Sales Talk: TVF Int’l execs on FAST, ‘Euphoria’ & why Carbon matters

Lindsey Ayotte

Buyers, hungry for new content, are in the UK capital for meetings, presentations and drinks – or logging on from across the globe – for London TV Screenings all this week.

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.

LINSEY AYOTTE, DIRECTOR

WILL STAPLEY, HEAD OF ACQUISITIONS

JULES CHOU-LAMBERT, ACQUISITIONS MANAGER & ASIA LEAD

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

LA & WS: Carbon: The Unauthorised Biography from the award-winning Genepool Productions and Handful of Films. At a time when carbon is more spoken about but more misunderstood than ever, this documentary tells the story of life’s core element from the perspective of carbon, voiced and brought to life by Sarah Snook of Succession fame.

Will Stapley

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

LA: I’m excited about Euphoria S3.

WS: I can’t wait for the finale of Ozark.

What single distribution trend will define the next 12 months?

LA & WS: Interest in FAST rights and increased flexibility around VOD rights in general, especially with big streamers looking to do more co-productions and not retaining all rights in the universe in perpetuity!

Jules Chou-Lambert

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

LA & WS: Consolidated, opportunity, flux.

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

JCL, LA & WS: Asia generally! Top Asian factual producers have successfully leveraged their relationships with local producers across the continent and beyond, even throughout the pandemic. With high production value and growing global interest in Asian content aided by the Korean Wave, Asia is one of the most exciting places for factual production. For reality programming, Australia and New Zealand are making inroads while America’s grip on reality programming has come and gone. Although, due to jigsaw financing models a lot of content is not just made in one country anymore either.

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

LA & WS: Start commissioning our own projects sooner and investing earlier in our own FAST strategy.