Much of the MPAA's luster died along with its charismatic former president, Jack Valenti. Film lobby seeks to regain status

The Motion Picture Association of America used to be one of the premier stops in Washington. Invites to a sit-down meal in its dining room and a viewing of a first-run movie in its posh screening room were coveted by A-listers from government, industry and the press.

With a view of the White House, the MPAA building and theater became a symbol of the power and prestige of Hollywood where politicos could experience a little glitz. The projector still rolls — albeit less frequently — but the MPAA’s luster has faded over the years as it finds itself in an identity crisis.


The retirement and death of its charismatic longtime president Jack Valenti and the departure a year ago of former Democratic congressman and Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman left the once-influential lobby searching for a direction.

“It used to be that when they had the screening for the Senate, you could’ve had a quorum call in there,” said one former movie industry executive.

Ethics concerns required changes. The dinner is now a buffet. Movies — such as “Black Swan” — are still screened, but guests must sit through a policy briefing over issues facing the industry.

In some ways, the problem facing the MPAA today is the problem that Hollywood has always faced: It’s a big industry with serious issues populated by both profit-driven businessmen and mercurial artists. The industry gets dismissed for the nuttiness of the talent, vilified for its unrelenting focus on making money or hailed as an American economic and cultural engine — often all at the same time.

Unlike in the past, though, the Hollywood elite is now a subset of a series of larger corporate empires, as evidenced by the recent deal that brought Universal from General Electric’s control to Comcast’s. That makes it harder to drive a consensus and more difficult to lead what has always been a fractious group of companies that compete fiercely for everything from scripts to talent.

Studios have reduced the amount of money they pay to the MPAA each year — from 2007 to 2008, that funding dropped by about $20 million, according to tax documents — forcing the association to lay off staff and curtail some activities. The group’s lobbying expenditures amounted to $1.6 million in 2010, from more than $2.5 million during the last presidential election.

The search for Glickman’s successor, which included a high-profile courtship of former Sen. Bob Kerrey that flamed out, contributed to the perception that the association has lost some of its luster. While interim CEO and President Bob Pisano has held down the fort, one industry source said he was unlikely to make it permanent. Among those mentioned for the $1.2 million-a-year job are former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, attorney Antoinette C. Bush, retired Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) and Kevin Sheekey, former aide to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Insiders say Davis and Dodd don’t really want the job. Dodd wants to write books, while a Davis confidant says that as good as the money is, it doesn’t come up to the amount he makes at the consultancy Deloitte. A source added that Davis didn’t want to work with the “a--holes” at the studios.

The time it’s taking is more a symbol of how important the job is rather than how the influence is waning, a West Coast studio executive said. “It’s not a symbolic job. It’s critical to get the right person.”

The MPAA hasn’t lost sight of its priorities, Pisano told POLITICO.

“An important part of this effort is to educate Americans on the nature and impact of this kind of theft,” Pisano said. “It has a direct and potentially debilitating consequence on the American economy.”

While the association goes about its job fighting piracy and rating movies, the lack of a unified voice fuels the perception that it is a shell of its former self.

“Bob Pisano’s done a fine job. He’s made improvements in the organization, but it’s not good to have the position not permanently filled, whether it’s by him or somebody else,” Glickman said. “In Washington, one quickly can become out of sight and out of mind.”

Note: Brooks Boliek previously worked briefly as an outside consultant for MPAA.