Whistler Film Festival ‘23
Co-hosted the talent lunch with Warner Brothers
We co-sponsored the Whistler Film Festival talent lunch with Warner Bros (Nov 29 - Dec 3). Great to see many of you there.
Here were our key takeaways.
Consensus among broadcasters and streamers was that comedy TV series projects were underrepresented in the market at present. This view was expressed by Amazon and Paramount, who also noted that executing comedy is difficult for emerging filmmakers who need skilled comedy actors, whereas thriller and horror films can perform well with newer actors.
Also at the festival, there was a panel hosted by Jason Gold at Blumhouse and Amazon where they expressed that to initiate a development deal with a creative team for a new TV series, there were commonly five criteria that studios or production companies like Blumhouse consider before picking up a project:
Exceptional Creative Material (Script): Do I love the script and does it have a strong vision from the writers, such as addressing a current issue in the world or featuring an important personal connection to the writer(s)
Company Alignment: Is the creative material able to fit with the studios or production company goals? For example, Blumhouse leans into horror and thriller, whereas Apple leans towards epic stories and drama
Appeal to Other Buyers: Is there a buyer or other distributors who also believe the creative will fit with them? This is especially relevant for production companies that need additional funding and is less of a concern for Netflix, which can fully fund the project
Execution Ability of the Writer and Producer: Can the writers execute on the vision? Since it is easier to write a great 30-page pilot than it is to complete the entire series and manage production with all the logistical challenges, belief in the team's ability to execute is a major factor. If the team is new, or has limited credits then they should know their first season like the back of their hand, including every cliffhanger, character arc, and the season finale.
Profitability: Is there commercial appeal to the package, either with a commercial concept in a hot segment of the market or another highly profitable element such as a major actor attached?
If a project can meet all 5/5 of the above criteria, then there is a good chance that buyers or production companies will execute a development deal.