Commissioners who are commissioning join Content London 2024 speaker line-up
A+E, UKTV, Masterpiece PBS, Arte France, Virgin Media TV and VRT are the first ‘commissioning commissioners’ to join the Content Strategies strand at Content London, as the three-day event seeks to help to connect delegates with real partnership opportunities.
In a series of sessions throughout the week, scripted and unscripted commissioners and buyers from broadcasters, channels and platforms around the world will discuss their content and acquisitions strategies as well as new opportunities for international coproduction partnerships.
The focus will be on ‘commissioners who are commissioning,’ bringing the most active players to the event.
You can register for Content London 2024 with a 45% discount until May 31 by CLICKING HERE.
Content London, which runs from December 3-5, with registration and the opening-night screenings taking place on December 2, will dedicate this year’s programming focus to how to adapt and survive in the fast-changing market.
Speaking at Content London:
Dan Korn
VP programming EMEA, A+E Networks
Korn heads up a team responsible for sourcing over 2,000 hours of content a year, for the broadcaster’s UK brands: Sky History, Sky History2, Crime+Investigation and Blaze. Recent original commissions for Sky History include Royal Kill List, Royal Bastards: Rise of the Tudors, Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire? and Evil Genius with Russell Kane. For Crime+Investigation, recent titles include Murders at Little Bridge Farm, Cops Gone Bad with Will Mellor, Body in the Suitcase and The Bubble & Squeak Murder. Prior to joining A+E Networks, Korn spent 10 years as senior VP and head of programming for Discovery Channel UK and EMEA, which he joined in 2005 from leading independent production company 3BM Television.
Hilary Rosen
Director of commissioning, UKTV
Rosen leads UKTV’s award-winning team of commissioners, overseeing all of UKTV’s original unscripted and scripted content. Rosen has commissioned some of UKTV’s biggest successes, including BAFTA-winning show Taskmaster and award-winning Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable. While running the factual and factual entertainment slate, she and her team commissioned breakout hits Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, the double BAFTA-winning Big Zuu’s Big Eats, Blackadder: The Lost Pilot and the Bangers & Cash franchise. Her team has delivered the hit scripted shows The Marlow Murder Club, Annika and We Hunt Together.
Helen Perry
Head of drama, UKTV
Perry leads the multichannel broadcaster’s growing original drama slate. Prior to UKTV, Perry was a commissioning editor for drama at ITV, working with some of the country’s biggest indies. At ITV, Perry worked on original dramas such as Mr Bates vs The Post Office and Playing Nice, alongside returning series such as DI Ray, Professor T, The Bay and Grantchester. Before joining ITV, Perry was an assistant commissioner for BBC drama, where she worked across both development and production for drama commissioning. Prior to that, she was script executive at Bad Wolf on the acclaimed HBO/BBC drama Industry. Perry has also worked as a development producer for BBC Writersroom. She began her career as an audio drama producer/director, creating original dramas for Radio 3, 4, 1Xtra, the World Service and BBC Sounds.
Susanne Simpson
Executive producer and head of scripted content, Masterpiece
Simpson is a two-time Academy Award nominee and two-time Emmy winner for documentary and dramatic films. As executive producer of Masterpiece, the iconic PBS drama series, Simpson has commissioned original UK productions such as a new adaptation of The Forsyte Saga; Miss Austen, starring Keeley Hawes and Rose Leslie; Magpie Murders, with Lesley Manville; Annika, with Nicola Walker; and Tom Jones, starring Hannah Waddingham. Simpson coproduces many UK programmes, including All Creatures Great & Small and Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light, and mystery series including Endeavour, Unforgotten and Grantchester. As an executive producer of Downton Abbey, Simpson oversaw the most watched drama in PBS history, which earned 59 Emmy nominations and 12 wins. She has also been senior series producer on coproductions such as Sherlock, Wolf Hall and Victoria.
Alexandre Piel
Deputy head of drama, Arte France
Piel started his career in the international sales team at France Télévisions Distribution, with responsibility for English- and Spanish-speaking territories. From May 2001, he took charge of acquisitions and set up a pre-financing unit for its documentaries and animated programmes. Piel then joined Marathon Group via Télé Images International in 2006 as head of international coproductions, before the company became Zodiak Rights. Following the Zodiak Group reorganisation in 2011, Piel was entrusted with all fiction and management of the Paris sales team while continuing the development of prestigious acquisitions in this area, as senior VP sales and acquisitions. Piel joined Arte’s fiction unit in September 2013 as deputy head of drama, in charge of international acquisitions and coproductions. Since 2023, he has co-piloted the Arte France fiction unit alongside Agnès Olier, head of drama.
Anthony Nilan
Director of programming, Virgin Media Television
As director of programming for Ireland’s largest commercial public service broadcaster, Nilan oversees non-news and sport output. His remit covers commissioning, acquisitions and scheduling for five linear channels and Virgin Media Television (VMTV)’s VoD service. Having previously held roles such as head of content strategy and entertainment commissioner, Nilan developed a commissioning strategy that introduced innovative and impactful formats that drove growth for the network and pushed boundaries within the industry. Prior to joining VMTV in 2014, he worked in the independent sector for nearly a decade.
Elly Vervloet
Commissioning editor and international drama executive, VRT
At Flemish public broadcaster VRT, the drama strategy is to make high-quality content with international appeal and potential. Vervloet is therefore responsible for setting up international coproductions and representing VRT as a strong drama partner internationally. Her commissions include Beau Séjour, Team Chocolate and, more recently, Arcadia and This is Not a Murder Mystery. Vervloet combines her work for VRT with being international drama expert for the European Broadcasting Union, helping European public broadcasters to network, coproduce and access world-class drama.
They join previously announced speakers:
The Building Blocks of Content London 2024 are designed to help you adapt and thrive in The New Content Economy:
