Ludo Dufour is the Managing Director, Sales & Co-Productions for OFF THE FENCE, the leading independent non-fiction specialist based in Amsterdam. We connected last June in Durban at NEWF, that super-exciting African conference linking Conservation and Filmmaking. I was taken by Ludo’s presentation on the nuts and bolts of financing and distributing quality documentaries and unscripted programs. …
Advertiser-supported channels like Discovery and History provide the greatest volume of commissions for factual producers. There’s good and bad news for producers in current projections for the U.S. spend on TV advertising. The bad news is that U.S. TV ad spend is projected to continue to decline this year. TV ad revs will fall from …
NATIVE AMERICA is a premium PBS series that explores the world created by America’s first peoples. It describes their foundational belief systems that synthesize science and spirituality. The 4-part series captures the incredible diversity of the expressions of these beliefs across North, Central and South America. Providence Pictures’ President and Executive Producer/Director, Gary Glassman was preparing …
With Mipcom just around the corner, here is a sneak peek into what’s coming up for leading independent factual distributor Off The Fence. Highlights include two brand new BBC Studios series: Scotland from the Sky (3 x 60′) Victoria & Albert: The Wedding(2 x 60’/1 x 90′). To continue building on the success of the 100+ hours of Aerial shows in …
A senior Netflix executive recently presented his company’s strategy of continuous innovation. It reveals how BIG DATA drives the personalization of programming decisions. It’s a very useful read for anyone who is pitching to a SVOD service. (Don’t miss my in depth coverage of Netflix and the SVOD market.) Enjoy my selection of slides from …
In just two weeks, the Science Media Awards & Summit (in the) Hub (SMASH!) is slated to open. The session and speaker lineup promises a spectacular event. This three-day, biannual conference is co-produced by Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and WGBH. SMASH convenes more than 250 scientists and media makers to celebrate exceptional science media, …
by Hilary Sparrow. Sometimes serendipity opens doors you never even knew were there. I met Noel Kok at the Jackson, WY airport last September. I was eavesdropping on a phone conversation between Noel, his wife and kids. He let them know he’d safely landed after a long journey and would now find a taxi to …
The 2nd addition of the Nature, Environment & Wildlife Film Congress was definitely a peak experience among the scores of conferences that I have attended over five decades. Africa! In Durban, we felt Africa’s resurgence. Big time. Amazing, youthful talent. Exciting projects. Eagerness to learn from industry veterans including Off The Fence, Earth Touch, Scorpion TV, Wild Bear and …