CynCity

By David Teich You may know Kevin Smith as the director of comedies like Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma, or as the “Bob” half of the Jay and Silent Bob pairing. But lately, thanks to a partnership with the digital production company and multi-channel network Defy Media, he’s been complementing his big-screen efforts with a […]

By Jason George, CEO, Telescope, Inc. With the advent of Facebook Live, we as technology providers have found ourselves at a crucial inflection point within the content creation ecosystem. Content owners now have the technology and means to make professional content and see it distributed on a worldwide scale across a platform with a user […]

By Susanna Pollack According to the Entertainment Software Association, 155 million Americans play video games – but for some, it goes beyond simple fun. Susanna Pollack, President of Games for Change, talks about how games are being used as a tool for social good. Globally, we spend 3 billion hours gaming each week, according to […]

Two years after the formation of the Non-Fiction Producers Association, longtime media exec and general manager of the NPA John Ford talks about the state of the industry for producers in an increasingly OTT world. Cynopsis: Why was the NPA created? John Ford: The NPA – which is the first professional body representing the non-fiction […]

By Giles Goodwin, CEO of Flite  Unless you’ve been on extended sabbatical, you’ve undoubtedly read countless articles portraying digital video as more or less the Holy Grail of digital publishing. Without a doubt, mobile and video are no longer distinct, discrete strategies per se, but rather must be integral to everything you do. Just examining […]

By David Teich In 2014, MDC Partners launched Assembly, a media agency built on sophisticated planning and buying capabilities. It’s safe to say that at Assembly, data and technology are at the center of things. And in April, the company brought on a new hire to help – as the company put it – “elevat[e] […]

With season 8 of American Ninja Warrior underway on NBC, executive producer Arthur Smith of A Smith & Co. talked to Cynopsis about the keys to a successful summer series. Cynopsis: Do the elements of a successful summer series different from what makes a regular season series work? Arthur Smith: All successful series must carry […]

Former CBS executive Jim McKairnes teaches and writes about Media. He lives in Los Angeles and Nashville.   “Why is so much of television so bad? I’ve heard many answers: demands of advertisers, competition for ever higher ratings, the needs always to attract a mass audience, the high cost of programs, the insatiable appetite for […]

It’s been an upbeat Upfront season – whether media companies threw celebrity-filled bashes or relied on one-on-one meetings to get their messages across to media buyers and marketers, the industry was abuzz. Here’s what some cablers were talking about. Digital was a hot topic for networks at events ranging from intimate lunches to late night […]

By Cris Abrego, Co-CEO, Endemol Shine North America and Co-Chairman, Endemol Shine Latino, and author of “Make it Reality: Create Your Opportunity. Own Your Success.” A few years ago, I returned to my high school in El Monte, Ca., to give a commencement address. When I was speaking to that year’s graduating class about the […]