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Monday, January 25
1:15pm |
Diversity and Inclusion: Tools and Resources for Reaching your Goals (1:15pm - 2:15pm)With diversity, equity and inclusion becoming more of a focal point for companies in the unscripted and non-fiction content industry, it's important to know what resources are available for helping you to create a truly diverse, inclusive corporate environment and achieve your recruitment, hiring and mentorship goals in this space. Here, you'll meet representatives from myriad diversity advocacy organizations who will share with you approaches and strategies for creating pathways to success and opportunity. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() Ri-Karlo HandyFounder and Chief Executive Officer, Sunwise Media and Senior Vice President, Unscripted, Blink49 Studios The Handy Foundation ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Friday, January 29
2:00pm |
A Deep Dive Into Discovery+ (2:00pm - 3:00pm)Now it can be told -- Discovery, one of the giants in non-fiction programming, is staking its claim in the streaming sweepstakes and launching its own service. But how will it differ from Discovery’s myriad linear offerings, and what will be its unique selling point in the increasingly crowded streaming space? And what opportunities exist for content creators as the service kicks into gear? Here, you’ll hear from top executives behind the endeavor and learn more about what to expect from Discovery+. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() |
Tuesday, February 2
1:30pm |
Managing Through Uncertainty: Producing in a Pandemic (1:30pm - 2:30pm)The past year has wrought incredible obstacles upon the television and film industry, with producers and content creators needing to find new ways to craft projects under ever-changing conditions. And while the situation continues to be unpredictable, the good news is that content is being made, and seen. Here, you hear from producers across genres who will reveal how they are pivoting during the pandemic to create a wide range of programming -- from shiny floor to natural history and many points between -- while also examining how the limitations imposed by the situation may be changing what is being produced and how it’s being made -- for the better. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() International Outlook (1:30pm - 2:30pm)We are in an unprecedented time when much of the world is undergoing a singular crisis, and non-fiction producers and buyers are facing unique challenges in bringing content to audiences, both in financing projects and in physically producing them. From best practices in navigating protocols in multiple territories and finding the most production-friendly partners in the current landscape, to exploring how the need for partnership may impact the rights model, this session brings together executives from around the world to examine how evolving strategies of international coproduction, distribution and creative financing are impacting the factual content business today and going forward. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
2:45pm |
Managing through Uncertainty: Dollars and Sense (2:45pm - 3:45pm)While unscripted programming has proven to be a viable alternative for networks and audiences craving new content during the pandemic, producers, buyers and distributors have to contend with the challenges stemming from uncertainty in domestic and global economies. This session brings together execs from various sectors to examine how the economic realities taking shape during the pandemic will impact programming (commissioning, development and production budgets) in the months ahead and best practices for working and thriving within the new parameters that will emerge. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Short Form: Big Potential? (2:45pm - 3:45pm)From Snap to Facebook to many points between, the audience for short-form content is huge, and growing. But the demise of Quibi after a matter of months in operation poses several questions, with perhaps the most important ones being, what does this audience want to see, and how does it want its content delivered, and produced? This session brings together executives from short-form platforms, and creators and producers working within the medium who will share their answers to these questions and more. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Wednesday, February 3
11:00am |
How to Make Your Team Diverse and Why It Matters (11:00am - 12:00pm)It’s been a long time coming, but at last, diversity, inclusion and equity are top of mind for companies across the spectrum in the screen content business today. But beyond pledges to “do better,” what does this mean from the practical perspective of actually making your company truly diverse and inclusive? Here, you’ll get information you can use from those who have made diversity and inclusion a priority and built teams accordingly, and learn why it’s the best thing you can do for your business, and for your content. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
4:00pm |
Partner Presentation: The Power of Music to Tell Stories (4:00pm - 4:45pm)Over the last year, the industry has almost entirely reimagined how productions have come to screen – from filming at home to shooting on phones, incorporating social distancing and safety measures to radically rethinking the way that cast and crew work. All of which means that music has an even bigger place in elevating, driving and telling stories. Our panel of experts explore the role of music in today’s TV production landscape. If your current or upcoming project needs music, please email our VP West Coast | Head of Film & TV, Todd King directly at todd.king@audionetwork.com and we’ll create a custom playlist for you! Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() |
Thursday, February 4
11:00am |
Propelling Premium Documentary (11:00am - 12:00pm)As documentaries enjoy a renaissance with the advent of more platforms -- and viewers -- embracing the genre, female directors are creating some of the most important, entertaining and culturally significant doc content being seen today. Here, several women filmmakers will discuss their work and the process of bringing it to the world, and offer insight on the challenges and opportunities that exist for women in the doc sphere now. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
12:15pm |
New Horizons for Natural History (12:15pm - 1:15pm)Natural history programming has been undergoing a renaissance over the last couple of years, thanks to the global impact of massive tentpole series from the big players in the genre, as well as the increasing presence and commissioning power of major streaming services delving into the field. But there is also a shift underway, as more production companies and platforms move into wildlife content, bringing new sensibilities and younger audiences into the mix. Here, you’ll meet some of the emerging players as well as established natural history producers and programmers looking to chart new territory and pave the way for fresh talent to make their mark. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Case Study: How “Love Island” Became “Love Inland” (12:15pm - 1:15pm)Necessity is often the mother of invention, and when it became necessary to rethink how to shoot one of unscripted’s biggest series in the midst of a pandemic, reinvention saved the day. Here, you’ll learn how the production team behind the format’s U.S. version pivoted to bring viewers an unprecedented season of the global phenomenon (which topped Season 1 in viewership and week-to-week growth) – partnering with Caesars Entertainment and taking over an entire hotel in Las Vegas to create a giant “production bubble” and recreate the Love Island “villa” on the roof of The Cromwell. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
1:30pm |
Formats to the Rescue (1:30pm - 2:30pm)While COVID-19 has played havoc with the content pipeline, there has been a bright side for those who produce and sell programming -- audience numbers are up and there is hunger for more. That hunger provides both challenges in meeting demand, and incredible opportunities to develop, produce and sell content with global potential. Here, you’ll see how the formats business is poised to capitalize on the current situation, as finished tape and local adaptations of popular formats, and new projects being pitched and greenlit, are satisfying both buyers and viewers alike. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() New Talent: Where to Find It, How to Attract It (1:30pm - 2:30pm)From TikTok to podcasts, from Snapchat to Instagram, the talent pool in front of the camera and behind the scenes is expanding exponentially. Audiences that number in the millions can translate, for this new talent, into deals with similarly big numbers. But can the “traditional” medium of television also provide a home for these young creatives? And in a world of proliferating platforms and increasing cord-cutting, will it have to, for its own sake? Here, you’ll meet some of the new blood that’s recharging the content business, and those who are working with them to find out how and why it’s important to bring them to the party. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
2:45pm |
Trendwatch: Reality Reborn (2:45pm - 3:45pm)With the maturation of unscripted television and the entry of new platforms delving into the field, several sub-genres within the space are enjoying a renaissance of sorts, and have been revamped for new generations of viewers. From dating and social experiments to sports docs and paranormal, reality is ripe for reinvention, and audiences are wanting more. Here, we’ll bring together programmers and producers behind some of the hottest series and projects on air now to discuss how they are reframing these tried and true categories, and learn about what other areas of unscripted might be ready for a rebirth. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Medium and the Message: How Different Platforms Tackle Topical Content (2:45pm - 3:45pm)2020 has been a year for the books -- and for the screens. The pandemic, political and social polarization and a global reckoning over the scourge of racism have each impacted what -- and how -- we watch television and consume content today. This session will bring together producers and programmers working with various platforms -- from long-form to short-form, from cable to on demand -- to explore how they have brought these issues to audiences, and the varying approaches utilized to deliver impactful, informative and entertaining content to viewers, wherever they are. Moderating:![]() Featuring:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |