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By Claire Macdonald on June 17th, 2010 at 9:57 am
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“Your wish is my command…” Thom Beers (left), President & CEO, Original Productions bows to the his co-panelists on the closing session at the 2010 Factual Entertainment Forum. From left: Rob Sharenow, SVP, Non-Fiction & Alternative Programming, A&E Television Networks; Christine Weber, VP of Specials & Events, Discovery Channel; Paul Telegdy, EVP, Alternative Programming and Production, NBC and Universal Media Studios; Natalka Znak, Chief Creative Officer, RDF USA and Craig Piligian, President, CEO & Executive Producer, Pilgrim Films & Television. The panel was expertly moderated by David Lyle, President, FoxLOOK.
By Claire Macdonald on June 4th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
The second edition of the Factual Entertainment Forum wrapped yesterday with a high profile panel examining the future of the factual entertainment industry and segued into the presentation of the inaugural Factual Entertainment Awards. It was a fantastic way to celebrate excellence in the genre and a good time was had by all. A little AsomBroso tequila sampling added to the fun!
Top honors went to The Biggest Loser and WWII in HD which tied for the Award of Excellence. The full list of winners is available at http://awards.realscreen.com
Thanks to every speaker and delegate for your participation in a very successful Forum. Stay tuned for details of the Realscreen Summit in Washington, D.C., February 1-3.
– Claire Macdonald
By Claire Macdonald on May 27th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Aspirational reality series have been with us for years, but in times of uncertainty,  empowering programming can resonate stronger and touch wider audiences. And even the critics might approve! This panel examines the art and business behind creating captivating programs that help individuals to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in their lives. Sharing their insights are Gary R. Benz, President & CEO, GRB Entertainment (Intervention); Howard Lapides, Executive Producer of Celebrity Rehab and CEO Lapides / Lear Entertainment; Co-CEO, Lapides / Dubrow Media;  Howard T. Owens, Managing Director, Reveille (The Biggest Loser) and Troy Searer, Founding Partner and CEO, Tijuana Entertainment (Obsessed).
Well over 300 producers, distributors and broadcasters of factual entertainment/reality fare will descend on Santa Monica next week to take stock of the future of the industry and get some great networking in. Make sure you register today to start taking advantage of your pass and start planning your personal agenda at the preeminent conference on the genre. Take note that your registration grants you access to the inaugural Factual Entertainment Awards.
By David Terpstra on May 7th, 2010 at 10:36 am
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Jeanne Newman
Partner,
Hansen, Jacobson, Teller,
Hoberman, Newman,
Warren & Richman, LLPd |
Jeanne Newman, one of the most powerful entertainment lawyers in Hollywood, and Arthur Smith, Executive Producer of Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares with Chef Gordon Ramsay, I Survived a Japanese Game Show and countless other reality hits will appear on the opening panel, Making the Deal, on June 2. Boasting an impressive roster of legal and business experts and expertly moderated by Sharon Levy, SVP Original Series at SPIKE TV, this session will offer delegates real and practical insight into the deal-making process. Rounding out this incredible panel are George Cheeks, EVP and Co-General Counsel, Business and Legal Affairs, MTV Networks; Lee Straus, SVP Business Affairs, NBC Universal Entertainment and Todd Weinstein, SVP Business and Legal Affairs, 3 Ball Productions.
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By David Terpstra on April 30th, 2010 at 11:15 am
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Sally Ann Salsano, Founder and President of 495 Productions and EP on MTV’s breakout hit Jersey Shore completes the panel of top producers on the Making the Brand session. Salsano launched 495 Productions with instant hits, including four seasons of HGTV‘s Design Star, Oxygen’s Dance Your Ass Off, three seasons of MTV’s A Shot At Love, three seasons of VH1’s Tool Academy, and two seasons of MTV’s Disaster Date. Her production credits also include numerous seasons of ABC’s The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Trista & Ryan’s Wedding, and Extreme Makeover: Wedding Edition.
Click here for more info on the Making the Brand session.
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By David Terpstra on April 29th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
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In 2001, Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz founded Magical Elves and since then, the production company has been Emmy®-nominated 11 times for “Outstanding Reality Program or Competition” and received a Peabody Award for Project Runway, one of four Magical Elves shows included in Entertainment Weekly’s “20 Best Reality Shows of All Time” along with Top Chef, Bands on the Run and Project Greenlight. Other notable credits include Last Comic Standing, Treasure Hunters, Dance on Sunset, Top Chef Masters, Step it Up and Dance and Top Design. The Elves also produced the recent hit Kell on Earth; the upcoming Work of Art co-produced with Sarah Jessica Parker; season two of Oxygen’s signature show Dance Your Ass Off and America’s Next Great Restaurant, a culinary/business competition series for NBC.
Lipsitz joins Rasha Drachkovitch, Co-owner and President of 44 Blue Productions and Philip Segal, President, Original Productions on Making the Brand – a session that will explore how producers can stay true to their brand’s blueprint yet remain nimble enough not to be pigeonholed by broadcasters. Stay tuned for more announcements about this stellar panel.
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By David Terpstra on April 22nd, 2010 at 3:42 pm
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George CheeksÂ
EVP & Co-General CounselÂ
MTV Networks |
The agenda for June’s Factual Entertainment Forum is well on the way to being finalized. With considerable input from our expert advisory board it’s shaping up to provide two days of interactive learning, networking and inspiration.Â
Recently added to the speaker lineup is George Cheeks, EVP & Co-General Counsel, MTV Networks who will be a panelist on the session Making the Deal,  a session that showcases top-level intel to help you navigate through the deal-making minefield. Other speakers added to the Factual Entertainment Forum roster include Rasha Drachkovitch, Co-owner, President, 44 Blue Productions and President of Original Productions, Philip Segal. |
By Claire Macdonald on March 29th, 2010 at 10:22 am
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Paul Telegdy,Â
EVPÂ Alternative ProgrammingÂ
NBC and Universal Media Studios |
Paul Telegdy, EVP alternative programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios joins Thom Beers, CEO & executive producer, Original Productions and SPIKE TV’s SVP original series, Sharon Levy as member of the 2010 Factual Entertainment Forum advisory board.
Stay tuned for the agenda and check out the speakers and delegates that are already committed to attend. |
By Claire Macdonald on March 18th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Sharon Levy, SVP Original Series for SPIKE TV, has joined Thom Beers, CEO & Executive Producer, Original Productions as an advisor to the team behind the 2010 Factual Entertainment Forum. Along with Beers and the realscreen team, Levy will help shape dynamic and practical content geared to help producers of reality and fact ent programming achieve success.
The agenda won’t be unveiled for a few weeks yet, but other senior execs who are committed to speaking include History’s SVP Development & Programming, David McKillop; Christian Drobnyk, Director of Entertainment for UKTV and Animal Planet’s VP Development, Marc Etkind.
By Claire Macdonald on March 10th, 2010 at 10:07 am
The second instalment of realscreen’s Factual Entertainment Forum includes fantastic opportunities to pitch your reality and factual entertainment projects to key commissioners and hear their programming needs first hand.
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The one and a half day conference taking place at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, California, June 2 & 3 builds on the inaugural event by borrowing some of the most popular networking sessions from the Realscreen Summit. Producers will be given an intimate opportunity to hear from network execs in the reality/fact ent space during our signature “30 Minutes With…” sessions spread over the course of both days. Additionally we’ll be hosting Speed Pitching sessions where programming execs will take 3-minute pitches from producers. Sign up is required for both of these elements and you need to be registered to secure your spot.
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Why not take advantage of the lowest available pricing and sign up before March 26th when our early bird rate expires? See who’s already registered here.
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The realscreen events team is working with advisory board chair Thom Beers, CEO/Executive Producer of Original Productions, to develop an agenda that will deliver practical intel and invaluable networking opportunities for producers, broadcasters and suppliers in the reality/fact ent space. Stay tuned as we release speaker and session details as they become available.
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