I’m sitting directly across from Max Bronfman, a conscientious young man who is currently taking in the sweeping Penthouse views around us as he ponders the question I have just happenstance asked him; ” How is media going to change and how are you going to make it change?’ Any other person would begin to talk about the emergence of reality TV, the dizzy cross polonization of electronic media and the calculated motives of studio heads, but Max Bronfman at the young age of 26 and one of the newest stars of entertainment labels (more on this soon) and not to mention the fact that he is the grandson of Edgar Bronfman who heralded the vast Seagram empire (and their omnipresence in media/entertainment companies like Warner Bros) wants to make sure what he’s going to say isn’t just hyperbole, a cliche quote to be used over and over.
“To be honest,” his eyes scanning the arch of the midnight translucent Empire State building before us “it’s going to come down to distribution. That’s the secret. Sure it’s always going to be important what you put out there, but the real lynch pin is how you put it out there and what mechanisms you are going to use to get your message, your brand out there. Once you’ve worked that out, you can pretty much turn anything into an enigma.”
If anyone has had a chance to consider the question I have just put out to Max Bronfman, it should be Max Bronfman, after all he has spent the better part of his life being groomed to appreciate what sells and more importantly how it sells and how to get it out to the market place. An important question for any producer of content, publisher, media entity or burgeioning artist looking to become a household name. A household name Max Bronfman has the power to make you, assuming he is inclined…
“I started my first label 5 years ago, and this is after having only worked for a short time with my own family where I was working directly with major talents. I think what intrigued me was what could I produce if I went out on my own, worked things out for myself and not necesarily find everything waiting for me the minute I turned up to the studios in the morning.”
SCV: So what did you learn?
MB: That the finished product has to stand on its own, and you can have all the contacts, be part of a family dynasty and so forth but ultimately the real question is how do you execute the deal? And the hard lesson that if you want something right, you’re going to have to end up doing it yourself.”
