Series Mania Unveils New Initiatives for Women

Series Mania will have two new initiatives targeted for women at this year’s event: the first annual Woman in Series Award and the Series’ Women career enhancement program.

The Woman in Series Award, in association with European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWA Network) and Pour Les Femmes Dans Les Médias (PFDM), will honor a woman from the audiovisual industry for her vision and leadership. This year’s recipient will be Christina Sulebakk, general manager of HBO Max for EMEA.

In her role, Sulebakk is responsible for existing HBO streaming services in Europe (HBO Nordic, HBO España, HBO Portugal and HBO Go in Central Eastern Europe) and for the launch of HBO Max in the region in 2021 and its future expansion. Sulebakk, who took on her current position in January, has been at WarnerMedia for almost ten years.

Series’ Women, the first career enhancement program for female producers in the European drama series industry, was initiated by the Erich Pommer Institut (EPI). It strives to increase the visibility of female producers and female-driven projects and tackle underrepresentation in the industry. In the initial edition of Series’ Women, the program offers its 20 participants training in visibility and leadership and access to industry markets and supports the building of professional networks. In addition to live online workshops and access to EPI’s online courses, the program features curated mentoring, individual pitching training and exclusive pitching and networking opportunities at Series Mania Forum 2021.

The Women in the Industry Photo Shoot, which was implemented in 2018 for all female participants, will once again take place this year on the steps of the Lille Grand Palais.

Series Mania is set to run from August 26 to September 2, while Series Mania Forum will take place from August 30 to September 1.

Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Series Mania, said: “Creating, developing and implementing these initiatives in order to highlight and value the work of women within our industry is something that is incredibly close to my heart. I could not be prouder than to present Christina with our first Woman in Series Award as she epitomizes that of a remarkable leader with true vision. And I have no doubt that the Series’ Women program will be a first-class event aimed to increase the visibility of female producers and projects.”