MONDAY, JANUARY 27 - THURSDAY, JANUARY 30
SHERATON NEW ORLEANS
Marriott Marquis | Washington, DC | Sunday, January 28 – Wednesday, January 31, 2020

Agenda

Agenda is subject to change.

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Panels

Monday, January 27

11:00am

Development: What's Hot, What's Not (11:00am - 12:00pm)

Sponsored by

Grand Ballroom A/B

Development execs at networks and prodcos always need to be in tune with – and preferably one step ahead of – the cultural zeitgeist in order to tap into what could be the next big TV trend. What might have been hot a month or two ago could cool off considerably by the time your project is ready to pitch. What are the big new development areas for 2020 and 2021, and what's on the way out? Top producers and buyers offer their views on where the unscripted market is heading and why.

Moderating:


Joe Livecchi

Chief Executive Officer

Noble Savages

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Featuring:


Wes Dening

Head of Global Formats

Eureka

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Tara Long

Global President, Unscripted Television

Entertainment One

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Gena McCarthy

Founder & President

A+E Networks

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Jason Sarlanis

President, TBS, TNT, truTV, ID & HLN - Linear & Streaming

TLC

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1:00pm

Safe Sets: Best Practices for Duty of Care (1:00pm - 2:00pm)

Sponsored by

Grand Ballroom A/B

Part of the attraction for audiences, when it comes to unscripted entertainment, is seeing ordinary people experiencing extraordinary situations. When it comes to starring in, or even producing or crewing such programming, ensuring the psychological welfare of those in front of and behind the camera should be of paramount concern. Here, you’ll learn from producers, network executives, and others in the field about their efforts to establish and maintain duty of care protocol that will keep their sets, and shows, safe.

Moderating:


Nicole Page

Partner

Reavis Page Jump LLP

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Featuring:


Stephanie Drachkovitch

Co-CEO & Co-Founder

44 Blue Productions

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Danny Horan

Head of Factual

Channel 4

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Ghen Maynard

Producer

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Drew Tappon

Head of Unscripted, Oprah Winfrey Network

495 Productions

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2:15pm

Talking Talent (2:15pm - 3:15pm)

Sponsored by

Grand Ballroom A/B

Conventional wisdom within the industry states that having the right talent attached to a project on-screen and behind the scenes is of the utmost importance when it comes to giving your project a fighting chance. But with content platforms multiplying at a feverish rate, so too are the opportunities for talent, making exclusivity harder to negotiate and changing the game considerably. And talent can come from practically every corner of culture today, with influencers being the experts for a generation of content consumers. This session brings together execs from across the industry to examine the evolving role of talent in the unscripted content equation.

Moderating:


Jenny Daly

President

Critical Content Studios

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Featuring:


Steven Ascher

EVP

A+E Networks

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Josh Bider

Partner, Non-scripted TV

WME

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Alex Piper

Head, Night Studios

YouTube Originals

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Zena Van Ackeren

Owner, Casting & Development

MGM Studios

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Tuesday, January 28

10:45am

Natural History's Brave New World (10:45am - 11:45am)

Sponsored by

Grand Ballroom A/B

Blue chip natural history and other specialist factual genres have proven to be hugely successful for broadcasters and streaming platforms alike, and now the major streamers are making significant investment in producing and owning such content. As the content ecosystem continues to evolve, with new streamers set to emerge and cable nets making bigger moves into OTT, will producers of this content be happy beneficiaries of an "arms race" for the biggest and best programming? How will this impact the broadcasting landscape? And how will specialist factual evolve under the spotlight?

Moderating:


Al Berman

President & Executive Producer

Berman Productions

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Featuring:


Mike Gunton

Creative Director, Factual & Natural History Unit

BBC Studios

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Janet Han Vissering

SVP, Development & Production

Nat Geo Wild

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Andrew Jackson

Non Executive Director

Plimsoll Productions

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Laura Marshall

CEO

Icon Films

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12:00pm

Cooking Up Copros: What’s Working, Where (12:00pm - 1:00pm)

Sponsored by

Grand Ballroom A/B

Facing ever-declining budgets and licensing fees, producers across myriad genres of non-fiction have had to get creative to fund their projects. But factoring in a growing number of potential international buyers, copros are no longer strictly the domain of big-budget, blue chip content, and creative partnerships are ensuring that various segments of the industry have skin in the game. This session navigates the coproduction landscape in 2020, and deciphers what’s working now, how it’s working, and where it’s working.

Moderating:


Dawn McCarthy-Simpson

Managing Director of Global Strategy

Pact

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Featuring:


Danny Fenton

CEO

Zig Zag Productions

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Lisa Godfrey

SVP Original Content and Corus Studios

Corus Entertainment

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Amanda Groom

Managing Director

The Bridge

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Nikolas Huelbusch

Director, Unscripted

ZDF Enterprises

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Lilla Hurst

Global Head of Acquisitions & Partnerships

Drive

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2:30pm

Entertainment As Call To Action (2:30pm - 3:30pm)

Sponsored by

Grand Ballroom A/B

Call it the “Blue Planet effect.”  When Blue Planet II aired in October 2017, it provided all the sumptuous wonder of the original BBC series and another incredible window into the marine world, but it also served as a wake-up call concerning the alarming rise in plastic pollution. The program prompted action across generations, and has spurred a wealth of hard-hitting documentaries examining the issue. Does this signal a sea change in how factual programming can tackle the big issues such as climate change and conservation, or is there still a line to walk when considering entertaining and educating audiences? Hear from producers and networks who are determined to do both, and learn how you can do the same with your content.

Moderating:


Jane Root

Founder & CEO

Nutopia

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Featuring:


Geoff Daniels

EVP, Unscripted Entertainment

National Geographic Channel

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Liesel Evans

Creative Director, UK Factual

Raw TV

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Cecilie Olsen

SVP, Global Content, Non-Scripted

ITV Studios

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Perry Simon

Chief Programming Executive & General Manager General Audience Programming

PBS

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Wednesday, January 29

10:45am

Disney+: A Closer Look (10:45am - 11:45am)

Sponsored by

Grand Ballroom A/B

The launch of Disney+ in November 2019 was met with fervent anticipation from fans and the global entertainment industry. From being the most-Googled term of the year, to the explosion of “Baby Yoda” memes, interest in the platform and its content remains at fever pitch. This session brings together the head of Disney+ Unscripted Originals and top creative talent working with the service to illustrate the range of content under its umbrella — from high-end documentaries and docuseries to epic formats, profile and portrait series, and lighter fare geared towards a younger audience. Here’s your chance to gain an enlightening look at this exciting platform, and its ambitions for unscripted and non-fiction content.

Moderating:


Michael Schneider

TV Editor

Variety

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Featuring:


Sarah Amos

VP Development & Production, Non-Fiction TV & Documentaries

Marvel Entertainment

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Geoff Daniels

EVP, Unscripted Entertainment

National Geographic Channel

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Brian McGinn

Partner

Supper Club

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Dan Silver

VP, Originals-Non-Fiction

Disney+

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Bertram van Munster

Executive Producer

The New Media Collective

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12:00pm

Trendwatch: Getting Into the Game (12:00pm - 1:00pm)

Grand Ballroom A/B

The global audience for Esports is said to be in the neighborhood of more than 450 million people. And when you add in mobile gaming, console gaming, PC gaming…  global gaming revenue reaches close to $150 billion. As the numbers confirm, gaming is capturing the attention and wallets of growing multitudes internationally. But how can a more “traditional” form of media — television — crack this market? Gaming channels and the gamers who appear on them are hugely popular on platforms such as YouTube, but can they work on linear TV? How? This session will ask these questions while also providing a glimpse into this lucrative market, and some of the key media-friendly figures working within it.

Moderating:


Patrick Jager

Founder

CORE Innovation Group

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Featuring:


Amber Howard

Agent, Alternative Programming, Digital Media, Licensing & Branding

Abrams Artists Agency

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Greg Kampanis

SVP & General Manager

Omnia Media

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Felix LaHaye

Founder & CEO

United Esports

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Shawn Moffatt

Co-Owner & CEO

Go To Team

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2:30pm

Born At Realscreen: 90 Day Fiancé’s Franchise Phenomenon (2:30pm - 3:30pm)

Sponsored by

Grand Ballroom A/B

In 2013, Matt Sharp, CEO and founder of New York-based Sharp Entertainment, met with TLC’s Howard Lee at Realscreen Summit in Washington and showed him a sizzle reel featuring people searching for their love matches across countries and, in some cases, continents. Lee was hooked instantly. Fast forward to Realscreen Summit 2020, where we will take a deep dive into the 90 Day Fiancé franchise phenomenon and how the production and network teams transformed what was “born at Realscreen” into a brand unto itself — six spinoff series, and seven seasons and counting for the original.

Moderating:


Michael Schneider

TV Editor

Variety

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Featuring:


Howard Lee

President & General Manager

TLC

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Shaun Robinson

Host

90 Day Fiance Tell All

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Matt Sharp

CEO

Sharp Entertainment

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3:45pm

Variety on Demand: Niche Streamers Spotlight (3:45pm - 4:45pm)

Grand Ballroom A/B

Just as with the cable explosion of decades before, the emergence of the VOD era is providing practically unlimited choice for viewers, and myriad opportunities for content creators and platforms to tap into superfans of niche programming. In this session, you'll meet executives behind some of the niche VOD players, and learn more about their programming strategies, reach, and buying needs. 

Moderating:


Noah Pollack

VP, Original Content, Unscripted

M.A.P Media & Consulting

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Featuring:


Gregor Angus

Chief Executive

TrueRoyalty.tv

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Ryan Chanatry

General Manager

Topic

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Jennifer Corbett

Head of Audience Development and Brand

Crunchyroll

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Arun Maljaars

VP, Content & Channels

INSIGHT TV

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Thursday, January 30

9:45am

Brand on Board: Partnering with Brands for Non-fiction (9:45am - 10:45am)

Sponsored by

Grand Ballroom A/B

Branded content, or ad-funded content, has been part of the production mix for decades now. And while brands, and their marketing teams, have partnered with producers and networks in myriad ways for projects, multinational visibility for such programming is now easier to attain through streaming platforms and cable groups with global reach. What are the opportunities for producers and brands in this new content paradigm, and how can each party find the right partner for their projects? Here, you’ll learn from producers and marketers about how they work together to bring their content to life, and what each partner needs to bring to the table to make the relationship productive.

Moderating:


Tony Tackaberry

CEO + Founder

Lion Television USA

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Featuring:


Sarita Alami

Director of Programming

MailChimp

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Glen Freyer

SVP, TV & Digital Content

Alkemy X

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Jen Kavanagh

SVP, Marketing & Media

Philadelphia Eagles

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Rob Shaftel

Founder & Executive Producer

Hit + Run Creative

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11:00am

Format-Forward: The Challenges and Opportunities Ahead (11:00am - 12:00pm)

Sponsored by

Grand Ballroom A/B

From talent competitions that enthrall the world to physical competition series that defy description, and many points between, the formats business is still in substantial growth mode around the world as producers in more territories harness their creativity to unleash bold ideas that can travel. But as viewers are given more and more choice in how and where to consume content, creating a global hit is an even greater challenge. Here, you’ll hear from a range of experts in the formats business about how it is evolving, what genres are exploding and which are cooling, and what opportunities exist for your big, bold idea in an ever-evolving mediascape.


Featuring:


Avi Armoza

CEO

Armoza Formats

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Hayley Babcock

Founder and CEO

A+E Networks

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Rose Hughes

Vice President, Sales, UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand

Keshet International

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Hayden K. Meyer

Agency Partner, EVP, Head of Alternative & Factual Programming, Senior Agent

APA

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Diane Min

Head of Format Sales + Development

CJ ENM

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Event Menu

Brand Menu