Students at Loyola Marymount University got to hear first-hand from entertainment industry professionals about the challenges and opportunities facing them in the annual Steed Symposium this week.
This year’s “Business of the Business” symposium focused on the impact that new media is having on Hollywood, both in terms of the creation of new forms of entertainment, and its marketing and distribution.
Dozens of professionals from throughout the industry spoke on panels about the future of entertainment. Panelists included the creative forces behind online outlets like “Funny or Die” and “Imaginary Bitches,” as well as executives from HBO, Walt Disney Motion Pictures, Paramount Pictures, ESPN, and other companies.
“They provided really good, current examples about what’s going on in the entertainment arena,” said Anthony Patino, a marketing professor in LMU’s College of Business Administration. “I don’t think any other school has looked at new media in this way, both in what’s going on now and in the future.”
The daylong event was hosted by the College of Business Administration, School of Film and Television, and Loyola Law School. It was streamed live over the Internet for students who were unable to attend, and panelists took questions submitted via Twitter.
The symposium is funded by a gift from LMU Trustee Michael Steed (B.A. ’71, J.D. ’74), founder and managing partner of Paladin Capital Group in Washington, D.C. He also served as chairman of the LMU Board of Regents from 2003 to 2005.