The 2019 Sweet Spots Study is out now! The Study is an invaluable guide to cost benchmarks for network commissions. What do 31 U.S. channels pay for original programs? For documentaries and specials? And for reality series? Does my pitch fall in the budget “Sweet Spot” for my target network? My interviews with executives and …
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 …
A letter from Christian Beetz: Dear Peter, Thank you very much for your Case Study and your moderation at Sunny Side. Before you go into the well deserved summer break, I would like to give you a brief update on THE CLEANERS. Christian Beetz with ARD/WDR’s Christiane Hinz. Credit : Jean-François Augé / studio-ouest.com Oscar …
THE CLEANERS ticked all the boxes. Despite Sundance selection and sales to prestigious broadcasters worldwide, the producers are digging out from a deep deficit. The business model for investigative documentaries has always been risky. It is now under siege… and needs new solutions. That’s the message presented by Christian Beetz, co-CEO of Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion …
Welcome to my second podcast on the business of the unscripted business. My Guest: Michael Hoff leads Hoff Productions, successfully delivering mainly male-targeted series and specials to dozens of networks for 25 years. In my recent popular post, Michael spelled out the evolving high-stakes world of program development. The Topic: Today’s Pitching Process. Network development execs are …
Welcome to the first of my podcasts on the business of the unscripted business. The topic: Barack and Michelle Obama have formed a production company with Netflix‘s backing. The definition of “A-Lister” will never be quite the same when it comes to pitching. What does it mean for producers that the competitive bar to earn your buyers’ …
The program development process is changing in ways that are very consequential for the profitability of independent producers. That’s the message from Michael Hoff, founder and CEO of Hoff Productions, based in the Bay Area since 1993. Michael has been a great friend and valued supporter of this newsletter. We have been sharing notes about the …