This week, to mark the 10th anniversary of the launch of my newsletter, I’m stepping outside my business focus to explore a very unsettling topic: Why do so many in the documentary community struggle with mental illness? Why is it that depression and even suicides among our colleagues are not unexpected? My podcast guests are …
Ira Deutchman has been honored by the industry for his work since 1975 at the cutting edge of theatrical distribution for indie films. He is currently an independent producer, marketing consultant and professor at Columbia University. His documentary feature, “Searching for Mr. Rugoff” premiered at the 2019 DOC NYC festival. We discuss how the economics …
The criminally disastrous Fyre Music Festival was covered in two documentary features that were released in January 2019: Fyre Fraud from hulu, Netflix’s Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened. Who won? hulu reports 30 million subscribers against Netflix‘s 158 million. hulu was the surprise clear winner. That’s per the ‘audience engagement’ measurement developed by Parrot …
Akul Tripathi is the CEO of DOCUBAY, the Mumbai-based documentary subscription streamer launched in 2H’19. Akul emphasizes the scale of the huge Indian video market, with its population of 1.4 billion, including 130+/- million English-speakers. He describes how the low cost of Internet connectivity has driven the fast adoption of digital services, reaching 570 million …
How is non-fiction storytelling evolving in the age of Netflix? I talk with Ed Hersh of consultancy StoryCentric about his work with producers and channels. His focus is on how Netflix and a host of new Direct-to-Consumer subscription platforms are challenging the storytelling conventions that once dominated in the Linear/Cable/Satellite era. You’ll hear about: Program …
Michael Hoff is a veteran producer who has delivered more than 1,000 hours of mainly male-targeted Factual Entertainment to dozens of clients. Michael shares his 5 Top Takeaways for 2019… focusing on how the shift to streaming is changing the ways that cable channels commission programs. Listen to Hoff Productions’ Michael Hoff (25 min) Michael …
STEVE BURNS has enjoyed senior management roles at Nat Geo, Discovery Networks and CuriosityStream. Our podcast topic: HOW THE DOCUMENTARY LANDSCAPE HAS CHANGED SINCE THE ‘EIGHTIES. First, Steve shares his shock and loss on hearing that Sunny Side’s Yves Jeanneau had passed away. We discuss the rise of big budget international co-productions, “Occu-soaps”, character-led Reality, and …
TRUE ROYALTY is a London-based subscription video service dedicated to British Royalty. Co-founder GREGOR ANGUS describes True Royalty as a “clearly-defined interest” or mega-niche. His analysis points to tens of millions of hyper-engaged Royal TV viewers. They are concentrated in the U.S. and Commonwealth countries. True Royalty’s business case was endorsed by U.S. box office …