Italy is It

Italy has always been a country with a strong design tradition. In 1909, the poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti launched the Futurist movement, as this piece details. Futurism rejected the past and set out to celebrate a number of abstract concepts like speed, machinery, violence, youth and industry, as well as even more abstract ones like… Continue reading Italy is It

Peoples Broadcasting in the age of the internet

When the British electorate voted for a Conservative government, to replace the previous Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition, there were a few predictions of doom for the funding of pubic services in the UK. For the BBC, the result confirmed that their role, size and funding will be firmly in the sights of the new administration – though I imagine… Continue reading Peoples Broadcasting in the age of the internet

MIP-TV: Yes We Cannes!

Long gap since my last post, apologies. But last week I went to the annual MIP-TV market in Cannes which gave me plenty to think (and write) about. Four days of meetings equated a big batch of ideas – though the word product seems more appropriate in such a marketplace. Fewer people were wandering the Palais this year –… Continue reading MIP-TV: Yes We Cannes!

From Hamlet to Richard III – history brought to life

I took part in a live-action role play a couple of weeks ago, called Inside Hamlet at Kronborg castle in Denmark. It was set in the 1930s, giving a whole new spin to Shakespeare’s tale. I learnt a massive amount about what history means by acting it out (as a Lutheran exorcist priest).   And… Continue reading From Hamlet to Richard III – history brought to life

Murder (and other dramas) in the cathedral

A couple of weeks ago at BBC Worldwide’s annual showcase in Liverpool that I attended for SBS,  drama was to the fore. The big programme  being promoted was Wolf Hall, the six-parter which became the biggest drama launch on BBC2 for years. At Showcase, BBC Worldwide laid on a dinner in Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral. This is a… Continue reading Murder (and other dramas) in the cathedral

Australia’s going to Austria for Eurovision

In other news this week… Australia has been granted a wild card entry for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, being held in Vienna at the end of May. It’s been a long held aim of the SBS MD  Michael Ebeid, as the channels been the official broadcaster for the past thirty years. For the past… Continue reading Australia’s going to Austria for Eurovision

My week at FIPA, a TV festival by the sea

I’ve just spent a few days at FIPA in Biarritz,  France. That’s the Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels. A few thoughts from my time there. There’s something about waves, beaches and lighthouses that is very inspiring. Even though I didn’t actually get to the beach. Being in a beautiful venue with big windows, the Bellevue, made… Continue reading My week at FIPA, a TV festival by the sea

I went to the ATF in Singapore to see what half the world is watching

Last week’s Asia TV Forum was my first visit, and my first visit to Singapore. Plenty of channels, distributors, funding organisations and producers in an airy exhibition floor in the huge Singapore Convention centre. The event was organised by Reed Midem, with support from the impressive Media Development Authority of Singapore. It was good to… Continue reading I went to the ATF in Singapore to see what half the world is watching

on indie production and public service media

Back to Copenhagen after a week in London. I spent it catching up with production companies, distributors, and going to a day at the Televisual Factual Festival. Well moderated panels on Specialist Factual, Popular Factual, and how to make docs in danger zones,  an interview with Ralph Lee of Channel 4, and a room full… Continue reading on indie production and public service media

Korea – a new factual force?

There’s a national drive in Korea to make documentaries the next Korean international content success. Korea made a national project out of becoming the world’s biggest music producer through K-Pop. Pretty ambitious project for a country of 50 million people. But they’re now the fastest growing music industry in Asia, with a massive presence in Japan and inroads… Continue reading Korea – a new factual force?