"The Simpsons" Creator and Director Highlight Thirty-Seventh Annual UCLA Entertainment Symposium

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Thirty-Seventh UCLA Entertainment Symposium, "Deals on the Edge," will welcome several hundred participants on March 8-9, 2013, at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, Macgowan Hall.

The annual event addresses subjects at the forefront of the entertainment industry.  The Symposium features leading entertainment industry executives who will share their perspectives on the status of the industry and the impact of evolving technologies on deal making and distribution.

A highlight of this year's symposium is a dialogue with cartoonist, screenwriter and executive producer Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, and Futurama and the long-running cartoon strip Life in Hell; and director and animator David Silverman, who directed numerous episodes of The Simpsons as well as The Simpsons Movie.  

The UCLA Entertainment Symposium has become a flagship event for the entertainment and legal industries, bringing together industry executives, agents, managers, producers, entertainment attorneys and students.  

Cost for the event is $350 for a single ticket purchased February 22 or before and $395 for a single ticket purchased after that.  To sign up and see more information, please visit http://www.law.ucla.edu/main-calendar/Pages/Calendar.aspx?EventID=2852.

The two-day symposium will feature a broad range of panels exploring the changing landscape of the entertainment industry. The rapid evolution of technologies, especially the digital revolution, is causing a re-examination of long established practices and assumptions. Panelists will address questions including how to plan for the success of original content in the vast digital landscape, how to negotiate current TV deals and how to protect rights overseas. Panelists will also discuss animation, global film financing and production opportunities, including an examination of the benefits and hazards of filmmaking in newly developing markets.

The panelists and moderators who will examine these issues include key executives from studios and production companies including Pixar, Illumination Entertainment, Warner Bros., leaders from digital companies including Yahoo! and representatives from top talent agencies including Creative Artists Agency. Independent producers, agents and media developers will also present their perspectives from the frontlines.

The Symposium will be hosted by the UCLA Law School.

About UCLA School of Law

Founded in 1949, UCLA School of Law is the youngest major law school in the nation and has established a tradition of innovation in its approach to teaching, research and scholarship. With approximately 100 faculty and 1,100 students, the school pioneered clinical teaching, is a leader in interdisciplinary research and training and is at the forefront of efforts to link research to its effects on society and the legal profession. For more information, visit www.law.ucla.edu.

SOURCE UCLA School of Law