Your health comes first, and meaningful measures will be enforced to keep you safe. Learn more.

MONDAY, JANUARY 27 - THURSDAY, JANUARY 30
SHERATON NEW ORLEANS
Marriott Marquis | Washington, DC | Sunday, January 28 – Wednesday, January 31, 2022

Agenda

Please note all times are in Pacific Daylight time (PDT)

You are not currently viewing the most recent Realscreen Summit. Go to Realscreen Summit 2025.


Panels

Monday, June 6

11:15am

Trendwatch: What’s Next in M&A (11:15am - 12:00pm)

Sponsored by

Richard Henry Dana Ballroom

Even though the “unscripted prodco buying spree” of the previous decade seems to have cooled off in the 2020s, there is still substantial activity in the M&A space, and even some new potential buyers in the mix via the streaming world and private equity firms. But there are many factors to take into account before making a deal. Here, you’ll hear from those who have sold stakes in their businesses as well as those who advise on the deals and learn valuable lessons on valuing your company, picking the right time to sell, building the right team to seal the deal and much more

Moderating:


Kate Beal

Chief Executive Officer

Woodcut Media

divider

Featuring:


James Burstall

CEO

Argonon

divider

Richard Gray

Managing Director

ACF Investment Bank

divider

Samuel Kissous

President

Pernel Media

divider

Grant Mansfield

CEO & Founder

Plimsoll Productions Ltd

divider
12:15pm

Cancel Culture or Course Correction? (12:15pm - 1:00pm)

Richard Henry Dana Ballroom

In the television business, when a show was canceled, it was usually due to ratings. Now, with the advent of social media, viewers are able to send immediate feedback about a program, or its cast, far and wide. And conversely, cast members or others involved in the programming can derail a show -- and their careers -- with a tweet. As audiences come to expect more in the way of social responsibility from those who create content -- and star in it -- producers and programmers alike can be caught in the crossfire if those standards aren’t met. This session will explore the issue with various industry stakeholders, and will provide practical takeaway on best practices for avoiding or navigating potential challenges.

Moderating:


Simone Boyce

Journalist & Host

divider

Featuring:


Ethan Cohan

Partner, Head of Non-Fiction & Unscripted Practice Area

Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang

divider

Kate Harrison

President

Cream Productions

divider

Jacqui Pitman

CEO, Casting Director & Executive Producer

Pitman Casting Inc/ Partypit Productions Inc.

divider

Hillary Povar Levinsohn

Executive Vice President

Smithhouse Strategy

divider
2:15pm

Streaming and Unscripted: Where to Grow from Here? (2:15pm - 3:00pm)

Sponsored by

Richard Henry Dana Ballroom

The advent of global streaming services has had an immeasurable impact upon the entertainment industry -- from content creators to audiences, from commissioners to distributors, streaming has revolutionized every aspect of screen entertainment. But now that the playing field has become more crowded with a wealth of services in the mix, the challenge for established and new players alike is all about growth -- growing subscribers and scale through growing the content offering. Here, executives from top streaming platforms discuss how their services plan to evolve in the months and years ahead, and what role unscripted content will play in that evolution.


Featuring:


Jenny Falkoff

Sr. Unscripted Creative Executive

Amazon Freevee (formerly IMDb TV)

divider

Toby Faulkner

SVP, Content discovery+

Warner Bros. Discovery

divider

Rachel Koehler

Vice President, Original Content

Tubi

divider

Brian Tannenbaum

Head, Roku Originals

Roku

divider
3:15pm

Reality Refresh (3:15pm - 4:00pm)

Sponsored by

Richard Henry Dana Ballroom

Even though the unscripted genre has been a staple of cable and broadcast networks for decades, it is consistently evolving, and with each new series that breaks through the clutter with an innovative twist or a clever hybrid, the whole genre seems to undergo a renaissance. Now that global streamers have entered the picture, even more innovation and exploration is at hand. Here, you’ll hear from producers and programmers about the tech advancements, subgenre mashups and other approaches being undertaken to ‘refresh reality,’ with an eye towards what might be next to break through.

Moderating:


Ari Mark

Co-Founder

Ample Entertainment

divider

Featuring:


Donna Clark

Managing Director

DSP Productions

divider

Rupert Dobson

EVP of Development

Bunim/Murray Productions

divider

Lauren Frasca

SVP, Content & Strategy, Magnolia Network

Warner Bros. Discovery

divider

Nancy Glass

CEO

Glass Entertainment Group

divider
4:15pm

Scoring a Hit with Sports Content (4:15pm - 5:00pm)

Richard Henry Dana Ballroom

From ESPN’s ground-breaking ‘30 to 30’ strand and the Michael Jordan docuseries, The Last Dance, to Ken Burn’s event series for PBS on boxing icon Muhammad Ali, sports-centered non-fiction content is hotter than ever. But it’s not just sports celeb stories that capture viewers, as docuseries capturing the ups and downs of icons-in-training have also scored with audiences. Here, you’ll learn some tips on how to craft winning content from the playbooks of major players in the Sports Non-Fiction space.

Moderating:


Joe Livecchi

Chief Executive Officer

Noble Savages

divider

Featuring:


Melanie Capacia Johnson

President

NEO Studios

divider

Brian Lockhart

SVP, ESPN+ Original Content and ESPN Films

ESPN Films

divider

FredAnthony Smith

VP, Non-Scripted Development

SMAC Entertainment

divider

Mike Tollin

Co-Chairman

Mandalay Sports Media

divider

Tuesday, June 7

10:45am

Keeping It Real: New Challenges for Doc-makers (10:45am - 11:30am)

Sponsored by

Richard Henry Dana Ballroom

On one hand, the explosion of interest in documentaries from streamers, cable nets and commercial broadcasters provides incredible opportunities for doc-makers and a true renaissance for the genre. But with those opportunities come challenges for a medium that has traditionally prized authenticity and ethics above commercial concerns. From deepfaked audio clips (and the potential for deepfaked video) to navigating access and creative control when your subject is also an executive producer, documentarians are facing an evolving array of ethical concerns, in some part propelled by the success and increasing demand for docs. This panel will feature the perspectives of documentary filmmakers and programmers and shed light on how to balance art, authenticity and commerce.

Moderating:


Michael Cascio

CEO & President

M&C Media LLC

divider

Featuring:


Adam Bullmore

Managing Director

October Films

divider

Alexis Gomez-Garcia

Vice President and Head, Development, US

Lightbox

divider

Richard Klein

Head of Documentaries

Plimsoll Productions Ltd

divider

Laura Michalchyshyn

Executive Producer

Blue Ant Studios

divider
11:45am

CASE STUDY: DEAF U (presented by DIALOG) (11:45am - 12:30pm)

Sponsored by

Richard Henry Dana Ballroom

One of the most compelling and groundbreaking docuseries of the past couple of years has come in the form of Deaf U, produced by Hot Snakes Media and Nyle DMarco for Netflix. Following a group of students at Gallaudet University, a college primarily for the deaf and hard of hearing, the sow has gained critical accolades for what IndieWire calls its “relatable and compelling” approach to capturing the lives of its cast. Here, you’ll learn from the team behind the series about the process involved in crafting what’s being calleda serious step forward in representing deafness and disability.

Moderating:


Lauren Appelbaum

SVP, Entertainment & News Media

RespectAbility

divider

Featuring:


Eric Evangelista

Executive Producer

Hot Snakes Media

divider

Naimah Holmes

President

Warner Bros. Discovery

divider

Todd Shill

VP Business and Legal Affairs

Hot Snakes Media

divider
2:00pm

Future Factual: Tech Trends (2:00pm - 2:45pm)

Richard Henry Dana Ballroom

From the advent of AI production techniques and the arrival of NFTs to the impending Metaverse, technological advances are set to impact the way content is made, viewed and sold. How can all this activity potentially change the way you’ll do business? Here, you’ll meet tech experts and the unscripted industry execs partnering with them to learn more about the opportunities – and the learning curves – involved in the brave new world ahead.

Moderating:


Raja Khanna

Founder

Dark Slope

divider

Featuring:


Jamal Dauda

VP, Creative Strategy

Blockchain Creative Labs

divider

Steve Ezell

SVP, Current Programming

Bunim Murray Productions

divider

Christina Martin

President

Sator.io Corp.

divider

Kitty Walshe

CEO

Remarkable Factual and RDF

divider

Wednesday, June 8

10:45am

Realscreen Awards: Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony (10:45am - 11:30am)

Richard Henry Dana Ballroom

Each year the Realscreen Hall of Fame awards are presented to individuals who have made their mark on the unscripted and non-fiction content landscape. 

Join us for a special presentation to honor this year’s recipients


Featuring:


Hall of Fame Honoree

Paul Buccieri

President & Chairman

A+E Networks

divider
Hall of Fame Honoree

Jane Root

Founder & CEO

Nutopia

divider
2:00pm

Coproduction - Strength in Numbers (2:00pm - 2:45pm)

Sponsored by

Richard Henry Dana Ballroom

With new players and platforms joining the content landscape on an almost weekly basis, the battle for eyeballs has never been more competitive. And as a result, the push for premium content is even more aggressive. More and more, it’s become apparent that there is strength in numbers -- both in terms of the production partners that can join a project to make it all it can be, and the dollars that can wind up on screen with the right copro arrangement. Here, you’ll learn about how the coproduction space is evolving, how deals are being made in this evolving ecosystem, and the range of players and partners available.

Moderating:


Rachel Job

SVP, UnScripted Content

All3Media International

divider

Featuring:


Michelle Bagliebter

VP of Business Operations and Strategy

Love Nature

divider

Sebastian Burkhardt

Head of Partnerships and Commercial Strategy

Red Bull Studios

divider

Camilla Cope

Commercial Director

Greenbird Media Ltd

divider

Nikolas Huelbusch

Director, Unscripted

ZDF Studios

divider

Event Menu

Brand Menu