AN ALLY IN TIMES OF CONFINEMENT

Interview all3media International AN ALLY IN TIMES OF CONFINEMENT

Janel Downing, VP, Latin America at all3media International

As millions of people around the world are spending more time indoors due to the pandemic, all3media International has been a fundamental partner for broadcasters and platforms in need of new content to entertain these audiences, offering a vast array of fiction series and entertainment shows, with brand new titles coming for the months ahead.

By Carolina Mussio

@carolinamussio cmussio@todotv.tv

“Broadcasters are looking for more content to fill production gaps and we have also found that audiences are broadening their palate.”

As we continue to navigate and go through the global pandemic, our new reality can sometimes become overwhelming. And with quarantine measures being taken in most countries, it’s no surprise that people are now spending more time in front of the TV, seeking to stay informed and be entertained.

It’s in this context that the demand for content has increased, as broadcasters are looking for more titles to fill the gaps caused by the halt in production; a demand that international distributor all3media has been able to satisfy, thanks to a vast catalog and a large production force.

“We have seen a tremendous surge in our output as demand for content has increased”, Janel Downing, VP, Latin America at all3media International, said to ttv.

“Yes, broadcasters are looking for more content to fill production gaps, but we have also found that audiences are broadening their palate.”

One of the genres that are now more in demand, as explained by the executive, is feel good factual content, where all3media titles such as the factual entertainment show ‘Dog House’ from Five Mile Films, or the travelogue series ‘Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip’, are now seeing increased interest. “Dramas also continue to see demand”, she added, highlighting the company’s new political thriller ‘Roadkill’, starring Hugh Laurie; as well as two crime true crime dramas by the award-winning New Pictures: ‘White House Farm’, which looks at the largest mass killing in Britain, and ‘Des’, starring David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen, one of the UK’s most prolific serial killers.

Lastly, the VP also noted that the detective genre continues to retain its popularity within the company’s catalog, “with classics such as ‘Midsomer Murders’ complemented by exciting new shows such as ‘Van der Valk’,” she said.

Little Mix: The Search Format

Roadkill Drama

Being one of the leading distributors in the entertainment industry, all3media International was armed with this vast catalog of varied content to offer broadcasters in these unprecedented times. Yet, as many others around the world, the company did put its productions on pause, to prioritize the safety and well-being of its entire team. “The main impact from the pandemic has been production delays and whilst many of our shows had completed principal photography a few will be delivering in 2021. It has taken productions some time to put in Covid-19 protocols to keep everyone safe on set,” the executive explained. “One benefit of being such a large production group has been that all our production companies can share best practices during this unprecedented time”, she added, sharing examples such as the recent series of ‘Celebrity Call Centre’ in the US and the latest series of the UK’s ‘Gogglebox’. After this brief pause, the company was able to resume production for several titles back in August, including shows in the UK such as ‘Unstoppable’s the Drowning’ and shows in Australia including ‘Balloon’ and Every Cloud’s beautiful new drama, ‘Eden’. “Now that we are back in production, we are looking forward to a fresh slate of content for the final quarter of the year. There will be a focus on big entertainment formats as ‘The Cube’ returns and our new singing competition, ‘Little Mix: The Search’ premieres,” she revealed. And while audiences wait for these new titles to hit the market, they can always turn to classic TV shows, which have also become a staple on TV screens this year. “I think there will continue to be a resurgence of classic TV shows. One of our most successful entertainment formats ‘The Cube’ has returned to screens in the UK and will be coming to the US next year,” she said. perfect format to produce in a Pandemic. With everyone around the world staying at home watching TV on their sofas it captures the Pandemic zeitgeist perfectly,” she added.

Virtual Catalog, Virtual Connections

With these and many more titles, all3media International is participating in the upcoming Mipcom Online+, ready to connect with partners and clients in a brand new way.

“While Mipcom is going to be virtual this year we are still looking forward to connecting with clients and showcasing our slate,” she said. “We will be holding a virtual Mipcom Upfront event which will be highlighting entertainment shows and formats that we’re excited about”, she said.

The slate includes the highly anticipated ‘Little Mix: The Search’, a new warm encouraging talent show fronted by the world’s biggest girl band, Little Mix; ‘The Cube’ and brand new gameshow ‘The Hustler’ which sees a team of contestants working together to uncover the hustler in the group.

“We will also be screening the Hugh Laurie

“Now that we are back in production, we are looking forward to a fresh slate of content for the final quarter of the year.”

New Productions Now In The Works

fronted political drama, ‘Roadkill’. The brandnew four-part series starring the Emmy award winner alongside Helen McCrory and Pippa Bennett Warner in a story set right at the heart of British government. Laurie plays a charismatic government minister whose enemies are trying to bring him down,” she said.

“And we also have created a series of highlight reels across our scripted, non-scripted and format content which we will be presented and shared to our clients around the world”, she added.

Following Mipcom, the company will be participating at this year’s MIPCancun, presenting its 2020 Formats Pitch virtually. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the entries, of which there has been double the amount of entries from last year and from new territories including Panama and Ecuador. I will be chairing the judging panel joined by an esteemed group of TV industry insiders including COO of Filmpool Felix Wessler and Michela Giorelli, VP, Production & Development at Discovery Networks Latin America,” she concluded.