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The Monte-Carlo Television Festival today announced the full programme and executive speaker line-up, with ten specially curated topics to be addressed during the Business Content, the Festival’s popular industry segment, including panel discussions and networking opportunities, taking place from 14 -16 June within the event.

Panels will be presented and attended by a unique blend of influential global executives from in front of and behind the camera, international and independent producers, young creatives, trade media and organizations. Sessions will highlight the incredible talent of the Golden Nymph nominees with both fiction and news and documentaries executives exchanging on trending industry topics with juries, committee members and other guests, around what drives their success stories and the challenges they face in an ever evolving entertainment landscape.

Festival Executive Director Cécile Menoni comments, “We’re extremely pleased to offer an expanded Business Content strand this year. With such an exceptional group of speakers from all areas of the global on-screen business, we’re looking forward to hosting strong and interesting debates as they explore many of the current and future opportunities and challenges facing our industry.”

Headline sessions include, “Embracing Challenges: Journey Thru the Lens of Two Women” an insightful conversation catch up with two internationally acclaimed leading ladies, Robin Wright and Rola Bauer, as they share their unique journeys as Filmmakers and Executive Producers with Leo Barraclough (Variety). Robin Wright will also dive into her work as an Actress and Director and her latest series which she stars, directs and is an Executive Producer for the upcoming psychological thriller, “The Girlfriend” (Prime Video), to be released later this year.

Rola Bauer will also join Chief Creative Officer, David W. Zucker, (Scott Free) and Executive Producer of the Ridley Scott pilot-directed crime drama “Dope Thief” (Apple) and the summer release “Alien: Earth” (FX) for the panel “Embracing Chaos: Journeys Thru the Television Multiverse” where they will discuss with Stewart Clarke (Deadline) their pioneering partnership, spanning over twenty years of international co-productions, including their latest limited series, “Pompeii: A Day of Fire” (Amazon MGM Studios).

A pressing topic in today’s financially conscious climate, “Counting the Cost: Where to Film & Get the Best Breaks”, led by Michael Pickard (C21 Media/Drama Quarterly), includes executive nominees Brendan Foley (Sherlock & Daugher for Starlings Entertainment), along with fiction jury member Brendan Fitzgerald (Secuoya Studios), who will reveal the places they consider utilising as locations for filming a series, offering insight and advice relating to the various tax breaks and incentives numerous countries offer production teams.

Likewise competition producer nominees, Moritz Polter, (Hundertdreizehn, Windlight Pictures) and Anant Singh, (Don’t Give Up, Videovision Entertainment), along with Brendan Foley, will dominate the speaker lineup for a digitally focused panel, “ Streaming Platforms & the Challenge of Audience Engagement Through Content” with Remi Tereszkiewicz (BetaSeries), who will debate how the growing number of platforms bring an overwhelming availability of content, and what tools can ensure audiences are maximizing personalized content and the impact this can have for a series.

Keeping in the series thread, another perspective for “Marketing & PR: Measuring the Value of Series Campaigns” will highlight how series can be taken to a new level or fight fires when things go wrong and how and why do TV producers and shows need PR, or do they? Sharing their insights with Michael Idato (Sydney Morning Herald), will be experts from each camp including Brendan Foley, Judy Lung (TIFF - Toronto International Film Festival) and Alan Nierob, (Rogers & Cowan PMK).

Another industry shaping topic is the “Future of the Public Broadcasting Service in the Evolving Landscape”. PBS still attracts considerable audiences around the globe, delivering reliable, unbiased reporting in a world of increasing “fake news”, alongside risk taking drama and factual programming. With funding constantly under review, this diverse and international panel from around the globe, including Matthew Deaner, (Screen Producers Australia), Toma De Matteis, (France Télévisions), Jinhyun Park, (EBS - Korea Educational Broadcasting System), Vance Van Petten, (Dodge Film School, Chapman University - USA), led by UK television executive veteran, Graham Benson, will discuss how they are navigating their way amongst their more commercial competitors.

A not to be missed, “Women in Television” all female lineup will showcase a vibrant panel of executive and creative women who have made their mark in the world of television and entertainment and the opportunities and challenges they have encountered along the way. Mathilde Fiquet (CEPI) will lead this dazzling line up of leading ladies, Shelly Goldstein, Performer / Writer Sherlock & Daughter (for Starlings Entertainment), Marianne Levy, (Hybrid Rom Com Author), Judith Light (Fiction Jury President) and nominee, Josée Vallée (Deepfake - Sphere Media), for a lively exchange between these influential industry women.

At the forefront of innovative technology revolutions, “That’s (AI) Entertainment!” explores how staying on top of the latest AI advancements is seen as a crucial tool for professional creatives and executives. However AI also brings its challenges and requires a deep understanding of its capabilities and limitations. Moderated by Michel Zgarka (Hitlab) with creative, executive and academic experts Toma De Matteis, Leif Holst Jensen (Inn University) and Vanessa Shapiro (Nicely Entertainment) debating this topical subject.

Documentaries are an important genre for the Festival and no more so than this year, with the launch of a new Pitch Contest - “Tell Me A Story”, in collaboration with pioneer and award winning Executive Producer, Writer & CEO, Tom Jennings (1895 Films), with a goal to uncover compelling factual story ideas from a new generation of film creators. Selected finalists will pitch their projects in front of an international judging panel and have the opportunity to network with influential TV and entertainment executives during the Business Content.

An added bonus from the maestro storyteller himself, Tom Jennings, along with independent documentary producer Kristin Stasiowski, will be a unique opportunity for young creators to join an exclusive afternoon Masterclass on the art of filmmaking in the factual genre.

Additionally, a “Documentary Storytelling” panel will see Tom Jennings join Tonje Hessen Schei (Dox Division) and nominee Sue Turley (The Stringer, XRM Media) to discuss evolutions and challenges within the different factual, creative and commercial processes for networks and streamers and much more, with the panel moderated by Kristin Stasiowski.

The Business Content panel sessions and daily networking events are complemented by Festival Connect, a platform to facilitate exchange between industry attendees at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival.