Laura Michalchyshyn

TV Real Weekly, February 20, 2008

Executive VP & General Manager

Programming & Creative Affairs

Sundance Channel

Since joining Sundance Channel in January 2005, Laura Michalchyshyn, now the executive VP and general manager of programming and creative affairs, has played a large role in redefining the network’s reputation as solely a premium pay film channel.

Launched in 1996 as a venture of NBC Universal, CBS and Robert Redford, Sundance Channel operates independently of the non-profit Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall mission of encouraging artistic freedom of expression.

While noting that Sundance Channel is “still majority film, feature films and documentaries,” Michalchyshyn is aiming to position it as a broader entertainment channel that provides both long-form and short-form series, acquired scripted programming, comedies, documentaries and feature films.

“What we’ve done is really change the face of the network in terms of its program offering over the next year,” says Michalchyshyn.

The network is currently developing franchises that extend beyond one season, including the acquired music series Live From Abbey Road and Iconoclasts, an original series featuring two leading innovators from different fields who come together to discuss their passions and creative processes. These franchises also include eco-friendly programs such as the original series Big Ideas for a Small Planet, which will go into its second season this April as part of The Green, Sundance Channel’s weekly prime-time programming block showcasing original series and documentaries that focus on environmental issues.

The Green is also accompanied by an extensive range of online content, including The Eco-mmunity Map, an interactive feature that allows users to list and search for green individuals, businesses, special attractions and action points anywhere in the world through a customized version of the Google Maps tool. The Eco-mmunity Map serves as the foundation for ECO-MMUNITY, the channel’s online environmental forum featuring blogs, news, discussions and other user-generated “eco” information.

Since The Green launched last year, Michalchyshyn says that the block has raised the profile of the channel: “It was one of our first most integrated multiplatform campaigns. We really worked hard to push the program out on the web.”

In fact, developing web content in tandem with the original linear series is key for Sundance Channel. “We do ask every single producer that’s making series or one-off specials for us to provide behind-the-scenes added-value content.”

Another priority for Sundance Channel this year is creating returning original series and franchises with multiple seasons. Adds Michalchyshyn, “Right now we are experts at greenlighting and commissioning factual series.”

International acquisitions are also a part of the Sundance Channel’s current mandate. Last year, in a deal with Arte France, Sundance Channel acquired the U.S. broadcast rights to Lo�c Prigent’s Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton, a documentary that looks at the celebrated fashion designer Marc Jacobs at work. The series premiered earlier this month as the centerpiece of a six-night presentation entitled “Ready to Watch,” which coincided with New York’s Fashion Week.

“The channel’s not afraid to take risks, and for me, that’s a perfect amalgamation of both my personal and professional interests,” says Michalchyshyn. “I branded the offerings to be far more international in scope. We scour the world for some of the best programming from outside of the U.S.”

At the same time, Michalchyshyn ensures that the content airing on Sundance Channel is in line with the brand’s core values, “which is creative expression, freedom of speech and artistic cultural integrity” and “giving a strong voice to filmmakers and creatives.”

Thanks to distributor FremantleMedia Enterprises, Michalchyshyn says that the Sundance Channel has been successful in extending the reach of original series like Big Ideas for a Small Planet and Iconoclasts outside of the U.S. “Fremantle has been doing a great job of selling our programming; they’ve made a big mark in terms of their sales, which I’ll say is very exciting for us.”

Over the coming year, Michalchyshyn is looking to bring in more like-minded sponsors for the network’s programming. She points to Sundance Channel’s successful collaboration with Lexus and Citi Smith Barney for The Green block, and its partnership with Stella Artois for the network’s “31 Days of Sundance” initiative, which included 10 days of live coverage of the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Prior to the Sundance Channel, Michalchyshyn had experience programming for thematic television in her native Canada. This included a stint at Alliance Atlantis, where she took over the channel Showcase as head programmer in 1997. She eventually rose to senior VP of programming and helped launch three other dramatic channels: IFC Canada, Showcase Action and Showcase Diva. Before that, she was the programming director of WTN in Winnipeg, where she produced the half-hour weekly series Shameless Shorts, featuring short films and videos from around the world. “I didn’t know whether I was going into television programming or not—that job sealed it,” says Michalchyshyn. While pursuing her graduate degree at York University in Toronto, she also worked with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as an assistant programmer.

Working at the Sundance Channel is a “dream come true,” for Michalchyshyn, who says that the channel’s pedigree fits her background, which is a hybrid of film and television, both thematic television and documentary. “I can’t imagine a more perfect meeting and aligning of the stars!”

—By Irene Lew