Written by The Location Guide on Nov 30, 2020. Posted in Interviews

Spotlight on FOCUS Digital Content Sponsor Production Service Network

FOCUS talks to Michael Moffett, Founder of Production Service Network (PSN), about 2020, PSN’s involvement with FOCUS, and his predictions for the future of the sector.

2020 FOCUS Digital content sponsor Production Service Network (PSN) have their finger on the pulse of global content production, with a fifty-strong network of production service companies that provide local expertise across the world. Sponsored by PSN, the content programme at FOCUS will include keynotes, panels, masterclasses, workshops, and presentations covering film, TV, advertising, animation, and games under the theme “Future-proofing the Screen Industries”. The hopeful programme is looking at ways of making the industries more adaptable using lessons of the past year to develop a sector that is much richer in its commitments and its considerations.

  • PSN have been involved with FOCUS since the first show, what makes it a show worth coming back to?

Focus is an inspiring mix of production folks working in a wide range of genres, and the cross pollination is powerful. That makes it very fertile ground for us as production service companies executing projects around the world in various genres. It's the place we want to be. You can walk under one roof - or login to one digital forum - and connect with a location manager hunting down the best countries for a feature, a producer who's developing a series dependent on local incentives, or a commercial producer who has another project ready to roll. Where else are we going to find these people in one place? It isn’t very common.

  • This year’s edition is the first digital show, are you looking forward to the event?

Of course we would have loved to meet our colleagues in person, but I do believe there's a lot to look forward to. Whereas in a live event you count on the serendipity of encounters, FOCUS organizers are formulating ways to bring together the folks that have similar interests and similar needs, who can help each other in this industry that is so based on working together. I'm intrigued to see how artificial intelligence plays into this. It's a sign of our times, let's give it a whirl!

  • PSN has a worldwide network of partners. What perspective did this give you during the pandemic?

Through commercial work our partners were very much at the forefront of pioneering the way forward when it came to protocols. We played a key role just because of our structure being global.  It has been incredibly satisfying to contribute toward our industry’s return to work.

It was fascinating to be at the helm of PSN during granular discussions with our partners in South Korea and the Gold Coast of Australia which never stopped filming. We had partners who were getting a grip on these challenging times “live”. We were able to transfer their experience at how to deal with the pandemic and share it with associations developing their own protocols like the APA the AICP.

It honestly goes back to a root concept of PSN, sharing production knowledge. We are a one-stop shop of experts so we have the boots on the ground worldwide that can do that. We see no better way to demonstrate our production service expertise than by sharing our local knowledge.

Very early in this whole process we realised the value in publishing our shoot status table, which we continue to update quite regularly with input from our partners. It enables us to inform producers right off the bat, you know, what the filming situation is in 50 film hubs around the world. Between lockdowns and travel restrictions there are so many more variables that come into play now.

Read the full interview with PSN on the FOCUS website.

Register now for your free delegate badge to hundreds of free sessions and meet with Production Service Network using the meeting scheduler.

 

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