POTUS held a closed-door meeting described by the White House as a discussion of the entertainment industry as a bright spot in the economy
President Obama held a closed-door meeting with top Hollywood brass on Tuesday, a who’s-who of executives representing all six major movie studios and each of the broadcast TV networks — plus the MPAA, Lionsgate and host DreamWorks Animation.
The President discussed the impact that broader economic conditions has on the industry. He also touched on piracy and intellectual property rights, which are chief concerns of participating film industry leaders,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told TheWrap.
Of the eight companies represented, The Walt Disney Co. and NBCUniversal were the only ones with three in the private meeting. An industry source described the gathering as productive, saying it focused on the global and domestic economic impact of American entertainment.
Though no one from the tech sector’s exploding content-creation engine was at the meeting (Obama dined with Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos the night before), the President expressed a continued commitment to being a constructive voice in the conversation between the tech and the entertainment industries, including their shared interests and goals.
There was also discussion of the importance of free trade and the positive trade balance generated by the industry, and the Obama administration’s continued leadership and support for negotiating a meaningful Trans Pacific Partnership treaty.
Attendees at Tuesday’s meeting, by company:
The Walt Disney Co.
Chairman-CEO Bob Iger
Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn
Disney/ABC Television Group president Anne Sweeney
NBCUniversal
Vice Chairman Ron Meyer
Universal Filmed Entertainment chairman Jeff Shell
NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt
Sony Entertainment
CEO Michael Lynton
Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman Amy Pascal
Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Chairman-CEO Jim Gianopulos
Fox Networks Group Chairman-CEO Peter Rice
Viacom
Paramount Pictures Vice Chairman Rob Moore
CBS
CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves
Dreamworks Animation
Chairman-CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg
Chairman Mellody Hobson
Warner Bros.
CEO Kevin Tsujihara
Lionsgate Entertainment
CEO Jon Feltheimer
MPAA
Chairman-CEO Chris Dodd
