TV Drama Festival Agenda 2023

EVENT AGENDA

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BY MANSHA DASWANI

Time to Shift

Between the strikes in the U.S.—at press time, the writers have gone back to work, the actors are still negotiating with the studios and platforms over a range of tricky sticking points, including AI—and the global SVOD streamers recalibrating their investments, there’s a lot less scripted in production than there has been over the last few years. Peak TV came and went, and we’re in a dramatically different era when it comes to the streaming wars. Who knew that one day you’d be able to log into Netflix and watch a signature HBO original like Band of Brothers? Or that the top streaming show in the U.S. for two months in a row this summer would be an old USA Network hit, Suits, accessible on both Netflix and Peacock? We have, indeed, entered a whole new world, so we assembled a collection of some of the business’s most knowledgeable executives to weigh in on how they’re managing the latest wave of game-changing developments in drama. Top buyers will discuss what they’re looking for as audience expectations shift. Leading co-production and financing executives will weigh in on investment strategies. Studio heads will showcase approaches to fostering talent and helping creatives bring their stories to life. And tune in to watch some great new drama highlights on our Screenings Day on Thursday.

All the sessions will be available live and on-demand next week, and stay tuned for a podcast version that will be downloadable after the event wraps, as well as an exclusive white paper recapping key intel.

TVDRAMASCREENINGS.COM

The only video portal for the global TV drama community.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3

9 a.m. EDT Dramatic Choices

Sky’s Katie Keenan, RTÉ’s Dermot

Horan, MultiChoice’s Waldimar

Pelser, TV 2 Denmark’s Lars Erik Nielsen and SVT’s Karolina Stallwood on acquisition trends.

11 a.m. EDT ZDF

Studios’ Scripted Edge

Robert Franke and Yi Qiao, VP Drama and Director Drama, respectively, at ZDF Studios, showcase the rising importance of English-language content to the company’s scripted strategy.

12 p.m. EDT Banijay’s Christian Wikander

In his post as global head of scripted at Banijay, Christian Wikander leads IP creation and collaboration across 60 labels at the company.

1 p.m. EDT Two Brothers Pictures’ Sarah Hammond

An Emmy-, PGA- and Golden Globe Award-winning television producer, Sarah Hammond has worked on such Two Brothers Pictures hits as Angela Black and The Tourist

3 p.m. EDT Universal Television’s

Erin Underhill

As president of Universal Television, Erin Underhill oversees a unit that produces the Law & Order, One Chicago and FBI-branded series, among a raft of other broadcast, cable and streaming hits.

Waldimar Pelser Lars Erik Nielsen

Yi Qiao

Christian Wikander

Karolina Stallwood

Sarah Hammond

Erin Underhill

Katie Keenan

Robert Franke

Dermot Horan

9 a.m. EDT Window Watching

All3Media International’s David Swetman, A+E Media Group’s Alexandra Finlay and Global Screen’s Ulrike Schröder weigh in on how windowing and financing strategies are evolving in the age after peak TV.

11 a.m. EDT Fremantle’s

Christian Vesper

Across such acclaimed outfits as Miso Film, The Apartment and Euston Films, Christian Vesper, CEO of global drama, is driving the expansion of Fremantle’s scripted output across films and series.

1 p.m. EDT Distribution

Evolution

Dan March, managing partner of Dynamic Television, will showcase how the role of the independent producer-distributor is evolving in the scripted business today.

3 p.m. EDT Fresh Hits

Bertrand Villegas , co-founder of The WIT, will close out the TV Drama Festival by showcasing the brands that are resonating with audiences on social media.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5

Tune in for highlights from a slate of new dramas that will be available at MIPCOM.

Dan March

Bertrand Villegas

David Swetman Alexandra Finlay Ulrike Schröder

Christian Vesper

Alexandra Finlay identifies premium scripted co-production opportunities with global appeal for development and distribution investment. She joined A+E Media Group from Shaftesbury, where as VP of creative and coproductions, she led the company’s international drama slate out of London, with a focus on development and creative partnerships.

Before pivoting into scripted drama development, Finlay was a U.K. network buyer. As head of acquisitions and co-productions at UKTV, she was a key contributor to the network’s market-beating growth, implementing and executing highly effective acquisition and co-production strategies and leading commercial relationships with U.S. studios. She identified and secured high-end scripted fare that drove audience reach and channel brands and delivered distinctive first-run IP via presales and co-productions with U.K. and international partners. She was recognized as a World Screen Content Trendsetter at MIPCOM.

Prior to UKTV, she programmed Channel 4’s The Shooting Gallery emerging talent strand before being promoted to editor of feature films with a remit across acquisition and scheduling on C4, More4 and E4.

Wednesday, October 4: 9 a.m. EDT

Alexandra Finlay VP, International Scripted Co-Productions A+E Media Group

Aproduction and development executive with over 15 years of extensive experience in all facets of media with a strong focus on content strategies, production and licensing from both sides of the negotiation table.

An alumnus of the University of Management and Communication in Potsdam, Robert Franke was co-founder and executive producer of Cmate Entertainment in Potsdam, where he worked on numerous feature film projects. From July 2007 onwards, he was head of content of Viewster Digital Video Access in Zurich before joining MyVideo in November 2011 as head of content. In August 2013, Franke became chief content officer and managing director of Viewster Germany in Berlin. Since November 2015, Franke heads the department responsible for the commercialization of ZDF’s drama program output as well as for international coproductions and own program developments.

SESSION

Tuesday, October 3: 11 a.m. EDT ZDF Studios’ Scripted Edge

Robert Franke VP Drama ZDF Studios

Sarah Hammond is an Emmy-, PGA- and Golden Globe Award-winning television producer. Since joining Two Brothers Pictures in 2014, Hammond has produced numerous programs for the U.K. and U.S. markets, including the multi-award-winning Fleabag , which won six Primetime Emmy Awards in 2019, including best comedy series. Hammond developed and execproduced two seasons of the International Emmy-nominated Back to Life , written by and starring Daisy Haggard for the BBC and Showtime; executive produced Angela Black for ITV and Spectrum; and will serve as executive producer on the forthcoming comedy Dinosaur (BBC, Hulu) as well as the drama series Boat Story (BBC, Amazon Freevee) and the second season of the smash hit The Tourist (BBC).

Before starting at Two Brothers, Hammond worked with theater producer Sonia Friedman, assisting her on West End and Broadway shows. She began her career in TV, theater and film publicity at Public Eye Communications.

SESSION

Tuesday, October 3: 1 p.m. EDT Keynote

Sarah Hammond Chief Creative Officer Two Brothers Pictures

In his co-production role, Dermot Horan is responsible for creating partnerships with other broadcasters, platforms and international distributors. Recent credits include Kin , with AMC, Viaplay and Bron Studios; Smother with BBC Studios; The Gone with TVNZ and Red Arrow Studios International; and The Dry with ITVX and ITV Studios. As head of acquisitions, he negotiates with major distributors and has been responsible for securing for RTÉ the likes of Killing Eve, The Handmaid’s Tale, Yellowstone and key popular dramas such as Eastenders and Home and Away. He also has the role at RTÉ to invest in Irish feature films.

He coordinates RTÉ’s partnerships with outside bodies and represents RTÉ in its dealings with Screen Ireland, SPI (Screen Producers Ireland) and Animation Ireland. He is the chair of the Joint Creative Audiovisual Sectoral Group, which represents the Irish creative sector. He is also a VP of the EBU TV Committee, which has its own co-production and development fund. He has been a key member of the EBU team, which has created a prebuy network among EBU members. At RTÉ, he has taken on the responsibility for the RTÉ Archive, the largest audio and audiovisual library in Ireland, and he is leading a major project to digitize the entire catalog.

SESSION

Tuesday, October 3: 9 a.m. EDT Dramatic Choices

Dermot Horan Director, Acquisitions & Co-Productions RTÉ

Aworld-renowned acquisitions expert, Katie Keenan is responsible for formulating and leading the strategic vision for the sourcing and acquiring of content for all Sky’s content services in the U.K., Ireland and Europe. Keenan manages the relationships and deal execution with all content rights suppliers, including the major U.S. studios.

In her four years at Sky, Keenan has renewed all of Sky’s key content deals with the major studios, including Sony, Paramount, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Universal. Prior to Sky, Katie spent 12 years heading up acquisitions at Channel 5, where her remit broadened to cover all Paramount services in the U.K. During that time, she acquired prime- time hits including Gotham, The Mentalist, Neighbours and CSI. Keenan started her career at the BBC in acquisitions and has also held content and business affairs positions at Channel 4 and UKTV.

SESSION

Tuesday, October 3: 9 a.m. EDT Dramatic Choices

Katie Keenan Group Director, Acquisitions, U.K., Ireland & Europe Sky

Daniel March is an entertainment executive with more than 20 years of experience leading film and television finance, production and distribution.

Prior to founding Dynamic Television, March was international president at Echo Bridge Enter tainment, where he built and led a premier film and television distribution company, driving all aspects of acquisitions, marketing and sales. Overseeing a distribution organization with sales executives in London, Germany, Spain, Hong Kong, Boston and New York, he managed an 8,000-title asset and licensed more than 5,000 hours of programming to the world’s leading broadcasters each year, generating a 22 percent CAGR over an eight-year period.

March has acquired and distributed television series, feature films and TV movies, including the drama series The L.A. Complex for The CW, the franchise Degrassi: The Next Generation and original movies for SYFY, Lifetime and Hallmark channels. In film, March co-financed and sold theatrical titles, including My Life in Ruins from producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; Inhale from director Bal tasar Kormákur; and Tomorrow You’re Gone, starring Michelle Monaghan and Willem Dafoe.

SESSION

Wednesday, October 4: 1 p.m. EDT Distribution Evolution

Daniel March Managing Partner Dynamic Television

Lars Erik Nielsen has spent several years at TV 2 Denmark covering various positions and functions. He worked in scheduling and in its digital department and before that was head of press and PR and later head of design and promotion.

Since 2009, Nielsen has worked as an acquistions executive and through the years has covered scripted, formats, entertainment, comedy, concerts and music/popular culture documentaries. He now focuses on scripted acquisitions and some local commissions of concerts, comedy and celebrity portraits.

SESSION

Tuesday, October 3: 9 a.m. EDT Dramatic Choices

Lars Erik Nielsen Acquisitions Executive TV 2 Denmark

Waldimar Pelser, before taking on his current role overseeing premium channels, was channel director for MultiChoice’s kykNET channels. This followed two decades in the media industry that included nearly nine years as editor-in-chief of Rapport , South Africa’s second-largest circulation Sunday paper, and multiple best presenter awards on live news and actuality shows on kykNET. He studied law and journalism at Stellenbosch University and graduated as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University with an MPhil in Development Studies, with a focus on economics and politics.

SESSION

Tuesday, October 3: 9 a.m. EDT Dramatic Choices

Waldimar Pelser Channel Director, Premium Channels MultiChoice

Yi Qiao joined ZDF Studios, the commercial arm of German public broadcaster ZDF, as Director Drama in 2020. She is responsible for sales and acquisitions of scripted projects across North America, the U.K. and Ireland, Aus tralia and New Zealand and Scandinavia. Her remit covers identifying and developing scripted projects at early stage for co-production and cofinancing opportunities as well as initiating presale conversations and sales of finished content into these markets.

Prior to joining ZDF Studios, she worked as a senior sales manager for Red Arrow Studios

Interna tional in London, overseeing sales of scripted and unscripted content into the U.K., Benelux, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Africa.

SESSION

Tuesday, October 3: 11 a.m. EDT ZDF Studios’ Scripted Edge

Yi Qiao Director Drama ZDF Studios

Ulrike Schröder holds degrees in media management and information and communication sciences. She joined Telepool in 2010. In her role, she is involved in acquisitions and co-productions for TV and theatrical and co- financing. Global Screen is the worldwide distribution arm of Telepool, a leading film and TV distribution and production group with more than 60 years’ experience. Telepool is 100 percent owned by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook.

SESSION

Wednesday, October 4: 9 a.m. EDT Window Watching

VP,

Ulrike Schröder

International Acquisitions & CoProductions Global Screen

In her current role, Karolina Stallwood is responsible for the acquisition strategy for all genres (kids, factual, fiction and feature films) at SVT, the public-service broadcaster in Sweden. She joined SVT 17 months ago from Paramount Global’s Nordics operation, formerly known as ViacomCBS Networks International, where she started as senior director of youth and entertainment brands before being promoted to senior director of all brands.

Prior to that, Stallwood served as VP of content and director of scheduling and acquisitions at the Modern Times Group between 2015 and 2018. At TV4, she was head of TV4 Film, TV4 Guld and TV4 Komedi.

In the U.K., where Stallwood spent 15 years of her career, she was head of Channel 4’s E4 and More4 channels. She was previously director of programming at Comedy Central and head of scheduling at Channel 5.

SESSION

Tuesday, October 3: 9 a.m. EDT Dramatic Choices

Karolina Stallwood Head, SVT International SVT

David Swetman joined All3Media International in 2011 and is responsible for acquiring and managing the company’s scripted slate, which included over 150 hours of premium drama last year. He has recently served as an executive producer on Channel 5’s Blood and ITV’s Van der Valk.

Prior to joining All3Media International, Swet man worked in factual production and studied Middle Eastern politics at Exeter University.

SESSION

Wednesday, October 4: 9 a.m. EDT Window Watching

Commercial Strategy All3Media International

David Swetman SVP, Content &

Universal Television is a division of Universal Studio Group (USG). Erin Underhill oversees all aspects—creative affairs, casting, production and more. She reports directly to Pearlena Igbokwe, the chairman of USG.

With Underhill at the helm, Universal Television currently produces more than 40 prime-time comedies and dramas for a variety of broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Acclaimed series produced by Universal Television include Dick Wolf’s enormously successful Law & Order , One Chicago and FBI -branded series; Hacks ; Never Have I Ever ; The Equalizer ; The Best Man: The Final Chapters ; Quantum Leap ; Girls5eva ; Schmi gadoon!; Bupkis; Harlem and Bel-Air.

Over the years, Underhill has shepherded many critically acclaimed and popular drama series, including ER, The West Wing, American Dreams, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Bates Motel, The Bold Type, Good Girls and New Amsterdam.

Prior to her current role, Underhill headed Univer sal Television’s drama development department as executive VP and was previously senior VP of drama. Before that, she was senior VP of current programming for NBC and Universal Media Studios (renamed Universal Television). SESSION

Tuesday, October 3: 3 p.m. EDT Keynote

Erin Underhill President Universal Television

Christian Vesper’s role sees him build on Fre mantle’s impressive portfolio of scripted drama, films and dailies throughout the world, with direct oversight of Fremantle’s founderled scripted labels, including Miso Film (Face to Face, The Investigation), Wildside (My Brilliant Friend, Cannes Jury Prize winner The Eight Mountains, L’Immensità), The Apartment (Venice winner Bones and All, We Are Who We Are and Academy Award nominee The Hand of God), Euston Films (Wreck, Baghdad Central, The Sister) and Element Pictures (Academy Award-winning film The Favourite, Normal People, Conversations With Friends).

He oversees Fremantle’s impressive roster of talent partnerships and deals, which includes Chernobyl director Johan Renck and Michael Parets’ newly launched production company Sinestra, Michael Winterbottom’s Revolution Films, Afua Hirsch’s Born In Me and The Creatives, Fremantle’s three-year partnership agreement with a creative alliance of nine leading independent production companies.

Vesper joined Fremantle in 2016 as executive VP and creative director, global drama, and was promoted in 2020 to president, global drama. He was previously drama chief at Sundance TV.

SESSION

Wednesday, October 4: 11 a.m. EDT Keynote

Christian Vesper CEO, Global Drama Fremantle

The WIT is a leading agency specializing in research and information on TV programs worldwide. The WIT’s services are used by broadcasters, producers and distributors around the world. The WIT offers the Daily Wit, a newsletter on projects and formats in development; Fresh TV, an online database for TV and digital content in more than 70 countries; the Fresh Projects database about new upcoming ideas; Cool TV, an analysis of viewing hits and creative trends; The WIT Schedules, the ongoing and enriched programming grids of 80 channels worldwide; and The WIT Top Formats, a real-time format sales ranking worldwide.

With The WIT’s Geneva-based team and researchers worldwide, Bertrand Villegas follows new ideas in TV and digital and the emerging trends in all genres of programs around the world.

The WIT gives lectures and training to a wide range of audiences worldwide. The WIT’s Fresh TV conferences at MIPCOM and MIPTV in Cannes are the most packed events of both markets.

SESSION

Wednesday, October 4: 3 p.m. EDT Fresh Hits

Bertrand Villegas Co-Founder The WIT

Christian Wikander spearheads strategic IP creation, drives collaboration across the business’ portfolio of over 60 drama labels, exploits format potential and identifies lucrative third-party acquisition opportunities.

Wikander joined from HBO Max Nordic (Warner Bros. Discovery), where he served as commissioning editor and VP of original programming. Prior to this, he was managing director for London-based Twelve Town, having joined in 2016 as head of drama for Europe. There, he led the company’s overarching business and IP strategy and content pipeline.

With extensive experience across the international scripted space, Wikander has also held head of drama roles at SVT in Stockholm and Gothenburg, where he was part of the commissioning team for Bron/Broen (The Bridge), having built up his production credentials across a number of companies in the Scandinavian market.

SESSION

Tuesday, October 3: 12 p.m. EDT Keynote

Christian Wikander Global Head, Scripted Banijay