A MIPDOC highlight was my MEET THE EXPERT session with Cologne-based Julie Link. Julie is Co-Founder + Co-CEO of GLISK-Germany. We later recorded this webinar that initially covered her career path from Texas to LA to Germany. We then dug deep into her experience concerning the role of agents, comparing US and European industry practices. Julie focused her analysis on the “Top 3 D’s” for Producers who want to work with agents: Data, Driving the Business, and Dealmaking. Watch here (31 minutes)rk w Timecode [00:30] Who is Julie Link? Meet the agent. [2:00] Key moments of Julie’s career tr ..read more

I always marvel at how co-producers get it done. Particularly now! The fickle, ever-changing market in the Netflix Era is a huge obstacle to success. In my Case Study presentation for the MIPDOC Coproduction Summit, I moderated a conversation with two inspiring co-producers, Nikolas Hülbusch and Jia Zhao — who did get it done! Their project is TIME: A JOURNEY THROUGH THOUSANDS OF YEARS, a co-production between ZDF STUDIOS, CHINA MEDIA GROUP (formerly CCTV) and ARTE. The budget: approximately €1.2 million. Why did we pick this project? TIME captures the type of fresh thinking ab ..read more

Industry veteran Roy Ackerman is working in New York, backed by his long list of enviable credits for U.K. and U.S. factual productions. Roy proposed that we create with PACT, the U.K. Producers’ Association, a webinar to inform smaller and newer indies of the different ways to crack the U.S. unscripted market. We assumed that bigger indies who have shows being made in the U.S. already have their plans. He hoped to talk to producers who are facing the downturn in U.K. commissioning at C4, Five, BBC and ITV but who have content — formats and factual/documentary ideas — that they think might app ..read more

By Ed Hersh, StoryCentric, New York. The popularity of True Crime programming across all platforms — broadcast, cable, streaming, and podcasting — continues to defy gravity. Peter reported just last month that True Crime dominates all other genres in terms of net added programs on four of the Big 5 major streaming platforms. And of course, ID/Max’s disturbing documentary series, “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,”  has become a bonafide cultural phenomenon, dominating both minutes viewed and social conversation for documentaries in Q1 2024. The great humorist Fred Allen once observe ..read more

  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