Robin Wright, Judith Light, David W. Zucker and Rola Bauer are among speakers joining the Monte-Carlo Television Festival‘s industry program, Business Content, which runs June 14-16.
Headline sessions include “Embracing Challenges: Journey Thru the Lens of Two Women,” a conversation between actor-director-producer Robin Wright and TV drama producer Rola Bauer, as they share their journeys as creators and producers in a session moderated by Leo Barraclough of Variety.
Bauer will also join Scott Free’s chief creative officer, David W. Zucker, executive producer of the Ridley Scott directed crime drama “Dope Thief” (Apple) and the summer release “Alien: Earth” (FX), for the panel “Embracing Chaos: Journeys Thru the Television Multiverse,” where they will discuss their pioneering partnership, spanning over 20 years of international co-productions, including their latest limited series, “Pompeii: A Day of Fire” (Amazon MGM Studios).
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“Counting the Cost: Where to Film & Get the Best Breaks,” a session on a pressing topic in today’s financially conscious climate, includes Brendan Foley, writer-creator of Monte-Carlo competition entry “Sherlock & Daughter,” and fiction jury member Brendan Fitzgerald of Secuoya Studios, who will reveal the places they consider utilizing as locations for filming a series, offering insight and advice relating to the various tax breaks and incentives numerous countries offer production teams.
Two producers with series in the festival, Moritz Polter (“Hundertdreizehn”) and Anant Singh (“Don’t Give Up”), along with Foley, will join the speaker lineup for a digitally focused panel, “ Streaming Platforms & the Challenge of Audience Engagement Through Content,” with Remi Tereszkiewicz of BetaSeries. They will debate how the growing number of platforms bring an overwhelming availability of content, and what tools can ensure audiences are maximizing personalized content and the impact this can have for a series.
Another perspective will be given in the session “Marketing & PR: Measuring the Value of Series Campaigns,” which will highlight how series can be taken to a new level or fight fires when things go wrong, and how and why do TV producers and shows need PR, or do they? Sharing their insights with Michael Idato of the Sydney Morning Herald will be experts from each camp, including Foley, Judy Lung of Toronto Film Festival and Alan Nierob of Rogers & Cowan PMK.
Another industry shaping topic is addressed in the session “Future of the Public Broadcasting Service in the Evolving Landscape.” As funding for public broadcasters is challenged, a diverse and international panel, including Matthew Deaner of Screen Producers Australia, Toma De Matteis of France Télévisions, Jinhyun Park of EBS – Korea Educational Broadcasting System, Vance Van Petten of Dodge Film School and Chapman University in the U.S., led by U.K. television executive Graham Benson, will discuss how they are navigating their way amongst their more commercial competitors.
The session “Women in Television” will showcase a panel of executives and creative women who have made their mark in the world of television and entertainment and the opportunities and challenges they have encountered along the way. Mathilde Fiquet of CEPI will be joined by Shelly Goldstein, actor/writer on “Sherlock & Daughter,” author Marianne Levy, Judith Light, the fiction jury president, and Josée Vallée, a festival nominee with “Deepfake.”
Looking at innovative technology, the session “That’s (AI) Entertainment!” explores how staying on top of the latest AI advancements is seen as a crucial tool for professional creatives and executives. However, AI also brings its challenges and requires a deep understanding of its capabilities and limitations. It will be moderated by Michel Zgarka of Hitlab, with creative, executive and academic experts Toma De Matteis, Leif Holst Jensen of Inn University and Vanessa Shapiro of Nicely Entertainment debating the subject.
Addressing the documentary sector, this year sees the launch of a new pitch contest, “Tell Me A Story,” in collaboration with executive producer, writer Tom Jennings, CEO of 1895 Films, with a goal to uncover compelling factual story ideas from a new generation of film creators. Selected finalists will pitch their projects in front of an international judging panel and have the opportunity to network with TV and entertainment executives.
Jennings and documentary producer Kristin Stasiowski will also offer an opportunity for young creators to join a masterclass on the art of filmmaking in the factual genre.
Additionally, a “Documentary Storytelling” panel will see Jennings join Tonje Hessen Schei (Dox Division) and festival nominee Sue Turley (“The Stringer,” XRM Media) to discuss evolutions and challenges within the different factual, creative and commercial processes for networks and streamers and much more, with the panel moderated by Stasiowski.
Festival executive director Cécile Menoni said, “We’re extremely pleased to offer an expanded Business Content strand this year. With such an exceptional group of speakers from all areas of the global on-screen business, we’re looking forward to hosting strong and interesting debates as they explore many of the current and future opportunities and challenges facing our industry.”
The Business Content panel sessions and daily networking events are complemented by Festival Connect, a platform to facilitate exchange between industry attendees at the festival.