The future of in-flight entertainment was on full display this month at the Anaheim Convention Center, where more than a dozen OC companies debuted products and worked to shore up deals with new and existing customers.
The annual Airline Passenger Experience Association-International Flight Services Association Expo is one of the most important events for the IFE industry, which is largely centered around Lake Forest, thanks to the legacy and influence of the sector’s two largest players: Lake Forest-based Panasonic Avionics Corp. and nearby Thales Avionics Inc. in Irvine.
The area has even been dubbed “the IFE triangle” by industry insiders.
“This is a real opportunity to meet with airliners face to face,” said Amir Samnani, chief executive of Post Modern Group in Irvine.
The high-definition video and post-production shop caters to Hollywood studios, airlines and the cruise ship industry. Most of the company’s 150 employees work in Irvine; it has more than $35 million in annual sales.
Irvine-based InTheAirNet LLC demoed its newly launched entertainment system that can be accessed by as many 12 passengers through a local server.
Airborne Interactive, which splits operations between Lake Forest and the U.K., exhibited its mapping software, which not only highlights landmarks during flyovers, but also under-the-radar developments, such as factories and other brown-field sites, thanks to a partnership with the Royal Geographical Society in London.
It also demoed a 3D software product it developed with Irvine-based Betria Systems.
Airborne was on the verge of signing a big deal at the conference with a “major international carrier,” according to Chief Executive Ian Walberg, who moved to OC about nine years ago to be closer to the industry.
The company does most of its work for Panasonic Avionics but also has major airliners as customers, including Singapore Airlines, Air France and Norwegian Air.
Newport startup Penny Black Media pitched new content to prospective clients and aimed to boost its image in the industry.
“This is the only opportunity we get to meet with airlines,” said Managing Director Cathie Trotta.
The company buys independent movies and primarily targets international airliners for distribution.
Acacia Research to Gain Energy?
It appears Acacia Research Corp. is targeting the energy sector as a new growth area.
The company, which licenses patents from its own portfolio and for other companies, has hired Charlotte Rutherford, who, prior to Acacia, worked at Schlumberger Ltd., the world’s largest oil-field-services company.
Rutherford, the former deputy general counsel of intellectual property at Schlumberger, is credited with designing, restructuring and managing the global IP departments at Schlumberger, Colgate-Palmolive and Conoco for the past 12 years, according to Acacia.
Acacia has made a big move to boost its portfolio toward the medical sector in the past year, and Rutherford’s hiring could indicate a similar blueprint for the energy sector.
Chris Casacchia can be reached at casacchia@ocbj.com.
