Robin Wright, Judith Light, David W. Zucker Among Speakers Joining Monte-Carlo TV Festival’s Industry Program

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Robin Wright, Judith Light, David W. Zucker, and Rola Bauer are some of the notable figures who will be participating in the business-focused event at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, taking place from June 14th to 16th.

Featured discussions involve “Overcoming Obstacles: A Tale from Two Perspectives,” an engaging talk between actress, director, and producer Robin Wright and TV drama executive Rola Bauer. They will discuss their experiences as creative professionals in a discussion led by Leo Barraclough of EbMaster.

In addition to Bauer, David W. Zucker from Scott Free, who is the chief creative officer and executive producer for “Dope Thief” (Apple) directed by Ridley Scott and “Alien: Earth” (FX), will be part of a panel titled “Navigating the TV Multiverse: Exploring Disorder” with Bauer. They’ll be sharing insights on their groundbreaking collaboration, which has spanned over 20 years across international co-productions, like their latest miniseries, “Pompeii: A Day of Fire” (Amazon MGM Studios).

Discussing Film Locations and Financial Advantages: A Relevant Topic in Today’s Budget-Minded Era, features Brendan Foley, the writer-creator of “Sherlock & Daughter,” a contest entry for Monte-Carlo, and Brendan Fitzgerald, fiction jury member from Secuoya Studios. They will share their preferred filming locations for series production, providing valuable insights and suggestions on the tax breaks and incentives that many countries extend to production crews.

Two creators whose shows are part of the festival, Moritz Polter (“Hundertdreizehn”) and Anant Singh (“Don’t Give Up”), together with Foley, will participate in a digital-centric discussion panel titled “Streaming Platforms & Engaging Audiences Through Content Personalization.” They will discuss how the increasing number of streaming platforms provide an abundance of content and explore methods for helping audiences discover personalized content. This conversation may also touch upon the potential effects this could have on series production.

The session “Marketing & PR: Measuring the Value of Series Campaigns” will provide another viewpoint, focusing on elevating series to greater heights or managing crises when they occur, as well as discussing whether and why TV producers and shows require Public Relations (PR). Experts from various perspectives, such as Foley, Judy Lung of the Toronto Film Festival, and Alan Nierob of Rogers & Cowan PMK, will share their insights with Michael Idato from the Sydney Morning Herald.

Discussions on the future of public broadcasting services are held in the session titled “Future of the Public Broadcasting Service in the Evolving Landscape.” As these services face funding difficulties, a multinational panel comprising Matthew Deaner from Screen Producers Australia, Toma De Matteis of France Télévisions, Jinhyun Park of EBS – Korea Educational Broadcasting System, Vance Van Petten of Dodge Film School and Chapman University in the U.S., under the leadership of U.K. television executive Graham Benson, share insights on how they are adapting to compete with their more commercially-driven counterparts.

This “Women in Television” panel discussion will feature a group of influential women from executive and creative roles within television and entertainment. These women have left their unique footprints in this industry, and they’ll share their experiences, including the advantages and hurdles they’ve encountered throughout their careers. Mathilde Fiquet (CEPI) will moderate this insightful conversation alongside Shelly Goldstein, actress and writer from “Sherlock & Daughter,” author Marianne Levy, Judith Light, the president of the fiction jury, and Josée Vallée, a nominee at the festival for her work on “Deepfake.

The seminar titled “That’s (AI) Entertainment!” delves into how cutting-edge AI technology is essential for both creative professionals and executives to stay competitive. Yet, AI comes with its own set of difficulties and necessitates a profound comprehension of its potential and limitations. This discussion will be guided by Michel Zgarka from Hitlab, featuring panelists Toma De Matteis, Leif Holst Jensen from Inn University, and Vanessa Shapiro of Nicely Entertainment, who will collectively discuss the topic.

2021 marks the debut of “Tell Me A Story,” a fresh pitch competition targeted at the documentary industry, jointly organized with Tom Jennings, an accomplished executive producer and writer at 1895 Films. The aim is to discover captivating factual story concepts from emerging filmmakers of today. Successful contestants will present their projects to an esteemed international judging committee and connect with key figures in the TV and entertainment industry.

Jennings and documentary producer Kristin Stasiowski will additionally provide a chance for aspiring creators to attend a workshop focused on the craft of factual filmmaking.

Also featured is a “Documentary Storytelling” discussion where Jennings will participate alongside Tonje Hessen Schei (Dox Division) and festival nominee Sue Turley (“The Stringer,” XRM Media). This conversation will explore advancements and obstacles in various factual, creative, and commercial production methods for television networks and streaming platforms. The panel will be moderated by Stasiowski.

Festival director Cécile Menoni expressed her excitement, “This year, we’ve got more Business Content segments! We’ve gathered an exceptional lineup of speakers from diverse sectors within the international screen business. We can’t wait to facilitate engaging discussions as they delve into the current and future opportunities and difficulties our industry encounters.

The Business Content panels and daily networking opportunities are enhanced by Festival Connect, a tool designed to foster interactions among festival-goers in the industry.

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2025-06-04 20:20