MIPFormats Fresh Talent Pitch Call for Entries – Deadline 26th February, 2010

The Fresh Talent Pitch, to be held at MIPFormats in Cannes, on 11th April, 2010, is a chance to pitch your original non-scripted entertainment format. A panel of experts including The Wit will select the best entries from all the submissions; shortlisted producers get the chance to pitch their idea to an audience of commissioners, buyers and distributors. Cross-genre and multiplatform concepts are particularly welcomed. Pitches must be for orginal formats that have not been commissioned or broadcast on TV.

For more information and an application form visit MIPWorld Fresh Talent Pitch.

Deadline: Friday 26th February, 2010
(Photo by Olivier Bareau CC BY-SA 2.0)

C21 Primetime Strategies – Thursday 25th February, 2010, London

C21’s Primetime Strategies Live is a one-day event at BAFTA, London that profiles the future programming plans of more than 60 of the world’s leading free-to-air networks. Leading players from international channels come together with producers and rights owners to discuss their content plans and opportunities for coproduction and collaboration. Sessions highlight the programming requirements of international broadcasters and unravel the DNA of successful shows, strands, seasons and slots. Country-specific sessions analyze the programming trends and nuances of each market.

Broadcasters covered include: Seven Network (Australia), English-speaking CBC (Canada), France 3 (France), ProSieben (Germany), Canale 5 (Italy), Veronica (Netherlands), Telecinco (Spain), SVT1 (Sweden), Channel 4 (UK), NBC (USA).

£399 +VAT

Click through for more information, links to C21’s Primetime Strategies website and details of how register.

Broadcast Factual Forum – 10th March, 2010, London

Broadcast’s one day Factual Forum Conference will be held in London on 10th March 2010. Chaired by leading documentary maker and former Channel 4 commissioner Angus Macqeen, the Factual Forum features the latest commissioning advice, creative inspiration and funding innovation. Fourteen commissioners are lined up and will be explaining their current commissioning needs. Speakers include:

Charlotte Moore, Commissioning Editor, Docs and Features, BBC
Hamish Mykura, Head of Documentaries, Channel 4
Andrew O’Connell, Head of Factual, Five
Jane Rogerson, Director of Commissioning, UKTV
Dan Korn, Senior Vice President, Programming, Discovery Networks UK
Simon Bohrsmann, General Manager, National Geographic
Andrew Mackenzie, Head of Factual Entertainment, Channel 4
Steve Gowans, Head of Factual Entertainment, Five
Jo Clinton-Davis, Controller, Popular Factual, ITV
Diana Howie, Commissioning Editor, Factual, ITV
Nick Fraser, Executive Editor, Storyville, BBC

When? 10th March 2010

Where? Prospero House, London SE1 (Borough tube)

How Much? £397 (valid until 19th February, 2010)

More information: http://www.factualforum.com/programme

To book: call +44 (0)845 056 7566

The Story Conference – Friday 19th February, 2010

The Story is a new event run by Matt Locke (Ch4’s commissioning editor for education). It promises to be “a celebration of everything that is wonderful, inspiring and awesome about stories, in whatever medium possible…The Story is not about theories of stories, or making money from stories, but about the sheer visceral pleasure of telling a story. Whether it is in a game, a movie, a book, or a pub…”

Speakers include:

* Sci-fi writer and blogger Cory Doctorow
* Jon Spooner – co-founder of Unlimited Theatre
* Tim Etchells of pioneering performance group Forced Entertainment
* Graphic artist Sydney Padua
* Music mag publisher David Hepworth
* Dr Aleks Krotoski, Guardian writer and presenter of the BBC’s Digital Revolutions.
* Kevin Slavin is the co-founder of NYC digital agency Area/Code
* Kat Akingbade – scientist, journalist and co-presenter of Channel 4’s Science of Scams.

Visit The Story website for more information and updates.

Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London

(Photo by mpclemens CC 2.0)

International Factual TV Conferences and Festivals 2010

Roll up, roll up! It’s time to get this year’s factual TV conferences and festivals in you diary so you don’t miss out on any schmoozing and pitching opportunities. There are many film festivals every year: this list only contains festivals and conferences where you can pitch/sell your factual TV ideas and documentaries and network/get a little tipsy with TV channel execs. Can’t decide which one to go to? Visit AJ Schnack’s excellent guide to the Top 25 Documentary Festivals. Click through for more information and links.

Sheffield DocFest: Capitalism: A Love Story

Michael Moore’s latest documentary Capitalism: A Love Story, will screen at Sheffield’s Showroom Cinemas on Saturday 7th November at 2.30pm.
Capitalism: A Love Story returns to the issue that Michael Moore has been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans, and by default, the rest of [...]

Call for Applications: Crossover Science Lab

Crossover is an international programme that brings together people from different creative disciplines – games, theatre, new media, TV and film – to collaborate, generate and hot house new content for digital media.

This year, a Crossover Science residential lab will be held on 22-27 November 2009, to “explore the potential of digital media to make compelling experiences focused on the stories, discoveries, challenges and moral dilemmas emerging from science and scientific research in the 21st century”.

Applications close 3rd November, 2009. Click through for more information.
(Photo by FrankBoyd CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Sheffield DocFest: Moving to Mars

This year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest opens on 4th November with the World Premiere of Moving to Mars: A Million Miles from Burma. The documentary follows two Burmese refugee families who are relocated to Sheffield, depicting their moving and sometimes humorous struggles in 21st Century Britain. The documentary will be shown on More4 later this year.
The film, [...]

Westdoc Twitter

If you weren’t able to make it to Santa Monica to attend the Westdoc conference, you can keep up with what’s going on in real time – who’s commissioning what, and how to pitch -  via twitter. Just follow the #westdoc thread.

SXSW Interactive Festival Early Bird Deadline 25th September

SXSW Interactive Festival is gearing up for more than 200 panel sessions, presentations and networking events for anyone interested in new media and technology. The festival runs from 12-16 March, 2010 (alongside the film festival 12-20th March and music festival 17-21st March). Book before 25th September, 2009 for an early bird discount and pay $395 (instead of the normal price of $450-$550, depending on when you book).

Visit SXSW for more details.

(Photo by David Berkowitz CC BY 2.0)