Sunny Side of the Doc | 19-22 June 2023

Documentary Business

Peter Hamilton Consultants, Inc

Juan Carlos I: Downfall of a King. Interview with Producer Christian Beetz

Christian Beetz reveals in this interview and in our detailed case study how Berlin-based Gebrueder Beetz developed, funded and delivered his €2.5 Mn, 4-part docu-series that sheds new light on the former King’s notorious personal life and dramatic abdication. Watch here (20 min)   Read our Case Study Juan Carlos I: Money, Sex, Power and …

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Juan Carlos I: Money, Sex, Power and the Downfall of a King. Case Study of a €2.5 Mn Docu-series

King Juan Carlos I was a Spanish hero. He was celebrated around the world for helping Spain transition from Franco-era fascism to a modern democracy. And then, a series of financial scandals and salacious allegations forced Juan Carlos to abdicate in 2014. Christian Beetz reveals how his 4-part documentary series sheds new light on the …

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Scandi Prison Reform Comes to Chester, Pennsylvania. A $600k Nordic Coproduction Case Study

More than 100 million Americans, myself included, share the harrowing experience of being involved with a family member caught up in the nation’s notorious prison system. American jails rely heavily on punishment versus rehabilitation. But there are stories of hope. Swedish filmmakers Tomas Lindh and John Stark just premiered on SVT their absorbing series that …

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Netflix 2023 What You Need To Know Now


AI for Documentary Filmmakers: Enhancing Storytelling & Workflow. A Pact Webinar with Philip Shane

AI – Artificial Intelligence – was a hot topic for producers attending the recent MIPDOC / MIPTV market in Cannes. I’m technophobic, and I sense among my colleagues this fear that AI programs like ChatGPT are going to eliminate jobs in content production just like the Internet and desktop publishing decimated print journalism. Here to …

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Charles in His Own Words: Inside Nat Geo’s Fast Track Coronation Special. MIPDOC Case Study

Our MIPDOC 2023 Case Study analyzed CHARLES IN HIS OWN WORDS by 1895 Films for Nat Geo, Disney+ and Hulu. It’s about a character who is a mega-celebrity… one who most viewers think they already know, and who many actively dislike. Its promotion was tied to the Coronation, an event followed by billions. The challenge: How …

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Sixty Years of MIP’s. Only Reiner Moritz attended every one

Reiner Moritz is the only delegate who has attended very MIPTV and MIPCOM market since its launch in Lyon in 1963. He has been such a generous cheerleader for my various consulting and publishing activities — as he has for generations of buyers and sellers, particularly for specialists in the Arts and Music genres. Here …

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Netflix 2023 What You Need To Know Now


Rupert Murdoch’s Dark Power: How His Kingmaker Father Inspired the ‘Aussie Prince’

Fox Corp.’s eye-popping $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over defamation charges aired on Rupert Murdoch‘s Fox News prompts the question: How did Rupert become Rupert? My short answer: Look to the father! Keith Murdoch was the Australian kingmaker who taught the young Rupert how to forge political influence from media ownership. For Australia’s solemnly observed …

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President Awards Nation’s Highest Honor to Indie Director, DP and PBS NOVA

President Macky Sall awarded the National Order of the Lion, Senegal’s highest honor to director Ruth Berry, NOVA’s Chis Schmidt and DP Bernhard Popovic in Dakar. The occasion? The packed theatrical premiere screening of Star Chasers of Senegal, a Terra Mater Studios / NOVA co-production. Star Chasers features the story of astronomer Maram Kaire and his …

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