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Spurlock highlights doc boom

NATPE: Hit non-fiction miniseries such as The Jinx and OJ: Made in America are driving a boom in longform documentary programming, according to Oscar-nominated director and CNN host Morgan Spurlock.

Morgan Spurlock at NATPE

Morgan Spurlock
at NATPE

“Finally, the world has realised there is tremendous value and good storytelling in longform non-fiction,” the Warrior Poets founder and CEO said here in Miami.

“One of the greatest trends happening right now in television is a doubling-down and investment in longer-form doc storytelling.

“On the heels of The Jinx and Making a Murderer, people are seeing that people actually want to watch smart things. Who knew? And I believe in that – as long as you always bet on smart, you can’t lose.”

However, Spurlock added that the TV industry as a whole is grappling with the departure of audiences from linear viewing. “The challenge the industry faces this year is the continued evolution of audiences away from traditional television,” he said.

“You’re seeing viewership continue to go down, digital numbers continue to go up. The question is, how do television producers survive in a world where people are watching less television? What do you do? And that’s what a lot of people are sweating out here as the world is evolving around us.”

Spurlock’s comments came as he spoke on a Natpe panel about creativity in advertising and branded content. The filmmaker said the branded marketplace of today is considerably more open to working with agencies in creative, daring or avant-garde ways than it was when he was making his branded movie POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold in 2010.

“When we made Greatest Movie and we were calling up brands, for every yes that we got, we got 49 no’s,” he said. “Brands were scared to death. Now, it’s an exciting time because brands realise they can be Columbia Pictures. They can be FX, and not have to shove Coke down my throat [while doing it]. It’s an exciting time because it frees up the chances for more storytellers.”

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