Press Release: ReedPOP has today announced the launch of WHITE SPACE, an exclusive invitation-only summit tailored to influencers and decision makers who help shape the direction of the business of popular culture. WHITE SPACE will take place on the afternoon of Thursday October 13th, 2011 at the Javits Center in New York City just hours before the doors open for the 2011 New York Comic Con. Conceived as a think tank for 100 masters and innovators in the fields of TV, film, comics, games, technology and advertising, WHITE SPACE is not a traditional conference, but is designed to foster open, transparent discussion between industry leaders. It will be kicked off by brief talks from three masters of media followed by small group discussions led by influential moderators. A drinks reception will conclude the summit meeting.

WHITE SPACE is set to be an annual event co-located with New York Comic Con with an evolving format to grow in size and scale in 2012. The concept is a joint venture with MIPTV, the world’s leading market for creating, financing and distributing TV content in all its forms. MIPTV, which takes place annually in Cannes, France, is owned and organized by Reed MIDEM, part of Reed Exhibitions, which also owns ReedPOP. GeekChicDaily and Nerdist Industries, the cross-platform producers and publishers of popular culture fare, are strategic partners to WHITE SPACE and will aid the effort to curate a varied and unique constituency of attendee and also will assist in the programming of the day. GeekChicDaily and Nerdist are backed by industry notables such as Legendary Pictures, Mandalay Entertainment, Joe Roth and Machinima CEO Allen DeBevoise.

“Just as New York Comic Con showcases what is new in TV, movies, games, toys and comic books, WHITE SPACE will gather the leading voices in these worlds into one room, where their learning across diverse businesses will form a chorus in a discussion of the pop culture consumer,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President of ReedPOP. “The New York Comic Con exhibit floor represents everything that is real, tangible, and material in the pop culture universe, while WHITE SPACE will be the flip side, the foundation on which all of the content of NYCC is based. Our discussion and focus will be on the consumer revolution and the complex and influential relationship between consumers, content, brands, and devices.”

In the modern world it doesn’t matter if content is being consumed via the big screen, the television screen, the computer screen, or on a mobile device. Organizers note that pop culture – in all its forms – shares a specific language and WHITE SPACE will be an examination of its four most radically changing definitions: Platforms, Publicity, Profits and People. “Not long ago there were TV channels and people watched what they were told to watch,” Fensterman continues. “Today we make our own TV. We have transformed the culture and the consumer is now the creator, creating content on demand, and our marketing has changed from a megaphone to a discerning ear. Our goal at WHITE SPACE is to examine this transformation and to be the ‘discerning ear’ for the future.”

“The US audience and content creators are a driving force of the new fan engagement and innovation that has swept through the entertainment business. TV content has been a cornerstone of popular culture for decades. Today, that content is not only produced differently, with far more input from audiences, brands, and technology, but also has access to exciting social, mobile and video-rich platforms for passionate fans! These communities come together at MIPTV and now they will share their collective knowledge of the business of popular culture with top US-based decision makers at WHITE SPACE,” enthuses Anne de Kerckhove, Director of Reed MIDEM’s Entertainment Division.

“ReedPOP is the premier player in the field of operating top shelf experiences around the space of popular culture,” states GeekChicDaily founder and CEO Peter Levin, “Their attention to detail and respect within the industry make partnering on their WHITE SPACE initiative an honor and a pleasure.”

WHITE SPACE executives will open this year’s event by describing plans for 2012 which call for a continuation of high-level discussion along with exhibits of the technology which is driving so much transformation in the pop culture universe. The ultimate objective is to build a business-based show-within-a-show for the makers and developers of pop culture while providing the exposure, audience and reach which defines New York Comic Con.