Chris Hoelzl is SVP, Program Development, Smithsonian Networks (USA). He is responsible for the development of original productions, co-productions and the acquisition of completed programming. He shared his strategy and commissioning process at Sunny Side’s Science-themed Meet The Executive session, estimating that 5-10% of Smithsonianʼs annual 200 hours of production is Science-based. We are publishing …
Greg Boustead is director of Science Sandbox, a portfolio of strategic grantmaking at the Simons Foundation, focused on outreach and engaging new audiences with science. He shared his strategy and grant-making process at Sunny Side of the Doc’s Science-themed Meet The Executive session. We are publishing Greg’s very informative session as a podcast, though without …
Ben Simmons is an NBA All-star with a US$170 million contract. He sent a message to the Sports and Documentary worlds by signing on as an executive producer of THE AUSTRALIAN DREAM. Passion Pictures‘ feature documentary captures the struggle of Aboriginal professional footballer Adam Goodes. Goodes was driven from the local game by unrelenting racial …
Here’s a quick and very interesting late Summer post for my readers who value the UK factual market: I checked the average audience across the UK Top 10 and Top 100 for the 5 years since 2015 in the Documentary & Lifestyle categories. I expected to see a steady decline as British viewers drifted away …
It’s always a pleasure to share the UK’s highest-rated documentary and unscripted programs. Here is my ratings snapshot for 1H 2019. #1-50 are followed by my brief Takeaways. Then #51-100. Why UK Matters! The UK is the #2 English-speaking television market. It enjoys a well-funded Factual sector that has been a creative innovator for generations. …
The demand for Netflix documentaries in the UK reveals more similarities than differences compared with the U.S. That’s according to research firm Parrot Analytics which measures online audience demand for programs across all platforms. Parrot’s Demand Expressions® is a valuable workaround for Netflix’s notorious black hole for information about its audience. Measuring Audience Demand Today’s …
Netflix programming exec Diego Buñuel presented to two standing-room-only audiences last Tuesday at Sunny Side of the Doc in beautiful La Rochelle. It was the ‘event with the event.’ Delegates lined up for an hour beforehand to secure their seats. Netflix is that hot! The generous Diego is a former producer who comes from that great …
The sharing of costs and rights on editorial partnerships is becoming increasingly important in the ‘Netflix Era.’ Our STORMBORN Case Study is an inspiring example of a successful coproduction. It’s the story of how a medium-sized Scottish production company developed a compelling Natural History concept that attracted the multiple partners who could realize a limited …