By now, folks in the international TV sector are aware that the independent screenings that precede the studios’ L.A. Screenings will have a new venue that is cheaper and more convenient: The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Indeed, “the Roosevelt Hotel is conveniently located near shops and the Hollywood studios,” said Raul Piña, director, Distribution and International Marketing at the Los Angeles-based Electric Entertainment.
Since 1983, when VideoAge began covering what was previously called the “May Screenings” (before VideoAge changed it to the current “L.A. Screenings,”), independent TV companies set up shop at various hotels around Los Angeles on their own. Some rented suites at the Westwood Marquis (now The W), others at the Four Seasons, forcing buyers to rush from place to place in the L.A. traffic.
That was until Isabella Marquez swooped in to coordinate all the independents, first at the Century Plaza, then at the InterContinental, then back at the CP until it became too expensive and grew indifferent to the needs of the distributors. Now Marquez has found a solution with the selection of The Roosevelt Hotel as the new venue for the Independent Screenings 2025, which will take place May 15 and 16, with the studios’ screenings starting on the 17.
“The iconic hotel,” said Marquez “will offer a range of suites and event spaces to accommodate various needs. We were looking for a hotel that could meet the diverse requirements of our clients and buyers. The Hollywood Roosevelt stood out for its spacious and comfortable suites, reasonable pricing, and ability to provide sleeping accommodations for both exhibitors and buyers throughout the entire event schedule.” The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is located on Hollywood Boulevard and the rate for a standard sleeping room is $239 per night, which is a great rate in Los Angeles for a four-star hotel.
But will the buyers be there? Buyers will be in Los Angeles in droves, attracted by the studios’ invitations. How many of those will trickle down to the indies two days before the studios’ screenings, is, as always, a matter of speculation, and mainly a function of the content being offered by the indies.
As per mid-March (earlier than past years), more than 20 companies had already reserved exhibition spaces, including studios such as NBCUniversal and Disney, and indies such as Telefilms (Argentina), Record TV (Brazil), TelevisaUnivision (Mexico), Dori Media (Israel), Inter Medya (Turkey), Kocca (South Korea), and Insurgence (U.S.).
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