Lawrie Rotenberg, president of Charlottetown’s The Talent Group, has a bad feeling about this. First the Asians dropped out, followed by some U.S. broadcasters. He then got the call from a few other TV outfits in the U.K. One by one, the companies he was supposed to meet with at NATPE have canceled.

‘We’ve had several cancellations of meetings,’ says Rotenberg. ‘We’re losing appointments very quickly and there’s other people we’re not even hearing back from.’ The company is preparing to expand from distribution and talent into production, and had hoped to pencil a few deals towards shooting its Havana Bay in Cuba. The Talent Group recently bought the rights to the Martin Cruz Smith novel, which follows the book and 1983 murder mystery Gorky Park.

But according to Rotenberg, many would-be partners are staying home because this year’s TV trade show, in New Orleans Jan. 20-23, seems like too much hassle for too little payoff. They’ll go to MIP-TV and MIPCOM instead.

That means The Talent Group will have ‘a lot of spare time on our hands,’ says Rotenberg. ‘A lot more than I’m happy with considering how much we’ve laid out.’

Some 10,000 attendees are expected this year, comparable to 2002 but a far cry from the 20,000 or so of previous shows.

At least the Canadian Pavilion has filled up – 48 prodcos, distributors and service companies from across the country will be under this year’s Great White Big Top, down a bit from 2002 but far better than previous NATPEs.

‘They’ve given us an extremely good location,’ says organizer Lise Corriveau. ‘We’re one stand over from the entrance, right beside the Hollywood Plaza.’

For most, last year’s NATPE in Las Vegas was a wash-out. Although Canadian attendance was up, the total head count dropped by nearly half, due largely to choppy world markets made worse by the fallout from Sept. 11.

‘It was such a bust,’ says Joy Rosen, president of Toronto’s Portfolio Entertainment.

But she’s forcing herself to stay optimistic about New Orleans, where Portfolio is seeking partners (‘coproduction, distribution, whatever’) for its Carl Squared cartoon series and showing off recently developed live-action titles such as Back Street Alley Club and Taipei Diaries, both of which debuted at last year’s MIPCOM.

Although NATPE lacks the international draw of the MIPs, and has lost its former love of show biz spectacle, Rosenberg says it is still a good chance to make connections and peer into the immediate future of the American market. What is on the floor in January will be on the screen and shaping global trends by the fall.

‘It’s like a crystal ball. Is the market turning around? Are the Americans back in business? Are the Europeans willing to buy?’ she says. ‘A few years ago Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? heralded the resurgence of formatting rights, which is now very big business.’

NATPE senior VP of marketing Beth Braen admits last time was a let-down but insists ’03, acting on recommendations from a special task force, will make significant changes. For one, Vegas will become the show’s permanent home as of 2004, to make the trip easier for Californians and the international crowd. NATPE organizers were also told to liven up the floor.

‘We’ve added a buyer’s lounge right on the exhibition floor, so that buyers have a place to take meetings,’ says Braen. ‘They can just grab a table and sit down.’ Every business day at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center will also end with a cocktail mixer.

And yet the migration of major companies off the floor continues. Many, like Toronto’s CHUM Television International, prefer the privacy and economy of hotel suites for meetings and deal-making.

‘We’ll be holding court at the Ritz-Carlton,’ says Kevin Byles, VP and general manager of CTI. CHUM is seeking new sales south of the border and, with help from newly recruited consultant David Fox, hopes to sell shows and franchises. Plans are afoot for U.S. versions of SexTV The Channel, Star! and Fashion Television Channel, says Byles.

For Rob Davies, VP of business development at Atomic Cartoons in Vancouver, the trick to a good NATPE is multitasking. ‘We approach the markets with a few different reasons for going, that way we’re never hugely disappointed.’ The animation company will tout new shows – including its new dot-goner comedy Dysfunction Junction and the series Dog in a Box with 2 Wheels – while also seeking out service work and coproduction deals.

‘The other reason is just to show up to the dance. Let people know you’re alive. Network, establish new relations, shake hands. That in itself is enough reason to go to any market.’

Who’s selling what?

JUST a few of the Canadian prodcos that will be working the floor in The Big Easy.

CCI – Cambium Catalyst Entertainment

CEO Arnie Zipursky and VP distribution Jill Keenleyside will tout such animated and live-action titles from the Toronto prodco as the 13 x 30 The Ripping Friends, last year’s 90-minute MOW Fast Food High and all 52 half-hour eps of their cartoon series Monster By Mistake. CCI is actively seeking copro partners.

Cinar

Your one-stop shop for all 52 half-hours of Mona the Vampire and all 65 five-minute eps of Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings. The Montreal-based animation and distribution house has four new titles and seasons in the works and is looking to team up on coproduction and distribution deals.

Ellis Entertainment

Where else can you buy a 4 x 60 doc series all about parasites? Or 26 half-hours on the finer points of Feng Shui? Ellis Entertainment of Toronto has 11 doc and lifestyle titles up for grabs and represents a catalogue of another 1,000 hours of non-fiction.

Mainframe Entertainment

Just about everything on Mainframe’s roster is still in development – but there’s a lot of it. New titles from the B.C. computer animation house include 26 x 30 runs each of Betty Boop, Dot’s Bots, Tony Hawk and Maxine 5. President Mark Fleischer mans the booth and is looking to partner up on CG series, films and video releases.

La Fete

Quebec’s noted producer of non-violent family fare has its eye on Latin America and hopes to land prebuy or copro partners. On the menu at NATPE are 26 half-hours of Vampire High, one season of the primetime drama Gold, the Fire Station reality series and its 90-minute feature The Hidden Fortress. Ask for executive producer Ina Fichman or VP distribution Xiao Juan Zhou.