Sunny Side of the Doc | 19-22 June 2023

Documentary Business

Peter Hamilton Consultants, Inc

Why Marry Up with Pilgrim? A ‘Super-Preferred Producer’ at WestDoc

Last week’s Westdoc Conference was a great success for attendees due to: the quality of the speakers and panelists the easy access to buyers and experts and the very friendly environment Johnny Gould, Pilgrim Films and Television’s vice president for Programming & Business Development gave a stimulating presentation. Pilgrim is a powerful player in the …

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How to Pitch & Sell Your Project. A&E, #3/3. “Seven Key Takeaways”

Part 3/3 Click here for Part 1/3.: A day in the life of a developer, and more  Click here for Part 2/3: A&E’s four filters: “Death is the ultimate high stakes”, and even more By Erin Essenmacher A&E director of Development Stephen Harris spoke at Silverdocs and WIFV panels that were moderated by DocumentaryTelevision.com editor Peter …

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How to Pitch and Sell Your Project to a Network. A&E, #2/3. “Death is the Ultimate ‘High Stakes'”

By Erin Essenmacher Part 2/3. Click here for Part 1/3.   A&E director of Development Stephen Harris spoke at Silverdocs and WIFV panels that were moderated by DocumentaryTelevision.com’s Peter Hamilton.     Will It Really Matter in 18-Months? Harris emphasized that the best ideas aren’t necessarily the most controversial: “We’re looking for programs that aren’t just topical …

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Netflix 2023 What You Need To Know Now


How to Pitch and Sell Your Project to a Network. Case Study: A&E, Part 1/3

An “Insider’s Guide” To How Factual Television Channels Develop and Commission Programs  (Part 1/3) By Erin Essenmacher This Silverdocs presentation featured A&E’s director of Development Stephen Harris and was moderated by DocumentaryTelevision.com’s Peter Hamilton.   Harris and Hamilton originally presented at the Silverdocs Conference on June 23, 2010.  They did a reprise the following day as part of …

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Discovery Doubles Up On OWN The Oprah Winfrey Network. Why?

This week: The Latest on Oprah’s Documentary Club What’s going on with Discovery’s big new investment in OWN? The Rosie thing?  And Martha is in the picture? A Tanned and Buffed DCI Legal/Business Affairs office in LA? More on Oprah’s Documentary Club We recently reported that OWN rolled out the red carpet for Julia, Forest, …

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The Preferred Producer System: Credit for Credits / ‘Preferred’ Doesn’t Mean ‘Forever’!

Our friends called in with two important insights into the networks’ ‘preferred producer’ system. 1. Line of Credit We missed a big motivating factor for why networks work with preferred vendors: Access to Credit Networks used to pay producers 45+/- days provided that the contracts/ invoices/ workflows/ omens were all aligned Payment terms have since slipped.  And slipped. …

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Netflix 2023 What You Need To Know Now


Preferred Vendors: Multiple Commissions / Multiple Networks. Why?

This week, we ask three questions: Which producers are getting the repeat commissions? Who gets commissions from multiple U.S. networks? And why? The Data We created lists of producers who earned commissions for new and returning programs from Discovery Networks, including the digi-nets, as well as AETN and Nat Geo Channels. Our sources were: Upfront press …

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Payday for Snooki & The Sitch – What Do MTV’s Reality Stars Earn?

Here’s a teaser for our upcoming analysis of MTV’s ‘Sweet Spots’. Who’s Snooki? Who’s watching? What does payday look like for the Jersey Shore ensemble? What are industry insiders saying about Jersey Shore? So Who Is Snooki? If you live happily outside the popular culture, get refreshed by reading: Cathy Horyn’s snooty ‘Snooki’s Time’ in The New York …

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