Brazil's President Lula Da Silva inaugurates International Academy Day in Rio
FanTrust President Catherine Warren and 300 international media executives participate in networking event hosted by TV Globo & Sony Corporation
NEW YORK, September 17, 2008 — Global media leaders joined TV Globo, Sony and The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in Brazil last week for International Academy Day in Rio, a three-day networking event inaugurated by Brazil’s President, Lula Da Silva.
In his welcoming speech, the President acknowledged the importance of democracy in media and the growing force with which television contributes to a national culture. He also talked about how many International Emmy nominations Brazil had received the last three years and expressed a hope there would be more.
“There is no better place than Brazil to define the interplay of culture and media,” said FanTrust President Catherine Warren, an international Emmy Award judge and Academy member. In a population of about 200 million, 7 out of 10 watch the nightly news on TV Globo, which broadcasts to a Super Bowl-sized audience 365 days of the year. “This kind of mass media leadership set the stage for our unparalleled global networking event, which united executives from companies as diverse as Hearst, Microsoft, MTV and HBO around deal-making in new markets, digital media and media for social change,” said Warren.
The opening dinner was held at the Copacabana Palace Hotel and officially launched the first Academy Day held in South America with speeches from the President, the Governor of Rio, Sergio Cabral, the President of TV Globo, Roberto Irineu Marinho and the President & CEO of the International Academy, Bruce L. Paisner. Hosted by Brazil’s TV Globo, the largest network in South America and one of the leading producers of content in the world, participants included International Academy Members, other executives from media around the world and government leaders.
“Over the last few years, The International Academy has grown in stature to become a representative of the world’s media interests and a place to learn and understand,” said Paisner. The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is the world’s largest organization of global broadcasters and presents the International Emmy® Awards.
In addition to the President of Brazil’s address, program highlights of the three-day event included keynote speeches and panels hosted at Globo’s production center, a behind-the-scenes telenovela shoot at the broadcaster’s studio back lot as well as a visit to the Globo-sponsored Child Hope Center, Rio’s inner-city education project for underprivileged kids.
This was the third International Academy Day to be organized by the International Academy after Mexico City in 2005 and Beijing in 2006.
Below: Bruce Paisner (International Academy President & CEO), Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva (President of Brazil) and Roberto Irineu Marinho (President, Globo Group of Companies)
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