Big Bucks Vs. Broadcaster: The Age of Alternative Funding
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Wednesday, Dec. 2
session room: Savoy 2
With dwindling advertising revenue and frozen budgets, more documentary makers are turning to private funders to finance their films. Is this the future of television? The “alternative funding” phenomenon has been most evident with feature documentary cinema releases including The Cove, The Age of Stupid, The Yes Men Fix The World, Waterlife and The End of the Line. But television is also cashing in - with broadcasters screening documentaries supported by supermarkets, fashion brands and soft drinks - as well as philanthropists, non-government organizations and lobby groups. There are obvious bonuses - the filmmakers exploit innovative business models and can reap bigger budgets. But at what price to editorial control, impartiality and viewer trust? Where do you draw the line between funding and advertising - and what do financiers expect in return?
Session Producers
Nacressa Swan, Producer, Darlow Smithson Productions (UK)
Moderator
Steve Hewlett, Writer, Broadcaster and Media Consultant (UK)
Panelists
Tim Flattery, Executive Producer, Branded Entertainment, Carat Engage (Australia)
Jared Lipworth, Director, Science Programs, Thirteen/WNET New York (USA)
Anne Pick, Executive Producer, Real to Reel Productions (Canada)
Sara Ramsden, Independent Executive Producer (UK)