Dave's Studio Day - September 29, 2001

Never heard of "Studio Day"? For a DVD addict (like you) it is the equivalent of Christmas.. or a shot of heroin. If you want to know what's coming out on DVD and when, Studio Day is the place to be.

Hosted by Dave's Video - The Laser Place (in Studio City, California), Studio Day is a chance for consumers and industry types alike to meet representatives from the studios to talk about all things DVD. With this year's event, Studio Day is now well in its 16th year, and each just seems to get better and better - with more studio representatives in attendance than ever before, great prizes, celebrity appearances, and plenty of very excited (and vocal!) consumers.

This year reps from just about all the major studios and independents (including Columbia , Warner, Disney, DreamWorks, Paramount, New Line, MGM, THX, Image, Pioneer, Trimark) were in attendance, along with many hardware manufacturers, the industry's leading content producers and plenty of press as well. But with DVD now clearly a "mainstream" phenomenon, this year's Studio Day was a bit different. With so many major "A" catalog titles already announced or released (Phantom Menace, The Godfather, Jurassic Park) and virtually all major new releases hitting stores day & date with their VHS counterparts, more than ever before Studio Day was about depth of catalog and more diverse programming.

Also new this year was a DVD industry and producer's panel, moderated by Bill Hunt at The Digital Bits. Top DVD names all participated, including producers Jeffrey Schwarz, Van Ling, Jeff Kurtti, David Naylor and Stephen Gustafson all participated. Check out The Digital Bits for the full coverage and transcript of this event. (If it is not yet posted at The Bits, it should be soon!)

Unfortunately, scheduled attendees DreamWorks, Artisan and (as usual) Universal did not attend the event, but there was still plenty of late-breaking news to be had and many happy winners of DVDs and other prizes. Since only a few of you in and around the LA area can attend Studio Day in person, here is our annual Studio Day Special Report. Following is a general overview of the event, including a breakdown of news by each studio. Enjoy!

» Twentieth Century Fox
» Buena Vista
» Columbia TriStar
» MGM
» Paramount
» Warner
» New Line, Anchor Bay and Universal (brief)

About Dave's Video

For those unfamiliar with Dave's Video in Studio City, it is a great place to shop for laserdisc, DVD and general electronics products, and is the longest-running disc specialty retailer in California. It is also known to many as the "shop to the stars," with many a legendary celebrity and industry figure stopping by to pick up the latest title or piece of hot equipment. It has a nice, "wide" floor plan, so it was easy to walk around, chat and shop. A cool place worth visiting if you are ever in the Los Angeles area, and the video store to go to for spotting LA celebrities!