Kristen Vinakmens
Bringing the world inside
NEWSChannel HGTV (Knoxville, U.S.) Viewer Mostly female, ages 25 to 54 (followed by adults 25 to 54). Average primetime audiences climb as high as 1.15 million viewers Reach 85.4 million U.S. households Who Mary Ellen Iwata VP of program development Mandate With even non-lifestyle players jumping on the genre’s bandwagon, HGTV needs to keep one [...]
The Diligent Crusader
NEWSGet Phil Grabsky talking about his doc project In Search of Mozart and you might think he’s in over his head. Although busy with pre-production on the 100-minute special, he’s also trying to round up the world’s best classical music performers for interviews and coordinate orchestras
More from Less
NEWSAt pbs, there are very specific criteria for choosing which films to promote and/or advertise. Says Lesli Rotenberg, svp of brand management, promotion and media relations for pbs, ‘It is a difficult decision, because there’s so much quality [programming].’ To help with the determination, Rotenberg notes, films and series are vetted to ensure they have the qualities pbs holds dear: that they are brand defining, have broad audience appeal, can generate buzz and will have impact onscreen and off in the form of outreach initiatives.
An NBA spin for History
NEWSIt may seem an unlikely pairing, but the extensive cross-marketing deal The History Channel entered into with the nba last December has been a boon for the New York-based network. The multi-year partnership (length not released), which focuses on the basketball league’s past and involves a cross-pollination of the brands through doc programming, live events, online content and merchandise, has enabled the channel to reach out to a new group of viewers.
Moment of Truth
NEWSConcerns around factual accuracy aren’t new, but with recent high-profile cases of journalistic error, docs have come under scrutiny.
Sex and the Sciences
NEWSIt may not be to everyone’s taste, but the edgy direction in which Simon Andreae, head of science at UK-based broadcaster Channel 4, has taken science programming has reaped rewards. The Boy Who Gave Birth to His Twin, a one-hour show on the new ‘BodyShock’ strand, about a seven-year-old who was ‘pregnant’ with a parasitic twin, garnered 5.5 million viewers in primetime and was the highest-rated science program ever on C4. ‘The first run of ‘BodyShock’ at the end of last year broke all records for science at C4,’ says Andreae. ‘It’s been a good, growing year for science audiences.’
Sonic Revolution
NEWSFor Ondi Timoner, the filmmaker behind Sundance fave music doc Dig!, the worlds of music and film are inextricably linked. ‘A good film is like a good song,’ she says. ‘I enjoy films that really sucker-punch you – that grab you and change you, make you think and feel, that re-engage your emotions, just like music does.’
Cutler makes reality political
NEWSTapping into voter apathy in the U.S., filmmaker R.J. Cutler is teaming up with New York-based Showtime Networks for a summer launch of a 10-episode political competition series titled The American Candidate. Described as ‘Survivor meets The
Feature docs up the ante
NEWSProducers and distributors alike used to question whether a theatrical doc release was a viable business move. Now, the dialog around feature docs is focussed on bidding wars and box office stats.
UKTV launches two doc channels
NEWSFollowing the dissolution of its factual channel UK Horizons, London-based UKTV (a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Flextech Television) launched two new factual channels on March 8: UKTV Documentary and UKTV People. UKTV Documentary offers factual programs that explore the interests and issues affecting people in the U.K. Offerings include the series What The Romans Did For Us, one-off The Human Body and event series The Blue Planet. The male-targeted, Maxim-esque UKTV People features factual entertainment focused on cars, gadgets and crime. Programs include Top Gear, Forensic Files and Are You Tough Enough. Both channels are available on the digital platforms Sky, Telewest and ntl:home. KV
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Photos
Factual Entertainment Forum 2011 - The scene during the Luncheon Roundtables at Realscreen’s Factual Entertainment Forum in Santa Monica.