JANEL DOWNING: “IT’S IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT LOCAL PRODUCERS IN THE REGION”

All3media International is playing a huge role in this year’s MIP Cancun with its "Formats Pitch". With the tagline “New Formats, No Borders,” this competition offers an amazing opportunity for producers to enter their entertainment format idea into a dynamic pitch environment - with advice and engagement of experienced producers and broadcasters at every stage. To discuss about this event and the Latin American market’s landscape, Señal News interviewed Janel Downing, VP Sales Latin America at All3media International.

●   What are All3media's recent business developments in Latin America?

“We’ve had another strong year in Latin America and have closed a variety of significant deals across all genres. Highlights include a package of lifestyle titles heading to Discovery, featuring ‘Worst Cooks in America,’ ‘Worst Bakers in America’ and the all-new ‘10 Years Younger’. On the scripted front, Globoplay has acquired the powerful drama ‘Mrs. Wilson,’ contemporary psychological thrillers ‘Clique’ and ‘Cheat,’ and the timely ‘Dark Money,’ while STARZ has picked up the ratings-winning detective drama ‘Baptiste’. From our formats portfolio, TV Globo has commissioned a Brazilian version of the exhilarating primetime entertainment show’ Catch Me Out,’ where everyday people take on the challenge of convincing a theatre audience they are a professional entertainer, following just four weeks of training”.

●   What's the regional value of MIP Cancun and the partnership with the event's "Formats Pitch"?

“We have identified Latin America as a key growth region for All3media International, seeing the market growing over the past few years. Our strategy involves forging relationships with more regional broadcasters. We believe it to be fundamental and MIP Cancun gives us the opportunity to build those relationships”.

●   How do analyze Latin America's creativity and production potential?

“There is so much talent in the region and our objective is to tap into that talent and find an original idea from Latin America that can be easily adaptable for audiences around the world. We feel it is important to support local producers in the region. Having had such success with our pitch competitions at The Asian Television Forum and MIPTV, we’re excited to launch our entertainment formats pitch at MIP Cancun”.

●   What new shows and launches will you have for MIP Cancun?

“‘The Dog House,’ an exciting new format from Five Mile Films, centres around the joy, comedy and emotion of the human-dog adoption experience. Taking place at a special dog shelter, it proves that finding the right homes for dogs isn’t always easy. A long-running format we have rebooted is Maverick TV’s ‘10 Years Younger,’ the original and best makeover show that has been transforming lives for 15 years has had its own makeover as it continues to uncover people’s inherent beauty from within. We’ve already partnered with Discovery, who will be bringing the show to Latin America. Company Pictures’ produced ‘Van Der Valk’ headlines our drama slate. The brand-new sleek detective procedural filmed in Amsterdam stars Marc Warren as the eponymous Detective Van der Valk”.

By Diego Alfagemez