SET- UP | ED I NBURGH TV FEST I VAL
Part of the regular ticket price covers two talent schemes, which offer aspiring tv professionals fully-funded places at the festival, bespoke sessions and year-round events and mentoring. If you’re looking to change careers or are newly graduated and you’ve had fewer than three months’ paid TV experience, The Network is worth a look. Whereas if you’re looking for career progression, the prestigious Ones to Watch scheme offers 30 individuals from all production backgrounds with at least three years’ experience unrivalled networking opportunities and creative sessions at the festival. APPLY AT www.thetvfestival. com/talent-schemes/ STILL STRUGGLING TO BREAK INTO THE INDUSTRY?
IMAGES YouTube, Netflix and the traditional broadcasters all had a heavy presence in Edinburgh. Congratulations to Ben Frow who picked up Channel of the year award for Channel 5.
NETFLIX Fortunately, the vague sessions made the specific ones all the more noteworthy. While Netflix is notorious for not sharing its viewing figures there’s no denying that audiences are flooding to on-demand services. YouTube also made a big splash at the festival, sponsoring a bar with free food and drinks at regular intervals each day. Equally popular was the session with the Head of YouTube Originals Luke Hyams, so much so that attendees were sat on the floor and others had to be turned away. Refreshingly, Luke gave specific advice on what kind of content YouTube Originals are looking to commission, notably content that is: • Targeted at 18- to 35-year-olds with a buzzy, pop culture-adjacent theme (celebrities are also a win). • Continuing Google’s mission of disseminating information – content with a social impact that’s also entertaining. • Making use of the platform with live events or utilising the comment functionality. • Ultimately, when pitching to Luke, you need to answer one question: what about this idea is going to drive subscribers?
16 DEF I N I T ION | OCTOBER 20 1 8
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