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Your WorldView @ Sheffield Doc/Fest Call for Applications

Your WorldView is looking to support five short films from the wider world at an Open Pitch at Sheffield Doc Fest 2013 on the theme of ‘HOME’. A £5,000 funding grant will be split between the winning pitches and each of the five filmmakers will have their short profiled on the Your WorldView website as [...]

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TVMole: Latest Post

Sheffield Doc/Fest 10×10 Call for Applications – DEADLINE EXTENDED: Wednesday 29th May 2013

The Mini-Meetmarket is a unique opportunity for new and emerging documentary filmmakers to meet Executive Producers and pitch their idea in an intimate roundtable environment. This pitching and steering session will take place on the morning of Friday 14th June 2013 at Sheffield Doc/Fest. The aim is simple: to enable you to get feedback on your documentary idea by industry execs and to help you move forward. You’ll get a response on how you pitched it as well as pointers on how it needs developing, where to go next, and how to improve your chances of getting funding. They're open to submissions from new and emerging directors and producers with a documentary or factual project for any or many platforms. Getting the right executive producer on board is for many filmmakers the first big step toward getting their film made. If your project is selected, you will attend a one-hour plenary session with a top pitch trainer, followed by a two-hour roundtable session with two execs who have been matched to you and your idea.

Train | Pitch | Fund

Greenlit: Orange County Choppers, CMT

Orange County Choppers (8 x 60′)  – The show follows Paul Teutul Sr. (“Senior”) and his team as they reach new extremes resulting in mind-blowing bikes and, of course, state-of-the-art drama. Production is slated to begin this Summer. In each episode, viewers get to see a completely different side of the OCC crew. In addition [...]

new channels | channels news

  • Discovery Networks International will launch TLC in the UK and Ireland on Tuesday 30 April 2013. TLC, already the world's biggest female entertainment channel, will be exclusively premiering hit shows from the US, alongside a host of original UK series featuring well-known stars. Filled with exciting, new and enjoyable entertainment shows, and featuring remarkable and memorable real-life characters, this is TV to talk about. Premiere UK commissions at launch include: - Holly Valance, Brix Smith Start and Paul Hartnett form a formidable panel to judge the style decisions of self-proclaimed fashionistas in British fashion show, Ultimate Shopper, produced by Betty TV With the help of Lisa Snowdon, four husbands and boyfriends shred their partners' clothes and completely restyle them in Your Style In His Hands. Dawn O'Porter finds out just how much parents know about their teenagers when they are left home alone in observational documentary, Undercover Mums. From the producers of Embarrassing Bodies, My Naked Secret and Last Chance Salon transform the lives of people who have been hiding a secret about their bodies, or have undergone botched body enhancements. Premiere US shows at launch include: Seven-year-old child pageant star Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thomson, and her larger-than-life family, feature in the US smash-hit series and ‘pop culture phenomenon', Here Comes Honey Boo Boo; TLC's highest rating new series in the US, Breaking Amish, follows the lives of five young Amish/Mennonite men and women as they trade their horse and buggies for taxi cabs in New York, and break out from their respective communities Oprah Winfrey steps outside of the studio for some in-depth conversations with newsmakers, celebrities, and real-life families in Oprah's Next Chapter. TLC will be available on Sky (channel 125), Virgin Media (channel 167), BT Vision (channel 875) and YouView on the TalkTalk player, as well as via Sky, Virgin Media and BT Vision's on-demand services. TLC will also be available in HD from Sky and Virgin Media. Source: TLC press release   #
  • The BBC has launched of a new resource for programme makers looking for female specialist contributors: the BBC Expert Women database and YouTube channel. The database contains details of the 60 women who have so far received training via BBC Academy Expert Women Days, a series of free events designed to address the lack of on-air female representation in certain subject areas. It also includes details of a further 120 women who showed promise in their applications. The BBC Expert Women YouTube channel features videos of successful Expert Women trainees presenting to camera on one of their specialist subjects. Originally filmed as audition tapes for one of the events, the short clips have now been compiled into an easily accessible database of female experts that is sorted into their broad subject areas. The team are currently looking for women experts in the following subject areas: sport; politics, economics and business; Islam; science; gadgets and consumer tech; crime and security. Further information and application details are on the BBC Academy website. Many of the original 30 women trained by the BBC Academy in January have since appeared as contributors on or been commissioned by radio and TV programmes. They include: Natalie Starkey, space scientist and cosmochemist, who appeared on a BBC Breakfast piece about the asteroid fly-by that was filmed in her lab. This also went out on Newsround, BBC World Service and Radio 4. She has subsequently appeared on the BBC News Channel, Horizon and Sky News, and has been interviewed by The Guardian and the Huffington Post Charlotte Connelly, a curator at the Science Museum appeared on Radio 4’s Last Word discussing the impact of Tingye Li’s work on lasers. She also appeared BBC Two’s The Genius Of Invention as an in-studio expert guest discussing the development of the electric telegraph, and on BBC Radio Humberside as a contributor to the live Saturday morning show Elizabeth Pearson, astrophysicist, appeared on the BBC News Channel discussing the meteor incident in Russia, and also featured on Radio 5 live and BBC Two. Following this she was asked to appear in the Channel 4 documentary Meteor Strike: Fireball From Space Alcohol and addiction expert Sally Marlow was commissioned by the Today programme to produce a report on alcohol addiction, which was then subsequently rebroadcast on the BBC World Service Gemma Allen, historian, has featured on Radio 4’s Woman's Hour. Deborah Hallett, business expert, has appeared on Today and CNN; Tina Miller, a sociologist, has appeared on Woman’s Hour; Alison Baily, a political analyst, appeared on BBC Radio Oxford and Katherine Woolf, a lecturer in medical Education, appeared on BBC World News show GMT #
  • Beginning April 22, 2013, the G4 network will be rebranded the Esquire Network. The network is a strategic partnership between NBCUniversal and Hearst Magazines to create the only television network aimed at the full, multi-faceted lives of today’s modern men. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, Esquire Network will be headed up by General Manager Adam Stotsky, who will work closely with David Granger, Editor in Chief of Esquire magazine, to develop the brand. Esquire Network will expand on G4’s foundation of games, gear and gadgets to reflect the broad range of interests, passions and aspirations that define men today. Appealing to men’s intelligence as well as their sense of adventure, Esquire Network’s programming will capture the classic voice, impeccable style and unmistakable wit that have come to define Esquire, the original men’s magazine and premier authority on contemporary man. Diverse program categories and genres will feature not only gaming and technology, but also entertainment, food, fashion, women, humor, travel, competition, danger and more. The network will feature a blend of unscripted and scripted series, and movies and specials that appeal to today’s man. Partnering with the industry’s top producers and talent, the Esquire Network team is developing a slate of engaging all-new original series. Fan favorite competition series American Ninja Warrior will return for its fifth season, to air this summer on Esquire Network and NBC. Additionally, Esquire Network will complement its slate of original programming with ambitious and witty scripted series that include NBC’s Emmy-nominated comedy, Parks and Recreation, and the critically acclaimed series from STARZ, Party Down. Esquire Network will offer a full web and mobile experience, linked to the popular men’s destination website Esquire.com. The network’s new website will feature original web series that integrate with the network’s brand and programming, dedicated mobile apps that provide enhanced digital experiences for original programs, and a substantial social presence in support of the new network. Full episodes will be available via the TV Everywhere initiative and Video On Demand. Esquire Network marks the first TV extension of the Esquire brand. As the only general-interest lifestyle magazine for sophisticated men, Esquire defines, reflects and celebrates what it means to be a man in contemporary American culture. Required reading for the man who is intellectually curious and socially aware, Esquire speaks to the scope and diversity of his passions with spirited storytelling, superb style and a tonic splash of irreverent humor. Source: NBCU press release #
  • MSNBC’s new Maximum Drama series guarantees viewers an all-access pass to places they’ve never been before. The series will include never-before-seen images from inside the chaos. Maximum Drama will expose hard truths and startling revelations with rare and, often times, raw access, proving that real-life drama is engaging, more revealing and sometimes even more frightening than the best works of fiction. Shoot to Kill: The Ohio Animal Massacre, produced for MSNBC by Minnow Films, is the first film in the series and chronicles the dark journey of Terry Thompson, owner of a Zanesville, Ohio farm where he caged more than 50 exotic animals. Thompson released the carnivores into the wild before taking his own life – a story which drew immediate worldwide media attention. While America’s top TV networks and cable news companies jostled to get the Zanesville story, Minnow was the only company granted exclusive access to the police officers who hunted the wild animals down and then shot them – killing 48. The second episode of the series, Profiling Evil: The I-5 Strangler, examines the tangled and warped synapses of serial killer Roger Kibbe. Viewers will watch in real time as forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Park Dietz plays the ultimate mental chess game with Kibbe, who is now serving a life sentence in a California prison. The season will also include such fascinating stories as an investigation into the human trafficking industry in Sex Slaves: Chicago, as well as the premiere of Ted Bundy’s Death Row Tapes. Maximum Drama is produced by MSNBC Films. Michael Rubin is Vice President, Long Form Programming for MSNBC. Scott Hooker is Senior Executive Producer, Documentary Production and Development, MSNBC. For more on Maximum Drama, including clips from the first four hours, go to: docs.msnbc.com Source: MSNBC press release (via CableU) #
  • CNN has announced the creation of CNN Films to secure feature-length documentaries for air on CNN and CNN International, alongside theatrical distribution.  The move is part of a wider strategy to acquire original non-fiction content to complement CNN’s award-winning news programs. Girl Rising the first documentary acquired by CNN Films, will air in spring 2013.  The film, which inspired a global action campaign to promote girls’ education called 10×10, tells the extraordinary stories of several girls from around the globe, fighting to overcome impossible odds to realize their dreams.  The film includes voice performances by Academy Award Winner Meryl Streep, Academy Award Nominee Anne Hathaway, Kerry Washington, and Selena Gomez. CNN Films has also signed development deals with Academy Award Winning Director and Producer Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, and Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer) and Director Andrew Rossi (Page One: Inside the New York Times).  Both will develop original documentaries to air on CNN. The original feature-length documentaries will examine an array of political, social, and economic subject matters.  The films will premiere in primetime and will re-air in order to increase exposure.  Surrounding the premiere of each documentary, acclaimed CNN programs will run dedicated programming that sheds light on the topics and issues discussed in each film.  In-depth interviews, expert commentary, roundtable discussions, debates, and behind-the-scenes footage will be featured across all of CNN’s broadcast and online platforms. Amy Entelis, senior vice president of talent and content development for CNN Worldwide, and Vinnie Malhotra, senior vice president of development and acquisitions for CNN Worldwide, will oversee the acquisition strategy of documentaries under the CNN Films banner.  Malhotra will manage the day-to-day operation of CNN Films, and work directly with filmmakers to develop original projects. CNN Films also plans to bring the documentaries beyond the small screen by developing strategic partnerships to leverage distribution opportunities at film festivals and in theaters. Read more on CNN #

Welcome to TVMole

Industry intelligence, how-to articles and international pitching and funding opportunities – everything you need to get your factual TV programme commissioned.

Commissioning and development News

Your WorldView @ Sheffield Doc/Fest Call for Applications
May 5, 2013
By Nicola Lees
Sheffield Doc/Fest 10×10 Call for Applications – DEADLINE EXTENDED: Wednesday 29th May 2013
March 17, 2013
By Nicola Lees
Greenlit: Mothers, Murderers and Mistresses: Empresses of Ancient Rome, BBC4
Greenlit: Mothers, Murderers and Mistresses: Empresses of Ancient Rome, BBC4
May 22, 2013
By Nicola Lees
In Development: Selita, Style
In Development: Selita, Style
May 22, 2013
By Nicola Lees
In Development: Reconstructing Beverly Hills, Style
In Development: Reconstructing Beverly Hills, Style
May 22, 2013
By Nicola Lees
Greenlit: The Restaurant Wars, BBC2
Greenlit: The Restaurant Wars, BBC2
May 22, 2013
By Nicola Lees
Greenlit: The Restaurateur, BBC2
Greenlit: The Restaurateur, BBC2
May 22, 2013
By Nicola Lees

Essential books for your shelf: Finance Your Factual TV/Film Project

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