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Monday, January 29
| 11:00 AM |
State of the Unscripted Nation: Innovating Through Challenge
Grand Ballroom C/D/E 11:00 AM-12:00 PM It’s no secret that the unscripted business is facing huge challenges – some that are exacerbated by those hitting the entertainment industry at large, and some that are unique. But while those challenges have been difficult, and will perhaps remain so for the foreseeable future, all sectors of the unscripted content world are looking at ways to innovate, collaborate and explore new models that will change the business for the better. Here, top executives from across the industry will share their strategies for riding out the storm, and their insights on how new approaches to collaboration, ownership and distribution of content will shape the business going forward. Speaking
   
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| 1:30 PM |
Getting It Made, Getting Paid
Grand Ballroom A/B 1:30 PM-2:15 PM The old model — you know, the one from 18 months ago — was all about getting the greenlight. Now, with the commissioning process compromised by myriad factors, it’s about getting the green… the money to get your project off the page and into production, with or without a commissioner on board. Rather than wait for the commissioning chill to thaw, producers that have built businesses through ‘work for hire’ are increasingly shifting to the ‘make it and sell it’ approach that has been the tried-and-true model for international content creators and distributors. Here, you’ll meet execs who will share the latest developments in international distribution, and experts who can help you navigate the many emerging avenues for funding factual and unscripted content. Speaking
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| 2:30 PM |
International Spotlight: United Kingdom
Grand Ballroom A/B 2:30 PM-3:15 PM Approaching the unscripted and non-fiction content business through a global lens, with these spotlights you’ll meet leading commissioners and content executives from various territories around the world, and learn more about their programming strategies, as well as coproduction and co-development opportunities. Speaking
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| 3:30 PM |
Risk and Reward: Pitching and Programming Big, Bold Ideas
Grand Ballroom A/B 3:30 PM-4:15 PM In a time of austerity measures and audience engagement/retention challenges, conventional wisdom dictates that sticking with the tried-and-true that’s a known draw for your viewers is fiscally prudent. But taking the “big swing” can result in bigger home runs, and building buzz doesn’t always mean breaking the bank. This session brings together the producers, programmers and development execs who are managing to turn innovative new concepts into hits, to share how they overcame budgetary constraints to grow their audience in creative ways. Speaking
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Tuesday, January 30
| 10:45 AM |
International Spotlight: Asia-Pacific
Grand Ballroom A/B 10:45 AM-11:30 AM Approaching the unscripted and non-fiction content business through a global lens, with these spotlights you’ll meet leading commissioners and content executives from various territories around the world, and learn more about their programming strategies, as well as coproduction and co-development opportunities. Speaking
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| 11:45 AM |
Sizing Up Social Content
Grand Ballroom A/B 11:45 AM-12:30 PM Top social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are shaping how younger audiences consume and interact with content, and while many unscripted properties (and the talent that propels them) are part of that ecosystem, there is still a wealth of opportunity to be explored – be it uncovering IP and partnering with talent that can potentially translate across platforms, or using social content as a development lab to create your own brands. This session brings together platform programmers, social content mavens and social-savvy producers to outline the steps towards greater, and possibly lucrative, social content consciousness. Speaking
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| 1:45 PM |
Super FAST Channel Panel
Grand Ballroom A/B 1:45 PM-2:30 PM As content consumption models continue to evolve, more and more eyes are fixating on FAST channels and the ability to create new revenue streams for library content. And it’s not just networks that are moving into the FAST lane – producers and distributors who have multiple seasons of popular series (and the rights to those hours) are also building channels of their own. This session will explore where the opportunities are now in the FAST market for legacy and original content, and where it’s headed next. Speaking
Katrina KowalskiSenior Vice President, International Content Programming and Acquisitions for Pluto TV Paramount 
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| 2:45 PM |
Day of the Docbuster
Grand Ballroom A/B 2:45 PM-3:30 PM While the content climate is currently challenging for buyers and sellers alike, the demand for programming that cuts through the clutter continues unabated. And some of the most buzzworthy work is coming in the form of what some call “pop docs”, or the “docbuster” – limited docuseries events that have as their main aim the grabbing of eyeballs and not necessarily Oscars (although those are nice, too). Here, producers and programmers will share their thoughts on what's working where, and why -- from profiles of pop culture icons to "stranger than fiction" true stories -- and what subject matter might be next in line for the 'docbuster' treatment in the near future. Speaking
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Wednesday, January 31
| 9:45 AM |
Five Steps to Conquering Media in 2025 and Beyond, with Julia Alexander, Parrot Analytics
Grand Ballroom C/D/E 9:45 AM-10:30 AM Julia Alexander, Director of Strategy at Parrot Analytics and Analyst at Puck News, joins Realscreen Summit to provide her Big Projections for the Future of Unscripted Media. The talk will include exclusive data pertaining to topics including fluctuating demand and supply trends for unscripted programming both domestically and internationally, a state of the union look at key players in a consolidating market, white space opportunities for different types of subgenres within unscripted programming across film and television, the question of whether sports docuseries are a long play or a short term bubble, and more. Speaking
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| 10:45 AM |
Inside the Format Lab - Exploring Talpa Studios' Formula for Success
Grand Ballroom A/B 10:45 AM-11:30 AM Founded by John de Mol, creator of such world-beating formats as The Voice and Big Brother, Netherlands-headquartered Talpa Studios is a major force in global unscripted entertainment, with creativity and innovation woven through its DNA, and guided by the motto: “Dream big and move fast.” Here, you’ll get a special glimpse behind the curtain to find out more about the company’s creative processes, ranging from the inner workings of its Format Lab and “Content Wheel” to its approaches to creative partnerships and global distribution. Speaking
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| 11:45 AM |
International Spotlight: Europe
Grand Ballroom A/B 11:45 AM-12:30 PM Approaching the unscripted and non-fiction content business through a global lens, with these spotlights you’ll meet leading commissioners and content executives from various territories around the world, and learn more about their programming strategies, as well as coproduction and co-development opportunities. Speaking
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| 2:45 PM |
AI…. Practically Speaking
Grand Ballroom A/B 2:45 PM-3:30 PM While some of the headlines concerning AI and its potential uses in television production might err on the side of sensational, the truth is that AI can be, and indeed has been, used in myriad ways to both simplify and augment the production process. From camera work to archive colorization, and from voice cloning and dubbing to algorithmic editing, AI tools can ramp up productivity and creativity. Here, you’ll meet unscripted executives and AI developers who will show you how – and why – you should be working with the tech now, as well as the policies and guidelines being developed to shape its usage. Speaking
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Thursday, February 1
| 10:00 AM |
What’s the Deal? How Dealmaking is Changing in the Streaming Era
Grand Ballroom A/B 10:00 AM-10:45 AM Labor strife, changing viewership habits and consolidation and contraction within the entertainment industry are all set to reshape the dealmaking process. From series orders to rights to residuals, and many points between, dealmaking is evolving, and knowing the changes underway is smart business. Here, a crack team of legal experts, producers and network execs will explore what dealmaking will look like in the very near future, and offer guidance on how you should be structuring projects as streaming rewrites the deal memo. Speaking
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| 11:00 AM |
Trendwatch ‘24-‘25
Grand Ballroom A/B 11:00 AM-11:45 AM Forewarned is forearmed, as they say, and when it comes to uncovering the content trends that will shape schedules for the year ahead, the more you know, the better. Join our panelists from multiple territories and across the unscripted content spectrum as they share their thoughts on what subjects and sub-genres will be ripe for exploration, and what cultural and societal trends and touchpoints in the zeitgeist are informing their development slates. Speaking
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