industry

Naomi Boxer
Programmer, Documentaries, TVOntario

Naomi Boxer is a Documentary Programmer at TVO, where she works with a programming team overseeing the network's critically acclaimed international point-of-view series, Human Edge, and its strand of inspiring world arts documentaries, Masterworks. In addition, Naomi programs documentaries in the areas of science, technology, wildlife, natural history, and adventure and exploration.Prior to her role as Programmer, Naomi was an Associate Producer, assisting Commissioning Editor Rudy Buttignol in co-ordinating commissions and acquisitions for TVO's Gemini-Award-winning series, The View From Here.

About TVO and what they are looking for:

THE VIEW FROM HERE
TVO's multiple-Gemini award-winning The View From Here leads the way in creative, ground-breaking, social-issue documentaries that explore the human condition, are of direct relevance to Canadian audiences, and open windows on diverse points of view that challenge conventional thought.
The View From Here features one-hour and some feature-length documentaries suitable for commercial-free public broadcasting.
Documentaries commissioned by The View From Here include: Manufactured Landscapes, The Bodybuilder and I, Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel, Girl Inside, Lovable, Carny, General Idea: Art, AIDS and the fin de siècle, Dying at Grace, High Risk Offender, Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows

LIMITED SERIES
The View From Here also considers the development and pre-licensing of high-impact limited documentary series for prime time ranging from two to four parts.
Limited series commissions include: The Corporation, Diamond Road, Black Coffee, Memory for Max, Claire, Ida & Company, Empz 4 Life, Korea: The Unfinished War, The Undefended Border,Yo-Yo Ma: Inspired by Bach
Upcoming series include Empire of the Word, a comprehensive four-part series on the history of the written word.

COMMISSION ELIGIBILITY

The View From Here and Limited Series

TVO commissions compelling, character-driven POV documentaries with an active, unfolding storyline. Our focus is on social, political and cultural issues; powerful stories that engage and inspire, showcasing unique and diverse points of view.
We commission hour-long and some feature-length documentaries for The View From Here, and Limited Series of two to four parts, on a first-window basis in Ontario. Acquisitions of completed programs can be considered, provided that first-window broadcast rights are available in Ontario.
Commission opportunities are open to Canadian independent producers with a demonstrated ability to deliver broadcast-quality programs with high production values. Preference is given to producers from Ontario. Programs must qualify for certification as 100% Canadian productions or International Treaty co-productions.

Producers are expected to apply for CTF funding and are strongly encouraged to confirm their financing as early in the year as possible, in order to ensure access to the Fund. Financing scenarios can include second window licenses with other edunets, specialty, digital and French-language channels, international pre-sales, public and private film funds, co-productions with the National Film Board of Canada, provincial and federal tax credits, distribution advances and producer investments (evidence of interim financing is required if applicable.)
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PROPOSALS

Proposals of up to 10 pages in length may be submitted at any time, although producers are encouraged to do so as early as possible in the year. Supporting documentation should include a concise treatment, production schedule, production budget top-sheet, a realistic summary of the project's proposed financing plan and CVs of the key creative personnel. Samples of previous work may be included in the proposal package. Proposals should also include a brief new media plan of one to two pages, outlining realistic cross-platform ideas and opportunities.

ACQUISITIONS AND PRE-BUYS

HUMAN EDGE

Human Edge is TVO's acclaimed prime time series of exceptional, social-issue documentaries acquired from around the world. Controversial and provocative, and always on the edge, the series programs hour-long and feature-length documentaries by the finest auteur documentary filmmakers, such as Barbara Kopple, Victor Kossakovsky, the Maysles Brothers, and Ray Muller.

Acquisitions include: Fog of War, Helvetica, Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary, To See If I'm Smiling, Operation Filmmaker, The Devil's Miner, Grey Gardens, Paragraph 175

Number of plays, exclusivity, and license period vary according to competitive market conditions. Hour-long and feature-length documentaries are licensed for Ontario only, and licence fees for works in progress may be advanced at the discretion of the Commissioning Editor.

MASTERWORKS

Masterworks is a bold, prime time documentary series celebrating and exploring the life, work, and creative process of influential painters, photographers, architects, writers, musicians, and filmmakers who are considered masters in their respective fields.

This series is both Canadian and international in scope. Launched with a tribute to Rhombus Media, world-renowned producers of arts documentaries, Masterworks has featured Strand: Under The Dark Cloth, a lush portrait of Paul Strand, one of the 20th century's great photographers and Simon Schama's Power of Art

Limited commissions are available for Canadian productions, although most are acquisitions and some are pre-buys. Collaborations with other Canadian broadcasters are also possible. These hour-long or feature-length documentaries are licensed for Ontario only. Number of plays, exclusivity, and licence period vary according to competitive market conditions.

HISTORY

TVO's History strand is dedicated to presenting hour-long documentaries that examine historical events of national and international significance.

From the acclaimed Canadian series For King and Country to the award-winning archaeological series Time Team, TVO seeks out the best in probing and provocative history programming from around the globe.

While acquisitions dominate the strand, a limited number of Canadian pre-buys may be funded each year.

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Erin Burke
Program Manager, CFC Feature Film Project (www.cfccreates.com)

As manager of the CFC Feature Film Project (FFP), Erin Burke is responsible for day-to-day operations of the program in consultation with the FFP’s Director/Executive Producer. Currently in her ninth year with the FFP, Erin’s involvement includes managing all Development and Production activities and working closely with the writers, directors and producers going through the program at all stages. She is also responsible for administering all financing agreements and coordinating all reporting obligations of the FFP in addition to overseeing all inquiries and submissions. Erin acted as the Executive in Charge of Production on the FFP’s latest feature NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY.
Erin’s background includes a BA in Film & Communications from McGill University and a BFA in Film Production from Ryerson, where she wrote and directed several short films and won an award for her cinematography. Erin also has a background in comedy writing, which she continues to do, and performing sketch comedy which she has done in both Toronto and Montreal. Over the years Erin has worked in various capacities in film and concert production.

About the CFC Feature Film Project and what they are looking for:
Established by the CFC in 1992, CFC Features (formerly The Feature Film Project) is dedicated to overseeing and providing up to 100% of the financing, administrative and professional support needed for the successful development, production and marketing of dramatic feature films. We are looking to meet Canadian writers, directors or producers with theatrical features that they want to realize in the $600,000 to $1,000,000 range to which we would provide up to $600,000 and provide executive producing credit and responsibilities entitled therein.
Boasting an impressive 40 films developed and 17 features produced, CFC Features has afforded over 100 writers, producers and directors from across Canada and hundreds of actors and technicians the opportunity to hone their skills and prove their creative talents to commercial audiences around the world.

In addition to launching many careers, the CFC feature films have registered successes on both critical, cultural and commercial levels. Our films have screened at more than 75 of the world’s most prestigious festivals, including renowned venues such as Cannes, Sundance, Karlovy Vary, Berlin and the Toronto International Film Festival. Sales and distribution in territories across the globe have been equally impressive. In so doing, CFC Features has increased awareness and accessibility of Canadian talent and content to audiences in Canada and abroad.

Titles include BLOOD & DONUTS, RUDE, HOUSE, CUBE, THE UNCLES, KHALED, 19 MONTHS, SIBLINGS, THE DARK HOURS and NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY.

Filmmakers such as Holly Dale, Steve Hoban, Damon D’Oliveira, Clement Virgo, Daniel MacIvor, Laurie Lynd, Vincenzo Natali, Nick de Pencier, Anita Lee, Randall Cole, Jackie May, Paul Fox, Charles Officer and Ingrid Veninger, to name a few, all benefited enormously from the CFC opportunity and support of their feature films.

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About Bravo! and what they are looking for:
Bravo! Canada is specialty channel devoted to the arts and looks for one off documentaries, series and performing arts specials that feature Bravo! themes: Music , Dance, Literature; Drama and Theatre; Visual Arts; Cinema and Great Performances. Because our viewers tend to be well educated and fairly affluent, our programming leans toward opera, ballet, Celtic music, classic rock and roll stories and profiles of established artists.

As the mandate of Bravo! is to promote Canadian talent, we prefer that one of the subjects in your proposed project is Canadian. And again, if the project takes place outside of the country, we would like there to be a Canadian theme to bring the story ‘back home’ to our viewers. We broadcast in English but are not against programming in other languages, provided subtitles or dubbing is supplied.

Bravo! does not support magazine style shows, or documentary material which is primarily sociological or anthropological in its focus.

Examples of recent commissions: one off biographies about well known Canadians such as “Gordon Pinsent: Not So Rowdy Anymore”, “Emily Carr”; series such as “Star Portraits” – series in which Canadian celebrities like Roberta Bondar and George Chuvalo are painted by three different portrait painters in one sitting. At the end of each episode, the paintings are revealed and the celebrity takes one home.

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About “The Lens” CBC Newsworld and what they are looking for:
Andrew Johnson is the Senior Producer in the Independent Documentary Unit at CBC Newsworld. For the last 8 years he has been the Commissioning Editor of two award-winning documentary series ("The Lens" and "Rough Cuts") which featured one-hour docs from independent Canadian filmmakers. Newsworld has discontinued commissioning documentaries, but the network continues to acquire Canadian and international films for broadcast. We're looking for topical films, with strong stories with a national appeal, that provide fresh insights into contemporary issues; films that complement the news & current affairs programming on CBC Newsworld.

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About TMN and what they are looking for:
The Movie Network is a premium pay TV service in Eastern Canada that offers first-rate Canadian series and feature film, as well as first-run HBO and Showtime series and Hollywood-hit movies, uncut and commercial free, 24 hours a day. Our core audience is adult 25-54 and skews slightly male.

In regards to Canadian feature films, we pre-buy approximately 50 films a year and look to support commercially viable big budget Canadian feature films. As a premium service, we do not pre-buy low budget films (under 1.5M) but will relate to them as acquisitions. We are not interested in acquiring short films, reality or lifestyle programming and have very limited appetite for documentaries. We do not develop feature films at TMN but encourage filmmakers to approach the Harold Greenberg Fund regarding feature film script development.

In terms of original series, we look for highly original, intelligent and unconventional dramatic series. We develop both limited and on-going one hour series as well as scripted half hour comedies. Our original series include Durham County, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures (upcoming), The Line, ZOS, etc.

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Desiree Single
Manager of Programming, Central Region, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), Canada (www.aptn.ca)

Desiree joined APTN in the summer of 2008 as the Manager of Programming, Central Region. Prior to APTN, Desiree worked as a Development Manager for an award-winning Winnipeg production company, as well as a Producer for documentary; music, dance & variety programs; drama and short films. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba.

What APTN is looking for:
APTN develops programs from Aboriginal producers and writers. Programs must require development (research, planning or writing). Development funding must be for a proposed outline, treatment, script and/or pilot episode and the Producer must be prepared to offer APTN the option to license the program for broadcast on APTN once the program is completed. The amount of the development contribution will be deducted from the license fee otherwise payable by APTN, or, if licensed by another broadcaster, repaid in full to APTN on the first day of principal photography. The Producer agrees to provide a written report on the progress of program development within a specified timeframe.

Content Priorities
APTN seeks innovative Documentary (6-13 episodes) series one hour (45:00) or half-hour (22:00); Children & Youth limited (6-7 episodes) or full (13 episodes) half-hour (22:00) series; Music, Dance & Variety one-hour (45:00) or half-hour (22:00) music and variety series or one-hour (45:00) one-off specials; Drama limited (6-7 episodes) half-hour (22:00) dramatic series proposals. (N.B. APTN does not generally license dramatic feature films. APTN does not license short films however, it does acquire them for its Short Cuts program strand); Lifestyle Limited (6-7 episodes) or full (13 episodes) half-hour (22:00) or hour (45:00) series , Interactive (multimedia) Web or Mobisode series (under 5:00)
We aim to increase programming that originates in Aboriginal languages
We currently broadcast programming in English (56%), French (16%) and Aboriginal languages (28%)
Our program schedule must be 75% Canadian
Our programming celebrates our rich heritage and shares our unique and diverse stories with all Canadians
Our programming is geared towards all age groups and interests
APTN will give a strong voice to our children and youth
APTN will give a forum to Aboriginal artists and producers to exhibit their work, but we will not license more than two series or major productions from one production company within any single broadcast season
APTN will reflect an appropriate balance among the needs of all Aboriginal peoples including First Nations, Inuit and Métis
APTN will endeavor to be relevant to all regions of the country
APTN seeks proposals that include plans for web development or other media outlets like podcasting or video on-demand
Please visit http://www.aptn.ca/corporate/producers/ for program examples, program licencing,application information and forms and other detailed information.

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João Garção Borges
Programmer and Buyer, ONDA CURTA (Short Wave), RTP2 (TV Public Service of Portugal) (www.rtp.pt)

João is a cinema and TV programmer, director, producer, screenwriter, editor and film critic. He graduated by the Film School of the National Conservatory of Lisbon. He has been working in film since 1976 and works regularly, both in cinema and TV. In 1979 joined RTP (RADIO E TELEVISÃO DE PORTUGAL) where developed several fiction and documentary projects and was also responsible for all fiction production, co-production and programming, among them ONDA CURTA. Since 1996, ONDA CURTA was established as a special format for short films selected from all over the world.
João is also the programmer of BASTIDORES, a RTP format oriented for the cinema world news. He has been a member of many juries in the major international film festivals.
Most recently, João is developing a documentary project in South America about an old trail that linked the Atlantic coast of Brazil to the mountains of the Inca Empire in Peru.

About RTP2 and what they are looking for:
RTP (RÁDIO E TELEVISÃO DE PORTUGAL) is a group of public TV and RADIO channels of Portugal. We are looking for programming to be broadcasted on RTP2, and Mr. Borges’s short film program called ONDA CURTA. We are also looking for special programming related to specific events and with national and international Film Festivals that have partnerships with ONDA CURTA. We are looking to buy fiction, animation, creative documentaries, mainly with strong social themes, and experimental works. Potential purchases include all genres up to 60 minutes in length, with no limitations in terms of censorship or otherwise. João Garção Borges is very demanding in terms of the works he selects. In terms of programming, he also has input on feature film programming, usualy related to his short film options.

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Jeff's production teams have produced award winning, nationally distributed productions in the United States for both commercial and public broadcasting. Detroit Public Television is a regular contributor to the PBS program schedule.

About Detroit Public TV and what they are looking for:
Detroit Public TV is looking for programs that can be distributed nationally in the U.S. on public television. Detroit Public Television would serve as a presenting station for those programs. Good stories are the highest priority for us but they also need to address universal problems for First Nations people as well as Native Americans.

WTVS Detroit Public Television is the viewer-supported PBS member station serving the nation's 11th largest television market. We operate on digital channel 43 (virtual subchannels 56.1, 56.2,and 56.3), and are carried on cable and satellite systems throughout Southeast Michigan and over a thousand communities in Canada. Channel numbers on these systems vary for WTVS and its subchannels.

We also manage WRCJ-FM 90.9 in a cooperative relationship with its owner, the Detroit Public Schools. Learn more at www.wrcjfm.org. We also own and operate the websites www.dptv.org and www.dptvmedia.org as well as www.MiEarth.org and www.MiVote.org that provide you more information and resources.
Our vision is to educate, entertain and inspire, in partnership with our community.

We offer ten hours of PBS KIDS programs each weekday, along with national and international news, PBS favorites and classic films. Our digital subchannels offer additional scheduling of public TV programming on 56.2 and how-to and travel programs on 56.3 Create. Detroit Public TV is notably active in the community producing local programs that showcase arts, culture, news analysis and physical activity; and outreach campaigns that use the power of media to provide knowledge and understanding.
Detroit Public Television is designated as a 501(c)(3) organization. DPTV is licensed under the name Detroit Educational Television Foundation WTVS-Channel 56 in Detroit, and operates under the names DPTV, Detroit Public TV, Channel 56, and WTVS and www.dptv.org.

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Kelrick Martin
Head of Content Creation / Commissioning Editor, National Indigenous TV, Australia (www.nitv.org.au)

Kelrick Martin is an award winning Indigenous storyteller from Broome WA, who commenced his career in 1994 as a cadet radio broadcaster with Goolarri Media. He then moved to Sydney to produce and present ABC Radio National’s Awaye!, an Indigenous arts and culture program. He was the inaugural presenter - and then Series Producer - of ABC TV’s weekly Indigenous series Message Stick, completed a Masters in Documentary Writing and Directing with AFTRS, and until recently had been working as a documentary filmmaker before joining NITV as a Commissioning Editor in May 2007. His independent documentary film Mad Morro screened as part of the 2008 imagineNATIVE program.

About NITV and what they are looking for:

National Indigenous Television (NITV) is the voice of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. A 24-hour service televised across a vast country, NITV allows Indigenous people to tell their own stories – bringing the world’s longest surviving and most ancient culture into the age of global communication. NITV was set up in 2007 after a 20-year long struggle for its establishment, and has a growing national audience. The only production it makes internally is news and current affairs, with most content obtained via commissioning or acquiring from Indigenous filmmakers, producers and storytellers.

All television genres are under consideration with a priority focus on drama, comedy, and children’s programs – where possible in traditional languages. NITV is also considering a wide variety of genres and durations to fit an international Indigenous programming slot.

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About ZDF and what they are looking for:
ZDF is Germany's national public television broadcaster. It is an independent non-profit corporation who provides information, education and entertainment in its programming reaching viewers of all ages and in all parts of Germany. Complementing a focus on news and current affairs, ZDF is also particularly successful with documentaries, fiction and sports programmes, and has proved able to defend a leading position in the highly competitive environment of currently over 40 German public or commercial free-to-air TV channels.
As one of Europe's largest broadcasters, ZDF German Television is a strong player in the international field: Long-established bilateral and multilateral partnerships and exchanges, especially with fellow members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), are complemented by numerous individual cooperation agreements with broadcasters around the world.

Apart from its main television channel ZDF, including teletext service ZDFtext, ZDF German Television operates, either individually or with partners, a number of television channels and related media services:
ARTE, 3sat, KIKA, Phoenix, Deutsche Welle, Deutschlandfunk Radio

ARTE was founded in 1991 and operates as a German-French joint venture, financed by television licence fees. ZDF is a participator with 25% of the shares. ARTE’S program charter stipulates that it should engage in the conception and transmission of television broadcasts that possess, in the most comprehensive sense, a cultural an international character that will contribute to the creation of a European identity. This involves maintaining high standards of quality with innovative program formats, supplying the in-depth background to straightforward issues and making complex issues comprehensible.

ARTE is an international broadcaster whose commitment is to provide all genres of programming. We are looking to develop and acquire documentaries and five part series focused on culture, current affairs, science, social aspects, history biography lifestyle and more.
Our slots require following length for documentaries, features (52’ up to 90’), report (30’ up to 45’), series (45’) and Themenights (105’ and 180’) and should contain quality, high production values, strong characters, vision, focus on indigenous issues/themes, nature and/or experimentalism. Our target audience is international.
There are common participations with international broadcasters like BBC (England), TV2 (Denmark), SVT (Sweden), YLE (Finland), NHK (Japan), Australian Broadcasting Corporation, AVRO (Dutch) and companies like NFBCanada, ITVS (USA), Australian Film Commission and more.

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About Shorts International and what they are looking for:
SHORTS INTERNATIONAL (http://www.shortsinternational.com) is largest short film Entertainment Company in the world with a library of over 4000 films. The Company is headquartered in the UK with offices in New York, France, and Los Angeles. SHORTS has launched SHORTSTV France, SHORTSTV UK and SHORTS HD U.S.A. The Company programs the short film channel on iTunes USA, UK, Canada, and Germany.

Shorts International is looking for films of all genres, lengths, all languages. High Definition short films are priority acquisitions. Looking for films that fit both our Film Sales clients as well as TV Channels and iTunes. Commission varies dependent upon film and upon territories.

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Shirley K. Sneve is the Executive Director of Native American Public Telecommunications, whose mission is to share Native stories with the world through support of the creation, promotion, and distribution of Native public media. She moved to Nebraska from Amherst, MA, where she was director of Arts Extension Service, a national arts service organization, based at the University of Massachusetts, from 2001-2004. A member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota) in South Dakota, Shirley was a founder of Northern Plains Tribal Arts Juried Show and Market, the Oyate Trail cultural tourism byway, and the Alliance of Tribal Tourism Advocates in South Dakota. She has been the director of the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science Visual Arts Center in Sioux Falls, assistant director of the South Dakota Arts Council and minority affairs producer for South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Shirley has been adjunct professor in Native American Studies at Augustana College and the University of Sioux Falls. She is a graduate of South Dakota State University in journalism, with minors in music, Native American Studies and German. Shirley serves on the board of The Association of American Cultures (TAAC), the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), Working Films, and the Arts Extension Institute

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About NAPT and what they are looking for:
Native American Public Telecommunications shares Native stories with the world through support of the creation, promotion and distribution of Native media. We are the primary broker of Native programs to U.S. Public Television stations. VisionMaker Video is our on-line video sales catalog that primarily targets the educational market. NAPT provides support for U.S. documentary filmmakers through an annual production fund, and support of professional development opportunities and technical assistance. On occasion, NAPT acquires narrative works, but we're primarily looking for documentary work. In addition, NAPT has an Internet service, the AIROS Native Network, which features a 24/7 audio stream and podcasts. We are exploring new ways to feature Native work on the web.

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