Seriesly Berlin Announces Conference Lineup

ZDF Studios’ Sebastian Krekeler, Netflix’s Lisa Kreimeyer, UFA Fiction’s Nataly Kudiabor and Yle’s Jarmo Lampela are among those set to participate in the second edition of Seriesly Berlin’s conference, taking place on September 17 and 18.

The conference will open with the keynote “Are We Content with Content?” delivered by Serbian-American artist and filmmaker Igor Simić, who will explore what creativity, craftsmanship and cultural depth mean in a time when stories are increasingly shaped by streaming platforms, social media and AI.

The panel “Storytelling 2030: Who Pays, Who Plays?” will feature Nataly Kudiabor, managing director and executive producer at UFA Fiction; Sebastian Krekeler, deputy head of drama at ZDF Studios; Henning Kamm, managing director and producer at Real Film; Alicia Remirez, managing director of Constantin Film Produktion; and Lasse Scharpen, producer at Studio Zentral. The session, curated and moderated by podcast host Irina Ignatiew, will explore the future of financing and partnerships in an evolving media landscape.

In the session “Ctrl+Alt+Delete: Rethinking TV in the Creator Age,” TikTok creator and director Darina Su, storyteller and content creator Kaan and Ina Eck, COO and co-founder of Fabiola, will debate how broadcasters and production companies can respond to new storytelling formats, creator-driven revenue models and rapidly shifting audience expectations.

A case study between Netflix and bildundtonfabrik titled “Building a Streamer-Producer Partnership” will feature Lisa Kreimeyer, director of series for Netflix DACH, and Philipp Käßbohrer and Matthias Murmann, co-founders of bildundtonfabrik. They will unpack the creative and industrial journey behind their multiyear collaboration.

“Greenlight Visionaries: Someone has to say yes first—or nothing new gets made” will see Lada Dobrkovská, producer of local TV content for CZ&SK at CANAL+; Jarmo Lampela, head of drama at Yle; and Toomas Ili, head of content at Elisa Estonia, explore what it takes to back bold, challenging series in a risk-averse market.

The full lineup and further speakers can be found on the Seriesly Berlin website.

Two pitch sessions will also take place during the conference, with 16 new serial projects selected to be presented. Eight will be presented as part of the Seriesly Berlin Co-Pro Pitch for projects already in development, and eight will be presented as part of the Seriesly Berlin Writers’ Pitch for early-stage projects. Participants will compete for prizes and seek partners for financing, co-producing, distribution and international collaboration.