Category: Film & Sat

International Artist Arnel Pineda, Lead Singer of the Rock Band Journey, Book “Journey of My Life” Represented by Agent Alan Morell of Creative Management Partners (CMP)

Arnel  Pineda book being adapted to TV/Film via CMP

Announced today, international recording artist Arnel Pineda, lead singer of the rock band Journey, whose book “Journey of my Life” is represented by agent Alan Morell of Creative Management Partners (CMP). Mr Pineda’s book is being adapted for TV/Film by CMP.

Arnel Campaner Pineda (born Sept 5, 1967) is a Filipino singer and songwriter. He performed locally in the Philippines and Hong Kong during the 1980’s but rose to international fame in 2007 when he was selected as the new lead singer of the American rock band Journey.

Said Mr Pineda: “My manager Rene Walter (Sanre Entertainment Group) has been a trusted friend and associate for more than a decade. He led the search for the right person to represent my life story. Our clear choice was Alan Morell, for which I am very pleased and honored.”

Said Rene Walter: “We looked for this attribute when we searched for the best Literary Agent to help us bring Arnel’s ‘Rag to Riches’ story to life, and this led us directly to Alan Morell and Creative Management Partners (CMP.) Alan is highly respected within the Entertainment, Sports and Literary fields, where he is known for his professionalism, honesty, and charm. He has the knowledge, the relationships, the flexibility, and most importantly, the mindset to deliver success.”

Said Agent Alan Morell: “Arnel is a fantastically gifted artist and performer. My sincere interest is to bring his wonderful story to life – the story of his struggles and heartache to the moment he was lifted from obscurity to become the lead singer of the legendary band Journey. Arnel has risen to international acclaim as he and the band helped bring Journey to the pinnacle of success. In the end, talent wins out.”

Arnel’s book submission to publishers will be in Q4, 2021 for bid out.

About Alan Morell:
Mr Morell has 30 years of global experience managing over 3,000 campaigns in the successful development and management of talent, literary, TV and film packaging, commercial rights, corporate consulting, media positioning, sponsorship of live events and intellectual property (IP) rights. Mr Morell is one of the few in the sports, entertainment, and the arts industry, who has represented and managed clients, that have won the whole gamut of prestigious awards: Grammy, Tony, Oscar, Emmy, ESPY, Victors, Clio, Telly and NY Times Best Selling Authors.

Links:
Journey Lead Singer Arnel Pineda Official Site … https://arnelpineda.com/
Arnel Pineda – Wikipedia Site … https://tinyurl.com/bpkz7axj
Rene Walter Representative of Journey Lead Singer Arnel. … https://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/12/prweb11391246.htm
2019-2020 Literary and Broadcast News: Announcing Allan Morell … https://tinyurl.com/d9daf9y5
Hollywood Talent Agent Icon Harry Abrams, Founder/Chairman of Abrams Artists Agency … https://tinyurl.com/2yp3e8b3
2020-2021 Creative Management Partners (CMP) Highlight … https://tinyurl.com/4kxjsjth

Contact Information:
Creative Management Partners LLC (CMP)
9440 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 301, Beverly Hills, Ca. 90210

New survey shows Vietnam among highest in online piracy in Southeast Asia

A new study of the online content viewing behaviour of Vietnamese consumers has found that 60% access streaming piracy websites or torrent sites. The levels of piracy went as high as 65% within the 18-24 age demographic. The survey, commissioned by the Asia Video Industry Association‘s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, found that 59% of consumers who accessed piracy sites cancelled their subscriptions to both local and international content services.

The levels of piracy in Vietnam now dwarfs neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia, which have both seen substantial reductions in online piracy in the last 18 months. In Indonesia, a similar YouGov survey found a massive 55% reduction in Indonesian consumers accessing piracy services with 28% of consumers admitting to accessing piracy websites in 2020, compared to 63% in 2019. In Malaysia, a YouGov survey found a 64% decline in users accessing piracy sites in 2020 when compared to a similar YouGov survey in 2019. In both countries a key variable for the decline in online piracy levels was the government’s proactive piracy site blocking initiative.

The recent YouGov survey suggests that a regulatory site blocking mechanism would be supported by the majority of Vietnamese consumers. When given choices of what they thought were effective measures of reducing piracy behaviour, 48% of Vietnamese agree that a “government order or law for ISPs to block piracy websites” would be the most effective.

The damage that digital content theft does to the Vietnamese creative industries is without dispute. However, the damage done to Vietnamese consumers because of the nexus between online piracy and malware, also needs to be better understood and actioned by government and stakeholders. When asked by YouGov about the negative consequences of online piracy, Vietnamese consumers placed funding crime groups (58%) , malware risks (55%) and loss of jobs in the creative industry (49%) as their top three concerns. The malware risk was corroborated in a March 2021 study by UK-based White Bullet, which also found that 72% of popular piracy sites in Vietnam contain high risk advertising such as illegal gambling ads and fraud/malware ads. The study tracked advertising on over 800 popular piracy websites in Vietnam for a three-week period.

Of those Vietnamese consumers who admit to accessing streaming piracy websites or torrent sites, 35% said they would stop this behaviour should the government take deterrent action.

Neil Gane, the General Manager of AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) commented, “The wide variety of legal services in Vietnam which provide premium entertainment content are reliable and importantly are legal. The piracy alternatives fund crime groups, put consumers at risk of malware infection and are unreliable. Piracy only benefits the criminal organisations who are behind these illegal websites.

Thomas Jayet, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Digital Satellite Television Company LTD (K+) commented, “In addition to sport content, K+ invests a huge budget in local movies, latest TV series, and Vietnamese box office titles to broadcast on our platforms. Such premium content gives audiences a better choice of quality and safe entertainment at home, as well as contributing to the sustainability of the local economy especially during the current Covid pandemic.

In order to protect this content, K+ applies diverse countermeasures ranging from technical anti-piracy measures. A critical anti-piracy strategy that has proven to be successful in Indonesia, Malaysia and other APAC jurisdictions, is site blocking. Based on an analysis of Vietnamese law, ISPs would seem to have an obligation to block their users from accessing piracy websites, but only upon an order from the competent authorities. What is required is legal clarity and government mandated procedures for rights holders to refer site blocking requests to government.”

Phan Vu Tuan, Director of Phan Law Vietnam commented, “Piracy websites typically have a click-happy user base, and are being used more and more as clickbait to distribute malware. Unfortunately, the appetite for free content hides users from the very real risks of malware infection. The type of malware embedded within piracy websites can include particularly harmful malware such as remote access trojans which allows the hacker to activate and record from the device’s webcam without the victim being aware.”

YouGov is an international research and data analytics group. For further information visit https://hk.yougov.com. Study conducted in March 2021. All data is weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: Vietnam n=1,057

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy through its Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) programme and provides insight into the industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

Contact AVIA
For media contacts and additional background:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Joy Spreader Included in the MSCI China Small Cap Index

On May 12th , Joy Spreader (06988.HK), a Hong Kong-listed company, announced that the Company is incorporated into the MSCI China Small Cap Index, with effect upon the closure of the market on May 27, 2021.

It is reported that the MSCI China Small Cap Index is one of the China market indices launched by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), which aims to measure the performance of the small cap segment in China’s stock market, covering PRC companies with excellent operating results and development potential. It is an important index for global institutional investors to evaluate their investment portfolios.

Joy Spreader is a leading MarTech company engaging in mobile new media performance-based marketing and marketing SaaS services in the PRC. It has achieved outstanding performance for years and has received considerable attention in the Hong Kong stock market since its listing.

According to the financial report, the revenue of Joy Spreader was HK$262 million, HK$538 million and HK$924 million from 2018 to 2020, respectively, and the earnings (net profit) during the year were HK$45 million, HK$77 million and HK$139 million, respectively. Joy Spreader’s performance has maintained rapid growth.

The Company’s board of directors believes that the inclusion of the MSCI China Small Cap Index shows the recognition of the Company’s performance and value by the capital market. It is expected that the inclusion will enhance the confidence of capital market and investors to the Company and increase the liquidity of the Company’s shares. At the same time, the inclusion will raise the Company’s profile and boost the Company’s business and cooperation.

Joy Spreader’s First Quarterly Results: Video E-commerce Business Soars 143.58%

On May 10, 2021, Joy Spreader (6988.HK), a MarTech company listed in Hong Kong, released the business update of the first quarter of 2021.

According to the announcement, in the first quarter, Joy Spreader achieved revenue of HK$ 248 million, representing an increase of 33.26% over the same period last year, gross profit of HK$77.4 million, representing an increase of 64.16% over the same period last year, and gross profit margin of 31.16%, representing an increase of 5.87 percentages points as compared with the same period last year.

In terms of specific business, the revenue of Joy Spreader’s interactive entertainment and other digital products marketing business in the first quarter was HK$220 million, representing an increase of 26.31% over the same period last year, while the revenue from e-commerce products marketing business was HK$28.45 million, representing an increase of 143.58% over the same period last year.

With the emerging short video e-commerce, video e-commerce business is becoming the largest increment of results of Joy Spreader. In the first quarter, the gross profit of the Joy Spreader’s interactive entertainment and other digital product marketing business reached HK$54.65 million, representing an increase of 44.96% over the same period last year, while the gross profit of e-commerce products marketing business reached HK$22.76 million, representing an increase of 143.68% over the same period last year, accounting for an increasing proportion of the overall gross profit.

At the same time, marketing SaaS service, another core business of Joy Spreader, is growing rapidly. Currently, Joy Spreader uses its own marketing SaaS platform to access content publishers in order to help their traffic to realize commercial value.

The announcement showed that as of the end of the first quarter, Joy Spreader’s marketing SaaS service customers comprised a total of 55,616 WeChat official accounts, representing an increase of 36.01% compared to the end of 2020. A total of 29,828 Douyin accounts in terms of short video, representing an increase of 37.01% compared to the end of 2020. Also, the Company had access to 11,567 clients of WeChat video channels. On the whole, Joy Spreader’s mobile new media realizable access points reached 638,950, representing an increase of 35.96% compared to the end of 2020, further consolidating the basis of business growth.

Filmmakers and National TV Stations May Submit Audio-Visual Productions with Original Music, Composers, Sound Designers May Compose for Films in FMC 2021

On March 28, FMC-Film Music Contest 2021 the unique international music competition and awards and one of the largest competitions of its kind in Europe expanding into Asia, has opened online registration for the regular and new competition categories.

1. Films, TV series, videos with original music

Film and TV creators, production companies, national and private television stations, independent creators and audio-visual content producers may also participate in the new year of the unique international competition and awards FMC-Film Music Contest 2021.

You may submit films, videos and TV series of any genre without regard to the date of their creation. This includes any experimental, animated, documentary sci-fi films, films for children or genre hybrids with original music.

The music is the main and most important component evaluated in these works.

Members of the prestigious international jury FMC 2021 will decide which films or television series with original music will be this year’s finalists and who will be the overall winner.

“In the past, we have discovered many very interesting films, videos and serials in different genres from many countries around the world for this category. The works were often visually ambitious; however, we were mainly interested in the sound component of the film and the original music score. We also screened the finalists at the closing gala ceremony, and it was a genuine experience for all the international guests in the hall,” said FMC Director Vlado Zeleznak Jr.

In the past, this competition category was dominated by American and EU production, but also included works from Australia and New Zealand.

“Since FMC is attempting to incorporate Asia, we believe that Asian filmmakers and television with their extensive and high-quality production will also sign up for this year’s competition,” added Vlado Zeleznak Jr.

You can submit your films and videos in mp4 format with a maximum file size of 500MB to this category with a maximum length of 10 minutes.

Registration around the world is already open online, directly on the official FMC website: https://www.fmcontest.com/product/films-videos-tvs-original-music/

The Deadline to enter Films, TV series, videos with original music is on August 31, 2021

2. Trailer Music “Iceland”

FMC in collaboration with talented film and video maker, photographer and traveler Vlado Lorinc brings a completely new opportunity for all musicians to create their creative idea and compose trailer music for the travel documentary “The way of inspiration Iceland”.

Iceland – popular spot and prominent location for Hollywood blockbuster films or tv series (Star Wars, Prometheus, Game of Thrones, Star Trek: Discovery, Interstellar, James Bond-Die Another Day, Fast & Furious 8) will be a location for all our competitors who will be able to realize their creative compositional ideas without any restrictions.

The competition is open to composers, sound designers, producers, musicians without age limit who will be able to work on the film in their studios and subsequently submit a film with original music online to the competition for the evaluation process.

For many composers, this may be their first experience of working on a professional film and try the whole process of musical composition. They will have plenty of time to create an interesting and unique musical perspective and further enhance the experience of this film work about a unique Iceland.

We believe that the whole process will be fun for the competitors, enriching with the same chance to advance to the semifinals and finals or become an absolute winner.

Read more about the category here: https://www.fmcontest.com/trailer-music/
Online registration is possible via this link: https://www.fmcontest.com/product/trailer-music/
The Deadline to enter Trailer music category is on July 31, 2021.

3. Compose Music for the Animated Sci-Fi film “To the Pathfinders of the Universe” by filmmaker, artist and visionary Alexander Krasnov.

This film is a sequel to the successful film scoring category, where composers and sound designers will be able to compose an original composition for this visionary work.

“This video is dedicated to all the researchers of this astonishing and bottomless space called Cosmos. Whether it’s a vanguard of spaceships discovering new worlds, or scientists broadcasting from their sterile observatories – all of them, day by day, are helping us get closer to a more holistic understanding of the Universe,” said Alexander Krasnov author of the film.

Online registration is possible via this link: https://www.fmcontest.com/product/compose-music-for-the-animated-sci-fi-film/

The Deadline to enter Animated sci-fi film category is on July 31, 2021
Along with the opening of the competition, FMC 2021’s official video trailer was also unveiled.
https://youtu.be/x4F-IgfQjJg

Who will judge and listen to competition entries?
An elite group of professionals from the EU, USA, Asia and Australia will be made up of representatives from the music and film business who actively work for national TV broadcasters, the largest Asian and Hollywood film studios, cultural or theater institutions, agencies as well as for Netflix.

Valuable Prizes
Organizers are proud that thanks to this year’s exclusive partners as well as event partners the prizes will be in such a high value of more than 58 000 Euros.

Follow FMC-Film Music Contest on Social Media:
Facebook: facebook.com/FilmMusicContest
Instagram: instagram.com/fmcontest
YouTube: http://bit.ly/3oOaG48
#fmcfilmmusiccontest

Media Contact:
Mgr. Vlado Zeleznak Jr.
Director, FMC-Film Music Contest, PRESS FMC
E: press@fmcontest.com

AVIA appoints Celeste Campbell-Pitt as its new Chief Policy Officer for the region

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has appointed a new Chief Policy Officer to be based in its Singapore office, a first for the role.

Celeste Campbell-Pitt joins AVIA on Monday 3rd May, initially joining Chief Policy Officer John Medeiros, who will be retiring after a transition period. Medeiros, who is based in Hong Kong, and joined the Association then known as CASBAA, in 2005 as Vice President of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, has been Chief Policy Officer since 2013.

A key focus of AVIA is to represent the combined positions of its members and engage in constructive dialogue with governments so they may better understand the curated video industry and foster an environment of support for the growth of the industry. The Chief Policy Officer spearheads this goal, developing and executing policy initiatives relevant to the video industry, in consultation with and on behalf of AVIA member companies.

The role of the Chief Policy Officer has evolved over the years and has become a lot more critical as regulatory policies continue to develop alongside the sweeping changes the video industry has seen in recent years.

“This role is absolutely critical for AVIA and we have taken a long time to find the right person. While taking over from John who has made the role his own will be no easy task, I am delighted that we have found Celeste who has such a passion for the industry and a clear vision for how to build and develop the role,” said Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA.

Campbell-Pitt comes with over twenty years of business and legal experience in the media and entertainment industry across both Europe and Asia. Prior to joining AVIA, she was consulting with various global media and technology companies as well as private equity firms who were looking to expand into the Asia Pacific region. Campbell-Pitt was previously the Vice President and Head of Business Development and Advertising Sales at Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, after her stint at Endemol Shine Asia Group as the Director and Head of Commercial and Operations. She has also held Senior Legal Counsel positions in international media companies including Star, Turner and Channel Four in the UK.

About the Asia Video Industry Association
The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy through its Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

FMC 2021 is looking for Instrumental, Theatre, Video Game music compositions from around the world

On March 28, FMC 2021– Unique International Music competition and Awards has opened online registration for the regular and popular competition categories “Instrumental Music”, “Theatre Music” and for an exclusive new category “Compose Music for a Video Game”.

1. Instrumental Music Competition

The competition is for Composers, Soloists, Instrumentalists, Chamber Groups (of any kind) Ensembles and Orchestras.

The competition is unrestricted, and musicians and players who play a classical instrument such as brass (trumpet, trombone and baritone), piano, classical guitar, cello, clarinet, double bass, flute, violin or viola or any special cultural instrument may enter the competition.

Only original music compositions and works with a maximum length of six minutes may be entered in the competition. It is not a condition that the compositions have never been previously presented. They can be older music works which have already been presented at concerts, performances or other public forms or online. Of course, contestants may include brand new compositions which have not yet been presented publicly.

These can be studio or demo recordings, or live recordings of performances and concerts.

In this category, FMC is looking to discover new, talented musicians and composers and to reward their beautiful and original musical compositions. At the end of the competition, FMC then promotes the compositions on its official channels and at foreign presentations.

Registration in this category is open online, directly on the competition page, where you can find all the information you need and the registration form. https://www.fmcontest.com/instrumental-music-2/

The Deadline to enter original compositions in the Instrumental Music Competition is 31.8. 2021

2.Theatre Music

National, private and independent theatres, theatre institutions and organizations may this year also enter the category “Theatre music” with their performances of music for theatre. It is exclusively intended for theatre music. Any music compositions, including those which have already been or will be part of theatre performances, may be registered.

Studio, demo recordings or recordings from live performances of any type with a maximum length of up to six minutes will be accepted.

In addition to theatres, composers who work directly with theatres and compose original music to create an unforgettable theatre performance experience may also enter this

category. This also allows composers who are beginning this style of music and who may not yet have had an opportunity to create music directly for theatre achieve this goal.

“Theatres use a lot of interesting music in their programme structures, and much of it has already been heard in performances. We recognized this in previous years of the competition and are looking forward to this year’s entries. The best compositions for theatre will be selected by an international panel of judges, who are eagerly awaiting to hear the music and decide on the winners,” said FMC Director Vlado Zeleznak JR.

Registration for original theatre music is already underway online, directly on the competition website, where you can find all the information, details and registration form. https://www.fmcontest.com/theatre-music/

The deadline to enter Theatre Music competition is: 31.8. 2021

3.Compose Music for a Video game

New competition category for all composers, sound designers, musicians, music producers, etc.

Music and sound are an integral part of every video game. Fans of video games pay ever more attention to this and can appreciate whether music and sound design either completes or disturbs their ideal gaming experience.

“This will be a great opportunity for any musician who composes in this music genre or plans to work professionally in this field to create musical compositions for games and platforms but has not yet had the opportunity to test their skills and work on a real video game,” said FMC Director Vlado Zeleznak JR.

“With this category, FMC wants to discover and uncover new musical talent in the industry. Several rising musicians who turned to us with this also influenced our decision to create this category. We are granting their wish and offering an opportunity to participate in an international competitive environment and compose music or design sound for the professional video game “Air Missions: HIND” from 3DIVISION video game development company. Composers will then have their music and sound evaluated by members of a prestigious international jury and the opportunity to win great and practical prizes which they can use in their recording studios,” added Zeleznak.

Registration and submission of competition contributions is online.

Registration is already globally open, and anyone, regardless of age or nationality, may apply directly on the official competition website. https://www.fmcontest.com/music-for-video-game/

The deadline to enter Compose music for Video Game “Air Missions: HIND” is 31.7. 2021

Members of a prestigious international jury from EU, Australia, USA, Asia who actively work in the music and film industry will select the best compositions. Many of the jury are great instrumental players who have had their compositions used in various films, TV shows, projects, video games, commercials or concert performances.

Each finished and submitted composition involved in the evaluation process has a chance to win any of the prizes in the competition with a total value of more than 58 000 Euros. In addition to the Absolute Winners the jury and organizers of the competition, may propose special prizes for other competitors which will be announced during the announcement of winners. The winners will also receive original custom made trophies and certificates that will be a reminder of the competition and an award for their success.

FMC-Film Music Contest on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/FilmMusicContest Instagram: instagram.com/fmcontest YouTube: http://bit.ly/3oOaG48 #fmcfilmmusiccontest Media Contact: Mgr. Vlado Zeleznak Jr. Director, FMC-Film Music Contest, PRESS FMC E: press@fmcontest.com W: https://www.fmcontest.com

Film Music Contest 2021 and Awards: Registration in all categories is open

On March 28, FMC 2021, the unique international music competition and awards and one of the largest competitions of its kind in Europe now expanding into Asia, has opened online registration.

Composers have another opportunity to showcase their talent in an internationally competitive environment. An exclusive jury, composed of professional composers working for Hollywood, Netflix and national televisions, will award the best composers, musicians and filmmakers. The prizes for this year’s winners are values at a total of over EUR 58,000.

Along with the opening of the competition, FMC 2021’s official video trailer was also un-veiled:
https://youtu.be/x4F-IgfQjJg

The main part of the competition is dedicated to music composers, sound designers, musicians, music producers, and music and cultural institutions. This year, FMC 2021 is also introducing the opportunity to choose a competing film and compose original music for it using unique creative and artistic concepts.

For the first time, the competition allows you to enter the video game world and compose music and design sound for an action video game scene.

FMC is looking to discover new musical talent from among the rising stars of film and TV music. It will also aid beginning composers to try out their work on a professional film or video game and test their skills in preparation for professional work in the film and music industry.

“For musicians, composers and producers who are already active in the industry, a competitive space provides the opportunity to showcase compositions for films, TV serials, commercials or video games. Musicians who enter the competition with their own original instrumental music will also be rewarded. We have also not forgotten about composers of theatre music,” said FMC Director Vlado Zeleznak Jr.

Another part of the competition is dedicated to films, TV serials, videos from filmmakers, independent creators, and national or private television broadcasters. They can submit their audio-visual works with original music. The best will be selected by members of the international jury for the finals, from which a winning film, series or video with original music will then be awarded.

All competition categories and online registration forms can be found at the following link: https://www.fmcontest.com/enter-here-2/

About FMC-Film Music Contest

FMC-Film Music Contest is a unique international contest and music awards for composers of original music for Film, TV, Ads, Videogames, for sound designers, bands, musicians, producers, soloists in instrumental, theatre, electronic music, with no age limits and irrespective of nationality or country of origin. FMC rewards films, TV series, or videos with original music in a separate category which is designed for independent film producers, production companies, video creators, composers, or directors. FMC is regularly represented at the most famous film, TV and music international events, festivals and markets such as: Cannes Film Festival, March’ du Film, Berlinale, NATPE, Musikmesse, etc. For more information, please visit: https://www.fmcontest.com/

About the Main Organizer, The GONG Art Company

The GONG Art Company as the main organizer has been working on cultural activities for nearly 30 years. Its portfolio includes organising many different cultural events. It has been cooperating with different Radios and TV stations in Europe. GONG has produced more than 500 tv episodes and music video clips. It has also produced just as many compositions in its own studio, the most successful of them being released on CD and receiving numerous gold and platinum awards.

FMC-Film Music Contest on Social Media:
Facebook: facebook.com/FilmMusicContest
Instagram: instagram.com/fmcontest
YouTube: http://bit.ly/3oOaG48
#fmcfilmmusiccontest

Media Contact:
Mgr. Vlado Zeleznak Jr.
Director, FMC-Film Music Contest, PRESS FMC
E: press@fmcontest.com
W: https://www.fmcontest.com

7,000 international participants attend FILMART Online

Multifunctional online platform remains open until May

 Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the HKTDC Hong Kong International Film and TV Market | Online (FILMART Online) attracted nearly 7,000 industry participants from 81 countries and regions over four days, with the release and promotion of some 2,200 film and television productions. Having become more familiar with doing business through online platforms, exhibitors and buyers used the online meeting function at FILMART Online to participate in more than 2,000 meetings.

Facebook: 1 in 4 people create and upload videos to social media during pandemic

Running from 15 to 18 March, FILMART Online saw a total of 27 online events staged, including nine conferences. Speaking on the first day of the event, Saurabh Doshi, Head of Entertainment Partnerships, APAC at Facebook, said that about one in four people globally created and uploaded videos to social media during the pandemic. “This was huge among millennials aged 25-34 years old, and the behaviour was even more true in Southeast Asia, where 66% created or interacted with videos on social media and messaging platforms during the first half of 2020,” Mr Doshi said.

Tencent: star-studded cast and big production not the only key to success

Kaichen Li, Head of Tencent’s WeTV and iflix, shared about the development of over-the-top (OTT) programming. “We have spotted early signs of an upward trend for Chinese and Thai content,” he said. “For Chinese content, it’s not only the costume dramas but also modern dramas that have resonated well with the Asian audience. We believe that we are going to see a continued boom in Asian local content.”

Eros Now: brand culture necessary for streaming media to win

Ali Hussein, CEO of OTT platform Eros Now, said that the streaming media business should not focus on purely being transactional. Rather, it should seek to identify the culture for each brand, which is very important once brands start working at a slightly higher level. He explained that Eros Now will launch English-language services in the second half of 2021, in addition to its content with ErosSTX. The company is also working with other content providers across the globe which will give it a more widespread network and allow it to optimise its customer base.

Online platform runs until 18 May

The FILMART Online platform will remain open until 18 May. During this period, industry members can continue to make use of the different features of the platform to connect with exhibitors and buyers and also review the content of previous events.

FILMART Online website: https://event.hktdc.com/fair/hkfilmart-en
Photo download: https://bit.ly/2P1x264

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong’s trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedIn

Media enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC’s Communications & Public Affairs Department:
Angel Tang, Tel: +852 2584 4544, Email: angel.hc.tang@hktdc.org
Clayton Lauw, Tel: +852 2584 4472, Email: clayton.y.lauw@hktdc.org

CITIC Telecom CPC Launches SmartCLOUD Object Storage Solution Based on Cloudian Object Storage Platform

CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (“CITIC Telecom CPC”), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK:1883), and Cloudian today announced that CITIC Telecom CPC is introducing SmartCLOUD(TM) Object Storage solution based on Cloudian’s HyperStore object storage platform. The offering, which will be part of CITIC Telecom CPC’s SmartCLOUD(TM) solutions portfolio, includes backup with ransomware protection, archiving and big data management. As a VMware Cloud Provider Principal Partner with VMware Cloud Verified status, CITIC Telecom CPC’s SmartCLOUD(TM) Object Storage solution further extends the array of service offerings running on a VMware-managed environment. CITIC Telecom CPC’s customers will also benefit from Cloudian’s limitlessly scalability, industry-leading security and cost effectiveness.

Enterprises face a growing challenge of efficiently storing and managing large volumes of unstructured data, including video and other multimedia content. At the same time, as data has become an increasingly strategic asset, it is also increasingly vulnerable to ransomware and other cyber attacks. As a result, CITIC Telecom CPC turned to Cloudian – via the VMware Cloud Provider Program – to provide a robust, modern storage foundation that would enable the company to continue delivering value-added services that address its customers’ evolving data protection and management needs, including meeting various regulatory and compliance requirements.

CITIC Telecom CPC’s SmartCLOUD(TM) Object Storage solution includes:

Ultra-secure data protection
– Offsite data backup with Object Lock for ransomware protection that creates an immutable data copy for fast, easy recovery of data in the event of an attack.
Data archive for compliance needs
– Addresses customers’ regulatory and compliance requirements, including audits, with the ability to make data unchangeable for a set period of time.
Seamless accessibility
– Customers gain multi-cloud accessibility to datasets running on S3-based applications for greater convenience with lower overhead.
Scalable big data management
– Provides highly scalable, cost-effective storage for large datasets, with advanced metadata that facilitates artificial intelligence, machine learning and other analytics applications.
Great variety of connectivity options
– Supports connection with Internet, VPN (such as MPLS), point-to-point leased line and cross-connection within the same datacenter and SmartCLOUD(TM) Cloud Services Centers.
Simple billing model
– Basically only includes storage and data transfer out; API call for data access is free of charge.

In addition to limitless scalability, benefits of Cloudian’s award-winning HyperStore object storage include:

Fully native S3 compatibility
– Ensures seamless integration with the expanding ecosystem of S3-based applications.
Advanced security
– Including Object Lock-based data immutability, secure shell, RBAC/IAM access controls, AES-256 server-side encryption for data at rest and SSL for data in transit, as well as certification with the most rigorous international security requirements.
Multi-tenancy
– Supports for secure, self-managed storage within a shared platform.
Geo-distribution
– Easy to manage storage across multiple locations, all from a single pane of glass.

“After considering various object storage solutions, we selected Cloudian for its rich feature set-particularly its geo-distribution, multi-tenancy and security-and its seamless integration with VMware,” said Taylor Lam, Senior Vice President, Product Development & Management at CITIC Telecom CPC. “With the rising regulatory and compliance stringency on data management, we’re excited about the new SmartCLOUD(TM) Object Storage solution for delivering a cost-effective storage service with enhanced data protection and management to our customers.”

“CITIC Telecom CPC has been at the forefront in enabling enterprises to leverage new technologies to drive greater competitive advantage, strategic agility, and faster time to market,” said Brian Burns, Vice President, Asia Pacific, at Cloudian. “We look forward to helping CITIC Telecom CPC continue to deliver on this strong customer commitment and further grow its business.”

About CITIC Telecom CPC

We are CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (“CITIC Telecom CPC”), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), serving multinational enterprises the world over by addressing their specific ICT requirements with highly scalable tailored solutions built upon our flagship technology suites, comprising TrueCONNECT(TM) private network solutions, TrustCSI(TM) information security solutions, DataHOUSE(TM) cloud data center solutions, and SmartCLOUD(TM) cloud computing solutions.

As a leading Global Local ICT Solutions Partner with worldwide footprint across East to West and native presence, we truly live our motto, “Innovation Never Stops.” Being a preferred Digital Society Enabler, we lead our key markets at the forefront of pioneering ICT development, embracing AI, AR, Big Data, IoT, and other cutting-edge emerging technologies to transform technical potential into real-world value for our customers, helping them achieve higher productivity, agility, cost-efficiency, and ultimately, Digital Globalization.

As one of the first managed service providers in Hong Kong to achieve ISO 9001, 14001, 20000, 27001, and 27017 ICT-related certifications, CITIC Telecom CPC delivers on our superior quality commitment through a broad global self-managed infrastructure encompassing some of the highest growth markets in Asia, Europe and Africa, with over 160 points of presence, 18 Cloud service centers, 30+ data centers, and two dedicated 24×7 Security Operations Centers.

For more information please visit www.citictel-cpc.com.

About Cloudian

Cloudian is the most widely deployed independent provider of object storage systems, with the industry’s most advanced S3 compatibility and an extensive partnership ecosystem. Its award-winning flagship solution, HyperStore, provides limitless scalability and cloud-like technology, flexibility, and economics in the data center. Cloudian’s global data fabric architecture enables enterprises to store, find and protect object and file data seamlessly across sites, both on-premises and in public clouds, within a single, unified platform. Learn more at cloudian.com.

CITIC Telecom CPC Media Contact
Rowena Leung
CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited
rowena.leung@citictel-cpc.com
+852-2170-7536

Cloudian Media Contact
Jordan Tewell
10Fold Communications
cloudian@10fold.com
+1-415-666-6066