ISSUE 15Summer 2014

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

I N S U R A N C E N E W S

• AICP Week • Filming with Drones

• Essence Festival • Tony Award Winners and Nominees

Entertainment& Media

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BRAVO to Our Tony Winners & Nominees

DeWitt Stern congratulates our American Theatre Wing Tony-winning clients, the best of the best on Broadway this season.

Act One Best Scenic Design of a Play

All The Way Best Play, Best Actor in a Play

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Best Revival of a Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill Best Actress in a Play, Best Sound Design of a Play

The Bridges of Madison County Best Original Score, Best Orchestrations

The Signature Theatre - Regional Theatre Award

In a year with many strong contenders, we’re proud of these outstanding clients that also were nominated for Tony Awards:

Bullets Over Broadway CabaretCasa Valentina Les Misérables Mothers and Sons Machinal

Of Mice and Men Outside MullingarThe Glass MenagerieThe Velocity of AutumnViolet

Industry Works to KeepProduction Insurance Current

A small drone �lming above New York skyscrapers spiraled out of control and crashed on a midtown sidewalk during rush hour last year. Luckily, no one was hurt. The video of Manhattan was amazing and included a sel�e of the amateur who launched the drone from a high-rise terrace. Drones, Quadcopters, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Spidercams -- whatever you call them -- are increasingly sophisticated tools in the �lm and media industry for scouting locations, spectacular overhead shots, and much more. Drones are quickly replacing helicopters and cranes at a fraction of the cost, which is especially important for independent �lm makers with limited budgets.

Drones fall down, crash into property, outrage humans and frighten horses. Much of this is due to “pilot error” while handling UAVs’ tricky remote controls in unpredictable winds.

The resulting liability is not automati-cally included in production insurance packages. However, DeWitt Stern brokers have access to specialized liability insurance for commercial Drone/UAV usage on an annual or per production basis.

The FAA does not have jurisdiction over aerial vehicles that �y below 400 feet and stay three miles away from air traf�c control areas. This area is also where most commercial �lming takes place -- within “line of sight.”

A Federal administrative judge recently nulli�ed FAA regulations banning commercial use of drones. The FAA is appealing. By the end of 2015, the FAA expects to publish comprehensive regulations that encompass training and certi�cation as well as drone airworthiness testing. Their goals are not only safety, but also national security and privacy.

Flying drones for commerical purposes is illegal throughout New York’s �ve boroughs, Los Angeles and most cities. However, when it is done, check with your broker to make sure your insurance provides coverage.

This year is the 20th anniversary of the ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans. What do you think is so special about the Festival that keeps people coming back year after year?We are so excited about the 20th anniversary of the ESSENCE Festival! There is a distinctiveness of this event that our audience knows they can’t get anywhere else. Over the course of four days, ESSENCE will host 20 stages of programming to commemorate our 20th anniversary—which is double the number of stages compared to last year. Our 100+ speakers and amazing nighttime line-up at the Superdome with over 80 artists attract more than 100,000 attendees per day.

How has the Festival evolved over the years?It still amazes us how the Festival has evolved over the years. What began as a one-time celebration in honor of the 25th anniversary of the magazine has now grown into the leading African-American destination for culture, community, and top-tier music and entertainment. During our 19th anniversary last year, we hosted 543,000 people—the largest attendance in the history of the Festival! This year, we expect to bring more than 500,000 visitors to the New Orleans.

The ESSENCE Festival, taking place in New Orleans over July 4th weekend, is the nation's largest and most spectacu-lar yearly gathering of African-Americans for concerts, cultural celebrations, empowerment seminars, family reunions and so much more. ESSENCE expects more than 500,000 attendees, meaning big business for New Orleans and a big responsibility for ESSENCE. We sat down with ESSENCE General Manager Joy A. Profet, whose team worked with DeWitt Stern on insurance coverage for the Festival.

Peter MarshallEAST COAST WEST COAST

212-338-4320

Peter Shoemaker212-297-1444

John Hamby818-623-5406

Christina Born818-623-5434

Entertainment

Commercial production is a $5+ billion industry and AICP (Association of Independent Commercial Producers) members produce about 85 percent of all US commercials. Since its inception over 40 years ago, the AICP has developed essential business guidelines, contracts, and proposals, in addition to

providing much needed insurance advice. The AICP also holds educational production training seminars in Los Angeles and New York twice a year and keeps its members informed through the AICP website, its newsletters and blogs.

"Our industry is constantly changing, both driving and reacting to trends in the overall business world,” says Matt Miller, President and CEO of AICP. “Our job is to keep our members properly informed and represented so they can conduct their businesses at optimal performance."

During this year’s AICP Week, a celebration of advertising creativity which includes the debut of the AICP Next Awards and the premiere of the AICP Show, AICP conducted a Business Affairs Boot Camp. This series of

workshops highlighted current issues affecting production companies, including insurance. DeWitt Stern Managing Director Conte Moore, along with Joe Finnegan of ProSight Specialty Insurance and Scott Taylor of Taylor & Taylor Insurance, spoke on a panel moderated by Miller to discuss various

issues pertaining to insurance. The topics included wrap-up production insurance, which continues to have problematic application in the real world and causes concern for AICP members.

In addition to the Business Affairs Boot Camp, there were discussions about creativity, digital production and work�ow. The AICP Next Awards debuted on June 10th at the NYU Skirball Center and the 23rd annual AICP Show premiered on June 12th at The Museum of Modern Art.

With so many people gathering for four celebratory days, what does the organiza-tion hope to achieve?ESSENCE’s ambition is to serve our audience with inspiration and empower-ment. We want them to come to New Orleans not only ready to experience a charged weekend full of energy and entertainment, but also the encourage-ment they need to put themselves �rst. Our hope is that our audience leaves New Orleans �lled with a renewed commitment to give back to themselves, their family, and their communities.

What are your own favorite experiences at the Festival?The entire ESSENCE Festival weekend is unforgettably powerful, but in particular, I enjoy seeing Festival fan favorites return to the ESSENCE Empowerment and Superdome stages to give our audience timeless conversations and music. The 20th anniversary celebrates 20 years since Rev. Al Sharpton’s keynote at the Empowerment Stage and Mary J Blige’s 12th year on the Main Stage at the Superdome. And of course, Yolanda Adams, Iyanla Vanzant, Steve Harvey, Charlie Wilson, Jill Scott and the incomparable Prince all return to grace us with their gifts to our communities that are the heartbeat of our brand.

A. LeConte Moore 212.297.1486cmoore@dewittstern.com

DRONE FILMINGNo place for amateurs

Photo courtesy of Doug Goodman