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Tag: Laurence Herszberg

  • Series Mania Forum announces ‘Series Mania Buyers Upfront’

    Series Mania Forum announces ‘Series Mania Buyers Upfront’

    Mumbai: Celebrating over a decade of contributions to global content development, Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg announced the launch of the “Series Mania Buyers Upfront,” a new initiative designed for buyers before the Series Mania Forum (25-27 March 2025). The Series Mania Festival will take place from 21-28 March 2025, and the Buyers Upfront event is scheduled for 24 March 2025, at the Chamber of Commerce (CCI) in Lille’s historic city center.

    The Series Mania Buyers Upfront is an invitation-only event for buyers, showcasing exclusive excerpts from 12 eagerly awaited series that have strong global appeal. Curated by the Festival’s artistic team, the selection will include high-potential series about to be released or still in post-production. The selection will be based on both artistic merit and broad audience appeal.

    The event will kick-off with an exclusive invitation-only brunch followed by the series presentation. Adding to the excitement, a distinguished jury of top buyers will present the Buyers Choice Award for the most promising series. A jury of top buyers will present the Buyers Choice Award for the most promising series, featuring Mediaset Spain, director of cinema, fiction, sales, rights acquisition and distribution, Ghislain Barrois; Sky, group director of acquisitions for UK/ROI & Europe, Katie Keenan; Movistar Plus+, head of series acquisitions, Rubén Fernández Loa; SVT, head of drama, Johanna Gardare; and Arte, commissioning editor & series acquisitions, Virginie Padilla.

    “Series Mania Buyers Upfront will serve as a bridge between industry professionals and the Series Mania Festival, offering a top lineup of series selected by our Festival team. This new initiative offers buyers a unique opportunity for exclusive screenings, dedicated meetings and networking opportunities, and a full festival experience. We are designing a tailor-made experience just for the buyers,” commented Herszberg.

    “Given the recent changes in the international marketplace, Series Mania is now perfectly positioned as the leading European event for scripted content development, as well as a key hub for distributors and buyers looking for content. With our new initiative, we will be better able to connect these distributors and buyers while further strengthening the Series Mania Forum as the must-attend event of the spring for the scripted community” added Series Mania Forum director Francesco Capurro.

    Originally established around its renowned international co-production pitch, Series Mania Forum has evolved into a premier destination for the entertainment industry, expanding its scope to include an IP market, a showcase venue, comprehensive conferences, and dynamic exhibitions. The forum has become a must-visit destination each spring for leading broadcasters, streamers, and major scripted studios worldwide.

  • Series Mania announces creation of ‘Best Marketing Initiative Award’

    Series Mania announces creation of ‘Best Marketing Initiative Award’

    Mumbai: Given the tremendous response and success of last year’s inaugural launch of “Series Mania’s Creative Campaign Award”, Series Mania founder & general director Laurence Herszberg (15-22 March 2024), has announced the creation of a newly named competition “Best Marketing Initiative Award,” a prize awarded by Series Mania to celebrate creativity in series’ marketing, not only for the promotion to the viewing audience (BtoC), but also initiatives undertaken by producers and distributors to raise awareness toward commissioners and buyers (BtoB).  The Call for Submissions for this Best Marketing Initiative Award opens on 20 November, and closes on 23 January, 2024.

    As with last year’s award, this new initiative responds to the need for producers, distributors, broadcasters and platforms, faced with the dizzying number of series available, to create innovative and unique marketing campaigns so that the series are noticed and have every chance of gaining attention.  The best ideas submitted, and the winner will be selected by a Series Mania committee and presented as part of the program during the 2024 Series Mania Forum (19-21 March 2024).

    “With a tremendous number of submissions entered last year, and with prices awarded to ‘Doctor Who: Flux’ from BBC Studios, and ‘Lupin’ from Netflix (Jury Special Mention), we knew we were on the right track with this award,” commented Herszberg. “Creativity in series’ marketing is more important than ever before given the sheer number of programs available today and we think it is a natural evolution to also open the stage to BtoB initiatives for 2024.”

    “Best Marketing Initiative Award” will be given to the most effective marketing initiative to promote a series, be it original, groundbreaking, or impactful for the audience.  The committee will be looking for the best marketing promotion, which may include communication campaigns, experiences, digital/social initiatives, or a striking visual or promo/trailer developed for the launch of a new series or a new season.

    https://seriesmania.com/forum/en/best-marketing-initiative-award/

    The eligibility requirements for this award include: Creative / social / influencer agencies, producers / studios, international distributors and/or broadcasters / streamers who have set up BtoB or BtoC promotional initiatives for the launch of a series or a new season can apply for this award. For this new edition, campaigns launched in 2022, 2023 and 2024 are eligible. The application must be for a marketing initiative around a fiction series.

    Additionally, it was announced that registration is now opening for the 2024 Series Mania Forum, the industry arm of Series Mania.  Series Mania Forum head Francesco Capurro added, “It is with great pleasure that we announce that registration for the Forum is now open.  We are expecting 4,000 participants from over 60 countries at Lille Grand Palais this year.  The 2024 edition is shaping up to be our biggest event yet and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to Lille.”

  • Series Mania 2023 announces ‘Call for Series’ and ‘Call for Projects’ for its forum

    Series Mania 2023 announces ‘Call for Series’ and ‘Call for Projects’ for its forum

    Mumbai: Following a hugely successful 2022 edition, the festival’s founder and general director, Laurence Herszberg, announced the ‘Call for Series’ for the 2023 edition, as well as the ‘Call for Projects’ for the festival’s industry arm, the Series Mania Forum (21-23 March, 2023).

    The ‘Call for Series’ for the festival has a submission deadline of 6 January, 2023, while the ‘Call for Projects’ for the forum has a deadline of 16 December, 2022.

    “Today I am delighted to be announcing our ‘Call for Series’ and ‘Call for Projects,’ marking the beginning of Series Mania 2023. Our 2022 edition brought together more than 70,000 participants for the festival and 3,300 accredited professionals on-site from 64 countries for the Forum,” commented Herszberg.

    “Our festival continues to showcase top series from around the world, while the forum—including Lille Dialogues—is truly one of today’s premiere meeting places for showrunners, screenwriters, producers, broadcasters, key executives, and talent. I have no doubt Series Mania 2023 will be even larger,” added Herszberg.

    More than 60 series will be chosen to participate in the Series Mania programme on the festival side.

    During the closing event of the eight-day festival, 14 prizes will be given out by the various juries. The Baby (HBO/SKY), We Own This City (HBO), Kamikaze (HBO Max), Unorthodox (Netflix), The Virtues (Channel 4), The Rain(Netflix), The Split (BBC1), I Love Dick (Prime Video), I’m Dying Up Here (Showtime), and Ride Upon the Storm are just a few of the prestigious series that have debuted as a result of the Series Mania international competition (DR).

    Visit here to submit online proposals

    https://film.series-mania.festicine.fr/en

    Producers can submit their proposals for the annual co-pro pitching sessions, the Series Mania Forum’s main event and the idea behind it in the first place. 15 concepts will be chosen from these entries to take part and present themselves to TV industry decision-makers.

    The winning proposal will get a prize of 50,000 euros as chosen by a distinguished jury of top business leaders. The forum has served as the premiere location for a number of international television series, including No Man’s Land(France), Banking District (Switzerland), Eden (France), Keeping Faith (Great Britain), Manor House (Czech Republic), Stella Blomkvist (Iceland), Tabula Rasa (Belgium), Trepalium (France), Warrior (Denmark), Devils (Italy), The Head(Spain), Ever After (Italy), The Last Socialist Artefact (Slovenia, Finland), We Got This (Sweden), Des Gens Bien (Belgium), The Dreamers (Israel), Off Season (Switzerland) and Blackport (Iceland).

    To submit online, please go to

    https://seriesmania.com/forum/en/co-pro-pitching-sessions-2023/

  • Le Monde De Demain, Dark Heart, and Chair Tendre win at Series Mania Festival

    Le Monde De Demain, Dark Heart, and Chair Tendre win at Series Mania Festival

    PARIS & LILLE, FRANCE: Series Mania 2022 has come to an end. The international TV Series festivals that started on 18 March and concluded on 25 March garnered potential attention. The 2022 edition brought together 70,000 participants and 3,300 accredited persons from 64 different nations this year.

    In the previous years, there were 2,100 accredited persons on-site in 2021 and 2,700 accredited persons on-site in 2019. The visits to the Series Mania Website and Series Mania Digital Platform totalled 260,000 views.

    Speaking about the event, the founder and general director of Series Mania, Laurence Herszberg said, “As we close the doors to an incredibly successful edition, we would first like to thank the public and the professionals who attended in record numbers, but also want to thank the city of Lille and the Hauts-de-France Region for their unwavering support of Series Mania.” 

    She said, “We are delighted to be announcing our new dates for 2023, and in terms of final numbers, our numbers far exceeded our expectations for the Forum, and we could not be prouder.”

    “While the highlights are numerous from this year for the Festival, Forum, and Lille Dialogues, I certainly want to acknowledge our Jury President and my dear friend, Ukrainian producer film producer Julia Sinkevych, who was truly an inspiration to everyone who met her. I’d also like to congratulate all the Festival winners, as well as the team from Paradys, winner of the Forum’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Series Mania 2023, ” she added.

    The Series Mania 2023 dates will be announced shortly. Herszberg also announced on Friday the winners of the Series Mania Festival and the final number of participants.

    We have listed below the Series Mania Winners:

    French show Le Monde De Demain bagged the grand prize in the International Competition, which was created by Katell Quillévéré, Hélier Cisterne, Vincent Poymiro and David Elkaïm. The jury was chaired by Ukrainian producer Julia Sinkevych. The production from Les films du Bélier and Arte France airs on Arte and Netflix.

    Michelle De Swarte was named best actress for The Baby (UK) broadcast on HBO and Sky, while for the Israeli show Fire Dance, Yehuda Levi won the best actor, which will be broadcasted on HBO and Sky.

    Sweden’s Dark Heart won the best series created by Oskar Söderlund and Gustav Möller in International Panorama and is broadcast on Discovery+ in Sweden with Reinvent International Sales on sales.

    Maria Von Heland’s Sunshine Eyes from Germany produced by Maze Pictures, Red Balloon Film GMBH and Tindra Film received the special jury prize. Another German show, Funeral For A Dog created by Hanno Hackfort, Bob Konrad and Thomas Pletzinge, bagged the best series that was awarded by the student jury. Sky Studios/NBCU represented international sales and Sky was the broadcaster. 

    Created by Yaël Langmann, the Chair Tendre won the best series honours in the French Competition. France TV airs it and sales are handled by France TV distribution. 

    The best actress was won by three actresses Inès Ouchaaou, Charlie Loiselier and Assa Sylla from Reusss. It is broadcasted by France. tv Slash and sold by France TV Distribution. 

    Moreover, Axel Granberger was named best actor for Les Papillons Noirs created by Bruno Merle and Olivier Abbou. Mediawan Rights handled the sales and represented it. Arte and Netflix are the broadcasters.

    The best original music was won by Clement Doumic, Antoine Wilson, Sebastien Wolf from the group Feu! Chatterson.

    Besides the above, in the Night of Comedies section, Kastina Communications’ High School Jury-Bloody Murray from Israel won the best series. The best series in short formats was won by Black Camel Pictures’ Float (UK) directed by Arabella Page Croft.

    The Audience Prize is awarded to the audience’s favourite series among all the titles in competition – except for Short Formats- voted on at the end of the screenings went to The Birth Of Daniel F. Harris (UK). It is created by Pete Jackson and directed by Alex Winckler and Alexandra Brodoski. The broadcast is on Channel 4 and BBC Studios handles sales.

  • UGC Writers Campus by Series Mania invites applications for 2021 edition

    UGC Writers Campus by Series Mania invites applications for 2021 edition

    MUMBAI: Series Mania has invited applications for its UGC Writers Campus, an immersive week-long writing workshop for 20 emerging TV drama writers from around the world. This, the fourth edition of UGC Writers Campus by Series Mania, will run from 27 May to 3 June 2021 in Lille, France. Deadline for submissions is 1 February 2021. 

    Eligible candidates are writers who have had at least one professional experience on a broadcast TV/digital series, short or feature film broadcast. The link for submitting applications can be found at:

    https://seriesmania.com/forum/en/ugc-writers-campus-2021/ 

    Over the course of one week, UGC Writers Campus will function as an incubator where writers will be immersed in an environment dedicated to their work with access to tutors, mentors and industry decision-makers.

    From 27-31 May, participants will have the opportunity to take part in workshops and masterclasses in the presence of experienced professionals who will serve and support them as mentors in the development of their projects. From 1-3 June, these emerging writers will be able to pitch their projects in front of the international industry professionals who will be in Lille for the forum. 

    "Today, we see an increasing demand from the industry toward screenwriters. In this context, Series Mania, with the UGC Writers Campus, is honoured to support and strengthen an international network of young writers who are able to offer high quality projects, while at the same time working together for the future of our audio-visual industry. The stories to come will certainly be local, but thus more open to co-production opportunities,” said UGC director, deputy MD Herszberg.

  • Series Mania announces official dates for 2021 and launches three new initiatives

    Series Mania announces official dates for 2021 and launches three new initiatives

    MUMBAI: Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg today announced the confirmed dates for Series Mania’s 2021 edition.  Set to take place in Lille, France and the Hauts-de-France region, the Series Mania Festival is set for 19 to 27 March and the Series Mania Forum, to be held in the Lille Grand Palais, is set for 23 to 25 March. As one of the largest international events exclusively dedicated to series returns with a new ambition to make Series Mania a permanent tool for the promotion of series creation, Series Mania has developed three new initiatives.  

    "In recent years, we have seen a major evolution in the audiovisual fiction landscape. First, is the significant increase in the volume of series. Second, is the emergence of new working methods resulting from the Covid2019 pandemic which have both reinforced festivals as essential events and ‘rendezvous’, but also confirmed the importance of online tools. Finally, is the need expressed by the audiovisual sector to bring forward new voices, new talent and new projects,” said Herszberg.

    In order to meet these new challenges, Series Mania is proud to announce the following new initiatives: 

    The launch of the Series Mania Label 

    Throughout the year, the Series Mania team watches hundreds of new series coming from all over the world. Going forward on a permanent basis, Series Mania will offer its recommendations to the public through its digital presence and online video content, as well as the organization of premiere screening year-round in Lille.  The selected festival-supported series will be awarded the Series Mania Label with the aim of developing their notoriety and visibility.

    The expansion of Series Mania Digital 

    Expanding on the Series Mania Digital Forum, which was successfully launched earlier this year, Series Mania will now come forward with an expanded digital platform where it will be possible to follow the evolution of projects and talent selected by the Series Mania Forum, as well as to access exclusive content (webinars, training courses, and more) and an international network of contacts. Beginning in September, Series Mania Digital will become a year-round initiative to encourage projects in development, through a lively and interactive networking platform. This digital platform will bring together members of the industry to strengthen networking links initiated in previous editions.

    And finally, the unveiling of the Series Mania Institute, a training venue for tomorrow’s European talent 

    Since its creation, Series Mania has positioned itself as a true "talent scout” for new creators, in particular through the scriptwriting residencies hosted by Series Mania Forum:  UGC Writers Campus, SeriesLab (a TorinoFilmLab initiative), and the Israel-France Co-Writing Residency (initiated by the CNC and Gesher Multicultural Film Fund).  In order to identify as early as possible new international talent, and to develop European creative networks, the festival is today launching the Series Mania Institute. Set to be housed in Lille, its mission will be to reinforce the training of European professionals in the field of series and audiovisual content, based on three fundamental axes:

    – Gathering international know-how in the field of series scriptwriting in order to create tomorrow's European network of creative talent 

    -Unifying all professions of the series industry, including scriptwriters, directors, producers and broadcasters, in order to have them develop a cohesive working culture

    – Encouraging the emergence of new talent from a diversity of backgrounds and origins

    The Series Mania Institute will be organised in partnership with La Fémis (supported by the CNC) and the Hauts-de-France Region and will offer several training courses for different audiences beginning in 2021. Further information and names of more partners will be released later this fall.

    “We are pleased to contribute to the development of a European-ambitioned initiative in the area of series professionals,” says La Fémis MD Nathalie Coste-Cerdan. “The Series Mania Institute is in line with what we think is needed for specific teaching on the serial genre and for European professionals to share their know-how.”

    “Series Mania Lille-Hauts-de-France made the region a permanent crossroads for audiovisual talent and decision-makers. With these new projects, Series Mania goes further in the creation process. The Series Mania Institute will allow us to boost specific training in audiovisual professions,” says Xavier Bertrand, President of the Hauts-de-France Region.

  • Series Mania Festival, events cancelled due to coronavirus scare

    Series Mania Festival, events cancelled due to coronavirus scare

    MUMBAI: The 2020 Series Mania Festival (March 20-28), Series Mania Forum (March 25-27), and Lille Dialogues (March 26) have been cancelled in view of the coronavirus situation. The decision has been taken after meeting with the French government, health authorities, and city officials from Lille, said Series Mania president Rodolphe Belmer.  

    "Every year since its inaugural event in Lille, Series Mania has attracted 80,000 festival-goers, most of whom have already booked their event tickets, and more than 3,000 professionals. Due to the recent restriction from the French government banning gatherings of more than 1,000 people, coupled with the travel restrictions for many of our international participants, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Series Mania,” said Rodolphe Belmer.  “In this delicate period, we are very touched by the ongoing support of our French and international partners, and we want to express our warm thanks to everyone.”

    President of the Hauts-de-France region Xavier Bertrand added, “The Hauts-de-France region has had the honour of hosting Series Mania since 2018 and is already looking forward to welcoming the Festival, Forum and Lille Dialogues in an ambitious way in 2021, as well as its further development in future years.  Series Mania has our total support, as well as the people around the world during this difficult time.”

    Founder and general director of Series Mania Laurence Herszberg added, “This year’s Series Mania was an event not to be missed with an exceptional programme and amazing guest list. It is with great sadness that we have had to make this difficult decision.  However, our utmost concern is for the safety and well-being of our valued clients, guests, and staff who have invested so much time these past few months.  I would like to thank the city of Lille, Hauts-de-France region, and European audiences for their enthusiasm and passion. I would also like to thank every creator, talent, producer, and broadcaster who have trusted us since the beginning. To our audiences, professionals, politicians, and industry leaders, we will be back stronger than ever in 2021 with a new edition that will be, from the bottom of our hearts, even more ambitious and radiant.”

  • Nippon TV heads to Series Mania Forum with three new scripted formats

    Nippon TV heads to Series Mania Forum with three new scripted formats

    TOKYO: Nippon Television Network Corporation (Nippon TV), Japan’s leading multiplatform entertainment powerhouse, announced that the company has been officially invited by Laurence Herszberg, founder-general director of Series Mania, to be the first Japanese company to attend Series Mania Forum.

    The company plans to highlight its hit list of scripted titles including Mother, Woman –My Life for My Children-, Abandoned, as well as introduce three of its newest scripted formats, including Top Knife, Off The Record, and Our Dearest Sakura. The announcement was made by KakoKuwahara, Managing Director, International Business Development, Nippon TV.

    In addition, Nippon TV will be hosting a one-hour showcase focusing on how its award-winning drama series, led by Mother and Woman – My Life for My Children, were created and went on to become international hits around the world. On stage during the showcase will be the producer Hisashi Tsugiya from the production department of Nippon TV, who is credited with creating and producing both series along with many others. Also on stage will be Incognita CEO Édouard de Vésinne, who is the producer of the upcoming French version of Mother. The showcase is set for Wednesday, March 25 at 15:15 (3:15pm) at the Salle Artois, followed by networking cocktails at the Lille Grand PalaisMatisse space cocktail room.

    “Since moving to Lille in 2018, Series Mania Forum has truly become the place in Europe where scripted professionals can find the best talent and projects in development, discover new trends, and connect with the top industry players. This is why we are so pleased that Nippon TV accepted our invitation for this year’s event as the first Japanese company officially attending Series Mania Forum and hosting a showcase. We look forward to putting a spotlight on Nippon TV’s content for all of the industry leaders in the global scripted world and welcoming the team to Lille,” said Herszberg.

    “I am delighted to represent Nippon TV as the first Japanese company to host a showcase at Series Mania. When I create my series, I have always focused on the theme of family and its relationships through my dramas such as Mother, Woman –My Life for My Children – and a none. I think this is a theme that is relatable throughout the world at any time. With the big win for Parasite at the Oscars this year, it is a wonderful time to create drama series from Asia. I firmly believe that strong stories from Japan are relevant today and I look forward to meeting many creators from around the world at Series Mania,” stated Tsugiya.

    “We are delighted to have been invited to Series Mania Forum. Our series Mother and Woman –My Life for My Children-are both universal stories that have garnered us a wide recognition in the international market, and we are proud to be able to showcase all of our series to the industry leaders attending Series Mania. Our producer, Tsugiya, is very much looking forward to talking about his creation process and we welcome all participants to join the discussion. We also believe this is the perfect venue for unveiling our three new scripted formats,” added Kuwahara.