Archive Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Documentary Business

Making Discovery’s APOCALYPSE ’45: A podcast with director Erik Nelson

2020 September 8 / Archive, Case Study, Distribution, Documentary Budget, Documentary Production, Documentary TV, Footage.net, Interviews, Pitching, Podcast, Theatrical Documentary

Director Erik Nelson describes Apocalypse ’45 as the “first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan meets Apollo 11.” He shares his original concept; how his almost casual pitch to Discovery‘s Howard Swartz led to a full commission; the archive research and transfer process; his veteran interviews; the pre-edit planning, editing and final delivery. Our informative …

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APOCALYPSE ’45: Discovery’s powerful WW2 documentary in virtual theatrical release. A Case Study for the COVID Era

2020 September 8 / Archive, Case Study, Commissioning Process, Coronavirus, Distribution, Documentary Production, Documentary TV, Footage.net, Funding a Documentary, Producers' Tool Kit, Theatrical Documentary

Discovery Channel and distributor Abramorama teamed for a virtual theatrical and broadcast rollout of Apocalypse ‘45. This powerful documentary from Oscar-nominee Erik Nelson recounts the harrowing end of WW2, using unseen archive and the eyewitness accounts of 24 veterans who lived through the Pacific campaign. My Apocalypse ‘45 Case Study and podcasts capture the development, …

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UK History Programs: Top 25 in the Year of COVID (1st Half 2020)

2020 August 20 / Archive, Coronavirus, Documentary TV, Public Television, Ratings, UK

Here is a breakout of the Top 25-rated UK History programs in 1H 2020. Read my interview notes with BBC History buyer Simon Young at Sunny Side, including his insights concerning A House Through Time And see my post capturing the Top 100 UK Factual in the COVID Era. Still from Channel 4’s VE Day …

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BBC History Strategy: Sunny Side interview with commissioner Simon Young, buyer of 70+ hours / year

2020 August 20 / 'Sweet Spots', Archive, Commissioning Process, Conferences & Markets, Coronavirus, Distribution, Documentary Budget, Documentary Production, Documentary TV, Interviews, Network Profile, Pitching, Public Television, Ratings, Sunny Side of the Doc, UK, Unscripted TV, Webinars

For my Sunny Side of the Doc Meet the Executive interview, the BBC‘s Commissioning Editor for History Simon Young, shared his vision, priorities and three notable examples. Pipeline BBC History: 70-80 hours. Specialist Factual: 400 hours. History’s broad remit: Ancient to Early 21st century. The BBC’s Documentary unit also commissions recent History programs. Simon Young …

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Top 100 UK Factual Programs, 1H 2020. ‘Land & Country’ is the winning theme in the Covid Era

2020 August 13 / Archive, Coronavirus, Documentary Production, Documentary TV, PACT, Public Television, Ratings, Reality Television, UK

In a series of posts, I’ll share the UK’s highest-rated documentary and unscripted programs for the half-year in which Covid struck. My ratings snapshot for 1H 2020 is comprised of: The Top 50 in the combined Documentary and Lifestyle / Hobbies category. My Takeaways. Then #51-100. Going deeper In future posts, I’ll share the Top 25 History and Wildlife …

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REELZ Commissions 200 Originals: What do they want? What is the budget ‘Sweet Spot’?

2020 August 11 / Archive, Commissioning Process, Documentary Budget, Netflix, Network Profile, Producers' Tool Kit, Ratings, UK

REELZ commissions around 200 originals each year and acquires another 50+ programs. The focus is on: Celebrity, particularly from the world of entertainment, and Notoriety, in the True Crime genre. Unlike most platforms like Netflix or U.S. cable nets, REELZ acquires only U.S. rights, allowing producers to profitably exploit rest-of-world in a popular genre. I …

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France Télévisions’ Documentary Strategy for 1,900 hours: An interview with Catherine Alvaresse for Sunny Side. Watch the video!

2020 July 24 / 'Sweet Spots', Archive, Commissioning Process, Conferences & Markets, Documentary Production, Documentary TV, Interviews, Network Profile, Sunny Side of the Doc, Unscripted TV, Webinars, Women and Film, Workshops

France Télévisions is France’s multi-channel public broadcaster, buying 1,900 hours of documentaries / year. For a Sunny Side Meet the Executive presentation, Catherine Alvaresse shared France Télévisions’ vision. Watch my informative and exclusive conversation with Catherine Alvaresse: FRANCE TÉLÉVISIONS: CATHERINE ALVARESSE Recorded June 15, 2020 Overview What is the big picture for France Télévisions? Describe …

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Smithsonian Channel’s Unscripted Strategy: What are the trends? A Sunny Side interview with Chris Hoelzl. Watch the video!

2020 July 16 / 'Sweet Spots', Archive, Commissioning Process, Conferences & Markets, Documentary Production, Interviews, Network Profile, Podcast, Sunny Side of the Doc, Unscripted TV, Webinars

Smithsonian Channel is a partner of the Smithsonian Institution, and is recognized for its carefully curated factual schedule: What is Smithsonian’s documentary and unscripted strategy? What do they want? What are examples of recent trend-setters? For a Sunny Side Meet the Executive session, SVP Programming & Development Chris Hoelzl shared Smithsonian’s vision and programming priorities. …

Smithsonian Channel’s Unscripted Strategy: What are the trends? A Sunny Side interview with Chris Hoelzl. Watch the video! Read More »