Foreword

Entertainment is a technology-driven industry and, as such, is caught up in a disruption not seen in hundreds of years. The digital revolution has created exciting new pathways, but has opened the door to pirates. Traditional business models are under attack. One can barely keep up with the avalanche of hardware, all creating new ways to deliver the product to consumers hungry for more, now.

Preparing those who will create, manage, distribute, and market entertainment and media is no small feat, given this sea change. In the last two decades, Al Lieberman has overseen the creation and growth of the Entertainment, Media, and Technology Program at NYU’s Stern School of Business, which now offers sixty sections and a curriculum that offers unique insight into the challenging and dynamic business of entertainment.

In The Definitive Guide to Entertainment Marketing, Al Lieberman and his writing partner, Pat Esgate, have created a must-read compendium of all the platforms that make up this exciting industry. While no one book can ever capture all that drives this fascinating and fast-paced business, Al and Pat have managed to encapsulate a mass of information, offering readers an excellent overview of the possibilities, the potential, and the pitfalls that face today’s entertainment executives. They have woven them together through the prism of their own experiences, creating a guide that is not only useful, but a darn good read. After all, it’s about entertainment. It should be entertaining.

I wish Al and Pat much success with this excellent effort and applaud them for their contribution to the current and future entertainment executives, entrepreneurs, and fans.

Craig Hatkoff
Co-Founder of the Tribeca Film Festival
Creative Director of the Annual Disruptive Innovation Awards