TV Real Festival Sets Full Schedule

Keynotes slated for the TV Real Festival, taking place June 18 to 20, include Warner Bros. Discovery’s Kathleen Finch, documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter, classicist and presenter Mary Beard, NBCUniversal Entertainment’s Corie Henson and Rachel Smith and many more. Register for the event here for free.

The TV Real Festival will also feature sessions on the big picture in the factual business, non-scripted formats, factual FAST channels, commissioning data, true crime, wildlife programming and more.

Need to convert the times below for where you are? Click on the times above the name of each session to make sure you don’t miss a thing! 

Tuesday, June 18

• 9 a.m. EDT 
  The Big Picture
  The inaugural TV Real Festival kicks off with our factual superpanel featuring BossaNova’s Paul Heaney, Off the Fence’s Bo Stehmeier, Albatross World Sales’ Anne Olzmann and ZDF Studios’ Nikolas Hülbusch.
• 10:30 a.m. EDT
  Warner Bros. Discovery’s Kathleen Finch
  As chairman and CEO of U.S. networks at Warner Bros. Discovery, Kathleen Finch oversees a bouquet of leading channel brands, among them Discovery, HGTV, Food Network and Investigation Discovery.
• 12 p.m. EDT
  Dawn Porter
  The founder of Trilogy Films, Dawn Porter, whose credits include Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court, will showcase her approach to impactful documentary filmmaking.
• 1:30 p.m. EDT
  The View from NBCUniversal Entertainment
  This powerhouse session will showcase NBCUniversal Entertainment’s strategy across game shows, talent, reality, lifestyle and true crime with Corie Henson and Rachel Smith.

Wednesday, June 19

• 9 a.m. EDT
  That’s Entertainment!
  Fremantle’s Vasha Wallace, Banijay’s James Townley, BBC Studios’ André Renaud and All3Media International’s Nick Smith will discuss trends in non-scripted formats.
• 10:30 a.m. EDT
  Time to Go FAST?
  Autentic’s Patrick Hörl, Blue Ant Media’s Jamie Schouela and Cineflix Rights’ Mike Gould will share the keys to rolling out successful factual FAST channels.
• 12 p.m. EDT
  Getting Wild
  ORF-Enterprise’s Armin Luttenberger, PBS Distribution’s Joe Barrett and Terra Mater Studios’ Berend Dreier will offer up their insights on trends in the distribution of natural history and wildlife docs.
• 1:30 p.m. EDT
  Michael von Würden
  As managing director of Snowman Productions, Michael von Würden has created an array of successful reality formats, among them the megahit Married at First Sight.

Thursday, June 20

• 9 a.m. EDT 
  Just the Facts with Ampere
  Ampere Analysis’s Fred Black will provide TV Real Festival viewers with detailed insights on the factual commissioning landscape.
• 10:30 a.m. EDT 
  Mary Beard
  A classicist who specializes in ancient Rome, Mary Beard’s latest project, Meet the Roman Emperor with Mary Beard from Lion Television, aired on BBC Two earlier this year.
• 12 p.m. EDT 
  Crime Pays
  GRB Media Ranch’s Sophie Ferron, TVF International’s Poppy McAlister and Woodcut Media’s Kate Beal (who also chairs the Association of True Crime Producers) on achieving success and driving innovation within the true-crime genre.
• 1:30 p.m. EDT 
  A. Smith & Co. Productions’ Arthur Smith
  The TV Real Festival wraps with a keynote from Arthur Smith, whose extensive stable of shows at A. Smith & Co. Productions includes Hell’s Kitchen and American Ninja Warrior.