World Screen Factual Trendsetter Awards

World Screen, in partnership with Reed MIDEM, is launching the Factual Trendsetter Awards at MIPDoc to honor four individuals who have made significant contributions to the television business.

We live in a complex ever-changing world, but television, with its inimitable combination of words, images, special effects and immediacy, is uniquely positioned to shed light on intricate topics. It can take us to different lands, allow us to revisit the past and analyze current events.

Factual programming embodies the best of what television has to offer: whether inside an atom, on the bottom of the ocean or at the far reaches of the universe; whether examining historical events, solving today’s most staggering crimes or exploring the endless astonishing advances of technology.

Executives in charge of sourcing and commissioning nonfiction programming need to blend factual accuracy with entertaining elements in order to inspire, inform and even spark a sense of wonder among viewers.

In acknowledgment of this vital segment of the television industry, World Screen, in partnership with Reed MIDEM, is launching the Factual Trendsetter Awards to honor four individuals who have made significant contributions to the television business.

The honorees represent services that offer the best in factual programming: Corentin Glutron of RMC Découverte in France, Kristina Hollstein of ZDF and ZDF Enterprises in Germany, Nesta Owens of Discovery Networks CEEMEA and David Royle of Smithsonian Networks in the U.S.

These four programming executives will take part in the panel View From the Top: What Do Buyers Want? at MIPDoc on Saturday, April 2, from 10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., in the Conference Room of the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hôtel Martinez. World Screen’s group editorial director, Anna Carugati, will moderate a lively discussion that will focus on identifying ideas for shows that will satisfy viewers’ curiosity about the world around them.

“We’ve been thrilled with our partnership with Reed MIDEM over the last six years to honor programming wizards who are tasked with building compelling schedules for audiences,” says Ricardo Guise, president and publisher of World Screen. “Given the complexities of today’s world there is a premium on factual programming that accurately informs, engages and entertains, helping viewers understand issues and topics that are not sufficiently well served by quick headlines or brief news reports. These executives have developed keen eyes for spotting top-notch, on-brand shows to satisfy their demanding audiences. We look forward to celebrating their discerning tastes with this award. At the View From the Top: What Do Buyers Want? session at MIPDoc we’ll hear them share insights into their approaches to finding the best the global market has to offer. The must-attend session will surely provide plenty of useful information for anyone in the business of producing, buying or selling factual content in the new golden age of television. We are delighted to be honoring their achievements at MIPDoc.”

David Royle
Executive VP of Programming and Production
Smithsonian Networks

Smithsonian Networks is a joint venture between Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex. As a result, programming on the networks, which consists of the linear service Smithsonian Channel and its on-demand and online versions, is in great part inspired by the activities of the Institution. But, as David Royle, the executive VP of programming and production, points out, his channels are not museum TV. He looks for history, science, natural history, aviation and space, art and even music that is entertaining and thought-provoking. Past co-productions have included Angkor Wat: Land of the Gods with Korea’s EBS and a current one is Sacred Sites with Tile Films in Ireland. The air disaster series Mayday has been a successful acquisition.

Nesta Owens
Director of Programs 
Discovery Networks CEEMEA

Nesta Owens is responsible for programming nine brands, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, ID Xtra, Discovery Science and Fatafeat, across 109 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, regions whose audience tastes and preferences are quite varied. She sources more than 4,000 hours of non-fiction content each year, through co-productions, commissions and acquisitions. When looking for product, she is interested in titles that will complement the programming the Discovery brands produce in the U.S. While she and her team had mainly been acquiring from the U.S. and the U.K., they have recently widened the net and are looking for content from other countries as well. Diamond River Hunters for Discovery Channel, Undressed for TLC and Detective’s Club for ID Xtra are among the popular acquired shows.

Corentin Glutron
Head of Acquisitions
RMC Découverte, France

The mission of the French digital terrestrial channel RMC Découverte is to bring factual entertainment to the free-TV audience in France. While pay-TV viewers can select from a number of channels offering nonfiction programming, in the free-TV space the choice is slim and usually limited to historical documentaries. Although RMC Découverte performs particularly well among male viewers, Corentin Glutron, the channel’s head of acquisitions, looks for entertaining factual programs for the whole family that focus on discovery, understanding, learning and having fun. The genres he is interested in include science, treasure hunters, cars, tough jobs as well as anniversaries and special events. Among his recent acquisitions are Wheeler Dealers, Outback Truckers and Building Wild, while La France des Mystères and Top Gear France are some of the recent prebuys for the channel.

Kristina Hollstein
Director of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Documentaries 
ZDF and ZDF Enterprises, Germany

The German public broadcaster ZDF is renowned for its quality documentaries. In fact, it has regular prime-time slots for high-end factual programming on a variety of topics, from expeditions to legends and mysteries, from the wonders of nature to the evolution of mankind and key events of the 20th century. As the director of acquisitions and co-productions of documentaries for ZDF and ZDF Enterprises, the broadcaster’s commercial arm, Kristina Hollstein works closely with ZDF commissioners in identifying shows in the categories of history, geology, science and archaeology. She also acquires product for ZDF’s digital channels. When sourcing content, she looks for factual accuracy and feature-film quality storytelling. Recent acquisitions include the upcoming Planet Earth II. ZDF is also working on a version of the ARTE co-production of Dawn of Humanity with National Geographic.