Event Preview: Series Mania

With eight days dedicated to the best series in international television, Series Mania is gearing up for its 2023 event, to be held in Lille, France, and online from March 17 to 24.

“The feedback we received in the previous years from our participants was incredibly positive,” says Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Series Mania. “In 2021 and 2022, despite the pandemic still complicating travel for international executives, we had a record number of registered participants, and we expect even more for 2023.”

The Series Mania Forum, a content development market showcasing the best international projects in development from all around the world, is set for March 21 to 23. The sidebar event “continues to be extremely effective and very successful,” Herszberg says. “Following this success, we decided to increase the number of projects to be presented, including projects from far territories such as Africa and Asia. We also added an IP market presenting books and podcasts available to be adapted into TV shows.”

On the conference and panel slate, Series Mania will welcome A-list executives from a slew of major companies sharing their insights with participants. “As the market is more and more competitive, this year we decided to host some panels around marketing strategies,” Herszberg notes. “In such a crowded environment, it’s more and more difficult for a series to stand out!”

On the Festival side of the event, 396 series were received this year from 63 countries—of those, 55 series have been selected from 24 countries. “Compared to the U.S. and U.K. industries that have set a standard in storytelling, new territories have demonstrated innovative ideas and real creativity,” says Herszberg. “It nicely surprised us as it confirms that creativity goes beyond the usual territories.”

The 2023 program will feature series from Greece, Iran, Pakistan and Uruguay for the first time: Milky Way (Greece/International Competition), The Actor (Iran/International Competition), Barzakh (Pakistan/International Panorama) and El Universo Conspira (Uruguay/Short-Forms).

“We have also noticed two major and impressive trends in the series we watched,” Herszberg continues, pointing to a throwback to the ’80s and ’90s and the fight for women’s independence and self-realization. “Another key theme is climate change, which series tackle through the stories of climate refugees and energy autonomy (The Fortress), eco activists (A Thin Line) and futuristic catastrophe (The Swarm).”

The Forum, meanwhile, will feature three full days of networking, discovery, insights and pitches. “Producers, commissioners and buyers from all over the world are able to meet key decision-makers of the industry, to discover projects in development and to network with emerging and well-established talents,” Herszberg says.

One of the most highly anticipated events of the Forum is the Co-Pro Pitching Sessions, with 15 titles competing for a €50,000 grand prize.

The event also features showcases of series from all over the world, roundtable discussions and masterclasses that question the world of series from the point of view of those who make them and those who watch them.

For the sixth edition, there are thematic strands at Series Mania Forum:

Sourcing talent and  stories: A selection of emerging and established talents take center stage to share their pitches and creative ideas behind various projects. This includes the Co-Pro Pitching Sessions, the Writers Campus Pitching Session, the Drama Series Co-Writing Residency between Israel and France and project pitches from Taiwan, Africa and more.

Content showcases: A diverse selection of new series coming to the international scene from various partners (France, Germany, Quebec, Spain, the Balkans and more).

Creative business inspiration: A series of panels, showcases and masterclasses that deciphers the trends, challenges and opportunities of the series industry.

Marketing of series and innovation, which is new this year: Looking at how to get noticed, detect new opportunities and understand which tools to use to your advantage, as marketing professionals share their views.

Lille Dialogues: Key industry executives and policymakers come together to discuss strategy, regulation and how to overcome the challenges facing the European audiovisual industry.

“The Lille Dialogues has become a popular point of focus because it is the only place that brings together European lawmakers and international TV industry leaders for a day-long international summit,” Herszberg says. “It encourages joint reflection on the challenges facing the TV industry and promotes international cooperation.”

In terms of trends that Series Mania will touch on, from a business perspective, the new ways for streamers and traditional TV broadcasters to collaborate is sure to be a hot topic, says Herszberg. “As streamers are no longer competitors of linear TV, but they are becoming in a way partners, they are integrating an ecosystem, also accepting how to adapt to the European rules (even if some negotiations are still ongoing). Streamers are also looking for new financing models and they include advertising. So, after a disruptive breakthrough in the market, it seems that now the situation is ‘normalizing’ and some traditional business schemes like windowing and advertising are coming back.”

Over the years, Series Mania has established itself as a not-to-be-missed event for development executives and buyers all around the world. Herszberg says the goal is to provide these attendees with a very useful event to develop their business, in a short format. “In three days, they have the chance to discover high-profile projects in development, meet with talent and screenwriters and build their network. All major studios are looking for new voices and authentic stories; Series Mania offers them the best series from the European and international scene.

“Delegations from all around the world will be in Series Mania Forum—from Taiwan, Canada, Brazil, Korea and more,” she continues. “It’s an incredible opportunity to meet all the decision-makers of the industry in one single place!”