As the LATV Festival readies for its sophomore outing this week, executives at the National Association of Television Program Executives are looking at the gathering as a glimpse of the future, in more ways than one.

GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE NATPE is expected to incorporate the most popular pieces of LATV into its annual January convention in Las Vegas.

This year’s summer event will focus on educating up-and-coming producers and executives on the ins and outs of the industry with activities that include digital showcases, screenings, sessions, workshops, panel discussions, networking events, master classes and more.
“The people that come to it are there in order to see what’s happening right now in the world of creating video content, and this will give them the opportunity to not only network but learn how to do it better,” said Rick Feldman, NATPE’s president and CEO.

In fact, NATPE executives also are learning from the sessions, with the nonprofit organization expected to incorporate the most popular pieces of LATV into its annual January convention.
“The whole LATV Festival is an incubator for us,” said Christina Vergara Andrews, director of event programming at NATPE. “We examine what’s new and what’s working and then try to utilize that with our other events.”

New this year will be webcasts of different sessions, including three on Wednesday and four on Thursday, something NATPE has never done before. Another fresh aspect will be classes and workshops on the latest technology including Adobe and Red Camera.

“If that works out well, that’s something we’d like to do more of in 2009,” said Beth Braen, senior VP of marketing for NATPE. “We are looking at every possible opportunity to engage our core audience and, by exploring production technology, we are providing a valuable service for them.”

CableReady, an international independent program representation firm, will kick off a development contest at the festival that will culminate at January’s market.

NATPE executives this year decided to simplify travel for attendees, with all daily events being held at only one location per day. The three-day event will take place July 30-Aug. 1, with the first two days at Hollywood & Highland and the third at the House of Blues.

“Our goal from year one to year two was to become more focused on areas of interest to our attendees, not just with traditional content but in all the other cross-platform content being developed as well,” said Ms. Braen.

Day one, aka Digital Day, will present people and companies at the forefront of new media. Panels and sessions include “Syndicated Video Economy,” a discussion of the Web’s potential to distribute content; an Adobe intensive workshop; and a panel titled “Developing Original Content for the Web,” moderated by TVWeek editor Greg Baumann and featuring speakers from YouTube, RDF USA, Yahoo! and AOL Television.

Also on the agenda: “Gossip Girl 360: Anatomy of an Online Success Story,” a panel that will dissect the cross-platform strategy behind the hit CW show. The day will wrap with a cocktail reception hosted by Yahoo! Media Group and an evening screening and a chat titled “Dissecting the Short-Form Hits” featuring the creative team from Stun Creative.

On Thursday, John Ferriter, senior VP/worldwide head of non-scripted television at the William Morris Agency, will deliver the keynote address for attendees before a daylong series of sessions at the Content Industry Forum. Other highlights include a master class with Chuck Lorre, creator of “Two and a Half Men” and “The Big Bang Theory,” and a panel entitled “Anatomy of a Live Event: The Business Behind Sports” featuring David Hill, chairman-CEO, Fox Sports Television Group. Also on the docket: “Selling Your TV Show 2008: Cable vs. Broadcast”; a discussion titled “International Co-Productions: Perils and Possibilities”; and a panel on “Business Mastery and the Art of Negotiation” produced in association with the USC Marshall School of Business and RUI. The “Inside the Writers Room” event is produced in association with the Writers Guild of America.

Friday will be toplined by the Pitch Pit and the Schmoozefest.

“We try to keep this fun for all of us, even if we have to work it,” said Ms. Andrews. “With a beefed-up Digital Day, more sessions on scripted programming and the latest in technological innovations, there should be something for everyone.”