkable innovation.