US Networks: What do they Want? What’s the Deal? And the Things They Won’t Tell You… Sunday, September 15th, 2013 2:30pm Don’t miss my intensive half-day master class with industry veteran Ed Hersh at WESTDOC 2013. Our workshop is dedicated to helping producers understand the chaotic and rapidly-changing nonfiction and factual marketplace so that they …
Getting to Greenlight: Five Key Success Factors for Non-fiction Producers On Thursday, June 20th, I hosted a webinar with my special guest, veteran U.S. programmer Ed Hersh. Ed is a media executive and strategist whose career encompasses print, broadcast and documentary journalism, non-fiction cable production and programming, and the rapidly evolving multi-platform environment. His focus is …
Webinar: Getting to Greenlight: Five Key Success Factors for Non-fiction Producers Read More »
We continue our coverage of POV, the flagship PBS documentary strand. In this post: What is POV’s selection process, from Open Call to the Offer? What is the Timeline? Who makes the decisions? From Palestine, the 2013 Oscar nominee ‘5 Broken Cameras’ Selection Process Filters Great non-fiction storytelling Address social issues and issues neglected elsewhere Have …
The cost of developing programs has been ballooning for both networks and production companies. In ‘MBA terms’ I came to see the current inflated state of the development process as a ‘market imperfection’ for which there should be an immediate and track-able solution that lowers the cost and risk. My researches led me to Media …
A New Online Research Tool Takes Cost & Risk Out of the Program Development Process Read More »
Pitching skills are as important as the concept and content when it comes to attracting funders. We asked writer and speaker Fernanda Rossi to share her practical guide to creating a successful video pitch. Fernanda is author of Trailer Mechanics: How to Make Your Documentary Fundraising Demo. —————————– Documentary Fundraising: 10 Key How-to’s for Creating a Compelling Pitch Video …
Documentary Fundraising: 10 Key How-to’s for Creating a Compelling Pitch Video Read More »
Canada’s LaDiDa Media Sylvie Peltier is president of LaDiDa Media, an experienced Vancouver-based factual producer who has been working with Canadian channels. Sylvie decided to expand her horizons by attending MIPDoc. She was looking for international pre-buys and co-productions, as well as for opportunities to refresh her Canadian contacts. Sylvie engaged us to help develop and …
A highlight of the AIDC Conference in Adelaide was the ‘Big Chart’ presented by Nat Geo Channels CEO David Lyle in his keynote. His graphic addresses the evolving landscape of nonfiction television entertainment. It shows how formats and sub-genres are being forever blended and hybridized into new categories. When we caught up with David Lyle after …
‘The Unscripted Entertainment Vine’ from Nat Geo Channels CEO David Lyle Read More »
(Originally posted, July 10, 2012.) In his keynote at the AIDC Conference, Nat Geo Channels CEO David Lyle set up his original chart on the evolving unscripted landscape by sharing Vulture’s ‘The Intersecting World of Reality TV’, which we are reposting here. Reality TV is reduced to 10 categories by “Vulture” in an amusing but …