Google Goes Hollywood

Google invited Hollywood to come meet its geeks on Monday, but the two groups didn't exactly interact smoothly.

Looking to up awareness of its presence in L.A.., Google opened the doors of its Santa Monica office to a wide array of industryites for a cocktail party and a technology panel featuring several writers and directors.

Search giant has a fast growing but little-known office of about 200 people in Santa Monica where it is working on the Google Video service and a variety of other projects, mainly focused on media.

Company just moved into new digs a few blocks from the beach and opened up the roof for their first ever Hollywood party.

But execs from companies like MTV, Lionsgate, and NBC Uni mostly kept to themselves. It was rare to see someone with a Google ID clipped to their belt talking to someone with a visitor pass around their neck.

Perhaps not too surprising given the host, there was an disproportionately high presence of visitors from the geekier side of Hollywood, including effects houses like Rythhm and Hues and Digital Domain, as well as vidgame publisher Electronic Arts.

Following the party, Variety.com editor Dana Harris hosted a panel discussion with screenwriters Jim Uhls and Ted Griffin, writer/director Craig Brewer, and photographer and documentary maker Lauren Greenfield.

One of the main topics of discussion: how difficult it can be to avoid the temptation to constantly Google themselves in order to get work done. "You've wasted so much of our time," said Griffin to the Google-ites in attendance. "Now it's our turn." (B. Fritz)

Comments

[Jay]

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[Joey]

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