Leaving a mark

BEYOND 2020: Tom Manwaring, partner at M&A advisor Helion Partners, discusses how the seismic events of 2020 changed media and entertainment and how the M&A sector is shaping up this year. He also reflects on the sale of The Agency to Avalon and Silverback to All3Media, acquisitions his firm facilitated over the past six months.

BEYOND 2020: Bad Wolf co-founder Jane Tranter discusses how the seismic events of 2020 changed media and entertainment and how the sector is shaping up for 2021. She reflects on how the firm completed the third and final season of Sky fantasy drama A Discovery of Witches during the pandemic, the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement, the growth of streaming and her fears for the viability of smaller indies amid Covid restrictions and higher related production costs.

Sister co-founder Jane Featherstone considers how we have grown closer to nature and yet more reliant on technology during the pandemic, and what that will mean for storytelling. She says writers have always reflected the world around them while also looking to the future, and they need to do that now more than ever before. This show is the final episode in the Coming Up Next series, a coproduction between The University of York’s SIGN programme and C21Media. For previous episodes, CLICK HERE.

Belinda Campbell, joint MD at Red Planet Pictures, is back shooting Death in Paradise for BBC1 and considers the long-term future of traditional broadcasters in the face of increased competition from streamers. This show is part of the Coming Up Next series, a coproduction between The University of York’s SIGN programme and C21Media. For previous episodes, CLICK HERE.

John Giwa-Amu, founder of gaming company Good Gate Media and prodco Red & Black Films, believes the most successful shows in future will be ones that lean into a much warmer, happier world we will all want to see. This show is part of the Coming Up Next series, a coproduction between The University of York’s SIGN programme and C21Media. For previous episodes, CLICK HERE.

THE C21 INTERVIEW: Stars Josefin Asplund and Alexej Manvelov discuss the making of Swedish crime drama Top Dog, in which a lawyer and an ex-con become an unorthodox duo as they attempt to solve a kidnapping in this series produced by Filmlance for TV4 and ZDF, and distributed by ZDF Enterprises. Top Dog is in competition at Canneseries this week. Top Dog is in competition at Canneseries this week.

Frank Spotnitz, award-winning writer/producer and CEO of London- and Paris-based Big Light Productions, shares his experiences of producing during the pandemic and considers what the future holds for the drama business. He explains how storytellers have a role to play in making sense of current cultural and political changes and should be on the side of inclusion, tolerance and understanding. This show is part of the Coming Up Next series, a coproduction between The University of York’s SIGN programme and C21Media. For previous episodes, CLICK HERE.

Dana Goldberg is chief creative officer at one of the biggest film and TV production houses in the world, Skydance Media. She discusses the long-term impact of Covid-19 on theatrical releases and how the nature of storytelling is changing. This show is part of the Coming Up Next series, a coproduction between The University of York’s SIGN programme and C21Media. For previous episodes, CLICK HERE.