POISED FOR SUCCESS.

Video Age International sat down with the two principals of The Global Association of Independent Television (GAIT), Brian Nash and Joe Weber, to discuss the launch of GAIT and their visions for the future.

VA: What led to the founding of GAIT?

Brian Nash: GAIT was founded upon the realization that there was no organizing body for independent TV producers. With the widespread acceptance of independent media in magazines, music and film, the next logical step is television production.

VA: What has changed in the television business that necessitates a GAIT in the year 2000?

Nash: We have reached the 500-channel universe, with Internet broadcasting emerging and growing quickly. There is a need for original content to fill the air-time that exists, and traditional sources of programming are not providing enough content.

Joe Weber: As always, content is king, and all these new outlets desperately need content!

VA: How did the two of you find each other?

Weber: Ron Gold at NATPE introduced us. When Brian outlined his vision for GAIT, the festival and the website, I was blown away. The concept is overdue and the time is right to launch.

Nash: When we starred, I recognized that I needed the guidance of someone who knew who the program buyers were, and how to get them to listen. Joe has been a perfect complement to me. He is a sounding board who has years of experience in TV sales and knows what works.

VA: Have you modeled GAIT on any existing association? What are the similarities or differences between GAIT and competitive associations or websites?

Nash: GAIT is a unique organization in that we are building both an online presence with TV-Pilot.com and an offline presence, the GAIT Festival, simultaneously. There are many new websites that offer a catalog of programming for both TV shows and movies. GAIT stands alone in being the only website that is geared toward the "business-to-business" side of the television industry, with a focus on independent TV.

VA: What can producers expect to get out of the festival?

Weber: In real estate it's "location, location, location." In selling TV shows, it's "exposure, exposure, exposure." Expose your program; expose your ideas; expose your abilities. The festival allows indie producers to do all that while at the same time rub elbows with industry movers and shakers. We'll show pilot productions, we'll have "pitch me" sessions to network execs and we'll also provide networking opportunities.

Nash: There'll be program buyers, agents, managers and advertisers. The Internet is great and TV-Pilot.com helps facilitate interaction among everybody, but it is still nice to look someone in the eye, shake his or her hand and try to work out a deal. That is what the GAIT festival will provide.

VA: Other than being available around the world on the Internet, how do you see yourselves as being truly global?

Nash: The Internet is only a small part of it. Television production is an international business, and we are encouraging international producers to submit entries for presentation at the GAIT Festival. Productions screened at the festival will receive worldwide recognition as productions of excellence.

Weber: We're also looking at the concept of holding the GAIT Festival at multiple venues simultaneously, so that if someone cannot be in Los Angeles, they may be able to participate in activities being held in New York, London or Paris.

Nash: We're going to introduce GAIT to the European community at the Monte Carlo TV Market. We believe that TV-Pilot.com and the GAIT Festival will garner a welcome response because until now, independent television producers have had no services catered specifically to their needs.

VA: What has the early reaction been from producers and other industry professionals?

Weber: It's been incredible. Producers are coming out in droves. I knew that a lot of independent production occurred, but I am shocked by the number of pilot producers who have requested information. We all think of Hollywood as being the place where it's all done. Wrong! We have heard from such diverse places as Israel, France and Salt Lake City, in categories from comedies and documentaries to reality and children's programming. We have an Emmy-award winning producer posting several new pilots, and a former producer from Entertainment Tonight logging his pilots onto TV-Pilot.com.

VA: What is your vision of GAIT for 2005?

Nash: GAIT in 2005 will be the one-stop shop for TV-show development. Internet broadcasting will be more massive then, and GAIT's services will be a boon to webcasters.

VA: Other than producers and buyers using TV-Pilot.com, who else should be interested in what GAIT has to offer?

Nash: For agents and managers, it's an ideal place to find new talent both on-alt and behind the camera. For advertisers, TV-Pilor.com provides a chance to be a part of a production at its very early stages. If an advertiser latches onto a program early, it becomes easier to sell the program to a broadcaster.

Weber: Anyone interested in making better TV should be interested in GAIT. Right now we operate under a very closed good-ole-boy network when it comes to pitching a show. That's why so much of what you see on TV looks the same. We want to level the playing field for indie producers and provide access to that good-ole-boy network. There are a lot of extremely creative and capable producers who just need access.