CEO brings Asian film to U.S.
By LAUREN BECK
News Writer
In an era seemingly dominated by American pop culture, William Pfeiffer, CEO of Hong Kong-based Celestial Pictures, promotes globalization by targeting local audiences.
Pfeiffer, a 1982 Notre Dame graduate, described his experience with the business of contemporary Asian media as he delivered the keynote address in the Conference on Globalization and Media in Asia Friday. Pfeiffer has pioneered the globalization of the media, leading film studios to adopt the philosophy "think globally, script locally."
"We are bringing Asian film outside, exporting it to many countries around the world, and having an impact on the quality of entertainment," said Pfeiffer, citing the Oscar nomination for best picture that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" received as proof.
Celestial Pictures, which owns the largest film library in Asia, distributes films to studios worldwide and also features them on new television networks it has created.
"There is a value in showing these films in their local languages. They have crossed over and are appealing to audiences they were not originally intended for. I think audiences appreciate the original language," said Pfeiffer.
Pfeiffer is currently developing a new Chinese film-based channel that will be broadcast around the world. The channel also includes some Korean and Japanese films, as well as other Asian films produced directly by Celestial Pictures. Pfeiffer made 10 films this year, but he said he hopes to produce 30 to 40 each year in the near future.
Pfeiffer said he viewed his work as a positive effort to promote cultural diversity in media around the world, rather than a means to bring Hollywood to Asia.
"I don't feel like a purveyor of American culture around the world. I have a responsibility to show local cultures in a positive light. We have these talented actors, and I provide them with the proper resources to make their story come alive. We create stories with a local context."
Pfeiffer has a history of melding East and West. After earning an MBA from Stanford, Pfeiffer moved to Asia in 1983 and served as head of marketing for Smith Kline Beecham. He developed a campaign to achieve acceptance for American pharmaceuticals on the Asian market, and his success merited recognition from Walt Disney.
Disney appointed Pfeiffer head of their Asian operations and hoped he would strengthen its presence in Asia.
"There was a resistance to change in international business because every country is unique. It was my job as a businessman to find a new and better way," he said.
Pfeiffer brought the culture of Disney to Japan through a television program called "The Disney Club," which combined Japanese hosts and children with Disney animation and merchandise. The show expanded to over 50 countries, with localized content for each one.
When the booming Japanese economy of the late 1980s failed in 1991, Pfeiffer looked for a future elsewhere in Asia. He moved to Hong Kong and began working with Sony pictures.
"Sony was looking for new opportunities. Rather than go after a smaller niche, we looked at the competition around Asia and saw the opportunity to go after the mass market with localized content," said Pfeiffer.
Sony became the first major Hollywood studio to set up office in China, where it distributed programs to major networks in China. But faced with restrictions on foreign production in China, it explored other markets in Asia.
Pfeiffer and his associates saw India as a promising potential market, and in 1995 they launched a television channel called Sony Entertainment Television. "We developed a network of channels that would appeal to a variety of audiences with diverse tastes," said Pfeiffer.
As more studios saw the growth opportunity in Asia and pursued their interests there, Sony also backed Columbia TriStar International TV.
Today, Pfeiffer continues to diversify his programming by region.
"You look at regions like China, Malaysia, India — these markets are currently depressed, they have huge populations, and they are primed for growth. We're trying to ride the wave of the next growth in Asia," he said.
Pfeiffer said he sees a bright future for the globalization of media as he helps transcend cultural barriers.
"We are all part of the same world. People make up many of the differences; I think we are in reality quite similar," he said.
All News Stories for Monday, March 4, 2002
