Variety TV Summit Tunes In to Trends in the Industry
Held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills on June 14, the event attracted several hundred industry professionals from across the country.
Among the many highlights were keynotes with Mindy Kaling, interviewed by Variety’s Elizabeth Wagmeister, and John Legend, in conversation with the publication’s Debra Birnbaum.
Kaling, whose show “The Mindy Project ” was canceled by Fox but moved to Hulu, hit on several hot button issues like gender parity and diversity, saying she has seen progress in the past five or six years. “ I used to feel like I represented ‘otherness,’ but realized I’m bigger than that,” she said.
Even with her sizable social media following, Kaling tries to keep it in check and in perspective. ”It’s a good tool, but I won’t allow it to be time consumptive,” she admitted. “But it is a tighter connection with fans.”
Kaling said she loves the energy at Hulu which she feels is like a startup and feels new – and she enjoys not having all the shows available at the same time. “As a producer, I prefer once a week. But as a viewer I’m a fan of other shows that release their episodes all at once,” she said.
Legend was interviewed about his executive producer role on the WGN series “Underground.” “It’s such a powerful story to be told now,” he said about the drama, which tells stories about people escaping slavery on the Underground Railroad.
”It’s an interesting moment with the Black Lives Matter movement, the anniversary of the Charleston shootings and the legacy of the Confederate flag. It’s important that we explore the story of slaves that resisted,” he said. “The show gives us a chance to show the occupation, the revolution and the prison break of hundreds of miles from Georgia to the North. There is inherent suspense and it’s rich with drama through the characters. The power is exploring the nuance from every perspective, including the slave catchers and the abolitionist and you understand their motivations, which makes the story rich.”
What’s unique about “Underground” is it uses contemporary music, including Legend’s, to enhance the storytelling. ”Part of the mission is to make it feel alive and present and take it off of museum walls,” he said. “It’s hard to watch the inhumanity but you have to see it to know what they’re escaping.”
Legend also discussed the introduction of Harriet Tubman as a character, proud that she had been written into the show before it was announced that her likeness would appear on the $20 bill, the first woman and the first person of African descent to be honored this way.
Other keynotes at the conference included Michelle Vicary, executive vice president of programming and network publicity for Crown Media Family Networks, the parent company of Hallmark Channel, and with EPIX CEO Mark Greenberg.
There were also panel discussions on topics including the state of the television industry, innovations in live programming including the upcoming “Hairspray” and “A Few Good Men,” analyzing data from multiplatform audiences and breakthroughs in unscripted television.
