FOR RELEASE: September 21, 1999

"Adam Smith Goes to Hollywood" at Cal State Northridge

Conference Focuses on the Economics of the Entertainment Industry

"Adam Smith Goes to Hollywood: Demystifying the Economics of the Entertainment Industry" will take place Friday, Oct. 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in CSUN's College of Business Administration and Economics.

"Therešs a mystique about the entertainment industry - that it can't possibly be understood or analyzed in conventional economic terms. We hope to take a close, critical look at that assumption," said Lani Daniels, director of CSUN's Entertainment Industry Institute.

The conference title, which refers to the 18th century Scottish economist, is intended as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to classical economics.

"Adam Smith is generally considered the father of modern economics and the use of his name is emblematic of a unique 'economic way of thinking,'" said conference organizer Anton Lowenberg, a CSUN economics professor. "The purpose of the conference is to examine the entertainment industry from a distinctly economic perspective."

The day will feature panel discussions on a number of topics including predicting profits in the entertainment industry; entertainment and the regional economy; labor markets and the new Hollywood; and the arts and the entertainment industry: Can either survive without the other?

Speakers include Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.; James Gikas, senior vice president of Recon Research Corp.; Cody Cluff, president of the Entertainment Industry Development Corp.; Art DeVany of UC Irvine; Peter Cyffka of 20th Century Fox; Mark Weinstein of USC; Jamal Shamsie of UCLA; Roy A. Salter of Houlihan, Lokey, Howard & Zukin; William Luksetich of St. Cloud State University; Tom Bocherding of Claremont Graduate University; Linda Shaffer of Cal State Fresno; Shirley Svorny of CSUNšs San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center; Kathleen A. Milnes of the Entertainment Industry Development Corp.; CSUN economics professor Dan Blake; Darlene Chisholm of Lehigh University; and S. Abraham Ravid of Rutgers University.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Entertainment Industry Institute and CSUN's College of Business Administration and Economics and College of Extended Learning.

"We are very committed to providing the most up-to-date, cutting edge and relevant industry courses for those interested in all facets of entertainment studies," said Patti McDaniel, senior program director at the College of Extended Learning.

Daniels said one purpose of CSUN's Entertainment Industry Institute was to bring academia and industry together in dialog.

"I don't know of another venue where you can listen to a studio executive or entertainment attorney debate box office profits alongside a researcher from a leading university," she said. "We hope that by combining the wisdom of the two worlds, we'll create a clearer picture of how the industry works, and do it in a lively and informative way."

The conference fee is $99 and includes lunch. For more information about the conference or to register, call (818) 677-2504 or (818) 677 2644. Registration must be made in advance, space is limited.

Northridge's Entertainment Institute is a collaborative effort involving the colleges of Arts, Media and Communication; Business Administration and Economics; Engineering and Computer Science; Extended Learning; and the Career Center.

The Institute's goals include helping students realize their educational goals in preparation for careers in the entertainment industry; establishing the university as a center for research and creative activity related to the entertainment industry; and fostering beneficial partnerships between the industry and the university.