Thursday, December 11, 2008 5:14 PM
THE SPIN & THE SPUN: TRUE TALES FROM THE OSCAR CAMPAIGN TRAIL
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The presidential election may be over, but Oscar campaigning is just heating up. Each year high profile, high cost marketing efforts push major movies for Oscars, Golden Globes, SAG Awards and other honors. It is an annual rite for studio marketers, publicists and entertainment journalists, who each have a role, whether it is creating publicity campaigns or providing coverage that can shape a movie’s profile.
In a rare behind the scenes look at how the Hollywood publicity machine works, these members of the media, marketers and publicists share stories about how the big movies of recent years were promoted, as well as how the battle is shaping up for the 2008-2009 awards season, which will culminate with the presentation of the 81st annual Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009 in Hollywood.
“If you have ever wondered why certain movies are Oscar contenders and others are not, this panel will provide an insider’s view of how things really work in Hollywood,” says Block, a show business historian and Editor-at-Large, The Hollywood Reporter.
This lively panel discussion will be presented by the Los Angeles Press Club in the Steve Allen Theater on Thursday, December 11, 2008 beginning at 7:30 pm. There will be a networking reception before the event beginning at 6:30 pm and for an hour afterward. Admission is free for Los Angeles Press Club members, non-members pay $10 prepaid in advance or $20 at the door, students pay $3 prepaid or $5 at the door.
“Finally, we’re going to hear the real story behind the Oscars,” says Los Angeles Press Club President Chris Woodyard. “Veteran Hollywood journalist Alex Ben Block has assembled a top-notch cast of insiders who will dish the dirt on the true story behind the Oscars. Anyone who covers Hollywood or follows the entertainment industry won’t want to miss this.”
Among those featured on the panel will be Patrick Goldstein, film writer for the Los Angeles Times and author of the column and blog, “The Big Picture;” John Horn, entertainment reporter for the Los Angeles Times; Mark Pogachefsky, Co-founder and co-president of mPRm Public Relations; and Dennis Rice, a veteran marketing guru and publicity expert who has held high level posts at Miramax, October, Walt Disney and United Artists Pictures.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
MODERATOR: ALEX BEN BLOCK is Editor-at-Large for The Hollywood Reporter, Show Business Historian for Hollywood Today and Editor of an upcoming book about blockbuster movies for George Lucas Books. Block was Editor of two Hollywood trades: The Hollywood Reporter, and TelevisionWeek. He served as Associate Editor of Forbes Magazine, Editor-in-Chief of eStar.com and was Executive Director of the L.A. Press Club. He is author of “OUTFOXED: The Inside Story of America’s Fourth Television Network,” and international best-seller “The Legend of Bruce Lee.” Block is frequently heard on radio and TV, and has won a number of journalism honors, including three L.A. Press Club Awards.
PATRICK GOLDSTEIN has been writing for the Los Angeles Times since 1979 and has been on the Calendar staff since 1998. His column, “The Big Picture,” offers news and insight on the currents and underpinnings of the film industry. He also has been a contributing writer to major publications such as Rolling Stone, Esquire, Playboy, Vogue, the Chicago Sun-Times, New York Times Sunday Magazine, and British GQ. He received a master’s degree in English literature in 1976 and a bachelor’s degree in film studies in 1975, both from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
JOHN HORN is a Los Angeles Times staff writer covering the entertainment industry
since 2002. He was previously a senior writer at Newsweek and at Premiere magazine, and the entertainment writer for The Associated Press. He began his journalism career at the Orange County Register , He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied dramatic arts.
MARK POGACHEFSKY is Co-founder and co-president of mPRm Public Relations, which provides guidance for motion picture and corporate clients. He has worked on such movies as Brokeback Mountain, Good Night and Good Luck, Mystic River, 21 Grams, Monster, Memento, Elizabeth, L.A. Confidential, In the Bedroom and Fargo. He founded The Pogachefsky Company in 1992, which was merged into mPRm in 1998.
DENNIS RICE has supervised press, advertising, promotion and awards campaigns for films including The Apostle, Hilary and Jackie, Scary Movie, The Cider House Rules, The Incredibles, The Chronicles of Narnia and Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2. He was most recently President of Worldwide Marketing and Publicity for United Artists and was Head of Publicity for Buena Vista Pictures (Disney) . He began his entertainment career at The Walt Disney Studios in 1992 as the head of Marketing for the Buena Vista Home Entertainment Division. In 1998, he shifted into feature films as President of Marketing and Publicity for October Films, a specialty film division of Universal Pictures. He worked for Bob and Harvey Weinstein as President of Marketing at Miramax films for several years where he supervised awards campaigns that resulted in more than 60 Oscar nominations for films such as The Cider House Rules, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Chocolat and In the Bedroom.
