Sunny Side of the Doc | 19-22 June 2023

Documentary Business

Peter Hamilton Consultants, Inc

Unscripted TV

Quibi: Collapse was in its DNA!

Quibi was destined to fail. I was sure of that when I first read the presser announcing the business plan. There must be deep psychological reasons why retirement-age industry titans can even begin to fantasize about succeeding in mobile video — a medium that targets 10-20 yo’s with goofy dance videos shot in their Covid …

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News Roundup: BBC’s new vision meets hardcore opposition, and more…

Story of the Month BBC VISION MEETS FIERCE OPPOSITION BBC VISION: new director Tim Davie shares strategy // Worldscreen BBC BESIEGED: Under relentless fire from rightwing // London Review of Books GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS: Key to BBC’s future // TBI Vision BBC CHAIR: Ultra-conservative candidate is knocked // Deadline DISCOURS INAUGURAL choc pour le boss de la BBC …

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How Discovery is positioning for long-term growth with the next generation of fans: Nancy Daniels podcast for CTAM

Nancy Daniels oversees Discovery Channel, Science, and Animal Planet, including day-to-day operations and creative production development. She shared her thoughts on Discovery’s strategy in a recent podcast interview with CTAM‘s Vicki Lins. LISTEN CTAM’s Vicki Lins interviews Nancy Daniels, Chief Brand Officer, Discovery & Factual (27 minutes, July 13, 2020) NOTES What are your days …

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Netflix 2023 What You Need To Know Now


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

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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CuriosityStream Strategy. 3,000 Titles: What do they want? Meet Jorge Franzini. (Video + Notes)

CuriosityStream is the highly regarded streamer dedicated to traditional factual programs, and launched by Discovery founder John Hendricks: What is CuriosityStream‘s unscripted strategy? What do they want? What are examples of recent hits? For a Sunny Side Meet the Executive session, Jorge Franzini shared CuriosityStream’s vision and programming priorities. Watch our informative and exclusive Sunny …

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

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 …

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

Netflix 2023 What You Need To Know Now


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

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 »

Channel 4 Unscripted Strategy: What do they want? What do they pay? An ‘exit interview’ with Fatima Salaria. Watch the video!

Channel 4 is Britain’s youth-targeted, edgy broadcast network.: What is C4’s unscripted strategy? What do they want? What are examples of recent hits? What does C4 pay for programs? For a Sunny Side Meet the Executive session, Fatima Salaria shared Channel 4’s vision and programming priorities. Fatima announced today that she is departing C4 to …

Channel 4 Unscripted Strategy: What do they want? What do they pay? An ‘exit interview’ with Fatima Salaria. Watch the video! Read More »