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BASE AWARDS COME HOME
LIONSGATE THE BIGGEST WINNER
UNIVERSAL’S HAT-TRICK
SONY CROWNED WITH THREE GONGS
WARNER’S TRIO OF STARS
UCA’S AWARDS BRACE
OBVIOUSLY SCOOPS AGENCY AWARD
ASDA WINS BIG AT RETAIL
SKY’S DIGITAL EFFORTS REWARDED
AMAZON’S HOME ENT OFFERING EARNS GONG
DISNEY WINS CHART HONOURS
BBC’S PLANET PLAN SUCCEEDS
SEVEN AWARDS FOR SEVEN HEROES
HMV VETERAN AMONG THOSE HONOURED…
BASE PROMISES BIG PARTY IN 2021
EUREKA UNVEILS FIRST TITLES FOR 2021…
…AND TWO NEW ACQUISITIONS
SURESH DOSHI RIP
BASE UNVEILS Q4 TRAILER
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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The BASE Awards came home on October 22, as, for the first time ever, the awards migrated online and were unveiled to the industry watching at home or beyond, on laptops, tablets, phones and other screens. Companies got together via Zoom and other meeting apps to watch as the winners of this year’s delayed awards celebrating the best in marketing, retail and beyond in the business, were announced. In little more than half an hour, the successful entrants had been revealed and the winners could get on to the important part of celebrating their success, as those who missed out were able to raise.a glass to their contemporaries and commiserate each other on not picking up a gong. Chief honours went to Lionsgate, which came away clutching four awards, winning half of the box office film awards and a further for PR initiative of the year. There were three apiece for Sony, Universal and Warner, while Asda triumphed in the retail category, picking up two, with an award apiece for Amazon and Sky Store. The Universal and Sony joint venture UCA earned itself two awards, while a line-up of industry heavyweights were the first recipients of the Category Hero awards marking their contributions to the business.
So, we’ll start with the evening’s biggest winner, Lionsgate. The company, whose success has continued from 2019 through to 2020 in home entertainment despite the pandemic and has long been charted here, won four awards. These saw it scooping half the prizes up for grabs in the box office categories, including the Campaign Of The Year For Film Up To £1m Box Office for Hunter Killer, the Campaign Of The Year Film £1m-£1.99m Box Office for Hellboy, and the equivalent for £5m to £14.99m box office films for John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum. It also picked up the PR and Publicity Initiative gong for its film and game launch John Wick Excommunicado. Commenting on its success, the company’s Marie-Claire Benson said: “Finally some good news! We are thrilled to have received so many awards and commendations, for campaigns which were devised and executed with excellence. We extend our congratulations to the rest of the winners and runners up; and thank you to BASE and the Judges for giving us a welcome opportunity to celebrate our category.”
Universal, stretching back as far as we can remember, has always been a fierce supporter of the industry awards, as well as a competitive entrant into categories. As part of the international joint venture with Warner, the latter major will be taking over the handling of its titles into 2021, it’s the last awards ceremony for Universal in its current guise in the UK. So it was fitting to see Universal, always a key player in any BASE Awards, picking up three awards that reflected the diversity of its work as well as its assorted relationships with the likes of eOne and Paramount. It picked up the In-store Theatre Initiative Of The Year for its Downton Abbey efforts, the Campaign Of The Year for Catalogue Single Product for Mean Girls (for Paramount) and Campaign Of The Year Film £2m to £4.99m Box Office for Nativity Rocks. Commenting on its success, Universal md Ian Foster said: “I am immensely proud and delighted that once again the teams hard work, creativity and innovation has been recognised at this year’s BASE awards and I was particularly pleased that UCA’s contribution to the category was recognised with not one but two awards. As we prepare to enter a new chapter here at Universal, the 40th BASE Awards was a bitter sweet moment however we are extremely grateful for all the touching tributes to our business. Well done to Vicki Davis and all the other Category Hero's, thanks to BASE for putting on a great show and congratulations to all the nominees and winners across the industry.”
Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s three awards came for Creative Marketing Initiative Of The Year for its work on The Crown complete box set, for Campaign Of The Year for TV for Outlander S4 and for Campaign Of The Year For Film £15m to £24.9m Box Office for Venom. Commenting on its success, Rob Marsh, Vice President Commercial at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment says “We're delighted to have won three awards and to be Highly Commended in three other categories at the BASE Awards. The whole SPHE team has worked exceptionally hard and it's great to have our innovative and creative campaigns recognised by our industry peers. We'd also like to thank our retail partners for their continued support and collaboration in helping us to achieve phenomenal results last year. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners, and thanks to BASE for organising such a successful online event it was a great opportunity to look back on all of the remarkable content and campaigns submitted this year.”
Warner’s three gongs came across the board too, again showing off a breadth of work. There was Campaign Of The Year Non-Traditional Release (sponsored by The Raygun no less) for Western Stars, while the biggest earning film award, Campaign Of The Year For Film Over £25m Box Office also went to the major for A Star Is Born. Its trio was completed by the award for Campaign Of The Year For Catalogue Multiple Product for its digital Ultimate Winter Watch List work. Warner md John Stanley said: “We’re really pleased with the recent recognition at the BASE Awards. The digital award demonstrates our ongoing commitment to driving transactional growth, whilst the numerous new release film wins are testament to the creative talent demonstrated by the whole team.
The joint venture between Universal and Sony UCA, picked up two gongs, one for its hybrid tower which earned the Outstanding Innovation Of The Year Retail as well as the External Team Of The Year Industry. Of the latter, the judges said: “First formed in 2002, UCA initially only distributed Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures content, but has since expanded its partnerships to now cover 85 per cent of the DVD market and 95% of the music market. As well as holding supply and distribution agreements with a wide range of non-traditional retailers across the UK and Ireland, UCA also operates Zoom, a multi-million pound direct-to-consumer retail business alongside international D2C service provision and consultancy. The judges all agreed that UCA are the deserving winners in this category, as they are a huge supporter of the physical format, and make a significant contribution to the wider home entertainment market, delivering 8.9% of market share and 3.8 million units sold in 2019.”
The External Team Of The Year Creative Agency award went to our old pals at Obviously Creative, whose founder Alex Carter told The Raygun: “I am so proud of the OC team for helping us achieve these amazing accolades. Not only am I delighted for the recognition, but also hugely grateful for our clients ongoing support both prior and through this very strange time – their continued belief in us is what makes moments like this so much more meaningful. I’d also like to congratulate all of this year’s nominees and winners – such a thrill to see the array of amazing campaigns and projects getting the recognition they deserve. Thanks of course has to go out to BASE for holding this event in the face of such adversity and for reaching 40 years of inspiring industry support.”
Asda was the biggest winner in the retail categories, earning awards for Physical Retailer Of The Year and Retailer Initiative Of The Year for its aisle revitalisation. “For a second year in a row, Asda wAS deemed the stand-out winner in the Physical Retailer of the Year category. The Asda team continued to support the breadth of content across the home entertainment distribution base and were hugely generous with the Project 2020 working group in terms of the resource, commitment and engagement they dedicated to the rejuvenation of the home entertainment aisle,” said the judges on the first of its brace, adding, on the aisle revitalisation: “After being approached by the BASE Project 2020 working group about trialling new ideas for the home entertainment aisle, the Asda team set out to transform the DVD aisle from the traditional sea of titles into a more enticing, easy-to-shop, cinematic environment. The activity involved a huge effort from all of the teams involved, both store staff and head office as well as external partners. The judges were particularly impressed by the almost scientific approach to customer research and sales analysis performed to show how different elements of the activity affected sales. The tangible results and before and after images show a truly impressive achievement and encouraging results for the category.”
Sky Store added to its previous awards haul with Digital Retailer Of The Year, with the judges noting: “Throughout 2019, Sky Store has proactively sought out the acquisition of new digital customers with impressive BTL activity, as well as supporting industry-wide initiatives. Sky Store’s consistent focus on this key area of its business saw it pipping the other competition at the post to be awarded Digital Retailer of the Year.”
Amazon won the other retail award, picking up the Online Physical Retailer Of The Year gong, with the judges saying: “For Online Physical Retailer of the Year, Amazon was the deserving winner in the category for a second year running. Amazon continued to provide a consumer-driven focus for home entertainment product and successfully delivered activity across the full breadth of content and distribution partners.”
Disney's dominance particularly after its mega-acquisition of Fox saw the major picking up the two chart-based awards, Distributor Of The Year and Title Of The Year, the latter for the Fox title Bohemian Rhapsody. The Outstanding Innovation Of The Year for distribution went to BBC Studios for its industry first, sustainable packaging for Seven Worlds One Planet. On that, the judges said: “In a phenomenal campaign, BBC Studios reacted to the public feedback around the release of Blue Planet II, which was packaged in the traditional plastic box and outer shrink wrap, by taking a holistic company-wide approach to committing to making a difference to the category’s environmental impact. For the release of Seven Worlds, One Planet, the BBC Studios team showed stand-out leadership both internally and category-wide by putting in a huge amount of time and resource into educating themselves about all elements of disc packaging, and creating the first fully sustainable and recyclable DVD. The uplifting campaign demonstrated a huge amount of collaboration with external partners, and acknowledged the privilege of having the freedom of working in an environment where innovation is possible, then sharing research and development findings for the good of the wider category. With no returns or consumer complaints about the new packaging, the release was a resounding commercial and environmental success and BBC Studios’ commitment to lead from the front and help change the industry for good is clear to see.”
The key new award, or rather awards, came in the shape of Category Hero Of The Year, aimed at recognising the key talents in the industry and the people who’ve made outstanding contributions to the business. Andy Anderson, former long-time hmv staffer and, as one person who nominated him noted, possibly the nicest person who’s ever been in the industry (he left hmv just before the pandemic kicked in). Commenting on his award, Anderson told The Raygun: “What a fantastic and total surprise. I was very lucky to work for so long in an industry I loved and for a company I loved. To be recognised for that and to be nominated by a giant of the category is a real honour. I’d like to congratulate all the other category heroes, all very well deserved. Also I’d like to say thanks to everyone I worked with at hmv and in the home ent industry who made the last 35 years so enjoyable.”
Also rewarded was another old pal of ours, Rob Callow, who’s worked across the industry, most notably working his way through the ranks at VCI from the VHS era through to a disc-based business, latterly as chief of Spirit. He said: “Thanks to BASE, Acorn’s Stuart Shaw for his very generous words and the Spirit team and our trading partners for all of your support. Congratulations to all of the awards nominees and winners and well done to Base for pulling off the awards. Yet again our amazing industry has shown innovation and resilience in these highly unusual times.”
Industry Trust For IP Awareness marketing manager James Gallagher was another recipient of the Category Hero award. He said: “To be honest I’m thrilled! Being recognised by your peers in an official capacity is not something that comes along very often in your career! I’m truly humbled and I’d just like to say thank you for my nomination and for the support and dedication of all those smart people I’m lucky enough to work with. And to be named alongside some industry legends is a real honour in itself.”
Another recognisable industry face picked up an Industry Hero, as Vicki Davis, who has worked across retail and distribution, latterly at Universal as head of customer experience while also working on industry-wide initiatives such as BASE’s Project 2020. She said: “I was really honoured (and I'll be honest, pretty overwhelmed) to receive the Category Hero Award at this year's BASE Awards. I've been exceptionally lucky that Ian Foster, Louisa Mitchell and Martin Nichols have given me the freedom and encouragement to pursue innovative solutions to keep our category exciting and engaging and that I've been able to collaborate with so many true superstars across retail, agencies, other distributors, BASE and within Universal on such a wide variety of amazing projects. It feels a little strange to be singled out, when so much of what I've done has been in conjunction with many brilliant people, but I'm very grateful for the award and hope that the work that we've done so far on BASE Project 2020 will go from strength to strength in 2021."
There were further Category Hero awards given to Andrew Thompson from Asda (his nominators said: “Andrew Thompson should win the inaugural BASE Category Hero Award in recognition of all of the time, energy and enthusiasm he has brought to the transformation of the DVD and Blu-ray aisle in Asda stores during 2019. As well as inspiring and motivating both internal and external teams, Andrew has been prepared to have tough conversations with internal stakeholders to make things happen, and his open, collaborative approach, willingness to try new things in-store and to make quick decisions have made him a fantastic partner, especially to the BASE Project 2020 Working Group”); former Fox marketing director Mark Horton (his nominators said: “Over the past eight or so years, Mark was central in helping to drive digital market growth in the UK. Developing clear business KPIs at Fox and what the industry needed to achieve, Mark ensured there was a pivotal swing in focus to Digital to ensure the early foundations were created. Mark’s tireless drive and enthusiasm ensured that all campaigns created had bespoke digital focus and substantial spend. Without Mark’s vocal support and tireless drive, the UK industry would not be where it is today.”)’ and Silk Factory founder Andy Snook (“Andy is a deserving category hero because of the innovation, commitment and fantastic contribution he brings to the industry. Andy continuously explores creative solutions which are at the cutting-edge not only of the entertainment industry, but at the cutting edge of technology and marketing capabilities themselves. In both a professional and personal capacity, Andy is always a pleasure to work with and truly goes above and beyond at every opportunity to tackle any project.”).
Comment on the awards overall came from BASE chief executive Liz Bales, who said: “Due to an extraordinary year, our customary celebrations have been moved online for the first time, but we are no less excited to be honouring the huge host of accomplishments submitted by BASE members and category colleagues in this year’s BASE Awards. As always, the BASE Awards are only possible with the help and support of our partners and sponsors, and this year in particular, the huge amount of flexibility and pragmatism shown by everyone involved throughout the planning process. We hope that all of our nominees were able to raise a glass and celebrate safely in their own way while watching our announcement videos, and we cannot wait to dust off our dancing shoes and party with you in person once again next year.”
BASE co-vice chair and Elevation Sales chief Kevin Dersley said: “This year it is more important than ever to remind ourselves of the consistent commitment and dedication demonstrated across the video category, so I would like to thank all of the entrants for engaging with this year’s BASE Awards, and allowing us to shine a spotlight on their incredible achievements. I would like to extend my deepest congratulations to all of the winners, both teams and individuals, and those entries that the judges chose to Highly Commend and Commend – it is down to you that this category has been able to adapt to all of the changes seen over the last 40 years, and will continue to show resilience and flexibility as we continue to tackle the challenges of 2020 into next year.”
We’ll have more on the BASE Awards, with more reaction and comment, on next week’s newsletter, which is also, as announced here previously, going to be a gifting special, to get involved with either part, contact Tim Murray at the usual address…
Amid all the BASE awards shenanigans, normal business has been continuing, with the likes of Eureka unveiling its titles due for the first month of 2021. Announcing its January slate, the company’s national accounts manager Marcus Garwood said: "New year, new releases as we open up our 2021 account with the following gems. Eureka Classics first, as we present Richard Fleischer's criminally underrated and explosively violent 1973 gangster saga The Don Is Dead. The film features one of the all-time great casts of tough guy actors, including legendary multiple Oscar-winner Anthony Quinn, Robert Forster (Jackie Brown), and Frederic Forrest (Apocalypse Now). The release also contains a collector’s booklet featuring an extensive essay on the crime films of director Richard Fleischer by film writer and journalist Barry Forshaw. For those who missed out on our hugely successful Limited Editions of John Huston’s The African Queen (starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn) and Buster Keaton: 3 Films Vol 2 (The Navigator, Seven Chances and Battling Butler) there is now a chance for fans to pick them up as standard editions. These standard edition re-issues still contain the stunning 4k restorations of all films, along with disc extras; but are minus the hardbound case and have reduced size booklets.”
Eureka has also announced a couple of acquisitions that will be released at cinemas and then home entertainment under its Montage Pictures banner in 2021 too. Commenting on the titles, the company’s Ruth Schofield said: “Eureka is delighted to be working with Wide Management to release two new acquisitions, Running Against The Wind and I Never Cry. Both films will be released as part of the Montage Pictures label, and will have a theatrical release in 2021. I Never Cry is a moving coming-of-age drama set in modern-day Poland and Ireland. Running Against The Wind was Ethiopia's entry for the 92nd Academy Awards and is portrayal of the vicious lifestyle that many children in Ethiopia struggle with daily, neglected by both government and civil society.”
It is with great sadness that we announced the death of former VPD and Imperial staffer Suresh Doshi, known to most as simply Doshi, a key figure in the industry during the VHS era. He was a well-known character from his time with action and martial arts labels VPD and Imperial Entertainment, also working at Canon Video and finally Vision Warehouse after moving over to the manufacturing side. He died on October 4 after illness. Former colleague and friend Mike Seaman said: “Doshi was a mentor to me when I joined VPD. He gave me a chance in this industry and I am so grateful. He was my boss, my friend and later my co-director at Canon. A humble guy who never complained about his illness.” He will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with his family and friends.
We’ll end where we started, with trade organisation BASE, which has just released its latest quarterly trailer aimed at highlighting titles due in to the market in the coming months. As ever, it’s the breadth that really counts here – everything from serial killers and drug manufacturers (Des and El Camino A Breaking Bad Movie) right through to ballroom dancers and vets and has gone out to media, retailers and more. You can see the trailer here, meanwhile, comment came from chief executive Liz Bales who said: “Over the last couple of years the quarterly trailer has become a reliable way of engaging both retail and audiences and has successfully pivoted to focus on a broader range of content in the absence of the usual new release slate, giving voice to a diverse spectrum of the BASE membership. The Q4 Quarterly Trailer focuses once again on new release, remastered/re-released catalogue, boxsets and with a special emphasis this time around on gifting priorities. With titles fresh from the cinemas including Tenet, next to fan favourites such as Back To Future’s stunning 4K treatment, the trailer features content to excite every consumer across the winter months. As well as being sent to retail, the trailer is once again being backed by a full press launch and robust social support (so far including HeyUGuys, the Official Charts Company and The People’s Movies) and meeting its core objective of delivering a boost in engagement with the home entertainment slate as 2020 draws to a close.”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I would like to record my thanks and appreciation to each and every one of our UK team for their efforts over the years. As everyone knows, the Universal team have consistently been very big winners of BASE Awards over many years. I know they take pride in that and I believe that this is testament to the team as they have lead the business through a very complex decade, responding to and overcoming every challenge thrown at them. Their goals have always been about what is best for the wider industry as well as for Universal Pictures; treating every release, big or small, with the respect that it deserves; executing well on every catalogue campaign; treating every third party distribution partner, which has included Paramount over the past five years, in exactly the same way. Also, enjoying a very special relationship with Sony in UCA, which opened up lots of new and non-traditional retail opportunities for our many distribution partners in that space, offsetting some of the inevitable market pressures. Above all else, I commend the team for the very special relationships they have built with the retail community as they have tailored their approach for each and every retail partner, always trying to understand their specific needs and differences and tailoring solutions for them and helping keep them committed to the business. My congratulations again to a team that should be enormously proud of an enviable legacy.”
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment president Eddie Cunningham on Universal’s successes over the years at the BASE Awards…
AT THE MOVIES
Film franchise Fast & Furious has always been thunderously loud, and this week news has emerged that the film series really will go up to 11, a la Spinal Tap. For the franchise, which has just finished filming on the ninth instalment, due to open next year, will finish with a further two outings before skidding to a halt, making 11 films in total. US trades have reported the director Justin Lin, who, with the ninth film will have directed five in total, is in talks with Universal to helm the final two stories. F9, as it is currently known, adds the likes of Helen Mirren, John Cena and Cardi B to the core cast, it is not clear yet whether Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham will return, alongside other key cast members. The franchise is the most successful and biggest-earning in Universal’s history, its $5.7 billion haul having eclipsed that of Jurassic Park, although there's more to come from that too…
One franchise almost seemingly forever in waiting is Power Rangers and after the last stalled attempt, toy giant Hasbro and eOne are attempting to give it another go, installing End Of The F***king World creator Jonathan Entwistle to oversee a feature film and TV series based on the long-running toy and TV and film characters. He said: “This is an unbelievable opportunity to deliver new Power Rangers to both new and existing generations of awaiting and adoring fans. We’ll bring the spirit of analog into the future, harnessing the action and storytelling that made this brand a success,”
News we didn’t see coming from prolific director Ben Wheatley, the man behind such gems as Kill List and Free Fire and this week’s big Netflix title Rebecca. For it seems as if the prolific helmer has been lined up to get behind the camera for shark sequel The Meg 2. Many of the original cast, well, apart from the characters eaten by the prehistoric underwater creature, are set to return, including Jason Statham.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
We’re above making the obvious, dubious gags here…
Audrey in time for Christmas…
This gave us the willies…
Host heads to theatrical…
Gravesend boy done good Paul Greengrass returns…
“In cinemas soon”
More Mank…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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