Last week I attended the Korea Media and Content Market sponsored by the Korean Trade-Investment Agency (Kotra).   The event was held at the Hollywood & Highland Center and was designed to introduce a number of Korean animation and media companies and their projects to interested investors and potential partners.

The conference opened with the attending companies holding brief meetings with interested attendees and then Mr. Won-Sok Yun, director General of Kotra LA welcomed everyone.  This was followed by an additional welcome from the Council General of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Yeon-Sung Shin.

Once the formalities and niceties were concluded, Jim Chabin, President of the International 3-D Society spoke about the exponential growth of that industry and how it effected the film and gaming media as well as television and mobile devices.

I thought his presentation offered a clear forecast of what we all needed to be aware of in the coming year or two.   Some of the more salient points he offered are as follows:

We've all had theose projects where we are just so very, very close to starting and we're getting everyhthing cleared away so we can be prepared when it starts but then there is a delay and we wait....

Why would it be important if Disney lost a suit filed against them to redress the common practice of creative accounting?   

The hope, the small flickering flame we can barely see at the end of the long and very dark tunnel we've all been crawling through, is that maybe a small crack will appear in the monolith of half a dozen media giants who control everything in our business. 

So far Disney has just lost round one, but being the 3 zillion pound monkey they are, the appeals have already been written and the best ambulance chasers money can buy are all lining up with briefcases at attention ready to do battle. 

IF YOU CAN'T GET IN THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR GO AROUND THE BACK.  IF THAT DOOR'S CLOSED AND BOLTED THEN TRY A WINDOW.  IF THAT WINDOW'S LOCKED TIGHT THAN CLIMB UP ON THE ROOF AND TRY TO SLIDE DOWN THE CHIMNEY!  TO MUDDLE A QUOTE, "FORTUNE FAVORS THE PERSISTANT".  SOO MI KIM AND HER PRODUCING PARTNERS DECIDED TO NOT EVEN TRY TO BREAK INTO THE HOUSE - THEY JUST PICKED UP A MEDIA PHONE AND MADE A CALL...

How can you figure out how to bid for a job or price your services.  Bid too high and you lose.  Bid too low and and it may raise concerns about quality..  Is there a secret to getting this right?  Not really, but it helps to take everything into consideraton before giving a quote.

A congenial ramble about box office numbers, marketing and how studios can lose money and still make money.

Creating Intellectual Properties is like being a parent. In many ways it's better to have more than one child to dote on.  If you become over invested emotionally your heart and your ego take over, not your brain.

If you've ever wondered if animation has joined the global economy just see, finally, some work returning to the U.S.  Granted it is not a huge windfall of jobs but we should see this new start-up digital company as at the very least, a start.

UNIVERSAL/NBC UP FOR GRABS BY COMCAST IF VIVENDI WANTS OUT

What considerations should you consider when casting and selecting voice talent for your project?