Lincoln Butterfield Animation introduced itself at NATPE with Tan, an anime kung fu spoof for kids. Courtesy of Lincoln Butterfield Animation.

Other Associations
NATPE was also the place for other associations and organizations to meet. Interactive Television Alliance (ITA), helmed by Allison Dollar, brought content producers and technology as a collective to NAPTE. In the invitation-only lounge, A-list producers and major advertising brands met with prescreened potential partners. This was all for interactive television content. Gigi Johnson, of Studio 4 Networks, which bills itself as a virtual DVD shelf for kids' entertainment, and Ed Forman and Robert Gonsalves, of ICTV, an early pioneer in interactive television, were side by side during an ITA presentation, demonstrating the line between technology and content is blurring.

Judging from the headlines, NATPE 2008 still proves to be the place where deals are struck and producers go with the hopes of getting their properties sold for the world to see. NATPE is providing these sales forces with "global" opportunities -- to blend technology, TV and global markets. Viva NATPE!

Jan Nagel, the Entertainment Marketing Diva, is a consultant who has been involved in the business of animation and visual effects since 1991. She represents creative producers and production companies worldwide, including Small World Animation, Santo Domingo Films, and Jim Keeshen Productions, as well as being a frequent guest lecturer on the subject of the business of animation. She is also a founding member and president emeritus of Women in Animation International.