Over the past five years I’ve had the great good fortune to spend this week in the south of France, attending the annual international TV marketplace known as MIPCOM. I’ve truly valued that perspective, occasionally through the good graces of Canadian government agencies, on the rapidly changing business of worldwide content marketing. Also, the view
Two weeks ago in Cannes I had the pleasure of catching up with Lauren Lee Smith, star of the CBC historical drama Frankie Drake Mysteries. She even sat for a breezy, two-and-a-half minute video chat (above). The Vancouver native was in the south of France to promote international sales of Frankie at MIPCOM. The CBC
CANNES — One hot topic at MIPCOM has always been ratings and numbers. The main question everyone asks is whether there is a better way to count heads in today’s ever evolving TV landscape. One company who thinks it has the answer is Parrot Analytics. The company, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, London
CANNES — It has been years since I last interviewed Ben Stiller — 29 to be exact. That occasion was the TCA press launch of the short-lived, Emmy-winning The Ben Stiller Show. The sketch series aired from 1989 to 1990 on Fox and boasted a stellar talent roster, with Judd Apatow, Bob Odenkirk, Jeanne Garafalo
CANNES — Canada’s two major TV and film funding agencies — to whom, full disclosure, I have to thank for my trip to MIPCOM this year — always try to showcase the country as a perfect international partner for buying, selling and making television. On Tuesday, Telefilm and The Canada Media Fund showcased three very
CANNES — MIPCOM, the international television marketplace taking place this week in France, is a bit like a giant food court for TV. There’s a lot of junk food, some of the fare is overpriced and underdone and a lot of it is hard to swallow. Then there’s Jamie Oliver. The British celebrity chef delivered
CANNES — British comedian Sir Lenny Henry brought his “one big idea” to MIPCOM Wednesday. The 59-year-old actor, singer and Comic Relief co-founder was asked to give a keynote on diversity and he pushed a very intriguing notion: provide tax breaks tied to diversity. Henry told how, when he first arrived at BBC, the network
CANNES — Forget all that stuff about Peak TV and the new “Golden Age.” Every year at MIPCOM, the heap of content on display during the international TV market is staggering. As it says on an enormous poster on the side of one of the 200-foot yachts out in the harbor, “Content is king. Distribution is