Realscreen Sept/Oct 2022

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

FIRST LOOK

Exploring

25TH ANNIVERSARY SPOTLIGHT

As Realscreen

MIPCOM PICKS

Our

SPECIALIST FACTUAL FOCUS

How

ARCHIVE REPORT

THE FINAL CUT

ON THE COVER

Constant companions

It’s

always struck me as somewhat ironic that those of us who write about the entertainment business, covering the work of those creatives and executives who shape it, tend to stay in our positions longer than the people we write about. “Change is the only constant,” the saying goes, and in this industry it seems to be more or less a mantra. Sometimes that change is welcome and driven by ambition, or the desire for new beginnings and fresh challenges. And sometimes, as in every area of life, the change can be foisted upon us without our consent, catching us unaware and forcing us to become our strongest, most resourceful selves in order to stay afloat. I know that I’ve certainly written my fair share about change within these editorials. Sometimes, I’ve looked at it through the business lens, in relation to evolving viewing habits, or ways of creating and distributing content. Other times, I’ve been prompted to examine change through a more personal perspective, as a comment on how the peaks and valleys of the industry’s evolution impact the individuals within it.

Goodness knows we are seeing a lot of change — some of it uncomfortable — within the business now. Going back to my opening paragraph, I can’t help but feel grateful to be part of a brand that for a quarter of a century now (yikes!) has provided both a window through which to examine these changes, as well as, via the involvement of those within this business we cover, a platform that can encourage and facilitate community. This gratitude is extended to everyone reading these pages, and attending our events, and all those who have done so over the span of 25 years.

In the face of relentless change, being a constant companion of sorts to the non-fiction and unscripted screen content industry is not something that we take for granted at Realscreen. On behalf of this team, and all of our contributors from over the years, I thank you for granting us that status. Rest assured that we’ll continue to do our best to earn it.

Be well, Barry Walsh Content director and editor-in-chief Realscreen

September + October 2022 Volume 26, Issue 1

Realscreen is published 4 times a year by Brunico Communications Ltd., 100- 366 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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25 years young

W

ow! Realscreen is 25 years old!

I joined our parent company, Brunico Communications, in January of 2000 as an account manager on our sister publication, Kidscreen . At that time Realscreen was a fledgling brand, just a year-and-a-half old, and I was very, very much on the periphery.

In her column in the debut issue, founding editor Mary Ellen Armstrong wrote: “We raised some eyebrows, no doubt, during the R&D of Realscreen

The concept of a monthly business mag about ‘docs, infomags and lifestyle programming’ meant we’d be throwing together camps which don’t always like to mix and mingle. The capital-D documentarians would be sharing pages with the animal chasers, the extreme meteorologists, the fashion-philes, the drugbust videographers and the do-it-yourself set.”

Now those capital-D docmakers share our pages with unscripted producers who deal in the worlds of pawned goods, pimple-popping doctors and game shows. Conversely, many of those producers straddle the worlds of feature-film doc-making and docuseries. Quite an evolution.

That gamble of a quarter-century ago, spearheaded by Brunico’s founder, Jim Shenkman, and then-VP Shelley Middlebrook, sure has paid off. The first issue of the then-monthly magazine rolled off the presses in September 1997, followed a mere four months later by the inaugural Realscreen Summit, which attracted approximately 500 delegates from around the globe.

And here we are in the fall of 2022 with a quarterly mag, daily digital newsletter and well-trafficked website, two market-leading events, and three robust programs designed to elevate folks from all backgrounds and from all over the world in their careers. And we won’t be stopping there. Watch this space for an announcement of a new initiative we’re developing to address the ever-evolving business of non-fiction and unscripted.

When I transitioned to lead this brand in 2009, I’m not sure I truly appreciated the potential it held. Nor did I understand the sense of community that pervades the industry. It’s real. I’m proud and humbled to lead a brand and a team that I believe supports and fosters that community.

Happy birthday to Realscreen. I look forward to celebrating our success and the resilience and creativity of this wonderful, global collective at the Summit in Austin come January.

‘Til then, go well. Claire Macdonald SVP and publisher Realscreen

SOUND STAGES 4 CONTROL ROOMS

TOPICAL STORM

Docuseries following stories “ripped from the headlines” are in demand from audiences and buyers alike, but producing such content comes with its own unique set of challenges.

By Justin Anderson

Unprecedented for Discovery+ gave filmmaker Alex Holder access to outgoing president Donald Trump.

POINTED ARROW John Smithson on the sports doc boom

19

These docs cost a significant amount of money, and if a buyer says ‘We need it in this timeline,’ we will work really hard to deliver.”

T

opical documentaries are hardly new, but news-based doc projects focused on current events, often produced as they’re still unfolding, have become increasingly prominent.

Subjects such as the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the GameStop stock fiasco, and the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and the subsequent trial of Ghislaine Maxwell are just some of the stories fresh from the 24/7 news cycle that have been the subject of multiple feature documentaries and docuseries.

Producing news-focused documentaries can pose unique challenges in a field that already has plenty of hurdles to clear. Between the push to be the first to a big story, to the pressure to keep up with the latest details, there’s a lot of plates that require spinning.

TIME IS (NOT) ON YOUR SIDE

The issue of time is probably the most obvious, and immediate, concern for a team crafting a news-based documentary.

Ongoing stories are fluid and can change in a moment. The thrust of a whole project might shift, or new, vital information about a subject could emerge.

“Or you might finish your doc three weeks before one of the main characters passes away,” says Jamie Crawford, director and executive producer of the upcoming Blue Ant Studios production Banished: The Prince Andrew Story , speaking to Realscreen mere days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The investigative documentary examines the disgraced royal’s links to sex offender Epstein and his recently convicted accomplice, Maxwell.

“The challenge of documentary is always time. Money equals time. And time allows for deeper investigation and digging for more people and all that kind of stuff,” Crawford explains. “But with a news doc, you’re constantly racing the clock, because you want to put it out while it’s relevant. And while it’s hot.”

Laura Michalchyshyn, chief creative officer and co-president of Blue Ant Studios — the prodco behind Banished as well as the three-part Ghislaine Maxwell: Epstein’s Shadow docuseries, both of which ran on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service — has noted a big shift in production timelines in the documentary world.

“When I used to run Sundance Channel, we’d give filmmakers a year to film, six

Director Alex Holder (left) calls Unprecedented a “complicated project.”

months to post, as long as we had it within a year and a half,” she says. “That’s over. There are no more filmmaking or documentary series that are done with these two-year timelines, unless you’re independently financed.”

For production houses, it’s often the buyer that determines the delivery timing.

“These docs cost significant amounts of money, and if a buyer says ‘We need it in this timeline,’ we will work really hard to deliver because they’re investing in us and the story and they want to capture a moment that they feel is right for their viewers,” says Michalchyshyn.

Crawford. It’s familiar territory for him, as his 2022 Netflix documentary on Woodstock ‘99, Trainwreck , followed Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage , released a year earlier by HBO.

“In a way it really makes you double down on the integrity of your storytelling and inject even more vim and energy into it, knowing that other people are out there covering [the same subject],” he says.

Blue Ant’s Michalchyshyn also views the competition as positive.

“We are competitive. We were one of the first out with a Ghislaine Maxwell story,” she says. “And we all watch [competing projects], we all watch what everyone is doing.

There are no more documentary series that are done with two-year timelines, unless you’re independently financed.”

Alex Holder of AJH Films, the prodco behind this year’s Donald Trump docuseries Unprecedented for Discovery+, found himself in the unique position of having access to the outgoing president and his family right as violence exploded at the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Holder and his footage were subsequently subpoenaed by the U.S. Congress’ January 6th Committee, and the headlines created buzz for the project while also potentially buying the team a bit more time.

“The timing probably couldn’t have been better,” Holder recalls. “This was a complicated project… to have as much time as possible to put it together, to make this the best version of what it could be, was obviously an advantage to us.”

With numerous projects out or in the works on Maxwell, January 6 and other hot topics in the news, there’s naturally a sense of competition for buyers and prodcos alike. For some filmmakers, especially those from a news background, it’s nothing new.

“I worked in news before I came into TV, and every newspaper is covering the same story. In the print world, it’s that times a million; in doc land, there might be two, maybe three projects sometimes covering the same territory,” says Banished helmer

“Many of them are [from] colleagues, many of these stories are being told by very preeminent documentarians as well,” she adds. “So it’s a good thing for our industry to have all of these stories being told, and I think it’s helped elevate the importance and the popularity [of documentaries].”

GOING FURTHER THAN THE NEWS

Compared to traditional news coverage, exploring a story via a documentary project also provides the opportunity to go deeper. As seen in such projects as Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly, documentaries allow for victims to be included and to be given a voice that traditional news coverage doesn’t always allow for.

“[It was] really important also to give voice to the women,” Michalchyshyn says of the Blue Ant Studios-produced Evil by Design: Surviving Nygård. Released earlier this year, the docuseries explores allegations against former fashion mogul Peter Nygård, who is currently facing numerous charges ranging from sexual assault to sex trafficking. “Because previously, let’s be frank, they haven’t in these stories. And we’re very respectful of that and want to give them the moment for their truth to be heard.”

Major networks or streamers, with their often significant resources, can be good partners on news-focused documentary projects for many reasons, ranging from a higher budget to thoughtful feedback — or a combination of the two.

While on a panel at the recent Edinburgh TV Festival, All3Media SVP of unscripted Rachel Job recalled the role that U.S. cable network Starz played in the production of the All3Mediadistributed docuseries Who is Ghislaine Maxwell?

Crawford Holder

Michalchyshyn

Page

Laura Palumbo Johnson

Jin Woo Hwang

Porter

Mansfield

Bo Stehmeier

Noah Pollack

Amy Winter

Katie Maloney

Tiffany Williams

Bea Hegedus

Rod Aissa

Blue Ant Studios’

Ghislaine Maxwell: Epstein’s Shadow (below, right) led to another project for Peacock.

The challenge of documentary is always time. Money equals time. And time allows for deeper investigation.”

It was Starz, Job said, “who really supersized the budget and made it even more premium than it was originally,” and the network also suggested expanding the project from a 90-minute film to a two-part series. Soon, the filmmakers said they had enough material to make it a three-parter.

Traditionally, network and streaming partners provide notes that ultimately can benefit the project, but those discussions can also birth new programs. Michalchyshyn says Banished grew out of discussions with NBC and Peacock executives, Blue Ant’s partner for Ghislaine Maxwell: Epstein’s Shadow

“We had done the Ghislaine Maxwell [series] with NBC and Peacock, [and] we had been talking about [whether to] do a fourth episode, because her trial was coming up. And we thought the fourth episode should be the trial,” recalls Michalchyshyn. “To their credit, one of the senior execs at NBC came

back and said, ‘You talk about Prince Andrew and his relationship to Ghislaine and Jeffrey Epstein in the doc, why not tell that story?’ And it was like a bulb went on.”

For many in the field, the rise in popularity of timely, news-based documentaries, which is seeing a flurry of producers, distributors and platforms enter the premium docuseries space, is encouraging. And for the filmmakers themselves, the rush of documenting major news events as they unfold is part of the appeal.

“I use this phrase, which is pretty cliché, but to walk in history is something which is a privilege to be able to do,” says Holder. “To record what’s going on in somebody’s mind at a given moment and that person being, in our case, the most powerful man in the world, I could never not do that again.”

He then adds with a chuckle: “I mean, I don’t want to be subpoenaed again, but maybe that’s an occupational hazard these days.”

POINTED ARROW

A PRODUCER’S PERSPECTIVE

By John Smithson

Not too long ago, the consensus among commissioners was that sports-related docs were untouchable, destined only for the ratings dead zone. I vividly remember pitching a couple of what I thought were perfectly formed ideas, only for them to be contemptuously dismissed. Why watch a doc, the buyers asked, when you can watch the real thing? What beats the excitement, tension, emotion and jeopardy of viewing live sport, of whatever type?

How things have changed. It seems that viewers, engorged by the relentless tide of live sports coverage, want something more nourishing. There’s a desire to go beyond the field of play, and into the private sanctums of their sporting heroes. Documentary has infiltrated every other aspect of our lives, from the frothy to the profound. Why not sports?

Sports docs are now a hot genre, and there’s a huge appetite, especially from the streamers, for big singles and long series. But the standard is high: you need outstanding access, star names, great archive and compelling drama that takes you beyond sports-bar punditry.

Also, these are expensive shows — just the access fees alone would buy you a landmark natural history series. But it is still petty cash when compared to the eye-watering billions splashed on sports rights each year.

There are two very different sub-genres of sports docs. Of the two, super-premium feature-length docs, often revisiting the iconic stories of our sporting past, is the more established, and the appetite for such stand-out single films is greater than ever. But where classics such as When We Were Kings and Hoop Dreams, and even more recent examples like Senna, initially targeted the big screen, in most cases these titles now go directly to streaming.

The hot area right now is series, especially follow docs that accompany an athlete or team through a season, with all the highs and lows that great sport can deliver in abundance.

Netflix’s Drive to Survive, which tracks the Formula One season with great access and premium production values, has brought a whole new audience to the sport — both in America, where F1 was overshadowed by other motorsports, and to a younger and more female-skewing audience globally. Amazon Prime, meanwhile, has a major brand with All or Nothing, which focuses on one team for an entire season. The franchise is working through a list of elite teams from around the world, but primarily from the NFL in the U.S. and the Premier League in the UK.

Meanwhile, lots of other sports are looking on enviously, wanting a piece of the action. Series on golf and tennis are already in the pipeline. Who will be next, and where will it end?

Although there is substantial hunger for this content, there are no easy wins here for any ambitious indie. Getting access can take an unbelievable amount of time; and even when you have an agreement in principle and are through the door, you’re still only at the starting line. Navigating a complex web of sports and image rights, whilst handling rich and powerful owners and superstar players, plus their agents and managers, is a major challenge. Further, the level of access is critical: there’s no way you can roam where you

want, shooting everything you see. Managing expectations is also paramount, and finding a middle ground between the story the team wants to tell, and the story your streamer wants you to deliver, requires your silkiest producing skills. Yet despite all the challenges of filming in genuine accessall-areas style, the creative teams on these series have captured some truly impressive material. There have been some great, immersive scenes in the F1 series, and the latest All or Nothing installment has had some classy doc moments. It’s no mystery why commissioners crave this onceunloved genre: the content brings audience appeal, profile and longevity, and it’s perfect for binge viewing. But is this sports rush a flash in the pan? I doubt it. As long as live sport is a staple across all platforms, the sporting doc seems destined to run in parallel.

John Smithson is creative director of Arrow Pictures, a feature and high-end factual label created out of Arrow, the UK-headquartered indie which he co-founded in 2011.

These are expensive shows — just the access fees alone would buy you a landmark natural history series.”

WHERETONEXT?

With this issue marking Realscreen’s 25th anniversary, we’re using this milestone to reflect on the rate of change in the industry over that period, and what’s ahead on the horizon.

quarter of a century ago (!!!), a new trade publication sought to provide producers and buyers of “docs, infomags and lifestyle programming” with information and inspiration, with the aim of nurturing the global community of content creators working in these burgeoning genres.

Now, in 2022, that global community has grown exponentially, and that publication has evolved into what Realscreen is today — a multi-platform concern that features not only our editorial products, but also, importantly, our market-leading events. While the non-fiction and unscripted programming business has undergone myriad changes over the past 25 years, some things remain constant, including our dedication to

being a primary source of information and an outlet for discussion and debate about where the industry is now, and where it’s headed.

In the next several pages you’ll see some of that discussion and debate, courtesy of top executives from across the industry. As with any great non-fiction story, twists and turns may lie in wait over the next 25 years, but there are a couple of things we can bet on: there will be changes afoot that we can’t even predict now; and there will be millions who will continue to be entertained, informed and inspired by the incredible non-fiction and unscripted content coming from an ever-growing, ever-evolving industry.

Barry Walsh, editor-in-chief and content director, Realscreen

ROBERT SHARENOW

President of programming A+E Networks

What is the biggest challenge facing the unscripted/non-fiction content industry right now, and how is it impacting your work?

In general, the business has become relatively risk-averse and, as a result, there’s been a lack of innovation and evolution of the genre. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen so much cloning of formats.

What has been the most important development in the unscripted/non-fiction business over the course of your career?

The modern unscripted business was born before my eyes with shows like The Real World, Iron Chef Japan, The Osbournes, Survivor, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and our own Pawn Stars and The First 48. All of these shows helped redefine what unscripted storytelling could be, and the echoes of these shows are still present today.

Given that the rate of change is so rapid in the industry now, what do you think the unscripted business will look like in 2025?

I’m hoping we will see some transformative creative that will shake up the genre and evolve new ways to tell stories.

What has been your favorite unscripted series or documentary of the past 25 years?

I’ve seen it a dozen times, but I’m still awed by the work Roger Ross Williams did making Life, Animated

The focus in M&A has shifted to networks and major media companies merging and acquiring each other. How has consolidation impacted A+E’s business today?

We’ve actually benefited by keeping our focus and being very disciplined about putting our viewers first and leaning into our core genres in which we are industry leaders: crime and justice, cutting-edge docuseries, history, biography and lifestyle.

I’m hoping we will see some transformative creative that will shake up the genre.”

How do you see A+E evolving further?

We are going to continue to grow and expand in our areas of expertise and genre leadership. There’s an insatiable hunger for great content, so for us, it’s about keeping the bar high, expanding our volume and reaching consumers wherever they are. Andrew Jeffrey

DREAMS

Banijay’s Cris Abrego on breaking barriers and building ladders in unscripted TV

SYLVIA BUGG

What is the biggest challenge facing the unscripted/non-fiction content industry right now, and how is it impacting your work?

From PBS and public media’s perspective, one of the areas that we’re often looking at is resources. [We have] terrific talent in terms of documentary filmmakers, [who are] never short of great ideas, but we’re always taking a close look at funding resources and looking for creative ways to help support films and get them distributed.

For us, [that means] coproductions and acquisitions, and thinking about more creative ways that we can help provide funding support. I don’t know that it’s so much of a challenge for the larger media organizations and streamers when it comes to funding. But there’s always an opportunity to find ways to support even more makers, so we just have to look at those funding models very closely.

What’s the biggest opportunity for buyers and commissioners right now?

Because there’s so many avenues for distribution these days, that has upped the number of documentaries. Over the many decades that I’ve been in the business, I’ve certainly seen it shift, and it demonstrates that there are great stories out there that have yet to be told, as well as great creators who are doing a lot of terrific content that speaks to this moment. You’re seeing filmmakers who are starting with their first films or subsequent films and [are doing] really dynamic work.

What has been the most important development in the non-fiction content business over the course of your career?

The sheer innovation in terms of development and how filmmakers are using different techniques to tell stories.Technology has certainly shifted a lot of the opportunity in this space [with] immersive media, and all of those different avenues that really speak to this time that we’re in. Media companies, including PBS, say we want to meet audiences where they are, [and] I think between innovation and technology advances we’ve been able to accomplish some of that.

You’re seeing filmmakers with their first films... doing really dynamic work.”

I’ll point to one project that PBS highlighted over the past year, and that was from ‘Frontline’ and executive producer Raney Aronson. It was called Un(re)solved, and it looked at unresolved civil rights cases. It was more than just a documentary; it started with podcasts and with [PBS’] LearningMedia education assets, with a mobile installation tour that went around to different cities, and immersive ways for audiences to learn about these stories, even before the documentary. So that is a project that speaks to digital, podcasting, and immersive media, but also culminated in a documentary film. It gave so many touchpoints for that documentary, to have all the different ways that it was made available to audiences.

Given the rapid rate of change in the industry, what predictions can you make about what it might look like in 2025?

I’m interested in seeing if there are shifts in terms of price points for films and other media. I think a lot of this will be driven by distribution platforms. We’re in the midst of that right now, so it’ll be interesting over the next three years to see how that evolves. AJ

Chief programming executive, GM of general audience programming PBS

What is the biggest challenge facing the unscripted/non-fiction content industry right now, and how is it impacting your work?

There are so many places for audiences to find content these days that it has become increasingly competitive to keep attentive audiences interested in your shows. As producers, our job is to stay in lockstep with what audiences want and to be authentic, but it is also our job to help bring new approaches to creating unique unscripted content that sticks out from a crowded content landscape and makes big, buzzy noise. That sometimes means we need to push networks to take big swings and trust that we will bring the audience with new ideas. It’s a balance that is not always the easiest thing to do, but luckily we have been able to work with amazing network executives that trust us.

What’s the biggest opportunity for producers right now?

The ability to pitch our ideas to a wide swath of content providers. It’s nice to reach beyond what was, for decades, a limited amount of networks. Unscripted has become a major player in streamers building large libraries, so our formats and concepts have bigger chances to find a home and an audience.

Given that the rate of change is so rapid in the industry now, what do you think the unscripted business will look like in 2025? What will be substantially different than it is today?

I would say we will see unscripted content double in size by 2025 in order for streamers to really fill their content coffers. Hopefully something that will be different will be changing the old way of developing shows once they are sold. Lengthy development periods tend to make projects stale. Of course, there [should be] time for the network and producer to make sure that every facet of the show works, but decreasing the time — which can sometimes be as long as 18 to 24 months — helps keep the show fresh and [you] can beat other networks to the punch by getting shows on air quicker to feed a rabid audience.

Queer Eye has frequently been hailed as a trailblazing series. As a producer, do you think there are still areas that need to be further developed in terms of representational content?

I don’t think there is any other way to answer this question than with a giant YES! We are constantly working to widen the scope of storytelling in our shows to encompass a far more omnicultural world than we have seen in the past. As a gay man, who for many years never saw his face on television in a bold or positive way, it would be insane not to make sure that we work diligently to let everyone see themselves represented in content.

It’s nice to reach beyond what was, for decades, a limited amount of networks.”

What has been your favorite unscripted series of the past 25 years?

That’s a very tough question. I don’t think I could name just one, because my favorites tend to span the spectrum from docu to competition and I watch them for different reasons. Legacy shows like Hell’s Kitchen , The Voice , The Amazing Race , etc., have a special place in my eyes for showcasing formats that have lasted for hundreds of episodes, continuing to keep a large and loyal audience, and you have to bow down to their incredible longevity. I will tell you though that I’m obsessed with The Great British Bake Off, and have watched every season at least three times.

What advice would you give to any new producers looking to take the plunge and start their own production companies?

Think big. Drink tons of iced coffee. Don’t plan on ever sleeping eight hours a night again. Oh, and be patient. Not everyone is going to like your newest idea, and that can’t be something that breaks you or you’ll fail before you get out of the gate. Barry Walsh

Chief creative officer Scout Productions

ROB ERIC

KATE BEAL

Founder & CEO Woodcut Media

What is the biggest challenge facing the unscripted/non-fiction content industry right now, and how is it impacting your work?

We are in the midst of an enormous period of change within our industry. COVID supercharged the boom of the streamers, and the production business across the board has benefited from that. However, the looming cost-of-living crisis coupled with recent mergers means that there will be a period of uncertainty for content creators. The big positive is that unscripted generally weathers most storms due to our leaner budgets and the nimble nature of productions, but there will still be an impact.

What’s the biggest opportunity for producers right now?

At present the customer base is increasing, and that is a great thing for producers. There are more and more opportunities to have your content funded. This may slightly stall in the next couple of years when the market settles, but for now, we’re in a purple patch. The biggest increase is the rise of the AVOD players, who in some cases are now not just challengers to pay TV, but the natural successors.

Given that the rate of change is so rapid in the industry now, what do you think the unscripted business will look like in 2025?

It’s always hard to predict the future… for years we’ve all been speculating on when the death of linear TV will finally happen, but here we still are with a wonderful mixed ecology of linear broadcasters and VOD providers. I think for the next few years this combination of platforms will continue, as viewers are adapting to watching great content in the best way for them — when and how they want it.

What has been your favorite unscripted or nonfiction project of the past 25 years?

This is an incredibly difficult question to answer. Unscripted television has created some of the biggest watercooler moments of the 21st century so far! Personally, one of the most impactful documentaries of the past 25 years is the Adam Curtis film The Power of Nightmares, which was first aired in 2004 on the BBC. I watched it as a viewer, and as a programmaker the series really inspired my thinking. Curtis took an incredibly difficult subject — the politics of fear and the rise of fundamentalist Islam — and presented it in a unique, compelling way. His use of archive and music was incredible, making a complicated narrative accessible. As a lover of archive, it gave me confidence to create new ways of using these images.

Besides production, Woodcut also has a dedicated distribution division. Do you think that’s a vital area for producers of a certain scale to explore, and what other areas would you like to expand into in the near future with Woodcut?

I don’t think it’s vital for every producer to form their own distribution company. However, I do think it’s essential that all producers fully understand the business of program distribution and how to use it to their advantage. Thankfully, Woodcut International is proving a success and is supporting the production group. Starting a new business during the pandemic paid off!

Producing unscripted TV is one of the greatest privileges.”

What would the 2022 version of yourself tell the 1997 you about having a career in the business?

Producing unscripted TV is one of the greatest privileges.As a producer/director, having a camera in your hand is like a passport to many different worlds. These are life experiences money can’t buy and that I am forever grateful for.

As an indie boss and exec… well, that’s been one hell of a journey. I think I’d tell myself… don’t worry, it will all work out in the end. Work hard, be creative, know when to take a risk, and have faith that everything happens for a reason. Oh... and start your pension earlier! BW

LEVY

Chief content officer Endemol Shine North America

What is the biggest challenge facing the unscripted/non-fiction content industry right now, and how is it impacting your work?

Like all businesses, I think cost is a major issue for all sides of the business these days. Producers and networks alike are having to get super-creative about how to still deliver on the promise of big, while keeping costs in check. The upside of that is everyone is having to get creative, and for a global company such as Banijay [that] means more collaboration, which is always a good thing.

Conversely, what’s the biggest opportunity for producers right now?

Buyers are really looking for something special, new and loud, and that tends to create urgency that usually will lead to someone taking a big shot. So I think the opportunity right now is to go bold.

What has been the most important development in the unscripted/nonfiction business over the course of your career?

The birth of the streamers, which opened up more platforms to make content for and changed how the audience consumes content. The power being placed into the viewers’ control of how and what and when they watch television has been an epic shift.

You’ve worked on both sides of the fence, as a buyer and a seller. What do you think producers should be most aware of when it comes to the challenges buyers are facing now?

The financial reality of depressed ratings means every pitch has to be Teflon from an idea standpoint and financial standpoint. More than ever, buyers must have a very strong narrative as to why their platform should make your show. [Producers should] understand that slots, even internally, are at a premium.

Buyers are really looking for something special, new and loud, and that creates urgency.”

What has been your favorite unscripted series of the past 25 years?

How can I pick one ? I would say The Jinx had me riveted. Tiger King made my mouth drop open at its audacity. And I’d want to see if I could survive Survivor BW

BE A PART OF

ROBYN LATTAKER-JOHNSON

Agent, alternative A3 Artists Agency

What is the biggest challenge facing the unscripted/nonfiction content industry now?

Broadly, the challenges I’m seeing for producers and content creators are a combination of where we are in the evolution of unscripted content — bigger, better, louder, more dangerous, more salacious, more revealing, more celebrities, more access — all for reduced budgets, in many instances. Without attachments, be they people/places or IP, significant access and auspices seem to be the key factors in potentially selling.

Another big challenge is the consolidation of the various media conglomerates. For example, we’re all looking forward to the next evolution of WBD, but in the meantime not having HBO Max as a buyer has been a major loss for so many of us, particularly in the pop-culture content space. The merging of development teams also has its challenges. What I’m learning in this role as an agent, which I took for granted as a buyer, is that it’s incumbent on me — as well as the producers who are selling shows — to build deeper relationships with the execs. The better we know them, their brands and their day-to-day needs, the more likely we’ll align to find projects to work on together.

What’s the biggest opportunity for producers?

I’m currently seeing a couple of lanes that seem to be ripe for development with multiple buyers. One area is modernday stories that “reveal the truth.” Typically, these are stories that have made national headlines from the 1990s to the present day. Access to the key players, peripheral witnesses, experts, and new/exclusive information that leads either to a revelatory surprise, or better overall understanding about what happened with the case or story, makes a pitch highly valued. Global stories are also appealing, as long as main characters in the narrative are relatable.

The other recurring theme I’m hearing from executives across multiple nets and streamers is “big social experiments.”

Whether these are based on dating and relationships or other universal themes around human nature and decision-making, creatives are looking for fresh “tests” that explore human behavior in unique and entertaining ways.

You’ve been a buyer, a producer, and now an agent. What should producers keep in mind regarding the challenges buyers are facing, and vice versa?

I often tell producers to remember that the execs are driven to find winning concepts, and are starting every pitch meeting hoping that your pitch is The One — their next hit show. As producers, we develop thick skins, but I encourage everyone on all sides not to become jaded or lose hope. Stay optimistic, my friends. BW

JON BATISTE HERBIE HANCOCK SONNY ROLLINS STANLEY CLARKE CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE

LENA SCHNALL p PETER SCHNALL AMY MORITZ JOHN MATERA

CARTER: FINDING THE RIGHT NOTES” PETER SCHNALL

BAKER PETER SCHNALL

GROTH

Years

Execs are starting every pitch meeting hoping that your pitch is The One.”

ERIC SCHOTZ

President, CEO Anvil 1893

What is the biggest challenge facing the unscripted/non-fiction content industry now?

I think the biggest challenge is consolidation of the entertainment business, and the way it inherently squeezes out the smaller independent companies and has made everything corporate-driven. The big companies have more resources, leverage and money to dictate what makes it to air. Still, the alternative voices and ideas of independent companies are what created the non-fiction business, and their place in our ecosystem is critical to achieve balance.

What’s the biggest opportunity for producers?

The need for massive amounts of content is the real opportunity. Focus on IP, brands and celebrities is never going to change, but there is also great need for original and authentic content. It was the same in 1997, so as long as you can deliver on the idea, the creative, and can value-engineer your programming, there is opportunity.

Given that the rate of change is so rapid in the industry now, what do you think the unscripted business will look like in 2025?

I’m not sure it’s going to look substantially different, but I do think we’ll see that the networks, streamers and studios will work to bolster their in-house productions. Again, I’m not sure that’s good for ensuring more independent voices, but it does present an opportunity for producers of different types of content to partner with in-house teams in new ways.

The alternative voices and ideas of independent companies are what created the non-fiction business.”

What would the 2022 Eric Schotz tell the 1997 Eric about what to expect from a career in unscripted production?

If you are curious, a storyteller and want to have fun and get well-paid — well, there is no better business. Full stop. The unscripted business forces you to stretch, to be creative and scrappy. Beyond the shows, there is great opportunity that is unique to the unscripted world in that you are given people’s lives to portray, and that’s a heavy responsibility you do not want to mess up. It’s a career that will take you all over the world, and you will have the opportunity to meet the most interesting people and characters. It will allow you to have the most incredible friendships, both personal and business-related. BW

MIPCOM PICKS 2022

Perhaps it’s a by-product of excitement for the upcoming market: our call for submissions for this year’s installment of our annual MIPCOM Picks brought a veritable deluge of clips from international distributors who are obviously keen to get back to the Croisette. As you’ll see from our selections in these pages, there’s a dazzling array of content from a wide range of genres to attract buyers: from engrossing true crime, to inspiring sports documentary, to the myriad specialist factual genres and formats that fill catalogs each year. Congrats to our Best in Show, which grabs a ticket to the Realscreen Summit for the submitting company.

My Old School

Recounting the bizarre tale of Brian McKinnon

— a 30-year-old man who returned to his secondary school alma mater in Glasgow disguised as a 16-year-old named “Brandon Lee” and successfully maintained his masquerade through an entire school year — director Jono McLeod cannily mixes his first-hand knowledge of and involvement in the case (he was a classmate of “Brandon’s”) with high-concept hooks that instantly make the film stand out from the documentary pack. These include the contemporary interviews with “Brandon’s” former classmates, who speak from a set that recreates their old school rooms; animated sequences that recreate tales from that unique school year; and, as a topper, actor Alan Cumming standing in for McKinnon (who declined to be photographed) and miming to the subject’s audio testimony. The strange allure of this story and the unique mix of stylistic elements give My Old School a true feeling of freshness. Andrew Tracy

Partners: Hopscotch Films; distributed by Dogwoof Length: 104 minutes Premiered: January 2022 (Sundance) Rights available: World excluding North America, Australia & New Zealand, UK, Scandinavia, Benelux, Spain, Israel and Balkans

SHOW

SHOW BEST IN SHOW BEST IN SHOW BEST IN SHOW BEST IN SHOW

The Ghost of Richard Harris

It can be challenging to craft a biographical documentary. Director Adrian Sibley first proposed an idea of a documentary to famed Irish actor/singer/poet Richard Harris years before his passing, with the actor reportedly saying, “I’ll do it, but only if I can lie half the time.” While that’s not the doc that was made, this work — featuring Harris’ three sons, actors Jared and Jamie and director Damian — adds a new, artful dimension to the notion of the celebrity documentary that its enigmatic subject would’ve probably approved of.

Barry Walsh

(Photo: The Richard Harris Estate)

Partners:

A Bright Yellow Films, Samson Films and Groove International production for Sky Arts; distributed by Abacus Media Rights

Length: 1 x 90 minutes

Premiered: September 2022 (Venice Film Festival)

Rights available: Worldwide excluding UK and Ireland

Dear Audrey

Over the course of his career, acclaimed filmmaker Martin Duckworth has helmed 30 films and served as cinematographer for 100. But in the last several years, he embarked upon what he considered his most important work — caring for his wife, acclaimed visual artist Audrey Schirmer, as she moved through the final stages of Alzheimer’s. With this gripping documentary, Jeremiah Hayes — who got his first job after film school as an assistant editor on one of Duckworth’s docs and later became a family friend — captures a love that endures amid incredible challenge, while also crafting a portrait of resilience and indomitable creative spirit. BW (Photo: Jeremiah Hayes)

Partners: Cineflix Media, National Film Board of Canada for Super Channel; distributed by Cineflix Rights

Length: 1 x 90 minutes

Premiered: November 2021 (RIDM, Montreal)

Rights available: Worldwide

A Cut Above The Real Mo Farah

Toronto-based Marblemedia has an eye for unconventional competition series — see Netflix’s Blown Away, which pits expert glassblowers against each other, and CBC’s Race Against the Tide, in which sand sculptors vie to create works of art that will ultimately get washed away by the sea. Here, the prodco continues to carve out its place in this niche (pun most definitely intended) with a format that brings chainsaw carvers out of the woodwork (see what we did there?) to create stunning sculptures out of logs. A Cut Above is another innovative example of the crafty competition series cropping up on broadcasters and platforms internationally.

BW

Partners: Marblemedia for Discovery Canada (Bell Media), Discovery U.S.; distributed by D360

Length: 12 x 60 minutes

Premiered: August 2022 (Discovery Canada)

Rights available: Tape – worldwide, excluding Canada, U.S. and UK; format rights, excluding Canada

It’s always a boon when a documentary can fuse an urgent social-issue story with a powerful and compelling personal one. Distance runner Mohamed “Mo” Farah achieved Olympic glory for the UK, but what was not made public until 2022 was the fact that he had originally arrived in Britain as part of a child trafficking operation — and, further, that “Mohamed Farah,” the name with which he later obtained his British citizenship, was an assumed identity forced upon him by the traffickers. Following Farah as he returns to Somaliland to reclaim his birth name and original community, the doc magnifies the issue of modern-day slavery through the lens of its subject’s engrossing story.

AT

Partners: An Atomized Studios production in association with BBC for Red Bull Studios; distributed by Red Bull Studios

Length: 1 x 59 minutes

Premiered: July 2022 (BBC One, UK)

Rights available: World, excluding the UK

Con Girl

Here’s a story to file under “stranger than fiction”: 34-year-old serial con woman Samantha Azzopardi has assumed a whopping 75 aliases across three continents. But while most con artists indulge in their cunning acts of deception in order to amass some sort of material gain, Azzopardi hasn’t stolen substantial amounts from her victims, which makes her motivation as enigmatic as the “real” Samantha herself. Through this four-parter, we learn more about Azzopardi’s incredible web of deceit and hear from the victims who are still grappling with the impact of their introduction to the “Con Girl.” BW

Partners: CJZ for Network Seven and Paramount+; distributed by BossaNova

Length: 4 x 60 minutes

Premiering: Later in 2022

Rights available: Worldwide excluding Australia, New Zealand, UK and Eire

The Box

For one of the first unscripted commissions for Paramount+ in the UK, Top Hat Productions delves into a murder case that had gone unsolved for more than 45 years. Sixteen-yearold Pamela Maurer of Woodridge, Illinois was found dead on the side of a road in 1976, but substantial leads at the time remained elusive. Years later, detective Chris Loudon decides to revisit the case, and in the course of investigation finds a box of evidence that was discovered years ago, but had been unopened up to that point. Within that box are dozens of photos of young women, leading Loudon and his team further along a trail that will ultimately lead to the killer’s identity. BW

Partners: Top Hat Productions for Paramount+ UK; distributed by All3Media International Length: 3 x 60 minutes

Premiered: August 2022 (Paramount+ UK) Rights available: All rights excluding the UK

Anyone’s Game

There’s a can’t-miss quality to follow-doc sports narratives, particularly when the cast members are young amateur athletes striving for the brass ring of the big leagues. But formulas work for a reason, and that is certainly the case with this profile of the high school basketball team at Orangeville Prep, an elite b-ball incubator in Ontario, Canada that has helped launch some alumni to the NBA. Following the team through a pressure-cooker season as freshmen try to make their mark and the seniors strive to secure scholarships to Division I NCAA colleges, the series promises irresistible moments of thrilling oncourt action, locker-room tension and heart-tugging family drama. AT

Partners: BestCrosses Studios and Game Seve Media for CBC; distributed by Blue Ant International

Length: 6 x 30 minutes

Aired: January 2021 (CBC)

Rights available: Contact Blue Ant International

A Game of Secrets

A Game of Secrets promises a deep dive into the fascinating story of Rui Pinto, a young Portuguese hacker whose anonymously authored Football Leaks site disclosed a whole network of dirty business dealings involving some of the biggest names in international soccer, and whose subsequent arrest and trial brought those aspects of the game that fans profess they “don’t like to think about” to the forefront of their attention. The high-end production values, coupled with the countryhopping narrative, gives a seductive, espionagethriller sheen to what is already an incredibly captivating story.

AT

Partners: Broadcasters: DR, NRK, SVT, YLE, HBO Max in Eastern Europe, Spain, Portugal, and Holland; distributed in select territories by Bomanbridge Media

Length: 1 x 90 minutes

Premiered: September 2022, DR

Rights available: Contact Bomanbridge Media

Chasing Dragons: The Forgotten Knight of the Round Table

Recounting medieval scholar Emanuele Arioli’s attempt to piece together a lost classic of Arthurian literature, Chasing Dragons endows bibliophilia with the intrigue of a detective story and the drama of a classic quest narrative. Striking aerial shots of medieval castles, swooping surveys of architecturally stunning libraries and loving closeups of beautifully illustrated manuscripts give a sense of sweep and scale to Arioli’s journeys through European archives. Meanwhile, that present-day narrative is intertwined with the pieceby-piece restoration of the medieval text, which is brought to life through vivid animations. AT

Partners:

Produced by Zed for Arte; distributed by Zed

Length: 1 x 52 minutes; 1 x 90 minutes

Airing: Fall 2023

Rights available: All rights worldwide

The Last Overland

This four-parter chronicles the 2019 attempt to recreate the incredible 1955 voyage (captured in a contemporary BBC series, copious footage of which is featured here) in which six young men drove a truck 13,000 miles overland from Singapore to the UK. When one of the original participants has to bow out of the new expedition at the last minute due to health reasons, his inexperienced teenage grandson assumes his place for a journey that takes these modern adventurers across two continents, 23 countries, and some of the most precarious roads in the world in a beat-up vintage Land Rover. History, adventure, travel, two-hankie intergenerational family bonding, a David Attenborough cameo — what’s not to like? AT

Partners: Grammar Productions; distributed by eOne

Length: 4 x 60 minutes

Airing: October 2022 (All4)

Rights available: All rights worldwide excluding UK

Philly On Fire Vikings – American Quest

May 13, 1985, was a grim day in U.S. history. On that day, police in Philadelphia dropped explosives on a house within a residential neighborhood on the city’s west side. The act was designed to silence MOVE, a group of young black radicals whose base of operations was in the targeted house. In the end, the resulting fire from the explosion incinerated 61 homes and killed six adults and five children. This doc combines archival live broadcasts from the event with unprecedented access to key figures in the story — including the mayor at the time, the only adult MOVE survivor, and police involved in the situation. BW

Partners: Triple Threat TV; distributed by Espresso Media International Length: 1 x 99 minutes, 1 x 52 minutes

Airing: TBD

Rights available: All rights worldwide

There are no “premium”-style historical recreations on view here, but instead a real-life adventure: the construction and transatlantic crossing of the Draken Harald Hårfagre, the largest and most authentic (and seaworthy) recreation of a Viking ship ever built, which in 2016 undertook a voyage from Haugesund, Norway to Newfoundland and proceeded through the Great Lakes system to Green Bay. That journey would be a fascinating enough subject in and of itself, but the six-part series delivers plentiful added value by using it as the narrative thread on which to hang a wealth of new historical, archaeological, and scientific insights into the world of the original Vikings. AT

Partners: Arcadia TV; broadcasters: History UK, AMC Spain & Portugal; distributed by West One International Length: 6 x 60 minutes Airing: Spring 2023 Rights available: Canada, U.S., select worldwide territories

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Colosseum

A+E Networks’ History has had a fair amount of success with projects that take a cinematic, hybrid approach to documentary storytelling — see such series as Abraham Lincoln and The Story of Us. This time around, the network and its production partners have crafted an immersive look at the Roman Empire via one of its hallmarks, the Colosseum Each episode highlights a unique character pulled from the annals of history, combining riveting live-action sequences and special effects with expert commentary from historians. BW

Partners: October Films and Motion for History; distributed by A+E Networks International

Length: 16 x 60 minutes

Aired: July 2022 (History)

Rights available: Worldwide

The Prince’s Master Crafters: The Next Generation

The title’s out of date, of course, but then so, in a more intriguing way, is the subject: such traditional English crafts as basket weaving, blacksmithing, clockmaking, glassblowing and glove-making, which the newly crowned His Majesty has always been keen on preserving in the face of an industrialized (and now digitized) world. This series adds an aspect of competition to the heritage-mongering by putting six craftthusiastic amateurs through a crash course taught by some of the nation’s still-existing master crafters, with a shot at designing and creating a custom-made piece for the monarch himself. It all makes for a pleasing combination of the elevated and the artisanal. AT

Partners: Spun Gold Television, Motion Content Group Production for Sky Arts; distributed by ITV Studios

Length: 7 x 60 minutes

Aired: May 2022 (Sky Arts)

Rights available: All rights worldwide excluding UK

A Century of Sex Education

Fields of study tend to be relatively uncontroversial, give or take the occasional book-burning spree in certain jurisdictions. But sex education continues to inspire ire for some, and bemusement for others. This playful, archive-laden doc looks at how sex ed has evolved over the past century — from the days when educators could be imprisoned for daring to teach about the “birds and the bees,” to the revolutionary days of the 1960s and 1970s, when a changing moral landscape led to more open discussion, to our present day, in which the internet has brought a new dimension to the proceedings. BW

Partners: Gebruder Beetz Filmproduktion; Arte, DR, WDR, NDR, SVT, LTV, TV3, TG4; distributed by Off the Fence

Length: 2 x 60 minutes; 1 x 90 minutes

Airing: February 2023 (Arte)

Rights available: Worldwide excluding French- and Germanspeaking Europe

Nothing Compares

Irish singer/songwriter Sinéad O’Connor burst onto the global music scene like a supernova in the late 1980s, with a penchant for punchy pop melodicism and a ferocious dedication to social justice. But while the music industry was initially smitten with the blast of fresh air that O’Connor brought, the love affair soured in the wake of various controversies that threatened to overshadow her accomplishments. This doc, helmed by Irish filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson, hones in on the period from 1987 to 1993 when O’Connor’s star shone its brightest, with a treasure trove of archive from the period. It also features interviews with various musical colleagues and a new interview with O’Connor, in which she offers her take on the events that shaped her stratospheric rise. BW

Partners: Tara Films, Mhacha Productions; distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution

Length: 1 x 100 minutes

Premiered: January 2022 (Sundance)

Rights available: Worldwide

Dinosaur with Stephen Fry

Produced by UK indie Mentorn Media, this four-part series promises to tell the definitive story of the dinosaurs’ 165 million years on Earth. Dinosaur utilizes cutting-edge CGI technology from Dock10, the shop that designed virtual studios for the Tokyo Olympics, to create a virtual “Dinosaur World.” The depicted species are brought to life by behind-the-scenes animators, with series presenter Fry able to see and interact with the virtual creations in real time as he imparts facts about each one to viewers. Experts also step into the photorealistic environment to track down dinosaurs and, with Fry occasionally cracking wise, reveal the secrets of the prehistoric world.

Justin Anderson

Partners: Mentorn Media, in association with Krempelwood for Channel 5; distributed by Passion Distribution

Length: 4 x 60 minutes

Premiering: Autumn/winter 2022 Rights available: Worldwide excluding UK

In Your Face

Odds are you’ve walked past an electrical outlet, or a faucet, or a knot in a tree, and thought immediately of a face. We can see faces in almost everything, but our ability to recognize and distinguish one face from another is a uniquely human superpower. This doc brings us face to face with “super-recognizers” (those who can recall practically every face they’ve met) and the face-blind (those who can’t recognize any faces at all, including their own in a mirror), delving into the mysterious neurological paths that determine our ability to “place a face.” It also explores the opportunities and dangers inherent in developing facial recognition technologies. BW

Partners: Josh Freed Productions for ‘The Nature of Things’ (CBC); distributed by Scorpion TV

Length: 1 x 51 minutes

Aired: January 2022 (CBC)

Rights available: Worldwide excl. Canada, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Estonia

Elon Musk’s Crash Course

The latest installment in the franchise that has brought us Framing Britney Spears and Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson now turns its lens toward revolutionary automotive company Tesla and its chief executive, Elon Musk. Specifically, this investigative documentary examines the controversies surrounding Tesla’s “autopilot” feature, and fatal accidents that have occurred while it was in use. Featuring interviews with former company employees, this program poses the question of what is actually driving the push towards such technologies. BW

Partners: The New York Times & Left/Right for FX & Hulu; distributed by Red Arrow Studios International

Length: 1 x 75 minutes

Premiered: May 2022 (FX, Hulu)

Rights available: All rights worldwide excl. U.S.

White Winter: A Season on the Northern Alpine Rim

Acclaimed German wildlife prodco Nautilusfilm has crafted another dazzling natural portrait — this time, honing in on Europe’s Northern Alpine Rim. Cameras capture how myriad animal and plant species contend with the annual arrival of the cold season, while also depicting the stark, glacial beauty that unfolds. And while we see in this film a host of creatures that have adapted brilliantly to the harsh winter conditions, we also are reminded of the impact that climate change is having on the region’s wildlife, as the snow line becomes ever more unpredictable. BW

Partners: Nautilusfilm, WDR, Arte; distributed by Autentic GmbH

Length: 52 minutes (English version); 45 minutes (German version)

Airing: TBD Rights available: Worldwide excluding German-speaking territories

A+E Networks

235 East 45th Street New York, NY 10017

Tel: +1-212-210-1400

Website: sales.aenetworks.com

Email: intl.sales@aenetworks.com

Colosseum

The eight-part series vividly brings to life the rise and fall of the Roman Empire through the lens of one of the most exhilarating and brutal arenas in the history of humanity –the Colosseum.

From the savage truth of a gladiator’s life as a slave-warrior to the fascinating ways Rome’s Emperors used the vast amphitheatre to demonstrate total power, Colosseum offers viewers a unique and personal look inside history’s most iconic empire. Each episode pinpoints one of eight key and diverse characters – all based on real people from history. Spanning several hundred years, the series unfolds chronologically, from the arena’s astonishing opening day to its very last games. Colosseum utilizes dramatic live action sequences and special effects to infuse excitement into the personal narrative of each historic character. The premium series features commentary with leading experts, world-renowned scholars and more.

Interrogation Raw

Criminal cases can be won or lost in the interrogation room. Success can bring justice for the victims; failure can lead to a guilty person walking free. Interrogation Raw is an all-new true crime series that explores the delicate twists and turns of some of the most fascinating interrogations ever done. Each hour-long episode reveals every tactic, and every make-or-break moment that occurs within those four walls. Armchair detectives will feel like they are in the room as the very detectives involved share play-by-play commentary on what is often a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. The tension is palpable since, by law, no suspect needs to talk at all.Those who do can stop at any time. On Interrogation Raw, it’s a race against the clock and everything is on the line.

Phrogging:

Hider in My House

This stranger-thanfiction true crime series explores the phenomenon of phrogging – people secretly living inside someone else’s home. From the man in the attic to the creeper in the crawl space, each episode features two first-hand accounts of survivors sharing the most skin crawling, twisted and truly terrifying stories imaginable. Each is an emotional, in-the-moment cautionary tale, with interviews and key archive materials alongside cinematic recreations bringing the clues and confrontations to life. This series proves that yes, there may actually be monsters under the bed.

APT Worldwide

55 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02110, USA APTWW.org

Contact: Judy Barlow, VP International Sales

Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science (3x60) – Science

SEARCHING: OUR QUEST FOR MEANING IN THE AGE OF SCIENCE explores the human questions raised by today’s science: Where do humans fit in the grand scheme of things? How can consciousness, music, love arise from mere atoms and molecules? What human qualities will be preserved as we become part human and part machine? Best-selling author and physicist Alan Lightman poses these questions to scientists at the world’s top research facilities, and to philosophers and faith leaders. Filmed in Ultra HD, SEARCHING uses cutting-edge graphics, stunning visuals and evocative music to bring to life the questions raised in this provocative search for meaning in the age of science.

Elmore Leonard: “But Don’t Try to Write” (1x60) – Art & Culture, Biography ELMORE LEONARD:

“BUT DON’T TRY TO WRITE” explores the life and legacy of the acclaimed crime novelist Elmore Leonard, whose best-selling books became Hollywood blockbuster films like Jackie Brown, Out of Sight, and Get Shorty. Through interviews with literary experts, colleagues and family members, home movie footage, and family photographs, the documentary reveals the experiences and influences that shaped one of the crime genre’s greatest authors.

J Schwanke’s Life in Bloom (40x30) - Lifestyle

J SCHWANKE’S LIFE IN BLOOM is a half-hour lifestyle show featuring everything flowers and the positive impact they make on daily life.

Host J Schwanke is a fourth-generation florist, award-winning author, and well-known flower industry educator and speaker whose passion for flowers is infectious. Each episode features a wealth of information and ideas as he takes viewers behind the scenes at flower destinations across America, showcases techniques for flower arranging, and entertains guests at his home with flower-based crafts, cocktails, and cooking. These segments cover everything from henna tattoos to recipes for rose-infused spritzers.

ZDF Studios GmbH

Erich-Dombrowski-Str. 1, D-55127 Mainz/Germany, Tel.: +49 6131-9911130, Email: unscripted@zdf-studios.com, www.zdf-studios.com

ZDF Studios was originally founded in 1993 as ‘ZDF Enterprises’, a private subsidiary of ZDF, one of the largest and most renowned television broadcasters in Europe. The company was renamed ‘ZDF Studios’ on 1 April 2022. Based in Mainz, the business is responsible for distributing programmes worldwide, implementing international coproductions, acquiring licences and merchandising key brands under its own name, for ZDF and for third parties. Successfully established as an independent market player in Germany and globally, it operates as part of a strong network of 30 direct and indirect subsidiaries and a liates. ZDF Studios has the largest German-language programme stock in the world, plus a constantly growing catalogue of international productions consisting of series and mini-series, television films, documentaries and children’s programmes. By continually evolving, the ZDF Studios group has been able to open up numerous business areas in the television and media sector. As a result, ZDF Studios now provides a comprehensive full-service offer and covers every stage in the creation and exploitation chain of successful TV productions in all genres, from developing content to producing, licensing, marketing, merchandising, online rights and much more.

Taking cameras to new heights, the iconic series Africa from Above (10 x 52’, UHD) looks at Africa’s spectacular people, places, and wildlife from a totally new perspective. Weaving through mountains, coastlines, waterfalls and jungles, the series captures the lives of the continent’s unrivalled wild animals, but also travels over towns and cities to explore the history, architecture, industry and unique cultures, revealing how people survive in some of its most extreme locations. The series captures Africa in a way that has never been seen before, using the latest technology, airborne and on the ground. The landmark factual series is produced by Off the Fence Productions and an impressive range of renowned co-producers with ZDF Studios being the lead partner as well as the global distributor. Joining on the production are ZDF, ARTE, ORF, and Britain’s UKTV, owned by BBC Studios.

The International Launch Screening of Africa from Above will take place on Monday, October 17th at 16:15 in Auditorium A of the Palais des Festivals, followed by a Q&A with Ralf, Rueckauer (VP Unscripted, ZDF Studios), Bo Stehmeier (CEO, Off The Fence), Friederike Haedecke (Deputy Head of Department History + Society, ZDF), Marcus Arthur (CEO of UKTV and President of BBC Studios UK & Ireland) and Wolfgang Bergmann (CEO ARTE Germany and Coordinator ARTE for ZDF).

Surviving Hothouse Earth (3 x 50’) takes a different approach in tackling the issue of climate change. Produced by Bilderfest Factual Entertainment for ZDF in association with Arte and ZDF Studios, the documentary takes a look into our planet’s distant past in order to understand it’s present and unravel our destiny. Earth’s climate has always undergone changes, but for the first time, humanity is determining these developments. With global warming increasing, many climate researchers assume that the Earth is heading for a new Hothouse period. By studying previous phases in the planet’s history, scientists hope to find clues to how we could survive in the future. With climate change being the biggest challenge we face today, Surviving Hothouse Earth will offer a fascinating insight on the scientific research that is being undertaken to help mankind find a solution.

War Gamers (6 x 50’) reveals the untold fascinating story of the WRENS (Women’s Royal Navy Service), whose brilliant tactics defeated a massive convoy of German U-boats in WWII. In January 1942, Churchill ordered the Royal Navy to determine why Hitler’s U-boats are winning the Atlantic war. Royal Navy o cer Gilbert Roberts has a unique talent: he knows how to recruit and train war gamers. With a dedicated team, he can unpick the German strategy and work out how to defeat the opposing force. But with no male o cers available to join a war gaming school, Captain Roberts selects a team of women. None of has ever been to sea. Together these WRENS not only determine how the U-boats are sinking so many British and American ships, they also come up with a plan to defeat them. War Gamers celebrates the extraordinary skill and genius of the women who played a crucial role in ending Hitler’s dominance in the Atlantic. Produced by World Media Rights for Curiosity Stream in association with ZDF Studios and History, the series premieres on the flagship SVOD Curiosity Stream in 2022.

UNDER PRESSURE

As the UK government emerges out of a chaotic summer of upheaval, questions remain about what its plans are for the public broadcasting sector. And the producers creating content for PSBs — much of it in specialist factual — are eagerly awaiting answers.

By Andrew Tracy

Two Rivers and Uppercut have produced War and Justice: The Case of Marine A for C4.

“T Clements

he problem is that whatever I say today will be out of date in two or three weeks’ time,” says Woodcut Media CEO Kate Beal, stationed underneath a stairwell that provides some degree of muffling to the general din emanating from the Edinburgh TV Festival. She’s issuing the proviso in response to the question posed by Realscreen of how the then-ongoing leadership race in the UK’s ruling Conservative Party might affect its previously announced plans to privatize Channel 4, which, along with the BBC, serves as a key driver of commissions — and income — for the UK’s independent production economy.

Of course, a mere few weeks later, the victory of Liz Truss has done little to clarify how energetically the reshuffled Tory government will continue to pursue the sale of Channel 4 and “explore alternatives” to the license fee that is the lifeblood of the BBC. “It feels like we’re in this strange stasis: an axe is swinging, it just hasn’t come down yet,” offers Beal, referring not only to the privatization question, but also the looming costof-living crisis and the increasingly likely prospect — in light of the much-publicized budget cuts at the once seemingly bulletproof Netflix — that the content gold rush occasioned by the rise of the streaming services will start petering out. “At the beginning of the year it seemed fantastic: the streamers are here, there’s more content than ever, everything’s brilliant. But is it going to be like that this time next year?”

The big question for specialist factual producers — both in the UK and abroad — is how threats of PSB privatization and license fee freezes or cuts could impact those indies that have made that genre one of the pillars of their businesses. Given that specialist factual was essentially born out of the programming requirements for public service broadcasters, would the still apparently thriving international demand for this content be enough to offset the drying up of domestic commissioning that could result should the BBC be subjected to more crippling cuts, and C4 be sold off to private interests — who could

The streamers don’t need specialist factual. For them, it’s a way of getting a certain type of person to subscribe, and hopefully stay. But their long-running pieces will be stuff like Selling Sunset, because that’s clearly going to be a subscription driver.”

then potentially dispense with mandates on indie contracting as soon as legally possible?

In the case of Woodcut — whose upcoming premium docuseries Hitler: A Life in Pictures (coproduced with Rainmaker Media) was pre-bought by Channel 4 earlier this year — Beal explains that this danger is not as imminent as it is for other prodcos. “When I started Woodcut, there were five [UK] channels and a couple more that all the indies looked to, and it was a scramble to get commissions,” she says. “That’s why I started looking more to the States, or France, or Australia. Our main clients are people like Sony, Discovery, Sky, NBC — so it probably wouldn’t have as much of an impact on us if PSBs do not exist in the way that they do now.

“What impact it would have on us is that all the indies that are currently concentrating on just five channels would [have to] start looking [towards our clients]. Which would be really annoying!” she adds with a laugh.

Beal further notes that while the big streamers — still the shiny new brass ring for many indies — have been ramping up both the quantity and quality of their specialist factual programming, the genre is not as intrinsic to their economic DNA as it is for pubcasters. “The streamers don’t need specialist factual,” she states flatly. “For them, specialist factual is a way of getting a certain type of person to subscribe, and hopefully stay. But their long-running pieces will be stuff like Selling Sunset, because that’s clearly going to be a subscription driver.”

Laura Marshall, CEO of natural history specialist Icon Films, shares with Beal a similar stance towards the PSBs. Although Icon’s healthy commercial client base (Nat Geo, Discovery, ITV, Channel 5)

significantly reduces its reliance on the PSB market, Marshall not only continues to work with the pubcasters on occasion (e.g., 2019’s Hippos: Africa’s River Giants for BBC Two), but also feels that the unique “creative economy and ecology” that has been nurtured by the PSBs is indispensable on both the domestic and the international fronts.

As a primary example of this, Marshall contends that the more targeted nature of specialist factual commissioning from streamers, as well as the kind of ROI they demand from these projects, precludes the broadbased experimentation and development that has been a hallmark of the UK’s pubcastersupported system. Citing the proud claim by UK Netflix brass at their Edinburgh panel that, on their platform, “everything is 9 p.m,” Marshall counters this all-primetime, all-the-time philosophy with the contention that “there are so many things made for specialist factual that wouldn’t work at 9 p.m., and you wouldn’t want to watch at 9 p.m. [Whereas] there’s room for everything in [the pubcasting] economy.”

“You have to nurture up-andcoming talent, you have to have places where people can take risks,” she continues, pointing out how so much of the talent driving both non-fiction and scripted hits for the streamers came up through the pubcasters. “So if you lose that PSB bedrock, I think the streamers are going to suffer too. There will be no space for those emerging writers and directors and production companies that are supported by heavily regulated PSBs.

“That’s why it is incredibly important that industry leaders and people who run production companies all get behind the PSBs. Even though it doesn’t touch [Icon’s] bottom line at the moment, they’re part of who we are.”

Beal

Marshall

“[The PSBs are] absolutely at the heart of it,” concurs Alan Clements, whose Two Rivers Media recently locked in major commissions from Channel 4 (for the standalone doc War and Justice: The Case of Marine A ) and BBC Scotland (for the true-crime two-parter The Ice Cream Wars ). “And they’re at the heart of it as well because, as the genre becomes more expensive, if you have a UK PSB as your [coproduction] anchor on a project, it’s so much easier to raise cash

do it!” he says with a smile, pointing out that certain more ambitious projects (including some that Two Rivers is currently developing) are simply too large-scale to pursue without a deeppocketed and most likely rights-taking sponsor. But he stresses that his hope for Two Rivers is to create a “mixed economy,” both creatively and financially: “taking big swings” (and big, rights-divesting paydays) on premium subjects with broad appeal, while still making room for

If you have a UK PSB as an anchor on a project, it’s so much easier to raise cash elsewhere.”

elsewhere. You go to anyone and say, ‘The BBC have bought the UK rights,’ you move from the middle or the bottom of the pile to the top, in my experience.”

Expanding on the theme of funding, Clements offers, “I think for [specialist factual], there are fundamentally two paths to go down. One, you can get a lot of money from a Smithsonian, a Paramount, [a streamer], and you sell all the rights. Or two, you build a ‘coalition of the willing’ [with multiple sources of funding], and when it works, it’s brilliant, and you own the rights. But it takes a lot of work to get there, and if you take away the BBC or Channel 4, you take away that anchor chain, that’s going to make that model almost impossible.”

Clements quickly points out that he has no idealistic attachment to the latter model. “I didn’t say I favor it, I said there are two ways to

those smaller, more culturally specific projects funded through the kind of rights-retaining coproduction deals that are so greatly abetted by the PSBs.

Referring to a series of guest lectures that he once gave to students at Edinburgh University Business School, Clements says that he developed his own version of the “3 Rs”: Rights, Returnability, and Reputation.

“And I would tell them, if your project is not giving [your company] at least two of those three ‘Rs,’ you shouldn’t do it,” he says. “So if the sale of Channel 4 takes away the rights part of that, there’s only two ‘Rs’ left. And I’m not sure you can sustain a business on just those two.

“So [PSB privatization] would be a significant challenge [for UK indies], no question. Because if you’re guns for hire in the UK as well as internationally, how do you build value in your company?”

ON THE WAY, FROM THE UK

BBC’s director of unscripted Kate Phillips lifted the veil on three new commissions for BBC Factual at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

First, the hour-long documentary Signs for Change (w/t) features Strictly Come Dancing winner and actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and reveals the daily challenges, discrimination and barriers faced by d/Deaf individuals. Rogan Productions produced the doc, which sees Ayling-Ellis explore the positive movement for societal change.

Made for BBC One and iPlayer, the doc is executive produced by Soleta Rogan and Nancy Bornat for Rogan Productions, with Emma Loach working as commissioning editor and James Rogan as creative director. The doc was ordered by Clare Sillery, the BBC’s head of commissioning for documentaries.

In the natural history genre, Blue Planet III follows up on the previous 2017 installment of the series. The 6 x 60-minute series for BBC One and iPlayer from BBC Studios Natural History Unit will focus on five major underwater habitats: the tropical seas, temperate seas, polar seas, high seas and deep seas, using the latest underwater filming technology. The sixth episode will showcase the scientists discovering how the planet’s seas are changing, for better and worse, faster than at any other time in history.

The series was commissioned by Jack Bootle, head of commissioning of specialist factual, and the executive producer is Mark Brownlow.

BBC Studios is producing the

history boxset Spy Wars: The Eighties (3 x 60 min.) for BBC Two and iPlayer, which will tell the hidden stories of real spies and traitors during the Cold War. Meanwhile, Channel 4 and Swan Films are teaming for another series featuring Grayson Perry. The three-part Grayson Perry: This England (w/t) follows the contemporary artist and presenter as he seeks out the art, objects, design, fashion, popular culture, memorabilia and more that will help him create his own interpretation of what “Englishness” is all about. Acquiring these items from people he meets across the country, Perry will then assemble them in a gallery exhibition alongside his own artworks. Another travelogue, Guy Martin’s Power Trip (w/t, 3 x 60 min.), sees the former motorcycle racer and TV presenter traveling the breadth of the country to see where and how the UK sources its energy, and exploring the possible alternatives to coal and gas reliance.

Paramount-owned Channel 5 is stomping into the specialist factual space with Dinosaur with Stephen Fry, a four-part event series that promises to tell the definitive story of the dinosaurs’ 165 million years on Earth, from the dawn of the giant lizards to their ultimate extinction. Produced by UK indie Mentorn Media, the 4 x 60-minute series utilizes cutting-edge CGI technology from Dock10, the production studio that designed virtual studios for the Tokyo Olympics, to create a virtual “Dinosaur World.”

Justin Anderson, Andrew Jeffrey, Andrew Tracy

“I don’t know where I’m going from here,” legendary musician David Bowie once said, “but I promise it won’t be boring.” While documentary filmmaker Brett Morgen did have an idea of where he and his longtime archival producer, Jessica BermanBogdan, were headed with their latest film, the immersive Bowie doc Moonage Daydream, the journey was never boring, as they tell Realscreen.

By Andrew Tracy

DAYDREAM BELIEVERS

Director Brett Morgen says he and his team were working with “the largest collection of David Bowie imagery on Earth.”

enjoying your Disneyfied interpretation of our relationship,” chuckles director Brett Morgen as his longtime collaborator, archival producer Jessica Berman-Bogdan, describes the almost symbiotic nature of the process they’ve developed over the course of 20 years and a half-dozen feature documentaries, including landmark profiles of such figures as Robert Evans ( The Kid Stays in the Picture ), Kurt Cobain ( Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck ), The Rolling Stones ( Crossfire Hurricane ) and Jane Goodall ( Jane ). But neither are sunshine-andrainbows when discussing the immense effort that went into their latest project, which Berman-Bogdan calls “the most rewarding, but also the most challenging, project I’ve worked on in 40 years.”

DIVING DEEP

Premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Moonage Daydream is both a celebration of and an essayistic meditation on the life and art of David Bowie, and how in both of these intertwined realms the late artist sought to explore what Morgen identifies as one of the key themes of the 20th century: “chaos and fragmentation.”

“Everyone says that the throughline of David’s career is ‘ch-ch-ch-ch-chan-ges,’” says Morgen, breaking into song with a laugh. “But for David, that transience related not just to fashion, but to changing one’s life: traveling, putting oneself in extreme situations, making sure every day is different than the last because you’re trying to experience as much of life as you can given this limited sliver of time you have on Earth.”

While the promotional hook of the film is that it is the first of the innumerable Bowie documentaries to be made with access to the singer’s personal archive — which Bowie spent two decades quietly accumulating up until his death in 2016 — what Moonage Daydream truly represents is the ne plus ultra of Morgen and Berman-Bogdan’s maximalist method of archival filmmaking. As Morgen has revealed in the past, his editorial process begins with collecting literally every single piece of media on his subject possible; assembling the material in chronological order; and then viewing it all from start to finish, in order to find the thematic throughline of his film before he

starts cutting footage together.

“The material we received from the Bowie archive was just a fraction of what we were dealing with [on Moonage Daydream],” says Morgen. “So Jessica’s job was the same as it would have been had we not been working with the Bowie estate: which is, to bring in every piece of Bowie media from around the world. And what we ended up with is the largest collection of David Bowie media and imagery on Earth.”

Even without that globe-spanning collection process, the challenge of dealing with the Bowie archive on its own makes Moonage Daydream a massive logistical undertaking. After gaining unrestricted access to the archive (following a year of negotiations with the singer’s estate), Morgen and BermanBogdan were faced with the question of how to physically ingest the huge amount of material they were confronted with. “The archive was a mess — it’s a big warehouse full of media,” recalls Morgen. “Some of it known, most of it unknown, and in every format from 35mm negative that had never been processed to half-inch reel-toreel and everything in between.

“And,” he continues with a shudder, “there were dubs upon dubs upon dubs of assets, and oftentimes they weren’t labeled correctly. So often our assistant editors would say, ‘Didn’t we see this one already?’ But because I leave no stone unturned — and you don’t know if, say, the first 27 minutes of a tape are identical [to another copy] but then there’s 30 seconds at the end that are different — we still had to watch it.” As the projected four-month screening schedule ultimately swelled to two years, “There would be days on which I would have as many as 10 repeated clips in a single stringout. So it was incredibly frustrating, and incredibly exhausting.”

But, as Berman-Bogdan explains, this inordinately taxing process is bound up with much of what the pair enjoy about their collaborations. “What I love about archival filmmaking

“I’m

[In archive filmmaking] the real film happens after picture lock — everything up to that point is an audition.”

Archive producer Jessica Berman-Bogdan calls the doc “the most challenging project I’ve worked on in 40 years.”

Morgen

What I love about archival filmmaking are the discoveries... a whole reel of jaw-dropping material that you never expected.”

are the discoveries, those surprises in the last 30 seconds [of a reel], or the angle of a shot, or a whole reel of jaw-dropping material that you never expected. The process is always new, always different, and that’s exciting. And the communication that we’ve developed [with each other] comes out of all that discovery.”

A FOUNDATION BUILT ON TRUST

Berman-Bogdan says building a rapport with another key player on their latest production was invaluable in mitigating what could have been an even more onerous process.

“We’ve worked with estates before, and it’s all about building up trust,” she says. “[And] I was able to develop a close relationship and a foundation of trust with [Eileen Darcy], the archivist. She was coming to my office, where I was personally transferring data [from the archive], and going to our lab, which was very private so that things were completely locked down. She was seeing how careful we were being with the material, so that made a big difference.”

That difference led to Darcy helping Berman-Bogdan navigate the enormous morass of material. “[The archive] was relatively organized, but there were no descriptions, really,” says Berman-Bogdan. “So what Eileen was able to do was help fill in, not what was on [the reels or tapes] so much — because a lot of them she hadn’t seen either — but [the context] around it: she would share with us, ‘David didn’t like that,’ or, ‘David thought this was great,’ because she actually sat with him and archived so much of it. So she was able to guide us, and enabled us to be more targeted in how [material was] transferred and then delivered to Brett.”

As Berman-Bogdan’s collection and cataloging widened beyond the estate’s archive, it encompassed not just all the other available Bowie-related material around the world, but also the remarkable wealth of other art that fed into Bowie’s. “Jessica had to pull in archives for every single one of Bowie’s influences across media — all his inspirations and

influences,”

attests Morgen. “We had a catalog that was organized by each medium. So if it was a philosopher, we needed passages from the books and the covers of the books; if it was a musician, we needed photos and film footage; if it was a film, we needed that film brought in too, along with the understanding of where we could find film backing for it.”

This latter requirement is something that Morgen identifies as one of the hallmarks of his and Berman-Bogdan’s collaboration. “The opportunities that are available when working from film backing have proven to be so much greater than when working with video assets,” he asserts. “Going back to The Kid Stays in the Picture, we would color-grade on our Avid so that we knew which elements were not only shot on film, but also still existed today as film backup. We always try to maximize our film backing [for every project], to the point that we end up swapping out a lot of stuff in the final days [of editing] when it’s apparent that we don’t have a proper asset.”

FINDING EUPHORIA

It’s in this way that the maximal quantity that defines Morgen and Berman-Bogdan’s research-and-review process is aimed towards the ultimate goal of expressive quality; acquisition is always in the service of aesthetics. “When constructing archival films as a director, we have three tools to communicate our intent: montage, color and sound,” says Morgen. “On Moonage Daydream, we did 16 months of mixing and sound design and 650 hours of color correct, all after picture was locked — because when picture is locked, all you have is the first of those three tools. The other two haven’t been accessed yet.”

Comparing his work in archival filmmaking with his experience in cinema vérité, Morgen says that, “Jessica’s right when she points out that [in archival filmmaking] we can discover things the same way a vérité filmmaker does, when they’re on set and something suddenly happens. We have that same sense of euphoria and thrill when we see something for the first time. But then there’s another time, after we get the finished element and it’s color-corrected and properly designed and placed into the film — now we’re really seeing it.

“[In archival], the real film happens after picture lock — everything up to that point is an audition.”

The team had full access to Bowie’s personal archives, established over two decades.

Berman-Bogdan

TOGETHER IN THIS

“We’re going to have to let you go.”

Eight words no one wants to hear. But if you’ve been around for as long as I have, you’ve no doubt encountered them. Maybe they’ve come out of your mouth, or maybe you’ve heard them come your way. Eight words that make you feel small, no matter what your previous standing.

Eight words that make you feel insecure, no matter what your previous accomplishments. Eight words that make you worry about your kids, make you anxious about your mortgage and make you stress about your future.

I’m based in Los Angeles. All over town, these words are being repeated, often in conjunction with several other words. Layoffs. Downsizing. Restructuring. Synergies. It’s coming down from legacy companies we all expected to have their troubles. It’s coming from digital companies that just a few months ago seemed like the most secure shops in town. It’s affecting our colleagues and our friends. It’s affecting all of us.

I posted some of my thoughts about this on LinkedIn a while back after seeing some of the most talented people I know being let go. I myself was part of these headlines earlier this year, when my employer at the time decided our team was “non-essential.”

I was truly touched by the people who reached out to me back then offering a hand or an ear or a beer. Yet just as interesting to me were the people who didn’t. These were people who I counted as friends, and drank with at our silly conferences. And they were people who I only heard from when my new job was announced.

The entertainment business is just that — a business. But it’s hard not to take it personally when you are packing pictures of your children into a cardboard box. And in a town powered by a flammable blend of ego and insecurity, a news cycle like the one we are going through can bring out the worst in us.

That includes the gossip. The “I told you so’s.” The “I knew better’s.” We’ve all done it. Heck, I’ve done it. Yet, as the flurry of news alerts filled with bad headlines piles up, I’m left thinking it’s just not the time for it.

The fact is that every time you see a 20% workforce reduction here, or a few hundred laid off there, it hurts us all.

Less money doesn’t just mean less opportunity. It means that there’s less of a reason for that smart intern to stay in entertainment and not go to law school. Less of a chance for that quirky writer to find someone who will take a flier on them. Less of a chance that someone will take a risk that truly changes the game.

In these moments, we can offer humanity to a community that too often becomes about subscriber growth and not personal growth. We can put aside the competitive edge that’s been nurtured into us all through years of waking up to check the L+SD ratings, and instead find a way to offer a helping hand, or a call of support. A connection that makes a difference.

Our industry is not zero sum. In fact, the sum is not as great as the parts.

Kindness will always be the best content we can create.

Alex Piper is head of Night Studios, a division of Los Angeles- and Austin-based multimedia and talent management company Night Inc., where he oversees unscripted, documentary, animated and scripted programming.

It’s a time of huge change in the entertainment industry, with consolidation and seismic shifts in viewing habits resulting in significant job losses... and a rumor mill in overdrive. Unscripted veteran Alex Piper weighs in on how both factors are impacting the business right now.

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