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Wednesday, September 30
| 9:45 AM |
Partnering Up
Belgrave 9:45 AM-10:30 AM While there’s been a raft of production companies vying to open offices in other territories to take advantage of opportunities abroad, the process can be daunting and time consuming. Others are opting to find production partners in other countries and formalize coproduction deals that can be strategically advantageous for both. How do you set the wheels in motion for such partnerships, when is the right time to make the move, and what should you be looking for in a partner? Speaking
Jenny Daly 
Eric Schotz 
Kirstie McLure 
Edward Simpson |
| 10:45 AM |
Staying Alive: Best Practices for Running a 21st Century Prodco
Belgrave 10:45 AM-11:45 AM Geared towards both newer production companies entering the unscripted fray and established companies looking to evolve in an ever-changing media landscape, a panel of producers and industry professionals will offer advice on the top 10 things you should and shouldn’t do when establishing your business. From hiring your team and prepping your pitch to scoring a greenlight and picking your battles, learn from those who have “been there and done that” and lived to tell their tales, and share their hard-earned wisdom. Speaking
Jenny Daly 
Pippa Lambert 
Nick Catliff 
Sanjay Singhal 
Pierre Brogan 
Larry Bass |
| 12:00 PM |
Trendwatch: New platforms, New approaches
Belgrave 12:00 PM-12:45 PM Online video platforms, streaming services, multi-channel networks… all part of an ever-expanding realm of content creation, curation and consumption. This session will bring together those who are making big moves in this space - from the digital native content creators and MCN execs nurturing the hot talent, to the new platforms and traditional media companies vying for online eyeballs and engagement. Learn about what’s working and why, and how the rules for producing, “broadcasting” and owning content are being rewritten. Speaking
Elizabeth Hendricks North 
Sam Barcroft 
Luke Hyams 
Simon Chinn 
John Farren |
| 2:00 PM |
Trendwatch: Entering the Funding Fray
Belgrave 2:00 PM-3:00 PM From AFP and broadcaster pre-buys, to umbrella deals, post-production offsets and enhanced distribution deals, there are myriad funding models, both established and emerging, that producers can investigate to combat budgetary blues. But the twists and turns of the funding game can be difficult to navigate, as previous models get consigned to the past. Thankfully, our team of experts from various sides of the content equation will illuminate the paths available and those best avoided for those who aim to find funding but not lose sanity in the process. Speaking
Paul Heaney 
Jamie Munro 
Sally Quick 
Lilla Hurst 
Tim Mutimer |
| 3:15 PM |
Talent Talk
Belgrave 3:15 PM-4:15 PM The right presenter can elevate a good program into a great one, but the relationship between talent, producer and network is one that requires extra care. Factor social media-savvy fans (and detractors) of those programs and presenters into the equation and it gets even more interesting. This session will look at the talent topic from myriad perspectives - examining how to find the right talent and successfully navigate the relationships to keep the show on track, and how to handle the ride if things go off the rails. Speaking
Mark Linsey 
Fenton Bailey 
Jane Millichip 
Mary Donahue 
Jo Clinton-Davis 
Clare Laycock |
| 4:30 PM |
Terms of Trade in a Time of Change
Belgrave 4:30 PM-5:15 PM In 2003, the UK government passed the Communications Act, which brought about terms of trade through which UK producers could own the programs they make, and retain rights to sell them internationally. But in 2015, the independent production landscape has undergone significant change. While indie prodcos that are part-owned by broadcasters don’t qualify under the terms, consolidation of the sector and the rise of the super-indie has been a cause for concern for certain PSBs and other stakeholders. Now, UK broadcast regulator Ofcom has been tasked with undertaking yet another “health-check” for the terms of trade. This ‘Town Hall’ session will examine the causes for concern on both sides of the question, addressing how potential changes to the terms could impact the flourishing UK indie sector while also discussing how the winds of change sweeping through the production and broadcasting industries could be reflected within the terms going forward. Speaking
Cat Lewis
Paul Heaney 
John McVay |
Thursday, October 1
| 10:45 AM |
Controlling Stakes, Creativity & Commissions
Belgrave 10:45 AM-11:45 AM With the wave of consolidation that has swept the international independent production sector over the last few years, the television landscape has experienced incredible change. As large media and broadcast groups are still avidly snapping up controlling and minority stakes for a range of production companies – from super-indies to smaller outfits – how is the seemingly never-ending spending spree impacting commissioning, creativity and IP exploitation in the UK, the US, and abroad? And where will it go from here? This panel brings together various stakeholders to discuss and debate the benefits and drawbacks of this new era of consolidation. Speaking
John Smithson 
Sally Miles 
Laura Franses 
Phil Craig 
Danny Fenton 
Jane Turton |
| 12:00 PM |
Moving the Needle
Belgrave 12:00 PM-12:45 PM Just when everyone says the music is over for singing competition series, along comes a twist - in the form of a spinning red chair - to give the genre a new lease on life. And just when critics bemoan the state of ob-docs, along comes the fixed rig to capture even more of the real-life drama as it unfolds. Of course, these innovations are several years old now. So what’s next? What’s the correct ratio of technological wizardry and good, old-fashioned ideas needed to reinvigorate a factual programming genre? And what’s the balance between familiar TV tropes and outright innovation needed to create a game-changer? Speaking
Adam Sher 
Jane Root 
Magnus Temple 
Bill Hobbins 
Carl Hall |
| 2:00 PM |
Too Real for Reality TV?
Belgrave 2:00 PM-3:00 PM Probing documentary or “poverty porn”? Socially conscious or morally bankrupt? Recent unscripted series such as UK factual hits Benefits Street, Skint and the upcoming The Factory, as well as game show/social experiment The Briefcase in the U.S., have generated heated controversy for their explorations of social issues. While networks and producers will defend the noisy programming as “new ways in” for approaching serious subjects, vocal critics denounce the content as exploitative. Where is the line drawn in tackling the taboo? Are some subjects off limits, and why? Or can shining the spotlight on uncomfortable realities lead to serious social change? Speaking
Richard McKerrow 
Tom McDonald 
Julian Curtis |
| 3:15 PM |
Team America: U.S. Commissioners Talk TV
Belgrave 3:15 PM-4:00 PM As part of Realscreen London's mandate to strengthen partnerships between UK producers and global buyers, this session brings together U.S. programmers from a variety of cable networks to talk about their brands' programming needs and how to work with them, as well as offer an insider's view of the American television market today, and the changes impacting their businesses - and yours. Speaking
Dawn McCarthy-Simpson
Mary Donahue 
Cori Abraham 
Michael Smith |