Terra Mater Studios’ Sabine Holzer

As natural-history programming continues to appeal to audiences curious about the world around them and concerned about its future, companies like Vienna-based Terra Mater Studios continue to deliver. Among the titles it has produced are the impact-driven feature documentaries The Ivory Game, Sea of Shadows and The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness, which work particularly well for streamers, according to Sabine Holzer, head of specialist factual at Terra Mater Studios, who notes that demand for natural history and wildlife remains strong across free- and pay-TV channels alike.

***Image***Holzer also talks to TV Real about reaching young fans of natural-history content on social media, environmentally friendly filmmaking and how technology and FAST platforms have impacted the factual industry.

TV REAL: How is the current international demand for natural-history and wildlife programming?
HOLZER: Blue-chip documentaries are still king. There is an unbroken global demand for natural-history and wildlife programming with free- as well as pay-TV channels. A huge amount of broadcasters air natural-history programs in very prominent slots or even dedicate their whole output to these genres, so there’s a huge demand for high-quality content on the international market. In addition, in the last [few] years, there’s been an even broader variety of takers due to all the streaming services, which also embrace this genre.

TV REAL: What’s key to connecting viewers to wildlife stories? What evolutions have you seen across the genre?
HOLZER: Our films usually captivate with compelling stories, emotional and captivating storytelling, high quality and innovative storylines. In recent years, there’ve been two things that seem to have become more important: First, the intro needs to be truly captivating to engage the audience to stay for the whole film, and secondly, the style needs to be such that viewers are drawn in easily, even if they tune in at a later stage.

Terra Mater Studios has produced a series of impact-driven feature docs—The Ivory Game, Sea of Shadows, The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness—which worked really well for streamers and on the big screen. Unfortunately, impact-driven documentaries are still less accepted on linear television. First, as a producer, you need to convince the commissioners of the importance and success of your project. And, sorry to say, audiences are still hesitant to embrace conservation topics.

TV REAL: How has the growth of FAST platforms affected the global factual industry?
HOLZER: FAST channels and platforms definitely open up new business opportunities. Not only do FAST channels demand a high volume of completed programs, but they also show interest in becoming involved in projects early on that are exclusively developed for them.

TV REAL: What about developments in technology?
HOLZER: Terra Mater Studios has been working with cutting-edge technology from the very beginning. Making use of new technologies and working with unusual perspectives provides not only new visual angles but also new angles of storytelling. My advice, though, is not to push too hard when it comes to technology. The story has to come first.

TV REAL: How do you localize wildlife content, which takes viewers all around the world?
HOLZER: While focusing on global audiences, Terra Mater Studios works with both international and local crews and talent, as this also furthers our goal to produce as green as possible. Since most of the blue-chip wildlife films speak a universal language, they travel globally. But, of course, we’ve also localized our films working with hosts, for example. The interest in presenter-led programs varies from territory to territory.

A general trend is that wildlife and natural-history programs have become increasingly “enriched” with famous fiction and factual-entertainment celebrities, but also with widely known presenters who’ve built up their expertise as real experts in this field. What also works really well for many broadcasters are celebrities narrating the program.

TV REAL: Amid the increasingly urgent calls to more meaningfully address climate change, how big of a role can wildlife programming play in spreading the word?
HOLZER: While conservation and climate change don’t always work as a topic in linear television, there are other ways to address these hugely important matters. In order to reach an increasingly online young audience, digital channels are becoming ever more important. Social media channels such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube open up different, additional user bases. That’s why Terra Mater Studios also operates a rapidly growing YouTube channel, reaching more people with their causes every day.

We not only want to inspire with our films, but also with our way of making films—a green and sustainable path to enjoy nature frame by frame. We have to constantly rethink the production of our films and projects and what impact they have on the environment to safeguard our planet. With Green Producing, we are restructuring the business, and especially productions, to reduce emissions as much as possible. Therefore, we have calculated our Corporate Carbon Footprint and will calculate the emissions of all our productions from 2022 on. The goal is to reduce our emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

TV REAL: What gives the wildlife programming on your slate its global legs?
HOLZER: Topics that best suit our doc co-pros are those that appeal to audiences all around the world—from major blue-chip documentary series to very specific one-offs. Since Terra Mater Studios was founded 11 years ago, we’ve partnered with numerous partners that appreciate the Terra Mater Studios filmmaking style. With co-productions, trust in the producers is of uttermost importance. And for us as a production house, it’s incredibly important to work with partners who speak the same language regarding the editorial and cinematographic goals, so that in the end, everyone is proud of the final product.

One of our most successful recent co-pros is the two-part miniseries The Alps, which was co-produced by the WNET Group in the U.S., Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in Germany and France Télévisions. Way before completion of the series, all territories were sold and, equally important for us, all partners were happy with the product.