SEE OUR AGENDA
Monday 27 November
-
09:00 AMHall 1
Drama Series Script Competition Final
The annual Drama Series Script Competition, coproduced between C21, eOne and Script Angel attracted 252 entries this year. Having being paired with mentors, the six chosen finalists now pitch their projects to a panel of international drama executives to win the $10,000 prize and a development deal with eOne.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: David Jenkinson, editor-in-chief & managing director, C21MediaJUDGES:
Polly Williams, Vice president scripted development, eOne UK
Adam Fratto, VP of series, ReelOne Entertainment
Paul Youngbluth, Director, Tape Sevices
Alan M Gasmer, Executive producer and founder, Veritas Entertainment
Hayley McKenzie, Founder & CEO Script AngelFINALISTS:
-
10:00 AMHall 1
State of the Drama Nation
Leading international drama executives set the stage for three days of intensive debate about the current issues and future trends impacting the global scripted business. How are business models evolving, what are audiences demanding, and how is the creative process changing? And how does all of the above influence their individual drama development, creative, finance and broadcast strategies in 2018 and beyond?
Producer: David Jenkinson
Moderator: David Jenkinson, editor-in-chief & managing director, C21Media
-
11:30 AMHall 1
Drama from The North
Leading broadcasters and producers in Scandinavia and the Nordics take the covers off their recent commissions and discuss how they are developing a broad range of coproductions with international partners.
Producer: David Jenkinson
Moderator: Andrea Reuter, film and TV drama expert -
12:30 PMHall 1
International Drama: The Big Picture
Drama is the cornerstone of primetime schedules. Either consumed on TV or smaller screens, they hit high across countries. From Korea to the US or Europe, what drives the audience to watch these series? What can we learn from new viewing habits? Eurodata TV Worldwide and Tape Consultancy join forces to provide a quick overview of key new shows and to highlight their common features.
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Michael Pickard, Editor, Drama Quarterly
-
02:00 PMHall 1
Dramatic Growth - On the Money
As the drama bubble continues to grow, leading players from the finance, production and distribution sector consider the cost of picking up, developing and distributing drama, the long term prospects for the international business, and what they expect to invest in next.
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Carrie Stein
-
03:00 PMHall 1
Next Year's Models
How are some of the world’s most progressive drama players adapting to a changing market and how does their development agenda reflect changes in audience appetite and the fast moving global marketplace?
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: David Jenkinson, editor-in-chief & managing director, C21Media
-
04:00 PMHall 1
CASE STUDY: The City and The City
Lead actor David Morrissey and writer Tony Grisoni will take part in a case study on The City and The City, ahead of its premiere at Content London. Adapted by Grisoni and directed by Tom Shankland, The City and The City is produced by Mammoth Screen for BBC Two. It is distributed internationally by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Stephen Armstrong, Freelance journalist
-
05:00 PMHall 1
Premiere Screening & Q&A: Save Me
From the award-winning producers of Line of Duty, Save Me tells the story of an unlikely hero, Nelson ‘Nelly’ Rowe, a man accused of abducting his estranged daughter. Written by and starring Lennie James (The Walking Dead), Save Me is produced by World Productions for Sky Atlantic and distributed internationally by Sky Vision. Attending the screening and Q&A are: Sky’s Head of Drama – Anne Mensah, BAFTA-winning director Nick Murphy and executive producers Simon Heath and Jessica Sykes.
Moderated by: David Jenkinson, editor-in-chief & managing director, C21Media
-
07:30 PMHall 1
Trauma Premiere (ITV Studios Global Entertainment)
A tense, edge-of-your-seat thriller from Mike Bartlett,
creator of smash hit Doctor Foster, Trauma centres on two fathers, Dan and Jon, whose very different lives collide when Dan’s teenage son tragically dies under the care of trauma consultant Jon in a Central London hospital. Devastated and heartbroken, Dan, a working class father struggling to make ends meet, believes Jon is responsible for his son’s death and, as he strives for justice, Dan begins to unpick the fabric of Jon’s distinctly contrasting life as a high-achieving surgeon with a beautiful home and family. Trauma is an intricate, fast-paced thriller that explores what happens when the very institutions established to protect us let us down.
-
09:00 AMHall 2
Scripting with Virtual Reality
Virtual reality offers scope for entirely new forms of storytelling, putting the viewer at the heart of the narrative and challenging the notion of the ‘fourth wall.’ Hear from those scripting the future of next generation immersive entertainment.
This session is produced in association with FutureMedia.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Jonathan Webdale, Editor, C21Media.net and FutureMedia
-
10:00 AMHall 2
Scripting for Gen Z
Rather than bringing about the demise of television, the internet has helped fuel TV drama’s present ‘golden age’ but there is still plenty of evidence to suggest young people are switching off. Hear from those creating next generation scripted series.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Jonathan Webdale, Editor, C21Media.net and FutureMedia
-
11:30 AMHall 2
Development Slate 1
Leading producers and financiers take us inside their developments slates to unveil new productions and explain their strategies for further scripted development.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Dominic Schreiber, Global drama executive, Reel One Entertainment
-
12:30 PMHall 2
One-on-one with: Sofia Helin
We get up close and personal with Sofia Helin, iconic star of The Bridge, to find out about her upcoming series Heder and to discuss how her career has evolved to become one of the world’s most outstanding leading female producer/actors.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Stephen Armstrong, Freelance journalist
-
02:00 PMHall 2
Hot Properties 1
In our Hot Properties strand Content London shines a light on upcoming dramas expected to have an impact on the international business in the coming year and meets those responsible for developing them to find out more. Hear how they were created, developed, packaged and sold from those closest to the project, and see clips from the shows.
This session features three exciting new projects; Stella Blomkvist, Conspiracy of Silence and HederStella Blómkvist is not your typical lawyer. Smart and ruthless, with a dark past, a fluid sexuality and a taste for whiskey and easy money, she takes on cases that always lead to danger — and only loves rules when she’s breaking them or using them to break those who oppose her.
The first six-hour season comprises three feature length stories — The Murder at the Ministry, The Murder at Swan Lake and The Murder at Harpa — all inspired by a literary character created by a mysterious, anonymous author who shares the same name as the titular character.
Produced by Sagafilm, this ultra-stylised Icelandic neo-noir stars Heida Reed (Poldark) and comes from lead writer Jóhann Ævar Grímsson and director Óskar Thór Axelson (Black’s Game). It will air this autumn on Iceland’s Simínn and across Scandinavia on SVoD platform Viaplay. Red Arrow International is handling distribution.
Speakers: Kjartan Thor Thordarson and Amelie Von Kienlin
Conspiracy of Silence is a political thriller that shines a light on the troubling real life international arms trade in Sweden, through the story of a man on a deeply personal crusade. Starring Jens Hultén, Vera Vitali and Krister Henriksson, the series will premiere on Viaplay in 2018.
Robert Kastell fell in to Sweden’s controversial arms export during the 80s, though he made his escape when his life became endangered. His former partner-turned-nemesis Anders Speths continued to profit from Sweden’s shameful involvement in the industry, rising to become a kingpin among international warlords. Following a tragic encounter with his past life, Robert returns to Stockholm to seek bloody revenge on the man who has taken away everything he held dear. In the shape of a journalist with her own agenda for bringing down Speths, Robert finds an ally in his mission to take revenge. But their personal ties to this ruthless man threaten to jeopardise their plans for retribution, putting not only their own, but their loved ones’ lives at risk.
Conspiracy of Silence is a Viaplay Original, produced by Brain Academy in co-production with Twelve Town. Directed by Charlotte Brändström.Speakers: Helena Danielsson and Jens Hulten
HEDER is a brand new thrilling crime drama, created, written and produced by star Swedish actors, Sofia Helin, Alexandra Rapaport, Julia Dufvenius and Anja Lundquist.
Inexplicable and scary things start to happen at the law firm Heder. The four hard working female partners in the firm are in different ways contacted by an un-known person. Coarse sexual images are sent, the office is vandalised and it looks like the threats come from a powerful force from the criminal underworld.
The firm takes on a case where a well known and very wealthy businessman has fallen off the balcony of a flat owned by a prostitute. Working on the case, the traces lead to something deeply unsettling. Is this the source of the threats or are they into something much more dangerous?
In development for Discovery Networks in Sweden, produced by Bigster.
Speakers: Sofia Helin, Alexandra Rapaport, Julia Dufvenius and Birgitta Wannstrom
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Ali May, Writer, creator, presenter, Mayhart
-
03:00 PMHall 2
Development Slate 2
A look under the hood of the world’s leading broadcasters, producers and financiers to find out what they have in the pipeline and how their approach to the scripted business is changing as the market evolves.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Michael Pickard, Editor, Drama Quarterly
-
04:00 PMHall 2
Spanish Drama Focus
As Spain’s scripted business goes from Strength to strength we hear from those developing the next generation of drama from the territory. What are the latest trends, shows and opportunities to work with this fast-growing market?
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Irene Jiménez, Editor, Audiovisual451.com
-
05:00 PMHall 2
Brazilian Drama
With a big contingent from Latin America at Content London this year we hear from leading Brazilian drama executives about how their market is starting to make waves internationally.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Ed Waller, Editorial director, C21Media
-
08:30 AMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
Lionsgate Screening
Lionsgate proudly presents Howards End, the story of two independent and unconventional sisters and the men in their lives seeking love and meaning as they navigate an ever-changing world. Academy Award® winning screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan brings a fresh take to this adaptation directed by BAFTA winner Hettie Macdonald.
-
11:00 AMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
BetaFilm Screening
Beta Film and Sky Italia proudly present the third season of the gritty Mafia series Gomorrah, which continues to take the world by storm. With the Godfather murdered, it is a time of drastic change for Genny (Salvatore Esposito) and Ciro (Marco D’Amore). Once they started out as street-level drug dealers. Now they are casting their net way beyond the city of Naples and the borders of Italy.
-
01:00 PMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
Screen Australia Private Lunch
-
03:00 PMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
Bron I Broen – the making of a brand (ZDF Enterprises)
Every Saga Ends.
Sofia Helin and Thure Lindhardt reprise their roles as the iconic Saga and her talented Danish partner, Henrik in the heart-stopping final season of “Bron | Broen”. -
11:00 AM
Networking coffee break
-
01:00 PM
Networking lunch break
-
08:00 AM
Registration and networking breakfast
-
06:00 PM
Networking cocktail - sponsored by Sky Vision
-
08:30 PM
Networking afterparty - sponsored by ITV Studios Global Entertainment
Tuesday 28 November
-
09:00 AMHall 1
Drama's New Distribution Models
How can producers best use distributors? Are the old distribution models and deal structures now outdated, and what role does the distributor play best in the ever-changing world of international drama?
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Jeremy Gawade, Founding partner, Lee and Thompson
-
10:00 AMHall 1
Page Turners
Leading lights from the world of publishing uncover the books that could (and should) make great TV Drama. Is there a classic series gathering dust on a literary agent’s shelf somewhere? And what do today’s authors dream of re-writing for primetime? Produced in association with:
Produced by: Richard Kilgarriff, Editorial director and founder, BookomiModerated by: Viv Groskop, Comedian/Guardian TV critic
-
11:30 AMHall 1
Hot Properties 2
We get inside three of the hottest upcoming dramas to see some early rushes and hear about how the projects were created, packaged and developed, and what further opportunity there is for other partners to get involved.
This session features Kiss Me First, Harrow and One Night.Kiss Me First is a thriller that moves between the real and virtual animated worlds. When Leila stumbles across Red Pill, a secret paradise, hidden on the edges of her favourite game, she meets Tess. Tess is everything that Leila is not: hedonistic, impulsive and insatiable. So when Tess turns up in Leila’s real life uninvited, Leila’s world is forever changed. But then a member of Red Pill mysteriously disappears and Leila begins to suspect that maybe Red Pill isn’t the digital Eden its creator Adrian claims it to be. Now, Leila’s real journey begins.
Created and written by Bryan Elsley. Executive Producers, Melanie Stokes & Bryan Elsley Based on the novel by Lottie MoggachSpeakers: Bryan Elsley and Melanie Stokes
Harrow is a fresh twist on forensic crime drama. It follows Dr Daniel Harrow, an unorthodox, slightly scruffy, sexy and brilliant forensic pathologist who cares deeply about the bodies that arrive on his autopsy table. If anyone can give a victim one last chance to tell the truth about how they died, it’s Harrow. His quick mind and natural curiosity drive him beyond the autopsy room, to bend the rules in the search for the hidden truths behind every crime. Harrow’s maverick behaviour rubs up against his boss, his peers, the police, and the suspects – but it gets results. Every week, Harrow is faced with a new, seemingly insoluble crime – but teaming up with the unnervingly attractive Scenes of Crime Officer Soroya Dass, Harrow goes the extra mile to help bring justice to the dead. But when a dark secret from his past threatens to be exposed, Harrow must use all his forensic skills to try and keep it buried forever. Combining fascinating character drama with the appeal of forensic procedural, Harrow is a darkly funny, sexy, nail-biting and addictive crime series.
Speakers: Tracey Robertson and Sally Riley
One Night is a romantic comedy about two people who first meet on a blind date – told in real time. This means that the last second of the first episode is the first second of episode 2. The series is designed for binge-watching … because here you can in fact ask yourself the question: What happens in the second after the one you just saw?
The main characters, Elisabeth and Jonas, are both in their early thirties, clearly portrayed as equally strong people. This is not a polished version of a relationship, but one that adheres to a reality that everyone who has been on a first date will personally recognize. That being said, it will definitely appeal to that part of us that wants to watch something upbeat that leaves us feeling good. Something that quite simply leaves us with a better feeling inside after watching an episode than before we sat down.
This is how Jonas and Elizabeth discover each other, and this is how we get to know them. One evening, one date, one night – and the beginning of what the rest of their lives might be.
Speakers: Anders Tangen and Oystein Karlsen
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Ali May, Writer, creator, presenter, Mayhart
-
12:30 PMHall 1
DRAMA CONTROLLERS: Beth Willis, Channel 4
Channel 4 Drama is committed to being the most innovative, high-profile drama commissioning department in the UK. Taking on new work from the best established and emerging writers, its role is to be a surprising, thought-provoking, entertaining alternative to the drama shown on other channels and platforms. In this session head of drama Beth Willis discusses the current successes and future plans for scripted series on the channel. Recent dramas on Channel 4 include Peter Kosminsky’s four-part series The State, the ambitious 10-part anthology series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams and forthcoming is Beau Willimon’s epic space race drama The First. Forthcoming dramas for E4 include Bryan Elsley’s Kiss Me First.
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Gareth McLean, Freelance journalist
-
02:00 PMHall 1
DRAMA CONTROLLERS: Piers Wenger, BBC
Piers Wenger is controller of BBC Drama and currently responsible for commissioning across the whole of the BBC portfolio and overseeing more than 450 hours of drama a year. In this session we get up close and personal to find out what future direction he aims to take and how he is evolving the output across the channel.
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Stephen Armstrong, Freelance journalist
-
03:00 PMHall 1
CASE STUDY: McMafia
The inside story of a British-American coproduction created by Hossein Amini and James Watkins and directed by Watkins. It was inspired by the 2008 book of the same name by journalist Misha Glenny. It stars James Norton as Alex Godman, the English raised son of Russian exiles with a mafia history trying to escape the ties of organised crime. The eight-part miniseries is coproduced by BBC One, AMC and Cuba Pictures and is due to air in 2018.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Stephen Armstrong, Freelance journalist
-
04:00 PMHall 1
KEYNOTE INTERVIEW: Netflix
Elizabeth Bradley, VP of content at Netflix talks to veteran producer and Sister Pictures founder Jane Featherstone about her plans for the platform’s dramatic future. What is the strategy that underpins Netflix’ scripted development , what lessons have been learned from the journey to date, what is in the pipeline, how is its acquisitions and coproduction strategy changing and what can we expect from this prolific player in years to come.
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Jane Featherstone, Founder, Sister Pictures
-
05:00 PMHall 1
Australian Drama Focus
Leading commissioners and producers discuss the current trends in the Australian market and shine a light on the most exciting creative talent and titles coming out of the market. This session also suggests how best to work with Australians and gets under the skin of what the major players are looking for. This session is coproduced with Screen Australia.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Ed Waller, Editorial director, C21Media
-
09:00 AMHall 2
French Drama Focus
French drama market is increasingly leading the way when it comes to international coproductions. We catch up with those defining the next stage of France’s drama renaissance to uncover the latest development news and coproduction opportunity.
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Dominic Schreiber, Global drama executive, Reel One International
-
10:00 AMHall 2
CASE STUDY: Hard Sun
Luther creator Neil Cross shares the story of his upcoming drama Hard Sun in an hour-long case study. The new 6×60′ drama is produced by Euston Films for BBC1 and is distributed internationally by FremantleMedia.Produced by: Ruth PalmerModerated by: Benji Wilson, TV critic, The Telegraph & freelance writer
-
11:30 AMHall 2
CASE STUDY: Electric Dreams
Following the successful debut of Electric Dreams we speak to the driving forces behind the project about how the project was conceived, packaged, financed, produced and delivered. With each episode written and directed by a different team, what were the challenges and how did the producers manage to harness a coherent vision across a diverse set of episodes?
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Stephen Armstrong, Freelance journalist
-
12:30 PMHall 2
CASE STUDY: Medici: Masters of Florence – The Magnificent
Executive producer and creator Frank Spotnitz, director Jon Cassar, Lux Vide’s Luca Bernabei and Beta Film’s Jan Mojto present the eight-hour English-language series, currently being shot in Tuscany and Rome. The story revolves around Lorenzo Medici, who, in the year 1469, is forced to assume leadership of the family in a turbulent, dangerous era. He is determined to use his power to usher in a cultural and political revolution. The series is a Lux Vide production in collaboration with Rai Fiction, Altice Group and Big Light Productions, World sales are handled by Beta Film.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Michael Pickard, Editor, Drama Quarterly
-
02:00 PMHall 2
Shortform drama futures
Mobile video viewing has exploded thanks to the rise of smartphones, investment from telcos and platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat, prompting a resurgence of interest in short-form scripted entertainment. Hear from those at the cutting edge. This session is produced in association with FutureMedia.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Jonathan Webdale, Editor, C21Media.net and FutureMedia
-
03:00 PMHall 2
Hot Properties 3
In our Hot Properties strand Content London shines a light on upcoming dramas expected to have an impact on the international business in the coming year and meets those responsible for developing them to find out more. Hear how they were created, developed, packaged and sold from those closest to the project, and see clips from the shows.
This session features Maltese and LibertyMALTESE 8 x 50’ (A Rai Fiction Palomar coproduction with Maze Pictures, ZDF Enterprises and Dramedy Productions)
Written by two of the creatives behind the international hit series ‘Gormorrah’ and set in Sicily in the 1970s, “Maltese” tells the story of one man’s fight against the mafia.
Dario Maltese (Kim Rossi Stuart) is a talented detective battling to stay moral in an immoral world. Returning to his hometown of Sicily to attend a friend’s wedding, Maltese is suddenly and violently sucked back into the world he fled twenty years before. This time however, he must stay to uncover the truth but what starts out as a simple murder investigation quickly escalates, uncovering more disappearances, further murders and ultimately exposing a network of corruption and lawlessness. Assassins and criminals work alongside powerful and untouchable citizens and government officials. Dodging hitman who have been sent to kill him, seeing friends and colleagues murdered, and forced to risk the life of the woman he loves, a shocking truth to a very personal tragedy awaits Maltese.
Speakers: Walter Iuzzolino and Kim Rossi Stuart
LIBERTY is a character driven mini-series in 5 episodes, based on a novel by Danish acclaimed author Jakob Ejersbo. The series stars Sofie Gråbøl (DK), Connie Nielsen (DK/US), Carsten Bjørnlund (DK) and Magnus Krepper (SE).
The series unfolds in Tanzania and presents a rare view of the world of charity expats dispatched from Scandinavia in the late 80’s. The expats set off in the service of a good cause, filled with idealism and drive, but during the process, they run into a wall of opposition and cultural differences that gradually and relentlessly wear away their enthusiasm in a heavy mix of gin & tonics, houses with domestic servants and lewdness in the tropical heat.
LIBERTY reminds us that freedom is also “opportunity with responsibility”. Sometimes we have to go to extremes, where nothing is familiar and everything is in a state of flux before we truly understand who we are.
LIBERTY is produced by DR Drama by Karoline Leth (The Legacy).
Speakers: Piv Bernth and Karoline Leth
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Ali May, Writer, creator, presenter, Mayhart
-
05:00 PMHall 2
Wattpad and the dramatic self-publishing revolution
With self-publishing platforms now creating a new generation of authors and fresh IP to turn into drama, Aron Levitz, head of Wattpad Studios shares the vision of one of the world’s most successful next gen content businesses and explains how drama producers can work with the platform. The platform already has several development deals in place and is a hot incubator for emerging talent that demands to be turned into TV drama. Could this be where your ‘next big thing’ comes from?
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated: David Jenkinson, Editor-in-chief & managing director, C21Media
-
04:00 PMHall 2
German Drama Focus
Some of the most-anticipated new drama is now coming out of Germany, with Das Boot and Dark just two of the upcoming series sparking international interest. As the German market continues to put vast amounts of money into development we hear from the leading channels and producers to see what comes next.
Produced by: David Jenkinson/Romy Klaus
Moderated by: Romy Kraus, Creative director, Entertainment Master Class
-
09:00 AMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
Makever Screening
Iskander
A young policewoman, Chloé, is posted against her will to a precinct in Cayenne where she has to team up with Dialo, a tormented Guianese police officer.
Despite their mutual dislike, the two colleagues have to investigate together the brutal murder of a couple from France. All the evidence points to a ritual killing. And it’s vitally urgent they find the killer fast as the victims’ son has disappeared… -
11:00 AMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
ITV Studios Global Entertainment - By Invitation Only
-
01:00 PMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
all3media international Screening
all3media international invites you to an exclusive advance fine cut screening from Avid of Hidden/Craith, an atmospheric Welsh noir procedural crime drama from the co-creator of Hinterland/Y Gwyll.
-
03:00 PMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
BetaFilm Screening
Beta Film presents the thriller Salamander – Blood Diamonds (22 hours, Skyline Entertainment for Eén), in which the murder of a political refugee in Brussels catches the attention of federal inspector Paul Gerardi (Filip Peeters); the victim had to flee a former Belgium colony in Africa, where a brutal rebel army, financed by blood diamonds, is trying to take control. Does the murder have any connection to the bloody civil war? As Gerardi digs deeper, the case shines a harsh light onto the economic and political elite of his own country.
First episode of the one hour-series, Flemish with English subtitles, presented by Beta Film’s Justus Riesenkampff.
-
05:00 PMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
Creative Skillset
High End TV: Meet the Producers
Come and meet the cohort of the New Producers Programme, supported by the UK High End TV Levy Fund. The event also provides an opportunity to hear about the wider investment in skills by the Fund, which works to sustain the development of TV drama talent and crew across the UK.
-
11:00 AM
Networking coffee break
-
01:00 PM
Networking lunch break
-
08:00 AM
Networking breakfast
-
06:00 PM
Networking cocktail
Wednesday 29 November
-
09:00 AMHall 1
New Models Of Drama Finance
With the rise of SVOD and changes in the way scripted television is commissioned, financed, packaged and distributed we hear from leading players in the sector about how to finance shows and best-manage rights in this fast changing game. How is the windowing of rights changing, and how is value moving down the timeline? Most importantly what is the best way to finance a hot new drama and the best route to maximise return?
Produced by: David Jenkinson/Jeremy Gawade
Moderated by: Jeremy Gawade, Founding partner, Lee and Thompson
-
10:00 AMHall 1
US drama development
In this session key players from the US channels business outline their development agendas and share their thoughts about how each of their US-based businesses is breaking new ground. What is in their development pipeline and what can we expect from these game-changing businesses in the coming years?
Produced by: David Jenkinson/Carrie Stein
Moderated by: Carrie Stein
-
11:30 AMHall 1
CASE STUDY: The Alienist
A coproduction between Paramount TV and Turner’s Studio this psychological thriller drama is set in 1896, when a series of haunting, gruesome murders of boy prostitutes grips New York City. Newly appointed police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Geraghty) calls upon criminal psychologist — aka alienist — Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Brühl) and newspaper illustrator John Moore (Evans) to conduct the investigation in secret. They are joined by Sara Howard (Fanning), a headstrong secretary determined to become the city’s first female police detective. Using the emerging disciplines of psychology and early forensic investigation techniques, this band of social outsiders set out to find and apprehend one of Gotham’s first serial killers. The drama will debut on TNT on January 22, 2018. In this case study we hear the story of how the show came about and how it developed to broadcast.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Benji Wilson, TV critic, The Telegraph & freelance writer
-
12:30 PMHall 1
Harry and Jack Williams In Conversation
Leading writers and show runners Harry and Jack Williams discuss how they craft hit shows from Emmy nominated drama The Missing through Fleabag to their latest production, suspense thriller LIAR for ITV. We also find out about future productions including a new eight part thriller called White Dragon and RELLIK, a six part thriller told in reverse which they are coproducing alongside New Pictures.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Stephen Armstrong, Freelance journalist
-
02:00 PMHall 1
Keynote Interview: Jon Wax
In this keynote session we host the first interview with YouTube’s new head of drama series Jon Wax who is responsible for building YTO’s original drama slate as well as overseeing acquisition and production of YouTube’s movie roster.
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: David Jenkinson, Editor-in-chief & managing director, C21Media
-
02:50 PMHall 1
Working with SVOD
With the rise of SVoD and changes in the way scripted television is commissioned, financed, packaged and distributed, we hear from leading players in the sector about how to finance shows and best manage rights in this fast-changing game. How is the windowing of rights changing and how is value moving down the timeline? Most importantly, what is the best way to finance a hot new drama and the best route to maximise return?
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Dominic Schreiber, Global drama executive, Reel One Entertainment
-
06:00 PMHall 1
C21's International Drama Awards
With more than 500 shows entered in this year’s drama awards this final celebrates the best in the business with 12 categories to be awarded.
-
03:40 PMHall 1
Drama's five year plan
Everything you need to know to plan for a successful future in the global drama business. We have assembled a stellar line-up and a session format designed to establish a five year plan for Drama Business Inc. a special vehicle company designed to represent the international scripted business. The ‘board’ will be tasked with considering what needs to be put in place to ensure success set, against a background of rapid change. What are the creative, operational, technological and strategic challenges that need to be met and how will ‘the company’ position itself for future growth. The board will decide.
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: David Jenkinson
-
09:00 AMHall 2
Development Slate 3
Leading producers and financiers take us inside their developments slates to unveil new productions and explain their strategies for further scripted development.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Gareth McLean, Freelance journalist
-
10:00 AMHall 2
CASE STUDY: Romper Stomper
Original creator Geoffrey Wright will discuss the remake of his classic film Romper Stomper, in a one hour case study that tells the story of how the franchise is being refreshed as a six hour series. The drama picks up on Wrights’ 1992 classic film, following a new generation of the activist Right, their anti-fascist counterparts, and three young Muslims caught up in the conflict. See the story unfold.
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Michael Pickard, Editor, Drama Quarterly
-
11:30 AMHall 2
Canada Focus: The Canadian Independents
Hear from Canada’s top indies about their international TV Drama productions, accessing talent, crews and tax reliefs on either side of the Atlantic, and how this collaboration benefits the needs of the ever evolving international audiences
PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH FILM LONDON
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Adrian Wootton, CEO, Film London
-
02:00 PMHall 2
Canada Focus - The Broadcasters
In this Canada Special we hear from leading broadcasters, about their mission in the fast-changing Canadian drama market. What is their current approach to scritped development and what can we expect to see from them in the coming year. We also find out about their relationship with the global market and approach to international coproduction.
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Jeff Norton, Founder, Awesome Media
-
12:15 PMHall 2
Canada Focus – Coproducing with Canada
In this session we hear from producers, coproducers and financiers about how Canada’s leading coproducers are working with the international market. What are their aims and ambitions, what’s currently in development and how can the international market best work with this creative territory.
PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH FILM LONDON
Produced by: David Jenkinson
Moderated by: Jeff Norton, Founder, Awesome Media
-
03:00 PMHall 2
Drama Series Pitch
In this, the first Drama Series Pitch we have selected eight projects to be pitched for the first time to the international drama market. Each of these dramas already has some funding attached and is looking for additional partners to complete the finance. The winner will receive a marketing package from C21Media. The shows will be pitched before conference to a panel of leading drama commissioners.
The eight shows selected to pitch are:
The Sounds
All3media, South Pacific Pictures
From best selling New Zealand author Sarah-Kate Lynch comes a thriller that takes a missing persons case and a family drama and flips them on their head: Welcome to Pelorus – the sleepy seaside hamlet where nothing, including the visiting Cabbots, is quite what it seems. Set against the beautiful backdrop of the South Island of New Zealand, this mystery combines the multiple layers of Big Little Lies with the complex character dynamics of The Affair, to bring a refreshing take on the relationship based thriller.Maggie and Tom Cabbot are sailing in the remote pristine beauty of New Zealand on their new yacht when Tom heads off in his kayak… and doesn’t return. And when the search turns up the remains of a local teenage girl, murdered 15 years earlier, long buried wounds surface in the small, seemingly close-knit town. With unforgivable betrayals and secrets simmering beneath every surface, this is a story of greed and how far we are willing to go to protect ourselves.
Speakers: Rachel Glaister and Stephen Driscoll
Lover
Zodiak Finland
Alex Worley has it all; a smart, sexy wife, kids, a home and a career in the ministry of foreign affairs. But Alex has a secret.Alex moonlights as a male escort with a jet-setting clientele and access to the boudoirs (and secrets) of some of the most beautiful and influential women in Europe. His two worlds collide when Alex’s work for a Swiss heiress puts him on the radar of a ruthless Russian crime boss, and his journalist wife starts investigating a prostitution ring story. At the same time, Alex is juggling his sister’s dangerously poor taste in men, his dying mother’s long-buried secrets and the demands of the Ministry when Russia goes on the warpath in the Baltic.
How far is Alex willing to go to protect those he loves? How much longer before the truth comes out? At its core, Lover is a smart, exciting peek inside the head of a complicated man.
Speakers: Kristiina Werner and Mikko Silvennoinen
Surface Tension
Awesome/Wall to Wall
It’s one year after the ‘sea sickness’ has taken hold, when 99% of humanity walked into the oceans and disappeared. The survivors on a British channel island, cut off from the world, are finally moving on…until one woman returns from the water. Is she humanity’s salvation…or the harbinger of our extinction? Based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel by Jay Gunn.Developed by Wall to Wall Television and Awesome, Surface Tension is a character-driven, returnable series that explores the nature of humanity amid an environmental and existential crisis.
Speakers: Myar Craig Brown and Jeff Norton
The Bonfire of Destiny
TF1
The Bonfire of Destiny is a period drama series based on a true event that took place in Paris in 1897 when a terrible fire destroyed the building hosting the city’s annual charity Bazaar. The tragedy that left over a hundred victims, gives three women the opportunity to break free and change their destinies.Speakers: Sabine Chemaly and Iris Bucher
The Spanish Doctor
Sphere Media Plus
The Spanish Doctor is an epic historical medical drama set at a time of brutal religious persecution. Barely out of the Dark Ages, with the Spanish Inquisition looming darkly on the horizon, Toledo remains steeped in superstition, magical thinking and intolerance. Avram Halevi, skilled surgeon trained in Montpellier, returns to his home with a belief that progress and science will prevail. But as the Catholic popes fight for power, Avram is forced to choose between his hippocratic oath and the need to do violence to prevent harm. Scalpel and sword. Blood and bloodletting. Who will survive?Speakers: Bruce M Smith and Virginia Rankin
ARCTIC CIRCLE
Lagardere Studios / Yellow Film & TV
In the small town of Ivalo, local policewoman, NINA KAUTSALO (30), discovers an old cabin in the wintry back country of Finnish Lapland. Inside, she finds a chained-up prostitute in bad shape. The woman is rushed to the hospital where a blood sample is taken and sent to Helsinki for analysis. Before agents from the National Bureau of Investigation arrive on the scene, Nina locates two more victims in the cabin—these ones dead. The kidnapping case instantly turns into a murder investigation and the NBI takes over.Speakers: Frédérik Rangé and Jarkko Hentula
The Window
Boogie Entertainment/ZDF Enterprises
The Window is a one hour primetime drama series with a strong thriller element that takes an inside look at elite professional football and the business that surrounds it. Centred on a group of players, agents, board members, administrators and journalists (as well as their families and friends), the series goes beyond winning and losing games to explore the full, dark circus of this multi-billion dollar business.
The series begins at the end of the English Premier League season. The champions have been crowned. The relegated teams drop down a division. And of course the transfer window opens… Across 10 episodes The Window charts ten tense weeks in the life of Jordon Burdett, a 17 year old Wunderkind with a golden touch who has gate-crashed his team.Speakers: James Payne and Rolant Hergert
THE 5th AGE
Mocka Monitor
In the 5th Age, the collapse of the global economy has shaped Europe into a place where the daily fight for power and control is dominating the continent until a seemingly minor incident unleashes an ever-growing battle between the young and old, the weak and powerful, the future and the past. Who will prevail to determine the fate of all generations to come?Speakers: Ingo Monitor and Jan Mocka
Produced by: Ruth Palmer
Moderated by: Ali May, Writer, creator, presenter, Mayhart
-
11:00 AMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
Showcase What's new @ ZDFE.drama
ZDFE.drama will introduce the audience to its latest slate in serial drama. Join us as we unveil our newest development projects! Together with the creative minds behind it, we have an exclusive look at our broad range of upcoming international content.
-
01:00 PMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
STUDIOCANAL Screening
Paris etc.
This twelve-part dramedy is the result of a collaboration from France’s most acclaimed actresses, directors and authors Zabou Breitman (No et moi), Maïwenn (Polisse) and Anne Berest (Declaration of War), Paris etc. centres on the engaging, emotional and often funny stories of five very different heroines, as their lives cross over the course of a season in Paris.
-
03:00 PMGallery Room - Sponsored Session
ITV Studios Global Entertainment - By Invitation Only
Session information to follow
-
11:00 AM
Networking coffee break
-
01:00 PM
Networking lunch break
-
08:00 AM
Networking breakfast
-
04:30 PM
Drama Awards Networking cocktail
As the sessions wrap and we head towards the International Drama Awards at 6pm, grab this networking opportunity.
-
07:00 PM
Content London Wrap Party
Come and share fantastic food, cocktails and company from 7pm- 10pm as the sun sets on Content London 2017 and award winners celebrate success.
-
10:00 PM
Conference Close
See you next year: November 27 – 30.