Entertainment attorney, Lindsay Spiller, provides an insider's guide to MIPCOM, the premier global television and media market held annually in October in Cannes, France.
Transcription:
Hi everybody! This is Lin. I'm here at Cannes. Actually it's the last day of Cannes, but I thought before I left I'd show you some of my favorite spots.
Behind me is called the Palais. It's kind of the convention center and that's where I spend most of my time --- in that building.
I'm now approaching a rather famous spot that is a very popular spot for people who attend the festivals. It's called Caffé Roma. Caffé Roma has a little outdoor eating place and it has great pizza and pasta. It's right across the street from the Palais where all the action is. To attend the Palais you have to pay a fee, which is a pretty significant fee. I know a lot of attorneys and a lot of sales agents who do quite well never paying the registration fee for the Cannes film festival or MIPCOM but instead just sit at these tables, call people that they know who are attending the events, and have them come meet them here for a drink (and close deals).
Cannes is a beautiful place it's a hot spot for celebrities. The real estate agents along the boulevard post things like they do at home --- properties for sale. In this case, they don't even list the prices. They just show you the pictures and you can imagine how expensive that properties are.
So to give you a flavor of what Cannes is like when things are in full swing here, here's the opening party at MIPCOM this year...
Here is an insider's view of what the Palais looks like on the first day of MIPCOM...
This is my way of getting around Cannes. I always try to rent a motorcycle. Just like in San Francisco, it's so much easier to get around Cannes on either a scooter or motorcycle.
So I'm at one of my favorite places in the area. It's called the Plage des Ondes. It's the sweetest little cove and beach. The water is extremely clear. You can see fish. I took a GoPro here several years ago and I went underwater with it and captured some great shots. It's really beautiful and peaceful too. Cannes is so busy that it can make you crazy. If you don't get out of town once in a while it can really wear you out. So this is my place to come to decompress.
If you've read "The Moveable Feast" by Ernest Hemingway, you will remember passages in which he discusses visiting F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda in the Riviera. This is where Fitzgerald and Zelda came. They came to an area in Juan-les-Pins (a village near Cannes) which is now occupied by a five-star hotel called The Belle Rive. This was back in the 1920s. James Joyce came down, Gertrude Stein came down. It really was an artist's haven and during this time I think he [Fitzgerald] was also writing The Great Gatsby.
Another of my other favorite places is called Vilfeu or Glacier Vilfeu. When I first arrived here 10 years ago for my first Cannes, I had a coffee ice cream here and it's turned into a tradition. When I come here I have an ice cream when I arrive and when I leave I have an ice cream. So welcome to Vilfeu!
MIPCOM is a four day event but this is the fourth day. Look around. There is no one here! They've all gone home! They're tired like I am.
Goodbye from Cannes.
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