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GUIDE 2017
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Contents A Note from the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Executives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Talent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Distributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Publisher Ricardo Seguin Guise Group Editorial Director Anna Carugati
Ricardo Seguin Guise President
Editor Mansha Daswani
Anna Carugati Executive VP
Executive Editor and Editor, English-Language Guides Kristin Brzoznowski
Mansha Daswani VP of Strategic Development and Associate Publisher
Production Director Victor L. Cuevas
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Managing Editor Joanna Padovano Tong
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Associate Editor Sara Alessi
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Online Director Simon Weaver Senior Sales and Marketing Manager Dana Mattison Sales and Marketing Assistant Nathalia Lopez
Website: www.worldscreen.com No part of this publication can be used, reprinted, copied or stored in any medium without the publisher’s authorization. For a free subscription to our newsletters, please visit www.subscriptions.ws
Business Affairs Manager Andrea Moreno 6
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A Note from the Editor Kristin Brzoznowski
Viewers today are spoiled for choice when it comes to the staggering array of highquality programming out there in the marketplace, a situation made even sweeter by the fact that they can access the majority of it any time they want. Indeed, OTT services the likes of Netflix and Amazon are continuing to conquer the globe with their rollouts. And it’s not just the major global players that are attracting audiences either; there are a slew of niche, targeted streaming platforms popping up around the world ready to serve ardent fans of everything from horror to comedy. The proliferation of these various streaming services has also certainly made it easier for viewers to indulge their predilection for binge-viewing, as they devour episode after episode on-demand. But what does it all mean for the future of live, linear broadcasting? Recent data from Horowitz Research shows that streaming services have actually been catalysts for increased television viewing. A third of OTT viewers reported watching more TV overall compared to five years ago. The data also reveals that streaming services may even drive viewership back to live TV. Among OTT viewers, 31 percent said they began watching past episodes of some shows online and then switched to viewing the current season live. The rise in popularity of social media has also been a boon for live television. TV is no longer necessarily a passive medium, as millions of people now actively share their real-time thoughts and opinions about what they’re watching. All hail the hashtag! Twitter and Facebook, in particular, have positioned themselves as homes for TV-related conversations. In the U.S., Nielsen has even launched “Social Content Ratings” with measurement across both platforms, and it is planning to add Instagram as well. Viewers are tweeting about, and bingeing on, everything from dramatic thrillers to salacious reality shows to laugh-out-loud comedies—and practically everything in between. The distributors featured in this edition of the World Screen Guide are hoping their shows will strike a chord with viewers around the world, to be enjoyed live or on-demand, on linear or digital platforms. 8
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EXECUTIVES
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Kazuo Hirai President & CEO Sony Corporation WS: What are the benefits of keeping Sony Pictures Entertainment as part of the company? HIRAI: The studio is an important driver of future growth for Sony, and it has for years been the cornerstone of Sony’s valuechain strategy. Sony’s electronics divisions have collaborated with Sony Pictures to roll out new cinema cameras, new digitalprojection systems, and new homeentertainment technologies, with great benefits to each. Sony’s cofounder Akio Morita famously said that hardware and software go together like the wheels of a car. It’s hard to put a dollar figure on that kind of synergy, but it’s a huge part of who we are at Sony. It’s also worth noting that each time one of our films, TV shows or television networks is watched or streamed, the audience is reminded that Sony is intimately involved in creating the very best entertainment experiences at every step of the way—from lens to theater to living room to mobile device. WS: In an age of increasing numbers of cord-cutters and cordnevers, what options do the PlayStation Network and PlayStation Vue offer consumers? HIRAI: PlayStation Vue offers consumers an intuitive, immediate, dynamic and personalized TV-viewing experience. It’s a cloudbased TV service, now available across the entire United States. Thousands of hours of content can be stored on PlayStation Vue’s cloud DVR, which is ten times more storage than any DVR on the market. With a single PlayStation Vue subscription, users can stream content simultaneously across different devices, and the interface seamlessly blends live and on-demand content and puts top programming front and center. It also has powerful search and discovery tools, as well as the ability to “catch up” on popular programming in the three days after a show’s first live airing. From Sony’s standpoint, by offering a TV-viewing experience in addition to gaming, we can make PlayStation even more attractive, and we can expand the customer base from hard-core gamers to a broader audience. 10
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Jon Feltheimer CEO Lionsgate WS: What made the Starz acquisition appealing? FELTHEIMER: The Starz deal checked off all the boxes for us. I’ve known [CEO] Chris Albrecht for 35 years, and he’s one of the best programmers in the business. He’s been transforming Starz into a modern, consumer-facing platform for the past five years, and we believe that the combination of our two companies will only accelerate the progress he has already made. Strategically, the Starz deal is consistent with our long-term strategy of building our global content platform through a combination of organic growth and strategic, accretive acquisitions in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The combination of Lionsgate and Starz also reflects the industry trend toward consolidation that is evident in deals like the AT&T/Time Warner merger, aligning premium content with a world-class distribution pipeline. WS: What has been driving the success of Lionsgate’s television division? FELTHEIMER: There’s really no secret sauce. It’s a combination of several factors. Executive talent: Kevin [Beggs] and Sandra [Stern] have done an incredible job of scaling and diversifying our television business, and we have great bench strength with rising executives like Laura Kennedy as well. Creative leadership: we continue to create original, noisy, platform-defining hits. Financial innovation: we continue to develop game-changing business models that adapt to a changing ecosystem. Diversification: we’re growing a strong unscripted business through a combination of internal development, with network reality brands Kicking & Screaming and Candy Crush, and our investment in Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Media Group, a leader in the unscripted space. And finally, globalization: we continue to ramp up our television business in the U.K. with the hiring of creative executive Steve November and investment in production companies such as Primal Media, alongside our premier independent film brand in the territory. 11
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Ben Sherwood Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks President, Disney|ABC Television Group WS: When viewers have so many options for how to enjoy programming, what is the role of a broadcast network? SHERWOOD: We love broadcast television. It’s a great business in the U.S. and in many countries and territories around the world. In the U.S., ABC is traditionally the first window for our programming, and it often drives great success, buzz and enthusiasm. Broadcast is still by far the best and most efficient way to reach the biggest audiences simultaneously. Let’s not forget it’s often the programming that premieres on broadcast that drives a lot of usage on all of the other platforms. Most of our viewers are truly multiplatform. While they still prefer to watch traditional live television on a TV set, they want to have the ability to enjoy our content on their own schedules, on their DVR or on-demand, as well as on our live linear schedule. Not surprisingly, the audience for our digital platforms skews a bit younger than linear, but in terms of what people are watching, digital viewership mirrors linear—what’s popular on the air tends to be most popular as well on digital. WS: How important is international program development becoming? SHERWOOD: International is critically important to our longterm success. And we all see that while many people talk about building walls and drawing borders, we think it’s more important than ever for our shows to travel freely everywhere and find audiences everywhere. So we are extremely engaged in working with our colleagues around the world to find compelling stories developed locally, in local languages, with local talent. Our Latin American team has been at the forefront of producing very successful local versions of our U.S. series for more than a decade. In recent years, they have branched out and are developing original series. We’re seeing growth in local adaptations of our series and formats in a number of territories, especially in Asia. 12
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Josh Sapan President & CEO AMC Networks WS: How has the partnership with BBC Worldwide benefited AMC Networks? SAPAN: The partnership with the BBC has been splendid. It’s now been some time that we have been married—if you want to call it that! We have a joint venture that is running very smoothly and very productively for us, and I think for them, too. Through a joint venture with BBC Worldwide, we manage the BBC America channel in the U.S. and then we have co-production relationships with the BBC. They have been terrific to work with. We think we have sympathy with them editorially. We are on the same wavelength from a business point of view, and it’s been very fruitful. WS: In this crowded and growing media landscape, what do linear channels have to do to remain relevant? SAPAN: They have to be in service of a demographic and they have to be highly desirable. And they have to have big scale. They have to have wide, in our case, distribution in the U.S. and globally. There is a big place for a scheduled service, we think. People like it. It doesn’t mean it can’t have an on-demand component on the internet or cable VOD, but it is appealing to watch The Walking Dead on Sunday night at the same time as everyone watches it. It’s appealing to watch Talking Dead afterward. It’s appealing to have a curated selection of programs. WS: In this on-demand world, do you have to rethink how you brand your channels or what brand loyalty is? SAPAN: Yes, very much so and I think it’s an unanswered question and we could probably go on at some length about it. The word disintermediation is perhaps overused, but it is interesting because it does generally allow all of us to get more quickly to what we want. Which means that shows can become more heroic versus channel brands. We do want curation, and we want packaging. It remains to be seen, in three years, five years and ten years, how much individual show titles matter and how much channel names matter. If I had to guess I would say both matter. 13
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Dana Walden Co-Chairman & Co-CEO Fox Television Group WS: What is the environment at Fox 21 that has yielded so many critically acclaimed shows? Because they write for cable, do those creators and showrunners have even more freedom than they might have writing a broadcast network show? WALDEN: Yes, I think there is a greater degree of freedom. The trade-off is that it’s very difficult on cable to hit that big culturally relevant show like This Is Us or Empire, but you can be more targeted and more true to certain viewers. The team at Fox 21 is made up of great executives who all have a lot of experience working with fantastic showrunners. I would say if there is a super skill involved in any of this, to the extent there is for executives, it’s seeking great writers. They have very good taste in creative partners. When you start a show with Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon or Ryan Murphy, you’re betting on the best of the best. You are betting on people who are inspired and have stories they want to tell. We’ve had the great fortune of having very long-standing relationships with many of them, so I would say the great news for us about our partners and overall deals is that a lot of them move back and forth, from cable to broadcast, depending on the story they want to tell and how they want to tell it. WS: How have you seen marketing techniques evolve as viewers are watching on demand? WALDEN: When Gary [Newman, co-chairman and co-CEO] and I first came over to the network, we approached our marketing the way we approached the development of our shows, which is, you have to have a great degree of showmanship, you have to have great content that breaks through, you have to create content that is consistent with our shows and involves the input of our great creators. And you have to be extremely aggressive so that your marketing is penetrating and you are not using an oldschool [strategy] such as, We are going to do a certain number of GRPs [gross rating points] across cable to promote a drama. You have to create events. 14
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Thomas Bellut Director-General ZDF WS: What were the strengths of ZDF’s programming schedule in 2016 and how are you building on those strengths in 2017? BELLUT: ZDF’s core output has held us at the forefront of the German TV market for five years. The program schedule is obviously working well. We focus on continuity and reliability. Within the program schedule, we are also optimizing our range of offerings and are always developing new formats. Our daytime programming consists of a mix of TV series reruns, current information and entertaining formats. TV movies, magazine programs, documentaries, talk shows and comedy formats are popular in the prime-time slots. Live sport is an important addition, but not critical to our overall success. There is still some room for improvement in terms of major evening shows. We are continually testing new formats, but we’ve not quite gotten there yet. WS: Tell us about funk, ZDF’s new youth online channel. BELLUT: Funk is an experiment. For the first time, we are offering a wide program range for a defined target group without broadcasting it on a TV channel. There is no blueprint here. We have put together a young team and given them a lot of creative freedom. Working together with a large number of players who have been putting their own offerings on video platforms for some time, we have established a content network. The platform launched with 40 formats and another 30 are currently in development. The spectrum includes services, information, comedy and a knowledge-based format that centers on a selection of school subjects—mathematics, physics, chemistry, German and history. Funk is important to us because it enables us to close a gap between our children’s TV channel and [our information channel] ZDFneo. But the other thing that makes funk so important is that it allows us to try out something different. By doing so, we’re learning more about what makes young people tick and how we can reach them with our content. 15
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Cecile Frot-Coutaz CEO FremantleMedia WS: What are some of the biggest shifts you and your teams have had to make in seeking talent and in producing programming? FROT-COUTAZ: You have to break down the change we’re seeing into several parts; one of the changes has been in the distribution platforms, and another is the nature of the content. We should think about those aspects differently and separately. On the distribution platform front, we all know what’s happening, it’s the advent of the SVOD services. The main consequence of that is more on the business side in terms of where you launch shows, windowing shows and how shows get financed—those are the main changes there. Separately, the nature of the content that’s being bought by new platforms is different, not all, but some of it is different [from what traditional ad-supported linear channels are buying]. The fact that Netflix and Amazon Prime [Video] and Hulu exist means that there are shows that can be financed now that could not be financed five years ago by advertiser-funded channels. The fact that these platforms are global subscription platforms means they have different economics and they look at content in different ways and use it to differentiate themselves. What this means is that on the one hand, this makes the business model evolve, probably for the better, but it’s a little more complex. On the other hand, it stretches the range of shows that can be made. WS: FremantleMedia has also been active in short-form content for digital platforms. FROT-COUTAZ: Everyone is learning more and more about what works and what doesn’t work, and there are probably more questions than answers with short-form video. The eyeballs are there, but everybody is struggling at the moment with the monetization formulas. I suspect that in the next 12 to 18 months we will continue to learn more about this space. It’s interesting because there are different creators working in short-form video and a different audience for it, but I think the business model is still challenged and we’ll have to see if the dollars do indeed follow the eyeballs. 16
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Kevin Lygo Director, Television ITV WS: What have your priorities been in your first year as ITV’s director of television? LYGO: The first thing you’ve got to get right is the team of people around you. You’re going to fail miserably if you’re not all on the same page. So it’s been a year of changing teams, refreshing key roles, a lot of new commissioning editors coming in, a change in the scheduling/strategy team. A lot of time and effort has been invested in that, and we’re there now. I’m thrilled with the new team around us. We’re all eagerly getting on with 2017 and beyond. WS: How much viewing is taking place on the ITV Player and what’s resonating particularly well on an on-demand basis? LYGO: It’s growing. We’re very happy with the performance technically—it never crashes, it always delivers when it says it will. You take all that stuff for granted once it’s there. But it wasn’t always like that. It used to stick, it used to crash. Now it’s a really efficient technical service. The uptake is dramatic, and it’s growing faster than the BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 [on demand] are growing. It’s from a lower base and all that, but it is attracting a lot more people and certainly the ever-elusive 16 to 34s. Over 50 percent of all 16 to 24s in the country have registered to use the Hub [ITV’s online destination for on-demand, catch-up and live streaming]. That’s a big thing for us. The types of shows that are most watched are ones that are deliberately younger skewed. The old-fashioned way [of viewing] was, BBC One had a good drama at 9 o’clock, and we had a good drama at 9 o’clock, so you made a choice on that night and you’d watch one. But you’re now more inclined to record the other one and catch-up and watch it later. So you get around a 20-percent [ratings] increase over the course of a week. What does that mean about the way we schedule? What type of drama does this most affect? Everybody is thinking this through at the moment. Of course, because your dramas take a year to deliver, you’re making judgments quite well in advance of the reality. But at the moment it just means more people are spending more time with ITV. 17
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Darren Throop President & CEO Entertainment One (eOne) WS: Are you looking to invest in other companies? THROOP: We’re always looking at a lot of different companies. We want highquality production capabilities, we want library, we want direct relationships with consumers. Expanding our territorial footprint has been of interest to us for a long time, so we’ll continue to look for opportunities to get into new territories. We’re always on the hunt for new businesses for eOne. WS: People are watching content in all sorts of different ways. What opportunities do you see in this world for eOne’s distribution business, whether they be in traditional film, television or home entertainment? THROOP: I think there’s opportunity in every single one of those areas. Home entertainment will continue to be a challenge, but all these new consumer platforms are driving increased viewership, and that is driving increased demand for high-quality content. And our strategy is centered around the highest quality content we can make and find. We know that consumers will gravitate to highquality scripted programming, high-quality films and high-quality children’s programs, because they have the ultimate choice. And when they make that choice, they’re going to gravitate to the best creative that they can find. WS: Where do you see growth opportunities as you look ahead? THROOP: I see growth in each one of our divisions. I think we’re going to see strong single-digit growth out of our film division, and we’re going to see continued growth out of all of our television divisions, including our scripted business [with] The Mark Gordon Company and our own unscripted business [with] Renegade 83. We’re certainly going to see growth in our family business. And for music, obviously we’re reinvesting, so we’re looking for strong momentum. Each one of our divisions should continue to drive growth for eOne and keep us on track to double the size of the business by 2020. 18
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Jan Frouman Chairman & CEO Red Arrow Entertainment Group WS: Are you happy with the company’s current position in the U.S.? FROUMAN: I love the collection of companies that we’ve brought together, and I love the producers who are part of this group. Of course, we always keep our eye open for the next thing. We are not on a conveyor belt of acquisitions for their own sake. Previously, we had done lots of deals and then took some time to focus operationally and to integrate the companies properly. And this approach paid off. Now, we’ve had some great opportunities that we didn’t want to miss, with deals like Dorsey Pictures and Karga Seven Pictures. WS: Are there other territories where you would like to build your presence? FROUMAN: We’re really pleased with our portfolio, but we can imagine adding on to it, whether it’s via minority investment, majority investment, start-up…. Territorially, there were countries like the U.S. and U.K. that were obviously key for us. I’m always open to doing something in another big market where we’re not represented, but it needs to make sense. If it’s just a flag-in-theground producer position where it’s tough to make the business really work, where the formats coming out of that territory don’t travel that well, then it’s not worth it. We run our business pretty lean and we want to keep it that way. Of course, there are some big markets where we’re not represented. But we’re being very patient at the moment. WS: Tell us about the plans for branded entertainment. FROUMAN: Our company Dorsey Pictures is already doing a lot in that area and their work with brands such as Ford is truly impressive. We want to find more opportunities in that field and are also aiming for synergies with ProSiebenSat.1. SevenOne AdFactory is part of our ad-sales house in Germany and they are doing great branded entertainment work. Dorsey and the AdFactory team are already talking to each other to see if there is a way to collaborate. 19
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Jane Turton CEO all3media WS: Do you prefer investing in established companies or start-ups? TURTON: We like both. Whether we are buying an existing company or starting up new businesses, it’s all about the talent. When you are doing a start-up, you start, obviously, with nothing. You build it from the ground up, and the talent has to be able to be entrepreneurs and creatively brilliant. When we’re making an acquisition, we’re partnering with the people in the business and investing in the IP and the future development and production slate. It’s a slightly different model, but they have much in common—it’s just that the timing and the risk are a bit different. We’ve most recently bought Two Brothers Pictures. In the last couple of years, we’ve acquired New Pictures and Neal Street Productions. We started up a drama company called Seven Stories, a drama and unscripted company called Two Halves Pictures, an unscripted business called Caravan, and we’ve got a few others that we are discussing currently. WS: Are there territories where you would like to increase all3media’s presence? TURTON: Yes, we are expanding our distribution footprint. We opened offices in Singapore and New York in addition to the office in London. In terms of production, we still view the U.K., America and Germany as the three big main markets for us. We are pushing very hard to continue to develop those, and our focus remains on building the talent and program base in our key markets. When we look at opportunities around the rest of the world, we look at both investment and at interesting ways of working in partnership with other people in territories where we currently have no physical production presence. In New Zealand, we’ve got a very strong scripted business, and we are putting a lot of effort now into our Dutch business as well. We’re looking at opportunities but still focusing largely on building out the core markets, with America being the single biggest overseas focus in the next couple of years. 20
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Sean Cohan President, International & Digital Media A+E Networks WS: What are some of your recent and upcoming launches? COHAN: Amanda Hill, our [chief marketing officer], and the team have been working toward transforming Lifetime and HISTORY outside the U.S. An important part of the DNA of Lifetime going forward is this concept of empowering women and the strength of women through an entertainment lens. It’s been nuanced but also intellectually and professionally interesting to think about and position brands by market, trying very hard to build and maintain a global brand that stands for the same things everywhere. [We launched] a freeto-air network in September in the U.K. It’s a new global brand for A+E Networks, called Blaze. It is accompanied by a couple of digital extensions as well. It’s daunting enough to launch a free-to-air brand in the U.K., one of the most crowded and mature markets in the world, so we felt the need to expand it onto other platforms. WS: How are you going direct-to-consumer with some of your brands? COHAN: The two forays into quasi direct-to-consumer so far in the U.S. have been Lifetime Movie Club and HISTORY Vault. I say quasi direct-to-consumer because we partner with a series of platforms to bring them to consumers, be it Apple, Roku, Amazon, Comcast or the like. They are complementary to our linear channels. Some services out there, especially the premium-cable networks, are trying to bring consumers a replacement or a substitute for their channels. For us, it’s about bringing the brand and a mass of content that maybe viewers aren’t seeing on the channel. The Lifetime Movie Club includes ripped-from-the-headlines movies, biopics, crime, women in peril and other [genres]. It offers a new-to-the-service movie a day. It’s about super-serving that rabid fan of Lifetime movies and doing it across platforms and allowing people to watch wherever, whenever and however they want. 21
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Herbert G. Kloiber Chairman Tele München Group (TMG) WS: How do you decide what to invest in as the media business changes so rapidly? KLOIBER: We keep a very close eye on the businesses we’ve set up and nurtured for the last three or four decades and obviously when we feel that the wheels are starting to come off, as we do with the physical home-video business, we very much go to the forefront of development of on-demand platforms and channels and EST [electronic sell-through]. Also, with my son, Herbert Jr., who’s been here for five years, I have divided how we look into the future, and we invested in more productions and development as opposed to acquisitions that have limited rights possibilities. We invest about $150 million a year in U.S. acquisitions, so with the exchange rate with the U.S. dollar being an uncertainty for the next number of years, we’d like to see more of the $150 million going into European production, mainly German. We will continue with our broadcast interests in RTL II and TELE 5. I have disposed of our two-channel broadcast operation in Austria. I think that asset was very linked to me personally as an Austrian and is probably less of a growth possibility for the future of TMG. WS: What growth opportunities do you see for TMG in the next 12 to 24 months? KLOIBER: The integration of our production business into the whole company is important so that we get more writers and directors and people who bring in ideas to fuel both our theatrical and our television distribution. That’s mainly where our growth lies, other than the performance of some of our subsidiaries, like RTL II, which had a great 2016, and TELE 5, whose 2016 was better than ever. But we’ve had a fluctuation in our theatrical business, which comes from if you’ve got The Twilight Saga you’re doing well, but with Allegiant and Divergent you’re not doing so well on a huge investment per acquisition. We’re trying to mitigate that by making maybe four or five German pictures for which we retain worldwide rights. This provides us with a better margin and a better profit share. 22
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Pierre Sissmann Chairman & CEO Cyber Group Studios WS: Why was a U.S. office important for Cyber Group’s business? SISSMANN: We opened Cyber Group Studios North America in January. It’s being run by Richard Goldsmith, formerly of The Jim Henson Company. With more and more of our productions landing in the U.S., we felt it was time to establish ourselves [with a local office]. It allows us to be closer to our clients, as we are increasing our presence there with our shows. At the same time, we will have new properties that are going to have a lot of consumer products potential, and the U.S. is a country where you can’t manage [licensing and merchandising] from overseas and we want to do it ourselves. It makes a lot of sense, as we develop our activity in North America, to be on the ground with someone like Richard. He is not only going to be able to grow the company with our existing content but also find new content and develop partnerships in North America, including Canada. Opening an office in the U.S. is the first step in us becoming more global in a local way both for distribution and creation of new content. WS: You announced a move into feature films last year. How is that initiative progressing? SISSMANN: The way movies are financed, co-producers sell territories and they call all rights, and sometimes the people that buy are theatrical distributors who have no idea how to handle television distribution. So I set [for ourselves] a challenge of creating a roster of great theatrical movies for television or TV movies for television. We have our first one and are about to sign a second one. We’re also developing our own feature films. We want to create a stand-alone business in the next five years. I’m very cautious about this. When we founded Cyber Group, we went into TV because it’s far less dangerous. You can die with a movie if you don’t do it right. So we’ve developed a television production company and I would say in the next five years we will move with a separate entity into movie distribution, production and co-production. 23
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Prentiss Fraser Executive VP & Managing Director, Content Distribution Fox Networks Group Content Distribution WS: Tell us about your strategy for managing this huge slate of content. FRASER: It seems like a lot from the outside when you look in and hear us announce things like 825 new hours of content! It is a lot when you say it, but when you’re on the inside of it, we have a way of grouping it into these small subcategories within the overall umbrella of content. We have an individual strategy for each of our 65 different offices, and then we have an individual strategy around the 20 different content creators. It’s a cross-matrix strategy that we use to approach the overwhelming amount of content so that we can exploit it all properly, in each country. WS: At what point after your own channels’ first-run windows can you start selling shows? FRASER: It is an interesting conundrum, and I think a lot of distribution companies that fit within a channel organization probably have the same challenges in front of them. What we’ve been able to do is have our people sit within the channels, so we work very closely with everybody on a local level. I have sales parameters that we establish on an overarching basis, and then the local operations can make those titles available to the market earlier, depending on the local strategy. The channel has around 65 offices across the world, and we’re a boutique group that caters to each of their local needs and we work around their brands and affiliate relationships. WS: Where do you see traction on your Turkish dramas? FRASER: We produce around 500 hours a year with [the FOX freeto-air television channel in Turkey.] We work really closely with them and make sure that the types of shows they are commissioning will be successful from a ratings perspective, but will also be successful from a distribution perspective. We make sure that anything that’s getting financed by the company is monetizable. We’ve got a lot of deals in Hispanic U.S., Latin America, Southeast Asia, Italy, SVOD, markets across CEE and the Middle East. There are a lot of markets open to it. The production values have become so good. 24
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Kiefer Sutherland Actor & Executive Producer Designated Survivor WS: How did you hear about Designated Survivor, and what made you want to be a part of it? SUTHERLAND: I’ve been great friends with [executive producer] Mark Gordon over the last 20 years. I had been sent the script. I was quite busy with other things, so doing a television show was not the first thing on my mind. But because I’ve been friends with Mark for a long time, I felt I owed it to him to give it a read. So I did what I consider a cursory read, where I read through something quite quickly but have enough information to be able to politely explain why I can’t do it. And by the time I got to page 25, I realized how brilliant the script was and what a fantastic idea it was. I remember saying, I’ve got to go back to the beginning and start reading it properly! And I did, and by the time I was finished I realized I was potentially holding the next ten years of my life in my hands. I was moved by the characters, and I thought that the situation, an attack on the U.S. Capitol and how this man becomes the president, was so enticing. I realized if I didn’t do it, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. WS: Tell us about your character, Tom Kirkman. SUTHERLAND: I think he’s motivated by a real sense of service. He’s not a political animal. He was not an elected official—he was brought in by the past president to be the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He had a very noble idea of how to improve low-cost housing across America. In this extraordinary circumstance [of becoming president], he realizes that he’s going to put the people he loves the most—his wife and his family—in some jeopardy. And yet he has this incredible sense of responsibility to serve. He does take that on and, in the very beginning of the show, does so with great trepidation. He wants to stand in as president of the United States to stabilize the country, not only on a domestic level, but on an international level as well. And once that’s accomplished, I think in his mind, certainly at the beginning of the series, he has every intention of stepping down and moving aside. 26
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Jennifer Lopez Actress & Executive Producer Shades of Blue WS: How did you first hear about Shades of Blue? LOPEZ: My producing partner had been developing it for about a year, with the creator Adi Hasak, and she brought it to me to produce with her. We started developing it over the next two and a half years. We pitched it in the room to NBC, which was probably our first or second pitch. They said, Why aren’t you doing the lead in this? And I thought, Yeah, it’s a great role. I guess I had thought about playing Harlee because I helped develop the character in many ways, but I hadn’t committed to or attached myself as an actor to the project. Then they brought that up and said, We’ll do 13 episodes right now if you play the lead. It was a decision to be made in that moment, and I thought, There aren’t a lot of great roles for women in film right now, this would be a great thing for me to do, and I could produce it as well. There were so many pluses to it that I decided it was something I wanted to do. WS: As one of the executive producers of the show, how many more responsibilities do you have? LOPEZ: We have so many responsibilities as producers. Every single little aspect, from developing the script in the beginning to giving notes all through the process, but also [checking what’s happening] in front of the camera, behind the scenes, bringing that whole group together, then making sure that’s functioning properly every day. We’re watching everything that’s happening and making sure everything goes well. And helping the directors because we have one director every two episodes, so they’re coming into “our world.” They depend on me—not as the star of the show, but also as a producer—to say, Does this seem right? This is good, but this doesn’t feel as good. And then also managing all those personalities, making sure everybody’s getting along and feels good and is doing their best work. A producer’s responsibilities are varied; it’s not just the script, and it’s not just story, which is one of the most important things, but all of these pieces have to come together to make a great show. 27
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Ron Howard Executive Producer MARS & Genius WS: What creative opportunities does TV offer that are different from film? HOWARD: Television is broadening the possibilities of narrative storytelling. It’s about developing characters. Television is becoming more novelistic in a deep, profound way. So great writers, great actors, great directors and pure storytelling are gravitating toward the medium, and audiences are proving that they love it. It’s another incredibly exciting outlet. Over the years I’ve looked at a number of scripts for features on Albert Einstein, and none of them felt like they belonged in that format. But it’s fantastic the way we are able to explore his life in the ten hours that we’re going to have with [Genius on] National Geographic. It’s a revolution. It’s an evolution of the medium that is exciting for everybody. WS: How did you set about developing MARS for National Geographic? HOWARD: There were a couple of critical creative steps that came out of the initial conversations. Elon Musk, who is very supportive, was saying, I don’t want this to focus on me or even on SpaceX, although clearly, our mandate is that we want to go to Mars. It was set up that I would have a conversation with Elon to give him some more specifics. Before we did that, a couple of really important ideas came to the forefront. One was that we wouldn’t just do the story of going to Mars; that’s a journey that audiences are familiar with. But instead we would go further— and this is also based on reading Stephen Petranek’s book How We’ll Live on Mars and talking with Steve—and the idea became, Let’s understand what it would be like to get to Mars. Let’s understand what it would be like to colonize it. And that can be [done with] scripted material. We’re going to research heavily, understand what the experts today believe it will take to go to Mars and colonize it. Let’s break that down and dramatize that and intercut that with this deep dive into not only Elon Musk and SpaceX but also a number of other groups, many through NASA, that are dedicating themselves to this notion that the time has come. 28
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Shonda Rhimes Executive Producer Grey ’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder WS: Do you have a process for assembling your writers’ rooms? How do you vet writers? RHIMES: You want people in the room who you want to spend eight hours a day with, in very close quarters, sharing all the personal details of your life, because that is really what a writers’ room ends up being. Most [showrunners] ask people to write samples of other shows. I don’t like that. I always want to read an original piece of writing, an original script. I never hire someone because they worked on this show or wrote a spec script of a Lost episode. I want somebody who has written something original that shows that they have a voice and an opinion. If we’ve read your script and like it and you come to meet us and you sit in the interview and are just trying to please me, as opposed to stating your own real opinions, you are never going to make it past that process. If I have a bunch of people in the room who are agreeing with me, I might as well be talking to myself. WS: You’ve gone from writing to showrunning to heading Shondaland. How do you balance the artist in you with the businessperson? RHIMES: Probably by not trying too hard to think about it, and mostly by really paying attention to what is needed from me as a businessperson. At a certain point, it became very clear to me that I needed to be savvy about the business orientation and the budgeting and all the other stuff that goes along with the brand that is Shondaland and basically me, and that the network was making that a piece of their branding. It was also important to me to be able to lead all these people and do it well. Learning how to do all that was a challenge, but once it was done it was good, and learning how to delegate is a part of that. You surround yourself with people that you really trust, and you lean on them and allow them to do their jobs. Once I started to do that, I really kept my focus, because the only focus I should be having is remaining the storyteller. My biggest obligation is to the story of the show and keeping that truth for the audience, whatever that takes. 29
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Dick Wolf Creator Law & Order & Chicago franchises WS: How did the Chicago franchise come about? WOLF: The franchise started with Fire. A show called Rescue Me, which was about firefighters in New York after 9/11, had just gone off the air, and I did not want to bring another fire show into New York. Fire is much more of a bluecollar soap opera, and the values first responders live by are exemplified by the attitudes in the Midwest as opposed to the attitudes of the East Coast. Firemen fascinate me in the abstract. When you are doing dramas you are looking for the things that have conflict and stakes and the highest stakes of all are always life and death. You’ve got the table set every week for horrible, heroic, interesting things to happen. WS: How early into the process did you get the idea for Chicago P.D. and then Med? WOLF: While we were shooting the pilot, I turned to Peter Jankowski, who runs Wolf Films, and I said, “You know, I think there are two or three more shows here.” P.D. is sort of a straightahead cop show. Med is not reinventing the wheel, but I think we’ve got characters that have not been seen on medical shows. And Justice is a very complex but straightforward courtroom show. They are all different. People have asked me, Don’t you think you’re making old-fashioned TV? Well, I prefer the term “classic,” but yeah, we are. WS: The Law & Order franchise is often able to illustrate complex issues better than a documentary or a news report. WOLF: The best description of Law & Order was from Sam Waterston, who said the first half is a murder mystery and the second half is a moral mystery. I have gone to district-attorney or state’s-attorney offices, and first of all, more than 50 percent of the prosecutors now are women and most of them under the age of 35, and they come up and say, I’m a prosecutor because of Law & Order. That’s very satisfying! 30
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Howard Gordon Executive Producer Homeland WS: What have you found to be the keys to assembling a great writers’ room? GORDON: It’s part art, part luck and part hard work. You have to read scripts and stay open to new talent. By definition, a writer has a voice and wants to express him or herself very specifically. And the idea of collaborative writing is something that doesn’t come easily to all writers. You have to add your voice, but you also have to subvert your voice somewhat simultaneously to this alchemical process. The staff on Homeland is one of the strongest writing staffs I’ve ever been involved in. Everyone has been a showrunner or a show creator and has a certain amount of experience. The proliferation of content even since Homeland started makes it increasingly difficult to find writers with that level of experience and competence. That requires you to look harder and look for newer talent that hasn’t been found yet. WS: What are some of the skills required of a showrunner? GORDON: Showrunning and producing require a certain combination of having a point of view but also being very open to other points of view. It’s a fine line that I’ve found the best showrunners have, which is to say they’ve been open and at the same time closed. They are closed insofar as to protect their vision and their sense of what the show is. One of the things that has become a guiding principle for me is to understand the dramatic questions that you’re asking in the show. You may not have all the answers as the showrunner, but you need to make sure that all the people you’ve hired at the very least are asking the same questions. Because you’d be surprised how many times people see so differently something that may seem very clear to you. It’s surprising, like a Rorschach experience. Some people are tone-specific to their own voices. It’s kind of an art, and you know it when you see it. And then you’re lucky when [you assemble the right people in the writers’ room], because in the end, you add something that is greater than the sum of its parts. In terms of the shows I’ve worked on, from The X-Files to 24 to Homeland, they have all been beneficiaries of that one-plus-one-equals-three philosophy. 31
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Vince Gilligan Co-Creator & Executive Producer Better Call Saul WS: How do you strike a balance between drawing from Breaking Bad and introducing new characters and story lines? GILLIGAN: That’s something that occupies [our minds] constantly. It really is a question of proportion. There’s always an underlying question of proportion with any TV show, which is: How long should this show exist? How much story do we have? We have that going on all the time as the eternal question of Better Call Saul. As Jimmy McGill gets closer and closer to becoming Saul Goodman, we, therefore, get closer and closer to the world of Breaking Bad. So the other question that goes along with it is, how should we parcel out these appearances with characters from Breaking Bad? There’s no good answer to it! It’s a case-by-case feeling that we have in the [writers’] room. We don’t want to overdo it. Sometimes you have to deny yourself, and we realize that all the time in the writers’ room. We could throw Breaking Bad characters into this willy-nilly, but at a certain point it would be counterproductive; it would do the opposite of what we always want to do, which is to satisfy the audience. A little goes a long way with some of these encounters in the world of Better Call Saul. WS: With it being a prequel, we know the fate of some of these characters. Does that limit your storytelling ability? GILLIGAN: It does indeed limit things, but limits are not always bad. They make you work harder as a storyteller. We endeavor to be very precise and accurate in terms of how this show dovetails with what we know about the characters, and not just their fates but how they thought and who we knew them to be. Once it’s all said and done, we want nothing more than this to be an enormous experience with many different layers to it, a universe that you can visit in any order. I love the thought that in the future some people will experience the Breaking Bad-Better Call Saul universe by watching one or the other first. We want this to work from both ends, to be approachable from either direction. 32
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Scott M. Gimple Showrunner The Walking Dead WS: How do you run your writers’ room and develop story arcs? GIMPLE: I’m not a gigantic fan of the room, and I’m not a big fan of walking into the room and going, “What are we doing?” Especially with a show that is based on something that a) I started reading before the TV show existed, and b) there are [more than] 157 issues [of the comic, and counting] to draw off of. In general, I have had trajectories for the characters for a very long time. Year to year I present to the writers what I hope to do, the general story. Then it is really about them kicking the tires and helping me finesse the whole thing. It is only the first few weeks, when the writers start, that we are intensely together. Then it becomes a very individual [collaboration] between me and the writer or me and Angela Kang, my number two, and the writer. I drive the breaking and turn it over to the writer. The writer tweaks it, and Angela tweaks it, and we go back and forth, and other writers might chime in because of other episodes they are working on. I will say that I still do not feel that I have at all come close to cracking the code on how to do it! [Laughs] But the writers are enormously talented and enormously patient with me. Also, there’s Robert [Kirkman, creator of the Walking Dead graphic novel] on top of all that. Robert is not just a writer; he is an executive producer. At the beginning of the season, I do this global break on my own, and I usually sit down with Robert at one point and kick things around as to the directions I am going in. So much of it is his work that I am just remixing. WS: Visual effects play a significant role in the show. How do you manage that aspect of the production process? GIMPLE: Visual effects have been such an enormous part of the show since the beginning. We have an incredibly talented group of people doing that who do work tirelessly, and it is something that I heavily involve myself with, to everyone’s exhaustion. Whether it’s a blood spatter or an explosion, it has to be as real as possible to keep the audience engaged. The more invisible a visual effect is, the more effective it is. 33
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Sam Esmail Creator & Executive Producer Mr. Robot WS: Where did the idea for Mr. Robot come from? Were there real-life events that served as inspiration for the series? ESMAIL: Yes, I would say there were three forces at play that motivated me to write the story. One is that growing up as a tech nerd, I was always a little frustrated at how we were represented in film and TV. I always wanted to tell a more accurate story representing that culture, specifically the hacker culture. The other two real-life events that came into play were the financial crisis of 2008 and the Arab Spring. Those were the events that began to form the main character of Elliot Alderson and what that journey was going to be like for him. WS: What themes did you want to explore in seasons one and two? ESMAIL: There are a lot of themes at play, everything from how modern society functions in the context of technology to how delusional we are in terms of the control we have in our lives. And then it runs from a family drama, obviously Elliot and Darlene, brother and sister, and a childhood friend, Angela, to how they are disconnected. But honestly, at the heart of it all, I think we are exploring the theme of loneliness. The deepest theme is that despite technology and all the positive things it brings in connecting us, maybe we are actually more disconnected [than we realize]. WS: Your shooting style is different compared to other series. ESMAIL: I grew up watching a lot of movies and of course I learned a lot from those movies, and that obviously still influences how I think about shooting a scene, how I visually construct a scene. The other side is that I read a lot of film criticism growing up; that was my film school when I was young. I learned a lot about how things would work, how a frame could tell a story more than the dialogue or more than the script, how music and production design and all the different elements make a shot work. Those two things form my visual style. 34
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Jon Bokenkamp Creator & Executive Producer The Blacklist WS: What is your process for breaking stories? BOKENKAMP: It’s an evolving process, because we’re still figuring out how to write the show. I know you’re not supposed to have an “end” in television— it’s never supposed to end—but we are working toward an endgame and an ultimate truth in the show, and that is our guidepost as far as how much we dole out each season. Typically we land on the three or four signposts of what we’re going to do, so we know where we’re starting, we know what our fall cliff-hanger will be, we know there will be a big turn in the back half of the season, and we know what the end of the season will be. Then we map out as much of the season as we can and fill in the blanks. It’s a little bit like looking at the map and figuring out how you’re going to get from New York to Los Angeles using only highways, and picking five or six towns that you’re going to stop in on the way—and then throwing away the map and finding your way to those signposts along the way. It’s an evolving process, but we do work backward from knowing where we’re going to end in a season, and then ultimately with the series, to gauge where our storytelling should be. WS: What has James Spader brought to the character of Red? BOKENKAMP: I’ve always felt like he’s brought more humor to the role than I imagined. He has a very strange, weird sense of humor that makes me laugh almost daily, and we’ve learned to write to that. I have no experience on television outside of The Blacklist, but I can only imagine there are a number of shows where the leads only care how they look or how they come off or how they sound. The only thing that matters to James is, ultimately, the script, and making sure that the story is right. He doesn’t care if he looks ridiculous or if we’re poking fun at Red—he’s up for that, and I think that is a real testament to how important he is to the show. He’s willing to go anywhere for it. 35
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Steven Moffat Showrunner, Doctor Who Co-Creator & Writer, Sherlock WS: You’ve been working on Doctor Who since its reboot in 2005. Why did you want to leave this year? MOFFAT: I think the more apposite question is why have I been here so long! It’s the longest I’ve ever done anything. The first four to five years I was one of the writers while getting on with other shows, and then I took it over and it was a full-time job, plus doing Sherlock on top of that. I’m astonished at how long I’ve been doing it! I sort of miss my own job of making up television shows and doing the new things, which is the real job of a writer. I’ve been curating and looking after and worrying about Doctor Who and Sherlock for several years—these two huge franchises that threw up brand-new problems every single day—in addition to writing. You’re never more a writer than when you write something new, you try something different. I miss all that. I miss being, as it were, a proper writer. WS: Any words of advice you’ll be sharing with Chris Chibnall, the new showrunner of Doctor Who, as you prepare to exit? MOFFAT: First of all, he’s a very, very experienced showrunner himself, so he doesn’t need advice. The advice I gave him, which I won’t share, was not about how to run Doctor Who but how to have a life while you’re running Doctor Who. The things you must make sure of. He’s a family man, like myself. You’ve got to make sure that you survive it! [Laughs] And the support you’re going to need and what it’s going to be like at 4 in the morning when you’re rewriting some other bastard’s script and not even putting your name on it. What that’s going to feel like. That is what I talked to him about. He has his own ideas about how to do Doctor Who. The advice I’ve given him is all prosaic and all quite, make sure this happens, make sure you get that and don’t let them do this. I won’t tell you what those things were! [Laughs] But it’s really about, you’ve got to see your kids now and then. You’ve got to go home now and then. You’ve got to keep living. It is a monstrous workload, Doctor Who, monstrous. 36
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Laurence Fishburne Actor Madiba WS: What was your initial reaction to being offered the opportunity to play Nelson Mandela in Madiba? FISHBURNE: I was extremely honored, and I was excited by the idea that we had six hours to tell this very, very big story. That gave me a lot of confidence about doing it. No one has had the opportunity to cover the span of his life with this kind of time. I did have a moment when I said, What do you think you’re doing? [Laughs] I had a moment like that, but I got over it pretty quickly. WS: How did you prepare for the role? FISHBURNE: I got a chance to come to Johannesburg in 2015 for about two weeks. I met with Ahmed Kathrada, who Mandela spent a lot of time with in jail. I met with Zelda [la Grange], who was his personal secretary the last 20 years of his life. These are people who had very, very close relationships with him at different moments in his life. His grandson Kweku [Mandela], who is one of our executive producers, took us out to the town where he grew up, and we got to see the house and got to meet with the present chief. Also, while [we were there filming, we] met quite a few people who had all kinds of different encounters with him. People are very willing and happy to tell you their stories. WS: What’s the most surprising thing you learned about Mandela in preparing for the role? FISHBURNE: The thing that gives me the most joy is that he had this incredible sense of humor, which he was able to use in all kinds of situations, whether it was in negotiations or just on a personal level meeting people. His sense of humor and ability to use it to put people at ease and defuse situations that would otherwise be intense was one of the great things I learned about him. 37
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Jeffrey Tambor Actor Transparent WS: How is working on a Jill Soloway set different from any other filming experience you’ve had before? TAMBOR: The most important thing is to get the truth in the scene. A lot happens when you’re on the set. I’m thinking of one scene especially, the first year, where Len [Novak, played by Rob Huebel] sort of crashed the Sabbath scene and we did a great number of takes and then Jill came up to me and gave me a totally different spin on it. She has the clarity and the alacrity to move on a dime to find the scene. That’s true creation and that’s writing as well. It’s a very safe set [because] you’re always after the truth of the scene. It’s not about the correctness of the scene, it’s not about getting all the lines right—it’s about what is really happening. And sometimes, as in life, the scene can change as you’re doing it. And Jill is on top of that. WS: Is the show becoming less about gender and more about just being human? TAMBOR: It’s about being authentic, it’s about freedom, it’s about being yourself. It seems that Generation Z knows this; they’re way ahead of us on this in that we’re almost fossilized in our nonacceptance of [being yourself]. I will tell you something that is not known enough. I remember going to a trans-pride celebration. We were there posing for pictures and signing autographs and meeting people. I met so many young people who were in various stages of their transition, and they weren’t Maura [the protagonist of Transparent], they weren’t from the Palisades, they weren’t rich, and some of them couldn’t even afford their hormone treatments. It was very moving, because I thought, this [issue] is about people, this is not a red carpet item. Sometimes [transgender awareness] gets identified as a red carpet item and it’s not, it’s about people. I met a person that day who told me about just having come out and how difficult that was for his parents, and these are real human stories. Maura is not the example and that to me is very meaningful. That changed my life. I’ve often said lives depend on [transgender awareness], but now I really understand that. 38
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Matthew Perry Actor The Kennedys: After Camelot WS: What were the challenges of playing a person who existed in real life, compared to playing a fictional character? PERRY: Well, you get tempted to do just an imitation of the man. What I did was hire a vocal coach for about five weeks. I was doing a play in London, so during my downtime, I would Skype with a vocal coach and learn exactly the way that Teddy spoke, which is the thing that made me the most nervous. I’ve played dramatic scenes before, but I’ve never imitated someone before. I learned a pretty decent Ted Kennedy imitation and worked on it really hard. And then we got to the first day of shooting and I started talking like Ted Kennedy. I found out later that freaked everybody out. They were wondering, Why is he talking that way? How can we get him to stop? And then it all came together. The writer talked to me, the director talked to me and they said what they wanted. They did not want a Ted Kennedy impression. They wanted me and what I could bring to the role, with Ted’s Boston uppercrust accent, which I did. But I had to switch gears on day one because I was imitating Ted Kennedy and they told me they did not want that. WS: Do you flex different acting muscles in drama compared to comedy? PERRY: Yeah, it’s different. Most of my work through the years has been in comedy. The way that I work a comedy scene is I look at it, see how I can maybe improve it, how I can say things differently than what’s expected of me to say to get a new kind of laugh. Or try to beat the laugh by coming up with a funnier line. You rehearse the scene but you’re always thinking, Hey, maybe if I said this. You’re pitching jokes along the way all the time and being very creative. In drama, you just have to get very real. And it’s a different form of acting. 39
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Aidan Turner Actor Poldark WS: Did it weigh on you to be reprising a character that was so beloved? TURNER: It didn’t really. You need to take responsibility for the role and know it’s quite a coveted one. You want to nail it and get it right. I’m aware that the first series was a big hit, but that’s kind of where it ends. After that you take the books and Debbie [Horsfield]’s scripts, and you work on it and then just go for it. Whatever research and work you’ve done prior to shooting is what’s going to be [on screen]. It’s quite unhelpful to be on set and feel the weight of it and think, Are we getting this right? What did Robin Ellis [who played Poldark in the original series] do and did he do it better? I haven’t seen the ’70s version of the show and I don’t plan to before I’m finished with Poldark. I wanted to make Ross mine and for me, garnering ownership over the role was about believing in myself and ridding myself of any self-doubt before the shoot. WS: What appealed to you about Ross Poldark? TURNER: He’s not good at delegating any work to anyone else. He’s a very proud guy and he wants the weight of the world on his shoulders. I think that’s when he feels the most comfortable. He needs to be in control all the time. Not just because he solely trusts himself, but also if anything does go wrong he wants to bear the responsibility. I don’t think he likes other people to feel like they’ve been let down. He felt real to me from the very first read. There’s a lot going on with this guy, and every emotion he’s feeling I can recognize and seems to fit with what’s happening in the story. I don’t need to throw myself very much into that time of 1783 and imagine what’s going on culturally, historically, politically in the country. I can just tune into what this guy is saying, what people are saying to him, his relationships with other people, and through that figure out emotionally where he’s at. That seemed to happen all the way through reading the first couple of episodes. I related to him straightaway. He seemed like a modern man, but I don’t mean modern as in contemporary; there’s something about him that’s moving with the times. 40
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9 Story Media Group ADDRESS: 23 Fraser Ave., Toronto, ON M6K 1Y7, Canada TELEPHONE: (1-416) 530-9900 WEBSITE: www.9story.com PRESIDENT & CEO: Vince Commisso CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER: Natalie Osborne VP, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Claudia Scott-Hansen VP, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & ACQUISITIONS: Alix Wiseman CONTACT: distribution@9story.com PROGRAMS: Vivi: 52x11 min., animation/preschool; Angela’s Christmas: 1x30 min., animation/family; Monica Chef: 40x22 min., live action/drama/comedy; Ruby’s Studio: 4x28 min., 4x45 min. & 33x1 min., live action/animation/preschool; 3 Amigonauts: 52x11 min., animation/comedy; Nature Cat: 80x11 min., animation/comedy; Camp Lakebottom: 130x11 min., animation/comedy; Garfield and Friends: 121x22 min. & specials, animation/comedy; Peg + Cat: 130x12 min., animation/preschool; Jakers!: 52x22 min., animation/preschool.
“9 Story Media Group is a leading content creator, marketer and distributor of kids- and family-focused intellectual property. Recognized around the world for best-in-class brands such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, Wild Kratts, Numb Chucks and Peg + Cat, 9 Story represents over 2,500 half-hours of animated and live-action programming, seen on some of the most respected international channels and platforms. With one of North America’s largest animation studios, 9 Story employs over 300 creative and production staff in its Toronto facility and has produced over 900 half-hours of award-winning children’s content.” —Natalie Osborne, Chief Strategy Officer
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Atlantyca Entertainment ADDRESS: Via Leopardi, 8 20123 Milan, Italy TELEPHONE: (39-02) 430-0101 WEBSITE: www.atlantyca.com HEAD, ANIMATION DEPARTMENT & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Caterina Vacchi EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Niccolo Sacchi PROGRAMS: Bat Pat: 52x11 min. HD, 2D animation; Geronimo Stilton: 78x23 min. HD, 2D animation; Nutri Ventures: 52x23 min. HD, 2D animation; Dive Olly Dive: 104x11 min., 3D animation/CGI; Bolts & Blip: 26x22 min., 3D animation/CGI; Dive Olly Dive and the Pirate Treasure: 1x80 min., 3D animation/CGI. “Our company maintains production and distribution, licensing, publishing and foreign-rights sales divisions and has now expanded with the establishment of our Atlantyca Live division to develop and produce live stage events. Atlantyca is the IP rights owner of the well-known Geronimo Stilton brand and all of its franchises. Our production-and-distribution arm has recently delivered the brand-new season of The New Adventures of Geronimo Stilton, a co-production with French company Superprod along with the participation of RAI Fiction and France Télévisions, and the animated comedy adventure series Bat Pat, with co-production partners Imira Entertainment and Mondo TV. Bat Pat is a spooky animated adventure-comedy that proves the supernatural isn’t always evil, just misunderstood. RAI Fiction (Italy) and RTVE (Spain) are broadcast and participation partners.” —Corporate Communications
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Bomanbridge Media ADDRESS: 8 Smith St., #02-01, Singapore 058922 TELEPHONE: (65) 6224-4211 WEBSITE: www.bomanbridge.tv CEO: Sonia Fleck DIRECTOR, SALES & PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT: Aegena Tay CONTACT: Josephine Lim, josephine@bomanbridge.tv PROGRAMS: John Torode’s Korean Food Tour: 10x60 min., food/lifestyle; China: White Collar Boxing: 3x60 min., factual entertainment; On the Go: 10x60 min., lifestyle; Rooftop Culture Asia: 3x60 min., factual entertainment; Matt Hatter Chronicles: S1-S4 52x30 min., kids/animation; Miao Miao: 36x7 min. & 52x2 min., kids/animation; The Mojicons: 26x13 min., kids/animation; Claude: 50x11 min., kids/animation; From Above series: 3x90 min. & 1x30 min., documentary; Baby Animals Around the World: 10x60 min., nature/wildlife. “Bomanbridge Media is a leading Singaporebased international distribution agency and production company. Our team has earned a stellar reputation in the region as the go-to company for profitable programming results. We have over 4,000 hours of top-quality programming, consisting of formats, lifestyle, specialist factual, factual entertainment, drama, kids’ and educational content. Bomanbridge is currently expanding into original production and format development. This MIPTV, we aim to bring to our buyers handpicked programs that are relevant and in demand. We have the highly anticipated animated series Claude, which is based on the hugely successful children’s books by Alex T. Smith. We also have our new high-end 4K factual series from the awardwinning producer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, From Above, as well as our gripping high-adrenaline series Rooftop Culture Asia, which is presented at MIPTV for presales.” —Sonia Fleck, CEO
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CJ E&M ADDRESS: CJ E&M Center, 66 Sangamsan-ro, Seoul, Korea 03926 TELEPHONE: (82-2) 371-9587 WEBSITE: lineup.cjenm.com PRESIDENT, MEDIA CONTENT BUSINESS: D.J. Lee GENERAL MANAGER, GLOBAL CONTENT BUSINESS DIVISION: Jangho Seo CONTACT: Albert Park, albert.park@cj.net PROGRAMS: Tomorrow with You: 16x60 min., drama/romance; Tunnel: 16x60 min., drama; Lovely Love Lie: 16x60 min., drama/romance; Grandpas Over Flowers: 11x60 min., reality entertainment; I Can See Your Voice: 12x70 min., studio entertainment/music; Golden Tambourine: 11x70 min., studio entertainment/music; Crazy Market: 13x60 min., game show; The Gobbler Race: 46x50 min., reality entertainment; Voice: 16x60 min., drama/crime; Another Miss Oh: 18x60 min., drama/romance. “CJ E&M is Asia’s leading content and media company, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, with regional offices in China and the United States. With five main business departments in broadcast, film, music, live entertainment and animation, CJ E&M currently employs over 2,000 people worldwide. Through the company’s ‘one source, multi-content’ strategy, CJ E&M has been promoting Korean culture around the world since 2011. Among CJ E&M’s globally recognized events and productions are the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), leading K-Pop convention KCON, Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots, record-breaking box-office films Roaring Currents and Ode to My Father, and the hit television series Grandpas Over Flowers, I Can See Your Voice, The Incomplete and Goblin.” —Corporate Communications
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Corus Studios ADDRESS: 25 Dockside Dr., Toronto, ON M5A1B6, Canada TELEPHONE: (1-416) 880-6315 WEBSITE: www.corusent.com WORLDWIDE SALES, WOMEN & LIFESTYLE CONTENT, CORUS ENTERTAINMENT: Rita Carbone-Fleury CONTACT: rita.carbonefleury@corusent.com PROGRAMS: Backyard Builds: 8x30 min., lifestyle/renovation; The Baker Sisters: 13x30 min., lifestyle/food; $ave My Reno: 14x30 min., lifestyle/renovation; Home to Win: S2 8x60 min., lifestyle/renovation competition; Worst to First: 10x60 min., lifestyle/renovation. “Corus Entertainment has a long-standing history of success in the children’s animated content category through its production and distribution giant Nelvana. Since 2016, Corus Studios has been producing and distributing original lifestyle content globally. From hit series Masters of Flip to Buying the View and Home to Win, Corus Studios’ series are now available in over 100 territories worldwide.” —Corporate Communications
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Cyber Group Studios ADDRESS: 44B Quai de Jemmapes, 75010 Paris, France; The Culver Studios, 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Stage 2, 2/Fl., Culver City, CA 90232, U.S.A. TELEPHONE: (33-1) 5556-3212; (1-310) 202-2440 WEBSITE: www.cybergroupstudios.com PRESIDENT & CEO: Pierre Sissmann VP, SALES, ACQUISITIONS & NEW MEDIA: Raphaelle Mathieu CONTACT: Eve Cohen, ecohen@cybergroupstudios.com PROGRAMS: The Pirates Next Door: 52x11 min. HD, kids 6-10/ CGI/animation/comedy; Mirette Investigates: 52x11 min. HD, kids 6-10/2D animation/comedy/adventure; Zou 3: 156x11 min. HD, kids 3-6/CGI/animation; Zak Jinks: 52x13 min., kids 6-10/2D animation/adventure/comedy; Leo, The Wildlife Ranger: 60x11 min., kids 3-6/animation/educational/comedy; Zorro the Chronicles: 26x22 min. HD, kids 6-12/CGI/animation/ adventure/comedy; Gigantosaurus: 52x11 min. HD, kids 4-6/ 3D/CGI/action/comedy; Sadie Sparks (formerly Gilbert & Allie): 52x11 min. HD, kids 6-11/CGI/animation/comedy; Mini Ninjas 2: 52x11 min. HD, kids 6-12/CGI/animation/ action/comedy; Taking Down Taffy: 78x7 min. HD, kids 6-12/2D animation/comedy.
“Cyber Group Studios is a multi-awarded French independent producer and distributor specialized in top-quality kids’ programming with strong international appeal. Our rich and varied library boasts 1,000 half-hours of programming targeted at kids and family. To bring the highest quality entertainment, we collaborate with the best creative talents around the world and develop breakthrough technology to enhance our productions. We are also proud to continue the development of partnerships with top producers by bringing them high-value access to key players in the international market. The company proudly presents six series slated for 2017, among them the hit shows Mirette Investigates and Zou 3. In addition, eight series are currently in development, such as Gigantosaurus, Sadie Sparks, Taking Down Taffy and Mini Ninjas 2. In January 2017, Cyber Group Studios launched its first subsidiary, Cyber Group Studios USA, based in The Culver Studios in Los Angeles.” —Raphaelle Mathieu, VP, Sales, Acquisitions & New Media
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Gaumont ADDRESS: 750 N. San Vicente Blvd., #1550, West Hollywood, CA 90069, U.S.A. TELEPHONE: (1-424) 281-5200 WEBSITE: www.gaumonttelevision.com VICE CEO: Christophe Riandee PRESIDENT, WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION: Vanessa Shapiro CONTACT: Cherie Johnson, sales@gaumont.com PROGRAMS: The Art of Crime: 6x60 min., drama; The Frozen Dead: 6x60 min., drama; Hannibal: 39x60 min., drama; Hemlock Grove: 33x60 min., drama; Narcos: 26x60 min., drama; Belle and Sebastian: 52x11 min., animation/comedy/adventure/kids 5-9; Furry Wheels: 52x11 min., animation/comedy/kids 6-11; Trulli Tales: 52x11 min. & 13x1 min., animation/comedy/upper preschool; Atomic Puppet: 52x11 min., animation/comedy/kids 6-11; Noddy: 52x11 min. & 3x22 min., comedy/preschool. “Gaumont Television is a producer and distributor of high-quality programming for the U.S. and international markets and is part of the motion picture studio Gaumont, formed in 1895. Our drama series include the Emmyand Golden Globe-nominated Narcos, currently in production for seasons three and four for Netflix; the Emmy-nominated Hannibal; Hemlock Grove; and the new series The Frozen Dead and The Art of Crime, both of which will debut at MIPTV. We are also in production on the second season of the animated series F is for Family for Netflix. Gaumont Animation is one of today’s leading producers and distributors of children’s entertainment, with a catalog of over 30 kids’ television series and 800 half-hours of animation broadcast in over 130 countries. Our new series available at MIPTV include Belle and Sebastian, Furry Wheels and Trulli Tales, all of which will have their premieres in fall 2017, and we are currently in development on the series Do, Re & Mi with Kristin Bell.” —Vanessa Shapiro, President, Worldwide Distribution
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GMA Worldwide ADDRESS: 10/Fl., GMA Network Center, EDSA corner Timog Ave., Diliman, Quezon City 1103, Philippines TELEPHONE: (632) 333-7572 WEBSITE: www.gmaworldwide.tv VP: Roxanne J. Barcelona SENIOR SALES MANAGER: Manuel Paolo J. Laurena CONTACT: mjlaurena@gmanetwork.com PROGRAMS: Destined to Be Yours: 45x45 min., romantic comedy; Legally Blind: 45x45 min., melodrama; Envy: 45x45 min., melodrama; Meant to Be: 45x45 min., romantic comedy; A Woman Scorned: 45x45 min., melodrama; Love and Defiance: 40x45 min., melodrama; Someone to Watch Over Me: 72x45 min., melodrama; Encantadia: 45x45 min., fantasy; Bow of Justice: 45x45 min., melodrama; Cruel Lies: 35x45 min., melodrama.
“GMA Worldwide Inc. (GWI), a subsidiary of GMA Network, is the oldest and leading broadcast network in the Philippines. GWI is responsible for the worldwide distribution of GMA’s content, ranging from melodrama to romance to romantic comedy. In its 20 years of existence, GWI has strengthened its partnerships with broadcasters and content aggregators in the Asia Pacific, North America, Africa and Latin America. GWI believes that its continuous participation in several international markets will open business ties with more content buyers who will appreciate GMA as the premier provider of Filipino content. In fact, GWI’s attendance at NATPE and its partnership with Latin Media Corporation resulted in the acquisition of the format rights of seven GMA dramas by several production houses. Further, the canned version of the drama Until We Meet Again was sold to a broadcaster in Peru. GMA Worldwide will showcase the following new dramas: Once Again, Cruel Lies, Ysabel, Until We Meet Again, The Millionaire’s Wife, Envy, A Woman Scorned, Legally Yours, Destined to Be Yours and Meant to Be, to name a few.” —Roxanne J. Barcelona, VP
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Lightning International ADDRESS: Khuan Ying Building, 11/Fl., 85 Wellington St., Central, Hong Kong TELEPHONE: (852) 2815-7481 WEBSITE: www.lightninginternational.net CEO: James Ross DIRECTOR, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING: Amanda Yang CONTACT: james@lightninginternational.net PROGRAMS: Puppy Academy: 8x30 min., lifestyle/pets; Royal India with Samira: 12x30 min., food/travel; Frontline Fashion: 1x60 min., factual; Boats’N’Bikes 4K: 26x30 min., lifestyle; Sindbad & the 7 Galaxies: 26x15 min., animation; Ward Anderson: Kind of, Sort of Grown-Up: 1x60 min., comedy; Discover China: 60x30 min., documentary; Sex & Violence: 15x60 min., drama; Luxury Hunters: 6x30 min., lifestyle; Dreamcatchers: 6x30 min., travel/inspirational.
“Lightning International distributes highquality programming of many kinds from small- and medium-sized independent producers. While we are specialists in the AsiaPacific region, we offer distribution globally and regularly exhibit and attend major markets, including MIPCOM, MIPTV, ATF, NATPE, Realscreen and TIFFCOM. We have a passion for quirky subjects in genres ranging from movies to reality, animation to lifestyle, drama to factual, comedy to food and music to formats. We offer a personal boutique-style service, with a team who collectively has more than 40 years of experience with major broadcasters. We have offices in Hong Kong, London, Singapore and Tokyo. Content is in our blood, and through our network of connections we license programs to as wide a variety of platforms as possible, including traditional terrestrial broadcasters, cable, satellite and IPTV, in-flight and ancillary, and, of course, the full range of OTT and SVOD services.” —James Ross, CEO
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Lionsgate Entertainment ADDRESS: 2700 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90404, U.S.A. TELEPHONE: (1-310) 449-9200 WEBSITE: www.lionsgate.com PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL TV & DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION: Peter Iacono CONTACT: general-inquiries@lionsgate.com PROGRAMS: The White Princess: 8x60 min., event series; Dirty Dancing: 1x180 min., special event; 10 Days in the Valley: 10x60 min., drama; Kicking & Screaming: 8x60 min., unscripted; Candy Crush: 10x60 min., game show; The White Queen: 10x60 min., event series; Power: 48x60 min., drama.
“Lionsgate is a vertically integrated next-generation global content leader with a diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, premium pay-television networks, home entertainment, global distribution and sales, interactive ventures and games, and location-based entertainment. With the acquisition of Starz, Lionsgate adds to its portfolio of businesses the flagship Starz premium pay network serving 24.3 million subscribers and the Starz Encore platform with 31 million subscribers. The combined company will operate five OTT streaming services and the Starz app, delivering content directly to consumers. One of the largest independent television businesses in the world, Lionsgate’s slate of premium, quality series encompasses nearly 90 shows on more than 40 different networks. These include the groundbreaking Orange Is the New Black, the fan favorite Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the hit drama The Royals, the acclaimed Casual, the breakout success Greenleaf and hit Starz series, including Outlander, Black Sails, Survivor’s Remorse and Power, the second highest-rated premium pay-television series of 2016.” —Corporate Communications
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m4e ADDRESS: Altlaufstr. 42, 85635 Hoehenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn, Germany TELEPHONE: (49) 8102-99453-0 WEBSITE: www.m4e.de CEO: Hans Ulrich Stoef COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Peter Kleinschmidt COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Bernd Conrad CONTACT: Sjoerd Raemakers, sjoerd@telescreen.nl; Ute Cichocki, daydreamers.we@gmail.com; Jo Daris, daris@m4e.de; Hans Ulrich Stoef, stoef@m4e.de PROGRAMS: Wissper: 52x7 min., 3D animation/comedy/drama/ preschool/girls 4-7; Mia and me: 78x23 min., live action/3D animation/fantasy/adventure/girls 6-12; Tip the Mouse: 52x7 min., 3D animation/comedy/preschool/kids 3-6; Tobot: 58x22 min., 3D animation/family/adventure/boys 3-8; Julio Bunny: 52x11 min., 2D animation/adventure/comedy/preschool/kids 3-6; Miffy’s Adventures Big and Small: 52x7 min., 3D animation/ comedy/preschool/kids 3-6; Lizzie McGuire: 65x24 min., live action/animation/comedy/girls 8-14; Conni: 52x11 min., animation/adventure/comedy/kids 3-6; The Cramp Twins: 104x24 min., animation/comedy/kids 8-12; Mutant Busters: 52x11 min., 2D & 3D animation/comedy/action/kids 6-9.
“We are one family! This year I have the great pleasure to speak on behalf of two companies since Studio 100 Media and m4e are currently in the process of joining their forces in all of their business activities under the roof of the Studio 100 Group and thereby forming one of the largest European kids’ and family entertainment companies. This is a huge opportunity not only for both companies but also for our business partners all over the world since we can offer an even larger portfolio of owned and third-party brands. Now two perfect strategic partners have been brought together to meet the expectations of further challenging and increasing international competition. The new constellation will allow the financing and production of many new projects that both companies already have in their pipelines. I am looking forward to bringing both companies closer to each other and leading them through this process of becoming one strong family.” —Hans Ulrich Stoef, CEO
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MISTCO ADDRESS: Murat Reis Mah, Yeni Ocak Sok, No: 35 Uskudar, Istanbul, Turkey TELEPHONE: (90-21) 6695-1300 WEBSITE: www.mistco.tv VP, SALES & MARKETING: Aysegul Tuzun SALES & MARKETING MANAGER: Beyza Nur Torun CONTACT: beyzanur.torun@mistco.tv PROGRAMS: The Last Emperor: 45 min. eps., drama; Resurrection (Ertugrul): 179x45 min., drama; You Name It: 100+x45 min., drama; The Legend of Destan: 5x90 min., miniseries; A Century Old Seal: 15x90 min., miniseries; The Outlander: Discover Life: 26x13 min., documentary; A Turkish Filmmaker Around the World: 3-7x28-35 min., documentary; Ege and Gaga: 26x7 min., kids/animation; Team Square: 28x10 min., animation; Mat Mat: 13x13 min., animation. “As the foremost distribution agency of Turkish content, MISTCO represents all of the drama series, kids’ animation, documentaries, miniseries as well as educational programs and TV movies from the TRT library, which receives interest from broadcasters around the world. Offering over 130 titles, TRT’s full library is the most extensive and qualified TVcontent library in Turkey. Having the rights to distribute this extended catalog that includes the widest range of content, appealing to all target groups, we are sure to provide everything global buyers need.” —Aysegul Tuzun, VP, Sales & Marketing
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The Last Emperor: The story sheds light on the last 14-year reign of one of the strongest Ottoman emperors, Abdulhamid Han. The audience will be shocked when they see how innovative and avant-garde Abdulhamid was. Apart from its intriguing plot, The Last Emperor has a great cast of celebrities such as the world famous Bulent Inal (Under the Linden Trees, Tatar Ramazan), who attracts tremendous interest from international audiences, and Ozlem Conker, who is a very well-known Turkish actress (Black Rose). Resurrection (Ertugrul): This is an enormous production in terms of the set it is shot on, the costumes that the characters wear and the cast of over 600 people. The series has been receiving interest from all over the world from day one. With the launch of season three in Turkey, it is simultaneously being aired in some territories worldwide. Evident from its first-ranking position in Turkey for three seasons in a row, Resurrection (Ertugrul) can be said to be the most successful Turkish drama. The Legend of Destan: The whole country is occupied by the wealthy landlords. They are selling wheat under the counter and sentence people to starve. All the young population [has been drafted] since war might begin anytime and no one is left for agricultural activity. But Destan believes that he brought his family from ruined Yugoslavia to a “land of hope.” When he realizes that he has to fight for hope, he faces a new type of war, against the rich landlords. In this waste yard, he meets the most beautiful flower on Earth, Nergis. The daughter of a landlord, Nergis falls for Destan. Just like Destan fighting for his rights, Nergis will fight for Destan’s heart. Ege and Gaga: In this animation series for preschool children, the main characters are a little boy named Ege and his best friend Gaga, a talking crow. The series is about their adventures. They explore nature and their surroundings. In each episode, they find and learn something new and record it in their notebook with drawings and photos. Team Square: Kuti, Aypa, Rupi and Enda are four friends who travel with their caravan. They are interested in investigating the mysterious events that are announced by the famous television reporter of the city, Keçe. They figure out the causes of these issues using a scientific approach with the help of their flying robot friend, Vizviz. All of these problems are accidentally caused by Pengi. Team Square is designed to improve the concept development of preschoolers.
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Mondo TV ADDRESS: Via Brenta, 11, 00198 Rome, Italy TELEPHONE: (39-06) 8632-3293 WEBSITE: www.mondo-tv.com CEO: Matteo Corradi HEAD, INTERNATIONAL SALES & BRAND MANAGER: Micheline Azoury CONTACT: mondotv@mondotv.it PROGRAMS: Heidi, Bienvenida a Casa: 60x45 min., live action; YooHoo & Friends: 52x11 min. HD, animated; Invention Story: 104x11 min. HD, animated; Sissi the Young Empress: 52x26 min. HD, animated; Cuby Zoo: 52x11 min. HD, animated; The Treasure Island: 26x26 min. HD, animated; Nori: RollerCoaster Boy: 52x11 min. HD, animated; Adventures in Duckport: 52x11 min. HD, animated; Eddie Is a Yeti: 52x3 min. HD, animated; Secret Wings Pollen Princesses: 26x11 min. HD, animated.
“Mondo TV is a group of companies that is a leader in Italy and among the primary European operators in the production and distribution of animated TV series and full-length feature films for TV and cinema. It owns one of the largest animation libraries, consisting of more than 1,600 episodes of television series for all over the world, together with more than 75 animated movies for video and theatrical release. The headquarters is in Rome, and it is made up of an active international sales team headed by Micheline Azoury, who takes direct care of French-speaking territories as well as the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Australia and Asia, and Alessandro Venturi, who handles Eastern Europe. In order to support the sales activities in the Eastern European markets, the group assigned a direct sales manager for Greece, Cyprus and ex-Yugoslavia, Theo Kouroglou. Mondo TV also has a strong presence in the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American territories, a position reinforced by the founding of Mondo TV Spain in 2008 by Maria Bonaria Fois. This division, rebranded and now called Mondo TV Iberoamerica, is in charge of distributing Mondo TV’s animated catalog in the region. Since 2011 its main activity has been the distribution in Southern Europe of third-party productions, mainly youth fiction series produced in Latin America. In 2016, the company entered the co-production of Heidi, Bienvenida a Casa as the main investor and has decided to create a new production studio: Mondo TV Producciones Canarias, based in Tenerife, which aims to officiate as a producer and worldwide distributor of animation series and, in the future, also fiction.” —Corporate Communications 68
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Heidi, Bienvenida a Casa: This series reinterprets the classic Johanna Spyri novel from 1880. A charming and friendly girl moves from her rural home to the unfamiliar and confusing environment of the big city. Heidi’s daily life, friendships and adventures take place in the modern world. The show focuses on the characters and their unusual traits, including their quirky outfits. Alongside the original protagonists, who include Heidi’s grandfather, Peter and Miss Rottermier, there are lovable, wacky new characters who invite viewers to share their thrilling and often crazy adventures. YooHoo & Friends: This series is about the adventures of five animal friends who inhabit the magical island of YooTopia, on which they explore and help save endangered animals. YooTopia is closely linked to the environment of Earth. There is a “Tree of Life” in YooTopia, and it functions as a barometer indicating how the environment of Earth is. One day, the fruits start to rot, and YooHoo and his friends go off to solve the problem, carrying devices that became magical after installing Green Seeds. After solving all problems on Earth with their wisdom and harmonized teamwork, YooHoo and his friends come back to YooTopia. Invention Story: Carrot Town was once a low-tech community. Then, along came a free-thinking rabbit named Silas Hopner, who invented a machine that could turn carrots into a fuel called carrotsene (like kerosene). All hail Hopner, the genius who gave the rabbits fuel for their lamps and gas for their stoves, and with one single invention, he became rich, respected and even the Mayor of Carrot Town. One day, another free-thinker strolls into town: an outsider and inventor fox named Kit. Kit is clever, footloose and carefree. Ideas pour out of him, and he soon invents all kinds of things that utilize carrotsene. And that’s only the start! Sissi the Young Empress: Sissi, the charming young empress of Austria, is a historical figure who has impressed the popular imagination, especially among women. In this project, there is a version of Sissi based on her story with an emphasis on the modern personality and freedom of the young empress, on the relationship with her large family and, above all, with her lover Franz. Cuby Zoo: An animated TV show about cube-shaped animal characters that form most ordinary children’s toys. However, when the nearby humans are away, they come to life to play and explore. They are kindhearted and sometimes mischievous creatures who play a vital but anonymous role in keeping the world in balance. They are custodians of our children’s happiness and also sometimes even guardians of our very civilization itself. 69
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Multicom Entertainment Group ADDRESS: 1575 Westwood Blvd., Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90024, U.S.A. TELEPHONE: (1-310) 445-0700 WEBSITE: www.multicom.tv PRESIDENT: Darrin Holender MANAGER, SALES, ACQUISITION & MARKETING: Jesse Baritz CONTACT: jesse@multicom.tv PROGRAMS: The Cuba Libre Collection: 3 features, documentary/ interview/travel; Larry King Presents…: factual/travel/ documentary/food/news; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World: 1x66 min., sci-fi/adventure/action/fantasy/thriller; Cult Classic Film Library: action/horror/suspense/comedy; Backlight: 1x90 min., drama/mystery/sci-fi; CA$H: 1x108 min., crime/thriller/comedy; Spike Team: 78x30 min., animation/ sports/kids & family; William Kelly’s War: 1x94 min., war/ action/drama/history. “Founded by veteran film and television executive Irv Holender, Multicom Entertainment Group is a global independent distribution company with a focus on the worldwide television market and all major digital media platforms. Multicom has cultivated strong relationships with domestic and international partners, delivering content in all available media. Multicom also collaborates on joint ventures with leading broadcasters and entertainment companies to produce original content. Multicom’s catalog, in aggregate, delivers over 4,000 hours of broadcast-quality content to the global marketplace. Featuring beloved icons, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Larry King, Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto, Johnny Depp, Woody Harrelson, Sir Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Renner, Robin Wright, Christian Slater, Renée Zellweger, Patrick Dempsey, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, along with countless acclaimed classic TV series and current theatrical releases, our expansive catalog boasts a powerful portfolio of global superstars across every category and genre.” —Darrin Holender, President
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ORF-Enterprise ADDRESS: Europlaza, Building A, Am Europlatz 1, 1120 Vienna, Austria TELEPHONE: (43-1) 87878-13030 WEBSITE: contentsales.orf.at MANAGING DIRECTOR: Beatrice Cox-Riesenfelder HEAD, CONTENT SALES INTERNATIONAL: Marion Camus-Oberdorfer CONTACT: contentsales@orf.at PROGRAMS: Wild Caribbean—Rhythms of Life: 3x52 min. 4K, documentary/nature & wildlife; Wild Istanbul: 1x52 min. 4K, documentary/nature & wildlife; High Life at Low Temperatures: 1x52 min. 4K, documentary/nature & wildlife; Mysteries of the Stone Age: 2x52 min. HD, documentary/history & biographies; Suburbia—Women on the Edge: 30x48 min. HD, comedy; Fast Forward: 50x45 min. HD, crime; Scene of Crime—Virus: 1x90 min. HD, crime; Scene of Crime—Defenseless: 1x90 min. HD, crime; Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto: 1x120 min. HD, music/operas & operettas; Ralph Benatzky’s Axel at Heaven’s Gate: 1x136 min. HD, music/concerts.
“Join us for a truly remarkable journey of discoveries this year with our three-part season highlight Wild Caribbean— Rhythms of Life, showing the magnificent underwater world in Ultra HD 4K shots; Mysteries of the Stone Age, revealing the best-kept secrets of ancient civilizations; and get a true thrill by the brand-new fifth [season] of our top crime series Fast Forward.” —Corporate Communications
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Parade ADDRESS: Fairlight House, 98 Longhill Rd., Brighton BN2 7BD, U.K. TELEPHONE: (44) 7507-155-301 WEBSITE: www.parade.media CEO: Matthew Ashcroft SALES, EMEA: Heike Renner SALES, ASIA: Jacqueline Tan SALES, LATIN AMERICA: Daniel Rodriguez CONTACT: matthew.ashcroft@parade.media PROGRAMS: Chris Humfrey’s Animal Instinct: 13x30 min., factual; Andy & Ben Eat Australia: 15x30 min., food/adventure; Tropical Gourmet: 8x30 min., food/adventure; Around the World with Manu Feildel: 6x60 min., travel/adventure; Everyday Gourmet: S7 90x30 min., cooking/factual; Ready Set Reno: 20x30 min., lifestyle/home renovation; Backpacker Nightmares: 13x30 min., factual with dramatizations; The Coffee Man: 1x90 min., factual entertainment; The Home Team: S3 26x60 min., lifestyle/home renovation. “Parade is an international distribution company specializing in the development, financing and global sales of premium lifestyle and factual programming. We work with leading broadcasters and production companies around the world that make large-scale formats, as well as localized original content for television broadcast, digital publishing and second screen.” —Matthew Ashcroft, CEO
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Rainbow ADDRESS: Via Brecce, 60025 Loreto, Italy TELEPHONE: (39-071) 7506-7500 WEBSITE: www.rbw.it FOUNDER & CEO: Iginio Straffi COO: Joanne Lee SENIOR VP, LICENSING & ACQUISITIONS: Cristiana Buzzelli HEAD, SALES, TV SERIES, MOVIES & CO-PRODUCTION: Andrea Graciotti HEAD, SALES, TV: Luana Perrero CONTACT: Silvia Conti, silvia.conti@rbw.it PROGRAMS: Regal Academy: 26x30 min. HD, S2 in prod., comedy/ 2D/toonshade animation; Maggie & Bianca Fashion Friends: 52x30 min., S3 in prod., comedy/drama/live action; World of Winx: 26x30 min. HD, action/mystery/2D animation; Winx Club 7: 26x30 min. HD, adventure/action/2D animation; Winx Club 6: 26x30 min., comedy/action/2D/3D/CGI animation; Winx Club 5: 26x30 min., comedy/action/2D/3D/CGI animation; Winx Club The Mystery of the Abyss: 1x80 min., comedy/action/3D animation; PopPixie: 52x13 min., comedy/2D animation; Huntik: S1-2 52x30 min., adventure/comedy/2D animation.
“Rainbow Group is one of the biggest animation studios in the world and a leader in kids’ entertainment, employing over 1,000 people worldwide. The company comprises many divisions, including three Canadian animation studios (two in Vancouver, one in Kelowna), two in Italy (in Rome and Loreto) and subsidiaries in Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Rainbow’s successful distribution of its content in the media (TV, theatrical, internet), as well as in the consumer-products industry, has led to the company being number 12 on the yearly global licensor list worldwide, and first in Europe. Rainbow’s property list includes Winx Club, World of Winx, Regal Academy, Maggie & Bianca Fashion Friends, Tommy & Oscar, Prezzy, Monster Allergy, Huntik Secret and Seekers, PopPixie, Maya Fox and Gladiators of Rome.” —Iginio Straffi, Founder & CEO
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Record TV ADDRESS: Rua da Várzea, 240 Barra Funda, 01140-080 São Paulo-SP, Brazil TELEPHONE: (55-11) 3300-4022 WEBSITE: www.recordtvnetwork.com CEO: Marcus Vinicius Vieira INTERNATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR: Delmar Andrade CONTACT: Edson Mendes, emendes@recordtv.com.br PROGRAMS: The Promised Land (La Tierra Prometida): 179x50 min. HD, soap opera; The Slave Mother (La Esclava Madre): 159x60 min. 4K, soap opera; Moses and the Ten Commandments (Moisés y los Diez Mandamientos): 242x60 min. HD, soap opera; The Miracles of Jesus (Los Milagros de Jesús): 35x50 min. HD, series; Victory! (¡Victoria!): 208x45 min. HD, soap opera; Joseph from Egypt (José del Egipto): 38x60 min. HD, series; The Penny Lady (Mamá Xepa): 91x60 min. HD, soap opera; Tricky Business (Los Tramposos): 163x45 min. HD, soap opera. “Record TV was created in September 1953. Back then, Record TV was one of the broadcasters that helped popular Brazilian music evolve and its history is made up of a series of successful shows. The company’s initiatives help Brazil’s society and culture. Record TV is today the oldest broadcaster in Brazil, still scoring excellent ratings and extending its market share in the Brazilian landscape. Record TV has strengthened its performance in the international market by giving foreign clients and viewers some of the highest quality products from Brazil. The company’s list of products features telenovelas, series and documentaries, [synonymous with] information, entertainment, culture, diversity and tremendous success.” —Corporate Communications
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Rive Gauche Television ADDRESS: 15300 Ventura Blvd. #507, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403, U.S.A. TELEPHONE: (1-818) 784-9912 WEBSITE: www.rgitv.com CEO: Jon Kramer CONTACT: Marine Ksadzhikyan, marine@rgitv.com PROGRAMS: Egg Factor: 8x60 min., lifestyle; The Day I Should Have Died: 8x60 min., crime/investigation; Teens Who Kill: 11x60 min., crime/investigation; Kid Diners: 14x30 min., travel; Wives with Knives 5: 8x60 min., crime/investigation; Droned: 10x30 min., reality; True Supernatural: 3x60 min., paranormal; Ultimate Homes: 11x60 min., travel; Fix It & Finish It: 120x30 min., lifestyle; Homicide Hunter: 102x60 min., crime/investigation. “Rive Gauche Television is dedicated to the development, production, co-production, acquisition and worldwide distribution of television programming and formats. The company has amassed a top-quality portfolio of approximately 1,650 hours of non-scripted programming and award-winning documentaries, aired by broadcasters in over 130 countries worldwide. Rive Gauche Television continues to focus on co-production opportunities with prolific producers from all over the world and remains a distributor of high-end brands such as Homicide Hunter, Dog Whisperer, Operation Repo, My Strange Addiction and Ice Cold Killers.” —Jon Kramer, CEO
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Saban Brands ADDRESS: 10100 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90067, U.S.A. TELEPHONE: (1-310) 557-5230 WEBSITE: www.sabanbrands.com CEO: Janet Hsu EXECUTIVE VP, GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION & CONSUMER PRODUCTS: Frederic Soulie CONTACT: fsoulie@sabanbrands.com PROGRAMS: Saban’s Power Rangers Ninja Steel: 22x22 min., kids/action; Cirque du Soleil Junior—Luna Petunia: 44x11 min., animation/kids; Glitter Force: 40x22 min., animation/girls/action; Popples: 52x11 min., animation/kids/comedy. “With the highly anticipated feature film that Lionsgate is releasing in March 2017, there is high excitement for all things Power Rangers. The 24th season of the series franchise, Power Rangers Ninja Steel, premiered in the U.S. in January 2017 on Nickelodeon and will roll out globally throughout the year. Existing Netflix original series for kids include Cirque du Soleil Junior—Luna Petunia, which premiered in December 2016 in partnership with Cirque du Soleil Media and features incredible visuals while chronicling the adventures of Luna Petunia, who teaches viewers to believe in themselves. Additionally, Glitter Force follows the legendary superhero squad, and Popples features the wacky adventures of the best Popple pals. Saban Brands also has an exciting slate of new series, including Kibaoh Klashers, which centers around a heroic car-racing beetle, and Treehouse Detectives, a CG-animated series following two curious, adventurous bears—both Netflix original series.” —Frederic Soulie, Executive VP, Global Distribution & Consumer Products
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Serious Lunch ADDRESS: 14 Limekiln Pl., London SE19 2RE, U.K. TELEPHONE: (44-20) 8771-7310 WEBSITE: www.seriouslunch.co.uk CEO: Genevieve Dexter OPERATIONS MANAGER: Richard Roper CONTACT: gdexter@seriouslunch.co.uk PROGRAMS: Operation Ouch!: 69x26 min., factual entertainment; Art Ninja: 30x26 min., entertainment; Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter: 26x26 min., animation; Horrible Science: 10x26 min., comedy/drama. “We are continuing to build our four key brands with a particular emphasis on the U.S. market as a springboard to widen the reach of the programs internationally. Ronja and Horrible Science launched on Amazon U.S. and U.K. this year, and we look forward to making announcements at the market concerning the other two properties. We are very actively seeking a fifth brand to add to our slate and welcome approaches from third-party producers.” —Genevieve Dexter, CEO
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Studio 100 Media ADDRESS: Sapporobogen 6-8, 80637 Munich, Germany TELEPHONE: (49) 960-8550 WEBSITE: www.studio100media.com CEO: Hans Ulrich Stoef HEAD, GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: Martin Krieger CONTACT: martin.krieger@studio100media.com PROGRAMS: Arthur and the Minimoys—The Series: 26x26 min., CGI animation/kids 5-9; Maya the Bee: 130x12 min., CGI animation/kids 4-7; The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill: 52x12 min., CGI animation/kids 5-7; Nils Holgersson: 52x13 min., CGI animation/kids 6-11; K3: 52x13 min., animation/kids 4-10; Tashi: 52x11 min., CGI animation/kids 6-11; Vic the Viking: 78x12 min., CGI animation/kids 5-8; Kosmoo: 39x25 min., live action/adventure/kids 6-9; Night Watch: 39x25 min., live action/fantasy/kids 8-12; Ghost Rockers: 209x12 min. & 1x92 min., live action/mystery/kids 8-12.
“We are one family! This year I have the great pleasure to speak on behalf of two companies since Studio 100 Media and m4e are currently in the process of joining their forces in all of their business activities under the roof of the Studio 100 Group and thereby forming one of the largest European kids’ and family entertainment companies. This is a huge opportunity not only for both companies but also for our business partners all over the world since we can offer an even larger portfolio of owned and third-party brands. Now two perfect strategic partners have been brought together to meet the expectations of further challenging and increasing international competition. The new constellation will allow the financing and production of many new projects that both companies already have in their pipelines. I am looking forward to bringing both companies closer to each other and leading them through this process of becoming one strong family.” —Hans Ulrich Stoef, CEO
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Superights ADDRESS: 13 rue Keller, 75011 Paris, France TELEPHONE: (33-5) 1650-0016 WEBSITE: www.superights.net DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL SALES & ACQUISITIONS: Morgann Favennec CONTACT: morgann.favennec@superights.net PROGRAMS: Emmy & Gooroo: 52x11 min., 2D animation/comedy/ preschool; Pat the Dog: 78x7 min., 2D animation/comedy/kids; Boyster: 52x11 min., 2D animation/comedy/kids; Helen’s Little School: 52x11 min., 3D animation/comedy/preschool; The Horn Quartet: 1x26 min., 2D animation/comedy/kids & family; Kika & Bob: 52x13 min., 2D animation/comedy/educational/kids; Picnic with Cake: 13x5.5 min. & 1x26 min. special, 2D animation/ investigation/comedy/preschool; Puffin Rock: 78x7 min., 2D animation/eco-friendly/comedy/preschool; Story Time: 13x13 min., 2D animation/tales/preschool & family; Will: 52x2 min., 2D animation/comedy/kids.
“As always at Superights, our intention is to come to a market with a selection of programs as diversified as possible so any potential partner can find the jewel(s) they need. Our catalog covers all genres and demographics and includes award-winning series such as Puffin Rock and evergreen IPs like The New Adventures of Lassie. We are bringing to MIPTV 2017 Emmy & Gooroo, a traditional stunning co-production mixing magic and fantasy for kids aged 3 to 4; Helen’s Little School, a CGI upper-preschool show about how to better live together; and the already worldwide best-selling cartoon for kids Pat the Dog. As a boutique distribution company, we like the idea of tailor-made partnerships with buyers and producers. Therefore, we invite all the independent producers with a unique project to come and see us if they are looking for someone to take special, dedicated care of their program.” —Morgann Favennec, Deputy Managing Director, International Sales & Acquisitions
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Telefe ADDRESS: Prilidiano Pueyrredón 2989, 2/Fl.,B1640ILA, Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina TELEPHONE: (54-11) 4102-5994 WEBSITE: www.telefe.com.ar HEAD, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS: Guillermo Borensztein INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS EXECUTIVE: Maria del Rosario Cosentino INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS EXECUTIVE: Maria Eugenia Costa CONTACT: sales@telefeinternational.com.ar PROGRAMS: Love After Love: 70x60 min. 4K, telenovela; Marry If You Can: 120 min. & 60 min. eps. HD, reality; Guess Which Hand: 90 min. eps. HD, game show; Dear Daddies: 130x60 min. HD, comedy; The Return of Lucas: 60x60 min. 4K/UHD, series; Educating Nina: 120x60 min. HD, comedy.
“Love After Love follows as the friendship between two married couples turns out to be the prelude to a forbidden love. The secret romance between the lovers in the past will be mixed with the heartbreak of those cheated on in the present. Marry If You Can has evolved the reality genre. In the show, 12 couples who are about to get married are forced to live apart for over 100 days. They will share the experience with other couples under the same conditions and with the same goal: getting married. Whatever they do there will be captured by 78 cameras and everyone, including their own partners, will be able to watch. Guess Which Hand is a game show with a great deal of humor. It combines games in the studio and outdoors within the framework of a dizzying competition for a great daily prize. In each episode of the show, four contestants compete individually to overcome challenges of physical and intellectual skills. Dear Daddies is an adaptation by Mega (Chile) of the original comedy produced by Telefe. It tells the story of three fathers who meet at the door of their children’s kindergarten every day. Together they will share experiences that have to do with friendship, father-child relationships, love conflicts and affairs, as well as their place in society. The Return of Lucas is a drama in a thriller style. A rich family loses their 4-year old son, Lucas, at the beach. The mother is obsessed with finding him. After 20 years since Lucas’s disappearance, a young man shows up at their house claiming to be him. Could he be their missing child? Educating Nina is the story of twin sisters who are separated at birth. They lead very different lives, and they ignore the existence of each other. Their lives radically change when Nina is forced to live her sister’s life.” —Corporate Communications 92
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Televisa Internacional ADDRESS: Av. Vasco de Quiroga 2000, Col. Santa Fe, México DF, 01210, Mexico TELEPHONE: (1-786) 265-2500 WEBSITE: www.televisainternacional.tv PRESIDENT: José Antonio Bastón Patiño GENERAL DIRECTOR, SALES: Carlos Castro CONTACT: Hugo Treviño, htrevino@televisa.com.mx PROGRAMS: My Sweet Curse: 127x60 min., romantic melodrama; In Love with Ramón: 127x60 min., light melodrama/comedy; A Beloved Man: 82x60 min., light melodrama/comedy; The Two Lives of Estela Carrillo: 67x60 min., drama; 40 & 20: S1 13x30 min., S2 13x30 min., sitcom; Sincronía: 12x60 min., thriller; No Trace of You: 16x60 min., drama.
“Televisa is a leading media company in the Spanish-speaking world, an important cable operator in Mexico and an operator of a leading direct-to-home satellite pay-television system in Mexico. Televisa distributes the content it produces through several broadcast channels in Mexico and in over 50 countries through 26 pay-TV brands, television networks, cable operators and OTT services. In the U.S., Televisa’s audiovisual content is distributed through Univision Communications, the leading media company serving the Hispanic market. Televisa also has interests in magazine publishing and distribution, radio production and broadcasting, professional sports and live entertainment, feature-film production and distribution, and gaming.” —Corporate Communications
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TV Azteca International ADDRESS: Periferico Sur 4121, Col. Jardines del Pedregal, C.P. 14140 Mexico City, Mexico TELEPHONE: (52-55) 1720-1313 WEBSITE: www.tvaztecainternacional.com DIRECTOR: Fidela Navarro CONTENT OPERATIONS DIRECTOR: Ramon Salomon CONTACT: Andrés R. Payá, jrico@tvazteca.com.mx PROGRAMS: Nothing Personal (Nada Personal): 80x42 min., melodrama; Iron Lady (La Fiscal de Hierro): 80x42 min., drama/action; Missing Bride (Desaparecida): 80x42 min., mystery; Living to Race: 40x46 min. HD, super-series.
“AZ Content is the business unit of TV Azteca International focused on the distribution of the content catalog. [We specialize in the] sale of content to different television stations and platforms around the world. We have a catalog of great variety, with content that is available for the international market.” —Corporate Communications
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ZDF Enterprises ADDRESS: Erich-Dombrowski-Str. 1, 55127 Mainz, Germany TELEPHONE: (49-6131) 991-1601 WEBSITE: www.zdf-enterprises.de PRESIDENT & CEO: Alexander Coridass EXECUTIVE VP & COO: Fred Burcksen CONTACT: programinfo@zdf-enterprises.de PROGRAMS: Big Pacific: 4x50 min. 4K, wildlife & nature; Hitler’s Circle of Evil: 10x50 min. HD, history & biographies; Children of the Wild: 1x50 min. & 1x4 min. 4K, science & knowledge; Before We Die: 5x100 min./10x50 min., crime & suspense; Tempel: 6x30 min., crime & suspense; Maltese: 4x60 min./8x50 min., crime & suspense; 4 for Family—The Big Family Competition: 150 min. eps., game & family show; You Can’t Fool Me!: 90 min. eps., game show; Dance Academy— The Comeback: 1x97 min./4x24 min., live action; Lexi and Lottie—Trusty Twin Detectives: 26x24 min., live action.
“ZDF Enterprises is a commercial subsidiary of ZDF, one of the largest and most renowned TV broadcasters in Europe. The company is responsible for the worldwide sale of programs, the making of international co-productions, the acquisition of licenses as well as the merchandising of strong program brands in its own name, for ZDF and for third parties. Bound into a strong group, the company manages the largest Germanlanguage stock of programs in the world and, next to this, a continuously growing portfolio of international productions consisting of series and miniseries, TV movies, documentaries and children’s programs. ZDF Enterprises can provide a comprehensive, full-service offering today and covers every step in the chain of origin and exploitation of successful TV programs, from development to production and up to the marketing of TV licenses, merchandising rights, online rights and much more.” —Alexander Coridass, President & CEO
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