Sales Talk: Passion Distribution’s Emmanuelle Namiech on flourishing UK & new routes to market

Buyers, hungry for new content, are making their way to the UK capital for meetings, presentations and drinks – or logging on from across the globe – all this week, as London TV Screenings gets underway.

With so many new productions being showcased, TBI has been checking in with execs from international distributors of all sizes as they share the best new shows on their slates, along with the top trends to watch out for in 2022.

Killing In Paradise

EMMANUELLE NAMIECH, CEO PASSION DISTRIBUTION

What’s your standout show for London TV Screenings and why?

Killing In Paradise is the gripping ‘live’ story of Jasmine Hartin – a prominent businesswoman accused of killing a high ranking- police officer in Belize last year. Was it an accident or murder? It’s a powerful story currently unfolding with a fascinating character at its heart – a mother fighting to clear her name, to get her children back, and to escape the influence of her estranged billionaire family.

What show are you most looking forward to in 2022 (not including your own)?

I can’t wait for the next season of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel – that’s my Friday evenings sorted for the next few weeks.

What single distribution trend will define th​e next 12 months?

The most adaptable distributors will continue to evolve as a source of new content, partnering closely with producers and broadcasters at all stages of programme creation and by establishing more direct routes to market. In terms of back catalogue, maximising revenues through exploitation via AVOD aggregation and FAST channels will increase.

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

Three words to describe the global distribution industry right now are…

Proactive. Entrepreneurial. Flexible.

Which country’s programming will boom this year & why?

The UK production community continue to offer a phenomenal supply of excellent programming and I have no doubt it will continue to flourish, despite increasing pressures on budgets.

​Rewind to this time in 2018. You have the same knowledge as you do now – what would be the first thing you’d do?

I’d definitely recommend ensuring all systems have a robust response in case of emergency requiring remote use. To minimise any content pipeline gaps, I would take a close look at production and post schedules and specifically what can be delivered before March 2020! But overall, continue to work closely with clients to better understand their core needs and how to facilitate that.