NYTVF to go digital in London

The New York Television Festival is to run a free one-day event in London on June 14, aimed at helping producers crack the digital content space.

Produced in association with C21, the Bafta-hosted event will feature a series of digital-focused panels including speakers from Blinkbox, Broadcast, ChannelFlip, FutureMedia, Microsoft, Nesta, We R Interactive and other companies.

The day is designed to showcase emerging opportunities for independent producers and production companies across the digital landscape in the US and UK.

It will include a cocktail party hosted by MSN, the event’s signature sponsor, and a screening and artist roundtable with award-winning festival alumni and network sponsors, including Channel 4.

Terence Gray, the NYTVF’s founder, said: “The primary goal of the NYTVF is to facilitate concrete opportunities for talented producers – whether that’s through guaranteed development deals or access to industry decision-makers – and we look forward to this opportunity to engage with UK independents.”

The announcement of the event comes on the heels of the organisation’s launch of an MSN-sponsored, standalone development initiative offering a US$75,000 production budget for a micro-episodic series to be distributed on Microsoft’s digital platform.

The Short-Form Storytellers Challenge is open to international submitters, and MSN commissioners will be on hand at the London event to discuss their programming goals with UK creators.

To register for free tickets, visit www.NYTVF.com/London

Confirmed speakers include:

Adam Berliant, executive producer, MSN Video and Entertainment
Clare Daly, producer/writer
Doug Davis, content acquisitions director, Blinkbox
Justin Gayner, CEO/founder, ChannelFlip
Justin Gorman, head of entertainment, Channel 4
Terence Gray, founder, New York Television Festival
Mick Greenwood, head of video, MSN UK
Jon Kingsbury, director, creative economy programme, Nesta
Damian Lanigan, producer/writer
Jonathan Webdale, editor, C21Media.net and FutureMedia
Paul Whitehead, global commercial director, We R Interactive
Alex Farber, web editor, Broadcast

Schedule:

14.30:
Registration and Welcome

15.00:
S/M/L: Determining Digital Content’s Perfect Fit
Presented in Partnership with MSN
How/what/when we watch online are the central questions facing advertisers and platform programmers across the digital landscape. If you’re a producer or filmmaker with an eye on the online marketplace, how much you produce can be just as important as what you’re creating. This discussion will examine recent trends and successes from micro-episodes to full-length episodic series. Hear first-hand from the platforms, producers and packagers that are driving the discussion and gain insight on how to find your story’s ‘perfect fit.’

16.00:
Show Me the Money! An Indie Producer’s Guide to Funding Digital Projects
While independent web series producers enjoy the creative freedom that the medium provides, the ability to secure digital commissions, crowd funding or advertiser investment can be a significantly larger challenge. This panel will explore the current options available to indie creators and the trending attitudes in traditional vs non-traditional platforms. Topics include financing models, how the financial supporter roster is evolving and which source of funding may be the right fit for your project.

17.00:
Digital Networking Cocktail Hour

18.30:
Translating to Success: First-Hand Observations from Across the Pond
Are you interested in breaking into the US market? UK-based network executives and independent producers will be on hand to provide critical insight into overcoming the biggest transatlantic challenges, adapting your work to find success overseas, and some of the current trends to keep in mind when producing for the US. Hear first-hand from those who’ve been there how the NYTF can help you make that first leap across the pond.