The science behind Dreamspark's development slate
Dreamspark’s Moe Bennani and Julien Muresianu discuss the art and science of using artificial intelligence to develop and sell entertainment formats.
Moe Bennani
The world of buying and selling unscripted formats could be transformed in 2024, according to the founders of Paris-based Dreamspark.
The company, set up by former Talpa exec and WeMake director Moe Bennani alongside tech entrepreneur Julien Muresianu in 2022, has made no secret of its use of generative AI to shake up the formats industry.
Dreamspark launched with a catalogue of more than 20 formats and now has over 40, including social experiments, reality competitions and dating-reality series. The company is in production on three shows, while others are in development with the likes of TF1 and Mediawan in France.
The three shows in production are Loup Garou H24 for Canal+, inspired by the same werewolf/mafia party game that led to the creation of worldwide hit The Traitors; Poker Society, made with online poker brand Winamax; and an as-yet-unannounced reality show.
Meanwhile, the projects in development include Treasure Hunters, a competition format in which 12 contestants, stranded on a remote but well-furnished island, must hide their own treasure chests containing gold bars worth between US$10,000 and US$250,000 from one another.
Dreamspark uses vast amounts of data to enhance idea generation, sales strategies and executive production, explains Bennani, to find smarter ways of approaching format generation and understanding programming decisions.
Treasure Hunters, for example, was pitched to the client with the benefit of information drawn from Salespark and Buyspark, the company’s in-house tools that Muresianu claims give them an advantage by mining data from the history of television to matchmake new formats with potential buyers.
It’s sometimes said that the key to a successful pitch is to bring a buyer something they don’t know they want yet and leave the room making them think they’ll lose their job if they turn the idea down. Rapid advancements in AI mean producers may be given a helping hand in this pursuit.
“Commissioners are very creative at finding reasons to say no, so our goal is to make sure there are relevant arguments to say yes,” says Bennani, who believes tools like Salespark and Buyspark are already influencing buyers. “We can analyse the successes and failures of a channel and tell them why our format is right for them.”
Bennani, whose previous unscripted credits include French shows Until Dawn, La Grande Soirée de Noël and 5 Gold Rings, is adamant format development is a numbers game, quoting his former boss at Talpa, John De Mol: “Create 100 shows, sell 10 and one of them will be a hit.”
Julien Muresianu
Dreamspark’s Moe Bennani and Julien Muresianu discuss the art and science of using artificial intelligence to develop and sell entertainment formats. Crucially, generative AI tools offer the potential to significantly increase those numbers by speeding up all areas of production with minimal extra costs.
Pitch decks, sizzles and scripts for Dreamspark shows such as Walk of Life, VIP Collection and Starverse have been made using generative AI tools, helping to delegate repetitive tasks to machines and saving weeks of work to allow humans to focus on more creativity, argues Bennani.
Dreamspark’s team includes head of content Quentin Jomand, whose unscripted credits include the French version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, and Marcellin Tézier, who works across development.
Concerns over originality and machines taking jobs from humans are brushed off by Bennani, who says content created with AI can only be as original as the human prompting it. Moreover: “Crazy ideas do not sell necessarily. It’s not only about being original, but being relevant to your buyers.”
Meanwhile, Bennani believes those most worried about losing their jobs are often the ones who stand to benefit the most from the new tools, such as casting execs who could use a transcription tool to save energy and put it into finding more entertaining participants.
“We are making the decisions. AI will create everything and nothing at the same time,” says Bennani. “There will be two types of companies: ones that ride the wave of AI, and others that get the tsunami in their face. Either you ride the wave or you’re going to disappear.”
