This week’s Case Study is ‘The LOST Kennedy Home Movies’. It is a 2011 project from History U.S. with important lessons about the patience and skills required to fulfill the promise of a hidden archival treasure. ———————– The LOST Kennedy Home Movies is a two-hour special created by Harrison Engle and Stanley H. Moger. Unique [...]
Inside PBS’s POV Strand (2/2): The Filters, Selection Process, Timeline & Decision-makers
We continue our coverage of POV, the flagship PBS documentary strand. In this post: What is POV’s selection process, from Open Call to the Offer? What is the Timeline? Who makes the decisions? From Palestine, the 2013 Oscar nominee ’5 Broken Cameras’ Selection Process Filters Great non-fiction storytelling Address social issues and issues neglected elsewhere Have [...]
We caught up with POV’s Executive Producer Simon Kilmurry in Toronto at Hot Docs. Following are the key metrics, processes and timelines of the flagship PBS documentary strand. Impact! In its 26 seasons, POV has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments: More than 390 films Lots of Awards Seventeen Oscar nominations, eight since 2005: If [...]
The cost of developing programs has been ballooning for both networks and production companies. In ‘MBA terms’ I came to see the current inflated state of the development process as a ‘market imperfection’ for which there should be an immediate and track-able solution that lowers the cost and risk. My researches led me to Media [...]
How Did Rupert Become ‘Rupert’? An ANZAC Day Reflection
Here for ANZAC Day, I’m republishing my July 14, 2011 reflections on how Gallipoli helped make Rupert ‘Rupert.’ An ‘Australian Prince’ You can’t get a fix on Rupert until you understand the father: Keith Murdoch was the son of a Scottish Presbyterian minister who had settled in the respectable Eastern suburbs of far away Melbourne. [...]
Its documentary pitch season: Toronto’s Hot Docs Forum is next week. Then comes Sheffield and Sunnyside of the Doc in La Rochelle. And there are many more! Its a time when pitching skills are as important as the concept and content when it comes to attracting funders. We asked story consultant Fernanda Rossi to share her practical guide to [...]
MIPDoc Takeaways: “Butterflies’ Doc to Gross $30+ Mn. Trends in the Giant Screen Museum Market: Jonathan Barker, SK Films
Jonathan Barker, CEO and president of SK Films shared his analysis of trends in the ‘Giant Screen Museum Market’ at MIPDoc. Here are his Seven Takeaways and a mini-Case Study: Flight of the Butterflies, which is on track to gross $30+ million. Takeaways 1. Projects that are originated for TV channels and then reformatted for [...]
Manitoba enjoys a highly-skilled production community that is backed by Canada’s most generous tax credit system. Manitoba’s advantages came to our attention when we worked with the province’s leading non-fiction producers in the lead up to Real Screen 2013. Here is a practical user’s guide to Manitoba’s industry – its structures, benefits and talent. KEY [...]
Discovery Communications’ $1.2 Billion Spend on Programming: CEO David M. Zaslav on Strategy, Prospects & More
Discovery Communications’ President & CEO David M. Zaslav sat down with me at last week’s MIPTV for a one-on-one conversation about his company’s strategy and prospects. He defined Discovery as ‘the #1 platform media company in the world’ with ‘just one strategic goal – to build market share worldwide.’ Mark Hollinger runs the international business [...]
MIPDoc Takeaways: Access for Vancouver’s LaDiDa Media / Latest on China’s CCTV-9 Documentary Channel and the ‘Pivot’ to Europe
Canada’s LaDiDa Media Sylvie Peltier is president of LaDiDa Media, an experienced Vancouver-based factual producer who has been working with Canadian channels. Sylvie decided to expand her horizons by attending MIPDoc. She was looking for international pre-buys and co-productions, as well as for opportunities to refresh her Canadian contacts. Sylvie engaged us to help develop and [...]
Video: Frontiers in Archive: “MLK Assassination” / Smithsonian Case Study, MIPDoc 2013
We recorded two short interviews on the fly in Cannes at MIPDoc. New Frontiers in Archive: Case Study – ‘MLK The Assassination Tapes’ #1 Peabody Award winning producer Tom Jennings describes the challenges of clearing the MLK archive. New Frontiers in Archive: Case Study – ‘MLK The Assassination Tapes’ #2 Smithsonian Channel EVP David [...]
