The Monte-Carlo Television Festival, which kicks off Friday, will feature a starry lineup of speakers for its industry segment, the Business Forum, that includes actors Lesley Manville, Aldis Hodge and Kevin McKidd.
Headline sessions include “Filmmakers & Friends: Finding Truth & Being Authentic to Their Story,” a conversation with executive producer and actor Aldis Hodge of Hodge Brothers Productions, and creator and executive producer Ben Watkins of Blue Monday Productions. They will share their insights around both their individual career paths within the television landscape and how their creative partnership enables them to experience a deeper collaboration between writer, producer and actor roles, adding to the success of the show.
In a one-on-one “In Conversation with Michael Hirst,” the writer and executive producer of character-driven historical dramas such as “The Tudors” and “Vikings” will reflect on his creative process, avoidance of the writers room and the enduring appeal of stories set in distant eras that continue to resonate with modern audiences.
An expert look at what it takes to turn an idea into a television series, “From Pitch to Premiere: Inside the Television Creative Process,” features Hirst once again, who will trade secrets with Toma De Matteis of France.tv Studio, creator of hit show “Un Si Grand Soleil,” around how a series comes together. They will be joined by Rola Bauer, whose credits include “The Girlfriend,” “Shadowplay” and “Pillars of the Earth,” who will offer a studio executive and producer’s insight into the creative process.
The lineup in “Leading Ladies Changing the Channels” will showcase a panel of executive and creative women who will share how many of television’s most compelling shifts are being driven by women. The lineup will include actress, executive producer and fiction jury president Lesley Manville, Sue Latimer of ARG Talent Agency, Judy Lung of Toronto Film Festival and Cécile Menoni of Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo.
As innovation rapidly reshapes the entertainment industry, “Talent, Creators & Agents, Navigating Today’s Television Trends” features leading talent agents Darren Boghosian of UTA, Barry Buren of CAA, Roger Charteris of The Partnership Group and actor, director and fiction jury member Kevin McKidd of Ferryman Films. They will share their insights on how they are adapting to this innovation-driven landscape, balancing opportunity with protection, while embracing these changes responsibly.
Switching focus to digital and streaming, “Instinct vs Algorithm: What 30 Years of Greenlights Can Teach us About Storytelling in the Age of the Feed,” will be an insightful conversation with digital jury president and former head of original content YouTube Susanne Daniels (UCLA), who will share how she has helped shape youth culture, from defining network television at The WB and MTV to experimenting with premium digital content at YouTube Originals. In this conversation, she joins former YouTube executive and digital jury member and storytelling pioneer Luke Hyams (Pangaea), to explore the shifts in the fundamentals of storytelling.
AI is at the forefront of innovative technology revolutions for the industry, including documentary storytelling. The panel “AI in the Documentary Room: From Theory to the Edit Suite” features panelists Tom Jennings (1895 Films), Gisella Marengo (GM Productions) and documentaries and news jury president Joshua Seftel (Smartypants), some already using AI operations, who will discuss with moderator Remi Tereszkiewicz of BetaSeries what has changed and address how although documentary was supposed to resist AI, it instead became its most mature testing ground.
Changing direction, “Controlling the Narrative: Broadcasters & Producers Navigating the Regulatory Landscape” will debate how increasingly TV news, current affairs, entertainment and drama is being criticized and influenced by governments across the world, seeking to force both PBS and subscription-based broadcasters and producers to toe a particular line. Graham Benson (GCB Consultants) will lead this debate with former PGA executive director Vance Van Pettten (Dodge Film School) and documentaries and news jury member and Journalist and producer Will Hanrahan (FirstLookTV).
To round up the Business Forum program will be Season 2 of the Pitch Contest – “Tell Me a Story,” in collaboration with Jennings of 1895 Films. The contest’s goal is to uncover compelling factual story ideas from a new generation of film creators, with selected finalists invited to pitch their projects in front of an international judging panel and influential TV and entertainment executives during the Business Forum.