Students of my Selling to Netflix and the Streamers 2024 course, don’t miss your free pass to today’s LIVE Q&A: Topic: “How To Pitch TV Execs, Sales Agents, Distributors and More!” Date: Thursday May 2, 2024 at 8AM PT / 11AM ET / 5PM CET Guest Speaker: PAULINE MAZENOD, Windrose International Distribution (back by popular demand!) Moderated by: Peter Hamilton Q&A: Pauline will answer as many of your questions as we can pack into an hour. Pauline Mazenod is returning by popular demand following her previous packed-out Desktop Documentaries webinar that was stacked with practica ..read more

It was a sad moment when MIPTV said goodbye to Cannes, its home since 1965. I first attended MIPTV in 1986, and a Spring trip to Cannes has been an anchor, launchpad — and sometimes a life raft — for my career ever since. Dan Salerno offered to produce a webinar that sheds light on the meaning to our industry of both MIPTV’s thriving years and now its sunset over the Riviera. Liz Levenson (Cactus Tree/GRB Media Ranch, LA) and Anne Olzmann (Albatross, Leipzig) accepted Dan’s invitation, and we all jumped on a webinar produced by Caitlin Cooper. Watch here (30′) Timecode [1:40] Intro’s. Li ..read more

PBS Distribution‘s Joe Barrett and Tracy Beckett joined me for our well-attended Meet The Executives session at MIPDOC in Cannes. Joe and Tracy described PBSd‘s role and structure within the PBS system. We discussed buying trends among both public broadcasters and streaming platforms, PBSd’s sweet spots, and the business and rights issues that can determine the success and failure of their projects. We later picked up these threads and more in our Documentary Business webinar. Watch here (22′): Timecode: [0:40] Meet Joe Barrett and Tracy Beckett [1:50] PBS Distribution: A separate distributio ..read more

At MIPTV in Cannes, I caught up with Dawn Porter multiple Sundance finalist and this year’s MIPDOC keynote speaker. In our latest Documentary Business webinar, Dawn describes how her Harlem family, and particularly her great, great uncle Paul Robeson provide values that inspire her filmmaking. We discuss her recent projects as well as her present focus: developing a film about the relationship between Winnie and Nelson Mandela. Watch here (27′) Timecode (There are a several audio dropouts due to internet hiccups.) [1:40] I ask about Dawn’s “Uncle Paul” Robeson. [2:00] Facebook link to a ..read more

How did Rupert Murdoch become Rupert? My short answer: Look to the father! Keith Murdoch was the Australian kingmaker who taught the young Rupert how to forge political influence from media ownership. For Australia’s solemnly observed ANZAC Day (April 25), I reposted my reflections on how the disastrous Gallipoli campaign launched the Murdoch dynasty that enabled Brexit, Fox News, the Trump presidency, and more. Read my full article here. My Great Uncles in Rafah Three of my grandfather’s brothers joined the AIF (Australian Imperial Force) and fought at Gallipoli ..read more

The True Crime boom continues. And evolves. Ampere Analysis‘ findings presented at the recent MIPDOC capture how True Crime (in light blue) dominates all other genres in net added programs on four of the Big 5 major streaming platforms. And ID‘s disturbing Nickelodeon expose Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV dominated minutes viewed and the social conversation for documentaries in Q1 2024.   What’s New? We continue our survey of the ever-evolving genre with 19 new projects from ID, Netflix, Max, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Oxygen, Hulu and more. Our update helps answer the key questions ..read more

Independent producer / director Matt Hamilton created for Terra Mater Studios and PBS’s NATURE series, a superb two-parter that reveals the magnificent world of raptors to a global audience. For our RAPTORS Case Study, I connected with Vienna-based Sabine Holzer, Head of Specialist Factual, Terra Mater Studios,  Nature’s Executive Producer Fred Kaufman, and Matt Hamilton. THE FILM: Title: RAPTORS– A FISTFUL OF DAGGERS Tagline: The Secrets Behind Their Astonishing Success Elevator Pitch: From distant lands to our own backyard, RAPTORS is an insightful and spectacular celebration of the wo ..read more

The 26th International Documentary and Factual Co-Production Market & Screenings is back again this year during a dedicated weekend ahead of MIPTV. Gathering the international doc & factual community, MIPDOC offers 2 days of networking, screenings, pitch, and conferences. I produced the inspiring Co-production Case Study and two Meet the Expert sessions, and helped arrange Dawn Porter’s powerful Keynote. Read the full MIPDOC programme. Here are the details… Our MIPDOC Co-Production SUMMIT will focus on the future for factual programming. The industry is changing fast: hybrid commercia ..read more

I caught up with Noel Kok, the co-executive director of NEWF, Africa’s Nature, Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers Congress. In our webinar, Noel described how NEWF moved at full speed into training and mentoring filmmakers from all over Africa from its Durban base and brand new facility nearby in KwaZulu Province. National Geographic Society‘s Storytelling Program is NEWF’s key funder. It’s a special thrill for me to hear of NEWF’s progress: I was there at the beginning with Noel and his partner Pragna as they figured out their strategy on the back of an envelope. Watch Noel recap ..read more

The 2024 Conference season kicked off in earnest in January with back-to-back-to-back events in Miami (NATPE) and New Orleans (Realscreen). Producers, distributors, and content platforms all gathered once again to network and pitch as our industry tries to steady itself coming out of a challenging 2023. Cactus Tree Entertainment President Liz Levenson and True North’s Chief Creative Officer Katy Thorogood joined industry veteran and Senior Consultant Dan Salerno to get their thoughts on where the Factual business is heading in 2024. Watch here (30′) Highlights [3:30] NATPE relaunches under B ..read more