Content London announces keynotes

AMC, HBO & HBO Max, Sky Studios, Shiny Penny Productions and Starz are set to headline CONTENT LONDON ON DEMAND: The New Normal Box Set, which kicks off on November 16 with the world premiere of the Russell T Davies-penned It’s A Sin.

CONTENT LONDON ON DEMAND will publish online between November 16 and December 4, focusing on the programming and strategies that will define the content business in 2021.

Access is free of charge to C21PRO subscribers. You can take out a C21PRO subscription by CLICKING HERE.

The keynote interviews include:

Casey Bloys
Chief content officer, HBO and HBO Max
Bloys became president of HBO programming in May 2016. In August this year, he assumed original content responsibilities for HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer offering. This includes all HBO and HBO Max original series, documentaries, unscripted programming and specials.

He was named president of HBO series, late night and specials in February 2016, responsible for the development and production of all series, talkshows and specials for the network.

Before that, he served as executive VP of HBO Programming from 2013, and was responsible for comedy series, late night and specials. He has overseen the development and production of a long list of HBO programming, including Flight of the Conchords, Eastbound & Down, Veep, Girls, Silicon Valley, Enlightened, Insecure, Barry and I May Destroy You.

Since Bloys began overseeing the drama group, HBO has launched Watchmen, Succession, Euphoria, Westworld, Big Little Lies, My Brilliant Friend, Lovecraft Country and Chernobyl, as well as the final seasons of Game of Thrones. This year, under Bloys, HBO received 30 Primetime Emmy wins, including 11 for Watchmen and seven for Succession.

Christina Davis
President of original programming, Starz
Davis is tasked with leading the programming and development team for the Starz global premium platform and delivering on its creative mandate of producing premium content for women and diverse audiences worldwide.

She was previously head of drama series development for CBS, delivering the number-one new drama in the US in nine of the 11 years she spent in the role. Davis had a hand in developing the CSI and NCIS franchises and such acclaimed series as The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, Hawaii Five-0, Elementary, Madam Secretary, Scorpion, Bull, MacGyver and Code Black.

Jeffrey Hirsch
President and CEO, Starz
As CEO, Hirsch is responsible for shaping the overall business and programming strategy for Starz and overseeing the continued evolution and expansion of the Starz premium subscription platform around the world.

Hirsch joined Starz in 2015. After being promoted to chief operating officer in 2016, he was then elevated to CEO in 2019. Under his leadership, Starz has solidified its position as one of the industry’s most successful OTT businesses, accelerating its platform growth to more than 7.4 million domestic subscribers, up 68% over the last year.

Hirsch has also shepherded the launch of the StarzPlay international platform in 50 countries across Europe, Latin America, Japan, the Middle East/North Africa and Canada, and recently commissioned four Spanish-language original series for the service. With nearly 11 million global subscribers, Starz is one of the world’s leading pure-play subscription platforms.

Dan McDermott
President of original programming, AMC Networks Entertainment Group; co-president, AMC Studios
McDermott is responsible for content creation across AMC’s entertainment nets – AMC, BBC America, IFC and SundanceTV – and AMC Studios.

He is a multifaceted media executive with an industry-wide reputation for achievements in content creation, development and distribution. Before joining AMC Networks, McDermott was head of the scripted TV partnership between Lionsgate and BBC Studios. Previously, McDermott was a successful producer, writer and partner in Di Bonaventura Pictures Television, with notable credits including The Real O’Neals and Jupiter’s Legacy.

For almost a decade, he served as DreamWorks’ first president of television, overseeing shows such as Spin City, Freaks & Geeks, Band of Brothers. McDermott also held various roles at Fox Broadcasting Network, where he developed and oversaw series including In Living Color, Melrose Place, The X-Files, The Simpsons, Married… with Children, Martin, Party of Five, Mad TV and Beverly Hills 90210. He was also responsible for overseeing the Emmys, the Billboard Awards and dozens of other specials on the network.

Jane Millichip
Chief content officer, Sky Studios
Millichip is responsible for Sky Studios’ editorial activities in the UK, including in-house and indie development of original drama, scripted comedy and documentary programming. She also oversees Sky Studios’ commercial activities, including deficit funding and IP management.

Millichip was previously MD of Sky Vision, Sky’s production and distribution arm, which merged into NBCU in 2019. At Sky Vision, Millichip and the team grew revenues from £8m (US$10.48m) to £250m in six years and increased Sky’s investment in independent production companies and content distribution.

Stacey Sher
Film and TV producer; founder, Shiny Penny Productions
Sher has produced more than two-dozen major motion pictures, amassing nearly US$2.2bn at the global box office. A two-time Academy Award nominee and an Emmy nominee, Sher’s many critically acclaimed production credits include Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight; Steven Soderbergh’s Erin Brockovich, Out of Sight and Contagion; Garden State; Reality Bites; and Get Shorty.

Sher has produced nearly a dozen television series and TV movies. Most recently, she executive produced FX limited series Mrs America alongside Cate Blanchett. The historical drama, which tells the tells the story of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and the unexpected backlash, received 10 Emmy nominations this year, including in the category of Best Limited Series.

Currently, Sher is an executive producer on forthcoming Aretha Franklin biopic Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson and directed by Liesl Tommy. She is also working on upcoming series Devil in the White City with Paramount TV and Hulu, and La Dictatrice with FX.

It’s A Sin World Premiere
CONTENT LONDON ON DEMAND will host the world premiere of It’s A Sin (5×60’), the Red Production Company drama for Channel 4 and HBO Max in association with All3Media International.

It’s 1981, the start of a new decade, and Ritchie, Roscoe and Colin begin a new life in London. Strangers at first, these young gay lads and their best friend Jill find themselves thrown together and sharing each other’s adventures. But a new virus is on the rise, and soon their lives will be tested in ways they never imagined. As the decade passes and they grow up in the shadow of AIDS, they’re determined to live and love more fiercely than ever.

The young cast is led by Olly Alexander as Ritchie, Omari Douglas as Roscoe, Callum Scott-Howells as Colin, Nathaniel Curtis as Ash and Lydia West as Jill. The series also stars Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Fry and Keeley Hawes. It has been created and written by Russell T Davies, who exec produces alongside Nicola Shindler.

For more information, visit contentlondon.net