Results for articles with tag 'hbo' (5 total)
08/25/2010 09:10:55 AM 
Vanity Fair spent some time with Michael Lombardi to understand the secrets of the network's success, based on the article, here are HBO's rules for success.
1. Work with the best:
“We really have the good fortune or the smarts to do business with the right people,” he says, “because, as much credit as we’d like to take for those nominations, they really reflect the talent we do business with.”
2. It’s all about the writing:
“We start with an unmitigated respect for writers and the written word. You can talk to any film or television writer and hear their experiences both in the big screen and smaller screen universe, and they’ll give repeated examples where they feel like their voice got muzzled, muffled, muddled by input, rather than supported. What we’re looking for is writers who have a distinctive voice, a unique perspective, a strong story-telling sense, to let them do their best work.”
3. HBO isn't like everyone else:
We’re not a place that develops by consensus or by committee… That’s why we don’t ‘focus group’ our shows. That’s just not the business we’re in.... We’re not looking to be shows that get the biggest number of eyeballs in the world, we’re not selling ad space.”
4. Stay ahead of your competition:
We’re not a place that develops by consensus or by committee… That’s why we don’t ‘focus group’ our shows. That’s just not the business we’re in.... We’re not looking to be shows that get the biggest number of eyeballs in the world, we’re not selling ad space.”
5. Quality is everything:
in essence, the HBO formula could probably be boiled down to, “It’s the Script, Stupid.” Or as Lombardo more eloquently put it: “The first mantra here has always been quality ... not number of eyeballs, not the flashiest show. Quality. And that’s held us in good stead.”
Posted by Ed Cotton
08/16/2010 10:28:54 AM
Since the show is set in the era prohibition era, it might seem surprising to see Canadian Club playing such a prominent role, but apparently the brand was firmly associated with the period; Al Capone was rumored to have smuggled the brand from Windsor Canada, to Detroit.
Obviously a Scorsese show for HBO is going to get attention and it's probably going deal with some edgy content and themes- something you wouldn't have thought these three brands would have wanted to be part of. However, they've probably seen the success of the Mad Men as another period piece and seen the opportunity to gain cultural propulsion by taking some risks.
This is a nice deal for both parties because HBO get's an inside track on a lot of interesting free media- like store windows in Bloomingdales, hotel rooms in Atlantic City and a partnership in speakeasy parties organized by Canadian Club.
The challenge for these brands is to make sure they can "own" something out of this deal and really play a role. If they are just seen as mere "sponsors", they won't have capitalized on the opportunity correctly. Clearly this is not their creative idea and content and there's a danger these brands could get lost in the shuffle.
There's something of a gamble going on here on a couple of levels
1. A Scorsese TV series will be a hit
2. The 1920s will make a cultural comeback
The first point is likely given the man's track record Less likely are the 20s making a cultural comeback; while there can be some parallels drawn with the recession, it's past history that's difficult to connect with, unlike Mad Men, where you can clearly see the line between that past and today.
The best these brands can hope for is that the relevance in the glamor, sophistication and drama of the period can be tapped and turned into something.
For Canadian Club, a brand that's not afraid to take risks, it will be interesting to see how far they push this association.
Posted by Ed Cotton
04/07/2024 10:38:53 AM
Simon examines one of the most unique cultures in America by looking at the lives of a diverse array of characters trying to rebuild their lives three months after Katrina.
Music, quite rightly, given the contribution New Orleans has made to American music, is the center of Simon's story and almost a character in its own right. The show features famous New Orleans musicians Dr John and Kermit Ruffins.
Kermit Ruffins
Beyond music, Simon has a keen eye and ear for detail and seeks to blend the factual with the fictional. He also wants to make it feel right and authentic to the place. as proved with "The Wire", he has an incredible ear for local dialogue and works hard to get it New Orleans right. He described the process in a recent interview on NPR's Fresh Air.
" One of the things we did right away, in addition to Eric [Overmyer], we brought in Tom Piazza and Lolis Ellie— who are local writers — as ballast to try and make sure the writing staff and the writing room had strong local representation. But at the same time, I wouldn't have wanted everyone in that room to be from New Orleans even if we could have managed that — because in some ways, the city's very seductive. And you can fall in love with a lot of its charms and idiosyncrasies and not be asking yourself the hard questions that drama sometimes requires. And so, actually it was the dynamic of people from New Orleans interacting with George Pelecanos or David Mills in the writer's room, who are outsiders and who are acquiring the culture cold. That's really what gave the piece more gravitas and what helped us ground it."
David Simon is clearly a darling of the critics and is certainly the man to get New Orleans noticed again, with HBO a favorite of the cultural elite it might just have the right ingredients to propel New Orleans back into the conversation, but it remains to be seen if mainstream America still cares about the city that's the birthplace of much of its culture.
Posted by Ed Cotton
09/08/2024 04:17:25 PM
Here are some comments from some of the workers in the doc.
Among those interviewed in the documentary are: Kathy (body shop) - A 47-year-old mother of three with six grandchildren, Kathy viewed her co-workers as a second family.
Kim (electrician) - A tearful Kim believes that working at the plant was "the greatest job I ever had." He recounts how everyone finished their work on the line and followed the last truck until all the work had been done. Then they all came together as a big group, a family saying goodbye.
Popeye (toolmaker) - Popeye sees the bigger picture, viewing the plant's closing as the end of the good life, the end of American manufacturing as we know it. "My grandson will have a worse life than I had," he says at a nearby bar.
Kate (forklift operator) - After the plant closes, Kate poignantly describes it as a "gentle dragon" taking its last breath before dying.
Clearly the film documents a moment in time when US manufacturing came to a close and the impact of that closure on communities and American workers.
Is it possible to sell American consumers on American Made or has that time long gone?
Posted by Ed Cotton
09/06/2024 12:41:21 AM
Smart move because the sensibility of both the show and the brand are a perfect fit with Virgin.
It's something you can't imagine another carrier doing and clearly sets Virgin apart from the rest of the carriers.
Clearly the airline industry is looking to re-coup as many $$$ as possible, so partnerships like this are its future.
United are doing it with Westin.
What about Jet Blue?
Surely it was the brand that should have been partnering with HBO, instead, they are giving away Bed Bath and Beyond vouchers, that's not right.
Virgin has been eating away at Jet Blue's image and this type of partnership is powerful enough for them to leap way ahead.
Posted by Ed Cotton
Articles for tag hbo (5 total).