The Banff World Television Festival is over, though I'll have more articles over the next couple of weeks. Some of the thoughts milling around in my brain are on the role of the Internet, the role of the critic, and hey, while we're at it, why not throw in the role of television?
I've got an interview to write up with one of the JibJab brothers. I want to write feature-y articles that touch on topics brought up in the Master Classes of Greg Daniels (The Office), Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars), and Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men).
There's lots to mull over in the session with the charming, witty, driven, idealistic yet practical Ben Silverman, who appeared via satellite because since he agreed to be at the festival, the former producer was named co-chairman of NBC and is a little busy, or some such excuse. I know it's naive, but I suddenly think if anyone can turn around that network's fortunes, he can. And after an hour of hearing him speak via satellite, my trust is obviously well-founded.
I feel another rant coming out of the Town Hall meeting on the future of television in Canada.
All that's similar to what came out of last year's Festival. But this year was a very different experience for me.
Last year's Town Hall session partly inspired me to create the TV, Eh? site, and because of that site, I "knew" people who also "knew" me. I got to meet some lovely people in person I'd only met virtually before, and talk to network people about getting information, and chat with my TV critic hero. I had the surreal and cool experience of having people do a double take at my nametag and say "hey, I read your blog."
The downside to all this upside is that this brand new Festival experience involved not just brain-filling information, but a lot -- for me -- of sustained mingling and networking and being "on" all the time. That's rough on an introvert. If you won't take my word for it, I've got the Myers-Briggs scores to prove I'm almost as far along the introversion scale as you can get without imploding, so I find that kind of thing very draining. Draining and interesting and fun.
I'm hoping after about 12 hours of sleep in the luxury of the Sicamous Best Western, the memories will all be of the interesting and fun.
