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Banff announces key speakers for its growing programming lineup

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From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is pleased to announce a distinguished lineup of industry leaders set to headline the 45th edition of the Festival taking place June 9 – 12, 2024 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

Key sessions at the Festival will feature:

In Conversation With Amy Reisenbach, CBS Entertainment
CBS Entertainment President, Amy Reisenbach, will join BANFF for a special ‘in conversation with’ session as she speaks about the network’s 2024/25 programming strategy, the art of building procedural franchises and CBS’ important role in the evolving TV ecosystem.  Reisenbach has served as President since 2022, where she now leads all primetime, daytime and late-night creative departments at the CBS Television Network, and supervises all comedy and drama development, alternative, specials and current programming, scheduling and casting.

International Media Leaders
Charting the Course Forward: Join our esteemed international media leaders as they delve into the currents reshaping the media landscape. From technological convergence to the imperative of diversity and inclusion, they’ll navigate the challenges and opportunities of an ever-evolving industry, sharing innovative strategies driving success in the face of disruption.

Speakers:

  • Bing Chen, CEO & Co-Founder, Gold House
  • Sandra Dewey, COO, Media Res
  • Lisa Kramer, President, International TV Licensing, Paramount Global Content Distribution
  • Asif Sadiq, Chief Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery
  • Cori Wellins, Partner, William Morris Endeavor

Disrupt or Be Disrupted: The Media Industry in the Age of Enshittification
Adam Cunningham, Chief Strategy Officer, Allied Global Marketing

Enshittification, the gradual decline into irrelevance faced by media platforms that fail to evolve with their audience, is the sword hanging over every media owner’s head. This era, characterized by rapid tech growth, domination and control, threatens to diminish your value, compelling an urgent shift from legacy approaches to innovative engagement. In this gritty guide, we challenge you to overhaul your strategy, placing the audience’s preferences at the core. It’s a clear call: disrupt your own models or be side-lined by those who will. For those daring to adapt, the future is bright; for the rest, irrelevance awaits.

“We’re thrilled to welcome these outstanding global entertainment thought leaders to the BANFF stage,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director (pictured above). “Now is not the time to be timid. The industry is at an inflection point. We’re programming a provocative lineup of speakers and this year’s Festival is poised to be a cornerstone event for media professionals navigating the complexities of our rapidly growing landscape.”

As previously announced, Channing Dungey, Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman and CEO and Rob Wade, CEO, FOX Entertainment are confirmed as Summit Series keynotes. The Festival will again include more than 1,200 facilitated networking opportunities, in addition to over 25,000 meetings connecting the global media industry to ignite new projects and support business growth.

This year, international financing and co-production will be a major focus.  BANFF will also debut new conference content focused on music on screen.   Technology, AI and entertainment content on social media and online platforms will also be a key focus.

Also returning to the BANFF stage in June is the Rockie Awards International Program Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious screen industry competitions, with participation from more than 45+ countries annually including an international jury of 150 industry professionals. Category winners, including the Grand Jury Prize, the Rogers Prize for Canadian Content, the Emerging Talent Prize, the Francophone Prize, and other special prizes, will be announced during the Festival on June 11th.

In addition, taking place on the evening of June 10th, the industry-favourite Rockies Gala will return to recognize the best content and most influential entertainment industry executives, talent and creators in the world.

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Featured

Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman and CEO Channing Dungey joins the Banff World Media Festival Summer Series as a keynote speaker

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From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is proud to announce Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman and CEO Channing Dungey is joining the Festival’s premium Summit Series lineup as a keynote speaker.  The 45th edition of the Festival will take place June 9 – 12, 2024 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

“We’re delighted to welcome back Channing Dungey as a keynote speaker,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, BANFF Executive Director.  “Channing’s unparalleled expertise and insights are a key driver in shaping the future of the entertainment industry.  She is a visionary whose impact transcends screens.”

The BANFF Summit Series is a curated lineup of keynotes featuring global players who are shaping the future of the media industry. As previously announced, Rob Wade, CEO, FOX Entertainment is also confirmed as a Summit Series keynote. Past Summit Series keynote speakers include Jeffrey Katzenberg, Paula Kerger, Pearlena Igbokwe, Bela Bajaria, Ted Sarandos and Maverick Carter, to name a few.

The Festival will again include master classes going behind the scenes of some of the global industry’s most innovative projects and more than 1,200 facilitated networking opportunities, in addition to over 25,000 meetings connecting the global media industry to ignite new projects and support business growth.

This year, international financing and co-production will be a major focus with the launch of the “Better Together” content stream.  BANFF will also debut “Soundtrack,” a new conference stream focused on music on screen.   Technology, AI and entertainment content on social media and online platforms will also be a key content focus.

Also returning to the BANFF stage in June is the Rockie Awards International Program Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious screen industry competitions, with participation from more than 45+ countries annually including an international jury of 150 industry professionals. Category winners, including the Grand Jury Prize, the Rogers Prize for Canadian Content, the Emerging Talent Prize, the Francophone Prize, and other special prizes, will be announced during the Festival on June 11th.

In addition, taking place on the evening of June 10th, the industry-favourite Rockies Gala will return to recognize the best content and most influential entertainment industry executives, talent and creators in the world.

About Channing Dungey
Highly esteemed executive Channing Dungey serves as Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG), one of the entertainment industry’s most-respected providers of original programming. She is the first Black executive and first woman to lead WBTVG. In this role, she has creative responsibility for all of the Studio’s unrivaled television production activities, including nearly 90 scripted, unscripted, and animated series for streaming platforms, cable, and the broadcast networks. Prior to joining the company, she was Vice President of Original Series at Netflix. Before that, she made history as the first Black executive to run a major television network when she was tapped to serve as president of ABC Entertainment. Dungey graduated from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television. 

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Awards, Featured

Banff’s 2024 Rockie Awards International Program Competition nominees announced

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From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is pleased to announce the 2024 Rockie Awards International Program Competition Nominees, recognizing excellence in television and digital media from around the globe. The Rockie Awards ceremony will be held in-person as well as live-streamed during this year’s Festival on Tuesday, June 11th at 5:30pm MT (4:30pm PT/ 7:30pm ET).

The Rockie Awards Grand Jury chooses the coveted Grand Jury Prize, selected from the top-scoring programs across the entire field of nominees. This year’s esteemed Grand Jury includes:

Javiera Balmaceda
Head of Originals, Latin America, CA & AU at Amazon MGM Studios

Julie Chang (above)
EVP, Business Strategy & Co-Productions at Blue Ant Media

Prentiss Fraser
President, TV Distribution at Fifth Season

Nichole T. Roberts
Head of Unscripted at Hoorae

Michael Thorn
President, Scripted Programming at FOX Entertainment 

Morgan Wandell
Head of International Content Development at Apple TV+

“We’re delighted to unveil the nominees for this year’s Rockie Awards, a field that truly embodies excellence and innovation within our industry. This is the best of the best across international content. Deep appreciation goes to the esteemed members of the Grand Jury, whose discerning adjudication elevates the program immeasurably,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director. 

In addition to the Grand Jury Prize, the $25,000 Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content, awarded to the top Canadian production and the Prix Francophone for the top French language production will also be awarded as well as other special awards. In total, 30 awards will be bestowed in the category streams of Documentary & Factual, Arts & Entertainment, Children & Youth, Scripted, and Podcast, in addition to the presentation of several Rockies Gala Awards to be announced soon.

Leading nominations by company are:

  • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – 22 nominations
  • 20th Television – 8 nominations
  • Sky – 5 nominations

Leading nominations by country are:

  • USA – 51 nominations
  • UK – 50 nominations
  • Canada – 40 nominations
  • France – 8 nominations
  • Germany – 7 nominations
  • Taiwan – 6 nominations

Additional countries represented in the nominations are:

  • Australia
  • Belgium
  • India
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • The Netherlands
  • Wales

FOR THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES, PLEASE VISIT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16zvZwg34SHW190DzBYx35AY5RGtxcRrvMGnLa_nK5VQ/edit?usp=sharing

About the Rockie Awards:

With a 45-year legacy, the Rockie Awards International Program Competition is open to genres and platforms including drama, non-fiction, digital, kids, youth and podcasts. Timed in the heart of awards voting season, the prestigious Banff World Media Festival competition recognizes excellence in global television and digital content. Entries from more than 45 countries compete each year, and winners are selected by an international industry jury of 150+ senior entertainment and media professionals.

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Awards

Banff World Media Festival unveils 2023 Rockies Gala recipients

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From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is proud to announce this year’s exciting lineup of the Rockies Gala recipients. The intimate and glitzy in-person awards show will take place at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada on Tuesday, June 13th at 6:30pm MT.

Hosting the Festival’s flagship honours is actor, singer, musician and comedian Craig Robinson. Executive Producer and star of Peacock’s Killing It, Robinson is best known for his portrayal of ‘Darryl Philbin’ in The Office and has starred in films including Knocked Up, This is the End, Hot Tub Time Machine, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, Morris from America, Tragedy Girls, Dolemite is my Name!, Timmy Failure, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, Songbird, and The Bad Guys. He also starred in his own sitcom, Mr. Robinson, as well as Ghosted and hosted The Masked Dancer. Headlining venues and festivals across the country, Robinson does both solo acts and full sets with his band, “The Nasty Delicious.”

Rockies Gala Awards to be bestowed include:

INCLUSION AWARD: Garcelle Beauvais (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills)
Presented by A+E Networks, the Inclusion Award recognizes an individual whose efforts and vision in media champion and reflect the diversity of the world in which we live.
Past honourees include: Danielle Brooks, LeVar Burton, Jonathan Murray, Elizabeth Vargas and Vivica A. Fox.

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: Alanis Obomsawin (Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, Rocks at Whiskey Trench, The People of the Kattawapiskak River)
The Career Achievement award recognizes the extraordinary career of someone that has had a significant impact on the screen-based industries.
Past honourees include: Dan Rather, Christine Baranski, Larry King, Ed Asner, William Shatner, James Burrows and David Attenborough.

IMPACT AWARD: Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, World of Wonder
Presented by The Hollywood Reporter, this award is bestowed annually to an individual or group that has made a significant and impactful contribution to screen-based entertainment.
Past honourees include: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Shore, accepting on behalf of The Good Doctor; Anthony Anderson, accepting on behalf of black-ish; Justin Simien accepting on behalf of Dear White People, and Bela Bajaria.

INNOVATIVE PRODUCER AWARD: Sphere Media
Presented by Lionsgate, the Innovative Producer Award recognizes the entrepreneurial excellence and achievements of an independent producer in TV/digital media.
Past honourees include: Sinking Ship Entertainment, Wattpad Studios, Scott Brothers Entertainment, New Metric Media, Wolf + Rabbit, Don Carmody, marblemedia and Eagle Vision.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters, Catastrophe)
Presented by Variety, The Award of Excellence acknowledges exceptional achievement through a body of work over an extended period of time.
Past honourees include: Paul Feig, Jeremy Podeswa, Kenny Ortega, Eugene Levy, Carol Mendelsohn and David E. Kelley.

Separately, the coveted CREATIVE VOICE AWARD which is bestowed on an executive or creative talent that has created outstanding work that breaks through, inspiring and connecting global audiences will be presented virtually to Jennifer Podemski (Future History, Little Bird, Empire of Dirt, above) on Sunday June 11th as part of this year’s prestigious Indigenous Screen Summit, which honours and celebrates the talents and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis storytellers and creators within the screen industries.

Additional awards to be presented at the Rockies Gala ceremony in person on Tuesday June 13th include:

SIR PETER USTINOV COMEDY AWARD: The award recognizes a creative talent who has made an outstanding comedic contribution to the media industry.
Past honourees include: Kenan Thompson, Sean Hayes, John Cleese, Tracey Ullman, Bob Newhart, Tantoo Cardinal, John Candy, Bill Hader and Ana Gasteyer.

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: The Program of the Year award is presented to an outstanding, acclaimed, ground-breaking, and/or highly rated program from within the last calendar year that not only has earned critical and audience success, but which also is provocative and has made an impact beyond the entertainment industry.
Past recipients include: It’s a Sin, This is Us, Handmaid’s Tale, Making a Murderer and Surviving R. Kelly.

GRAND JURY PRIZE: The Grand Jury Prize is chosen by the esteemed Rockie Awards International Program Competition Grand Jury, including: Mo Abudu (CEO, EbonyLife Media), Alice Dickens-Koblin (SVP, Head of Unscripted Programming, Starz), Peter Gal (Chief Creative Officer, Television, DreamWorks Animation), Cynthia Kennedy (VP, Distribution, Incendo & Quebecor Content), Mark Linsey (Managing Director, Scripted, BBC Studios), Jacqueline Sacerio (EVP, Co-Head of Scripted Development, eOne), Beatrice Springborn (President, UCP & Universal International Studios). The Grand Jury’s deliberations focus on the highest scoring projects as scored by the global jury, comprising more than 150 senior industry professionals. Past recipients of the Grand Jury Prize include: I May Destroy You, Fleabag, Big Little Lies, Planet Earth II, Sharp Objects and Help.

In addition, the Rockie Awards International Program Competition, featuring 141 nominees from 29 countries across 27 categories, will take place the evening before the Rockies Gala on Monday June 12th at 5:30pm MT. This year’s competition will be co-hosted by Crystle Lightning and MC RedCloud.

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Industry News

BAFTA award winner Sharon Horgan joins the Banff World Media Festival’s Keynote Summit series lineup

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is proud to announce Sharon Horgan as a Summit Series keynote speaker, a premium lineup featuring the boldest voices and the world’s most influential media leaders and recipient of the Award of Excellence. The highly anticipated session will take place on Wednesday, June 14th. The 44th edition of the Festival will take place in person June 11 – 14 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

“Sharon is one of the top creators, showrunners and performers in the business, and her addition to BANFF’s lineup of keynote speakers underscores the Festival’s prominence on the world stage,” said Kevin Beggs, Chair of the Board of Directors for BANFF and Chair & Chief Creative Officer of the Lionsgate Television Group. “We are privileged to be partnered with Sharon on Motherland for the BBC and are beyond excited about its U.S. adaptation that recently received a pilot order at ABC. I’m thrilled that she will be joining us at BANFF.”

“Sharon is one of the most prolific creators of our time, having produced hit after hit of critically-acclaimed content,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival. “As an actor, showrunner, writer, producer and director, she’s made a virtue of being a multi-hyphenate and continues to deliver honest, clever and wildly entertaining portrayals of women on screen. We’re honoured to welcome Sharon to the BANFF stage to discuss her career and thoughts on the ever-changing industry.”

The BANFF Summit Series is a curated, future-focused lineup of keynote sessions that was launched in 2019 in honour of the festival’s four-decade legacy. As previously announced, Fremantle’s CEO Jennifer Mullin and George Cheeks, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS and Chief Content Officer, News and Sports for Paramount+ are also confirmed as Summit Series keynotes.

Furthermore, Horgan will be presented with the Award of Excellence at the Rockies Gala taking place on Tuesday, June 13th during the Festival. The Award of Excellence acknowledges exceptional achievement through a body of work over an extended period of time. Past honourees include Paul Feig, Jeremy Podeswa, Kenny Ortega, Eugene Levy, Carol Mendelsohn and David E. Kelley.

In addition to Summit Series keynotes, BANFF will return with an array of provocative panel discussions including the recently announced Universal Studio Group Spotlight session featuring Erin Underhill, President of Universal Television, Beatrice Springborn, President of Universal International Studios & UCP and Toby Gorman, President of Universal Television Alternative Studio. As previously announced, multi-faceted entertainer Lilly Singh and World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato are confirmed to participate in exclusive ‘In Conversation With’ sessions, respectively.

The Festival will again include celebrity master classes and networking opportunities to connect the global media industry to ignite new projects and support business development. Also returning are the Rockie Awards International Program Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious screen industry competitions, with participation from more than 45+ countries annually including an international jury of 150 industry professionals. Category winners, including the Grand Jury Prize, the Rogers Prize for Canadian Content, the Francophone Prize, and other special prizes, will be announced during the Festival on June 12th.

ABOUT SHARON HORGAN
Sharon Horgan is a dynamic, witty, and talented multihyphenate whose exceptional storytelling skills have brought her international recognition. She is an award-winning creator, writer, producer, and actor who portrays the experiences of strong, female-driven stories.

Sharon is the writer, co-creator, executive producer, and star of the ten-part comedy thriller series BAD SISTERS with Apple TV+, where she has an overall deal. The series, which premiered on August 18, follows a group of five sisters (the Garveys) and the promise they make to always protect each other after their parents’ premature death. The series stars Sharon alongside Eve Hewson, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, Anne-Marie Duff, and Claes Bang. BAD SISTERS is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 100% critic score and Time has called the series “wickedly funny” and “genuinely poignant.” It has received 29 nominations, some of which include five Baftas, two Critics’ Choice Awards, two WGAs, and 12 IFTAs. She’s currently in production on Season 2.

Up next, she will star in the drama series,  BEST INTERESTS, written by Jack Thorne. It is a story about a family driven to make choices no parent would ever want to make, as well as highlighting the troubled relationship the UK has with disability.  The show will air this year on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Sharon stars opposite Michael Sheen who will play her husband.

Sharon is best known for her multiple award-winning sitcom CATASTROPHE, which she co-wrote and starred in with Rob Delaney.  She won the BAFTA TV Craft Award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series in 2016 and also gained three BAFTA nominations for her extraordinary performance in the show, alongside a Primetime Emmy Award Nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. The final season of CATASTROPHE aired in January 2019 (UK) and in spring 2019 (USA). 

She is also the co-founder, alongside Clelia Mountford, of the TV and Film production company Merman. Under the Merman banner, it was just announced that ABC ordered to pilot DROP OFF, the American adaptation of the award-winning British hit MOTHERLAND. Ellie Kemper and Judy Greer will star in the pilot which is currently in production. Sharon co-created SHINING VALE, an eight-part horror comedy series starring Courteney Cox and Greg Kinnear, which premiered on Starz and is currently in production on its third season. Sharon’s other credits for Merman include executive producing and starring in the animated comedy HOUSEBROKEN on Fox, which stars Lisa Kudrow and was co-created by Clea Duvall, Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan. Season 2 just premiered in March 2023. Sharon also executive produced FRANK OF IRELAND (Channel 4/Amazon) and co-wrote and executive produced the BAFTA-winning MOTHERLAND on BBC. She was also an executive producer of FRAYED (Sky/ABC), THERE SHE GOES (BBC/Britbox) and THIS WAY UP (Ch4/Hulu), which she also starred in alongside creator Aisling Bea.

Sharon’s further recognition includes the  BAFTA TV Award for Best Short Form Programme (2018) for MORGANA ROBINSON’S SUMMER: DREAMLAND and an Outstanding Achievement Award for her debut short film THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS.  At the National Comedy Awards, Sharon was awarded the Caroline Ahearne Outstanding Achievement Award. She has also received two BAFTA Award nominations and two British Comedy Awards for her iconic BBC show PULLING which she co-wrote and starred in. She also wrote and directed an episode of Amazon’s anthology MODERN LOVE, “Rallying to Keep the Game Alive” and starring Tina Fey and John Slattery.

On the film side, Sharon can be seen starring opposite Nicolas Cage in THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT, which was released last April. She also starred opposite James McAvoy in the Stephen Daldry-directed film TOGETHER for BBC Two and BBC Film. In 2021, she took on the role of Miss Hedge in the BAFTA-nominated feature film adaptation of the West End musical EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE. She also starred alongside Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman and Kyle Chandler in the critical and commercial hit feature film GAME NIGHT.  In 2020, she starred in MILITARY WIVES opposite Kristin Scott Thomas and the Irish comedy-drama film  DATING AMBER, for which she won an IFTA for Best Supporting Actress.

Sharon’s further acting credits include  CRIMINAL UK (Netflix), BOB’S BURGERS (Fox),  BOJACK HORSEMAN (Netflix), THE INCREASINGLY POOR DECISIONS OF TODD MARGARET (IFC),  ADVENTURE TIME  (CARTOON NETWORK), PSYCHOBITCHES  (Sky Arts), THE BORROWERS  (BBC),  FREE AGENTS  (C4),  DEAD BOSS (BBC) and  BAD SUGAR  (C4), as well as the films  RUN AND JUMP,  DEATH OF A SUPERHERO, and MAN UP.  Sharon also voices Queen Dagmar in the Matt Groening Netflix series DISENCHANTMENT.

Image courtesy of David Levene.

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