We’re on the other side of peak TV and in an era of mega-media consolidation, but in the new world of scripted television there is a greater need than ever to partner, co-produce and co-fund. That is one reason Francesco Capurro, Director of the industry-focused Series Mania Forum, expects an uptick in attendance this year.
“It’s a challenging time for our industry, but in difficult times, people need to connect and to find the new ways to cooperate, new financing opportunities, and new markets,” Capurro tells Deadine. “In a way, it’s positive for an event like ours, because we see more and more companies willing to attend the Series Mania Forum and it is getting more and more global.”
The Forum welcomes about 5,000 people. While the number of U.S. execs making the trip to Northern France is likely lower this time, the main U.S. streamers and will have their Europe-based folks on the ground. Angela Jain, Head of Content at Disney+ for the EMEA region, will give her first big public address since stepping into the role. Monty Sarhan, CEO of NBCUniversal and Paramount owned streamer SkyShowtime will also keynote, while Nicole Morganti, Prime Video’s Head of Originals Southern Europe, and Thomas Dubois, Head of French Originals, have a session. Meanwhile, one big-name U.S. exec who will be in town is Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Programming for HBO Max. Fremantle CEO Jennifer Mullin will also be speaking, joined by COO Andrea Scrosati.
Capurro says there will be more people attending from Japan, as well as delegations from Brazil, Canada, Singapore and South Korea, which will be the first-ever country of honor. “The increase is mainly because the event is getting more and more global, and also because some newcomers are getting into the world of series; maybe some are coming from the film industry, maybe some smaller production companies are diversifying their activities. So, despite the merging and the consolidation of big groups, there is still an ecosystem that’s growing and will come to Lille.”
As the sands of the drama business shift, there is opportunity as well as challenge, Capurro says. “Audiences are more and more willing to see shows in different languages. It’s time maybe for other parts of the world to emerge, and especially for Europe, because we have a lot of big companies, some who are able to deliver very high-quality content that can travel worldwide. It’s an opportunity for Europe to emerge in this new global context.”
Instating Korea as country of honor comes as the country celebrates a diplomatic landmark with France, the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two. But in Lille the focus is on TV, not diplomacy. “It is one of the leading countries in Asia and across the world in terms of content production and they are expanding,” Capurro says. “In Europe, there is a huge fan base for Korean content, even if it’s still a bit niche, but we believe that there is room to grow and an opportunity to develop more creative collaborations. They have a lot of talent and a lot of IP to adapt.”
Co-Pro Cornerstone
The Co-Pro Pitch is a cornerstone of the Forum and this year there are 16 projects in play, whittled down from over 400. The winning project lands a €50,000 ($57,700) prize. Former winners include Keeping Faith (UK), Stella Blomkvist (Iceland), Tabula Rasa (Belgium) and La Palma (Norway).
This year’s lineup includes offerings from right across Europe and France and Spain are notable as the only countries with two entries. The likes of Canada, Chile, Israel and South Africa also register entries. Proving a good story can come from anywhere, there is also a first-ever entry from Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia.
If the Co-Pro Pitch lineup gives a glimpse into the kind of dramas international producers are working on, Capurro sees trends emerging as he surveys this year’s crop. “People are more conscious about the budget because, of course, they know that commissioners are spending less, so there are fewer period, sci-fi, or very high-budget dramas. Also, in terms of number of episodes, people try to reduce it to four to eight maximum. They are also trying to tick the boxes that the broadcasters are looking for. For example, there’s a lot of cozy or light drama, and crime drama that always works very well, thrillers and this kind of genre. But there is a huge diversity and creativity in there.”
Over the years the Series Mania Forum has evolved from a place to talk co-production and drama trends into a full-fledged market. One notable recent addition is the Buyers’ Upfront, an invitation-only event for acquisition execs that takes place in the Lille Chamber of Commerce and sees a roster of series presented to buyers. A jury of top buyers presents a Buyers Choice Award, with nuclear negotiations drama The Deal taking the honor last time.
“We started as a co-production market, and that’s still very important and part of our DNA, but in recent years we added a lot of new initiatives,” Capurro says. “We will renew the Buyers’ Upfront this year and that’s clearly a way for us to position ourselves in the sales and acquisition market.”
Ahead of time this year, Series Mania Forum honored Marianne Furevold-Boland, Head of Drama at NRK, with 6th annual Woman in Series Award. Creative keynotes this time include Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat.
In terms of the conference program there will be Innovation Talks focused on tech and AI in the TV drama biz, as well as the regular Lille Dialogues, the international summit organized every year within Series Mania Forum that gathers European policy makers and key industry leaders.
If the calendar of TV events has been redrawn in recent years, Northern France has become a must attend for the TV drama crowd. And when March rolls around, the TV crowd is very much on its way to the Forum.