The speakers and panel members participating in the AIDC sessions have extensive experience and knowledge within the documentary industry.

 

AIDC 2010 International Session Speakers:

 

• Keynote Address:  Thom Beers, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer, Original Productions, USA. 

Thom Beers’ passion for honoring every day heroes and his gift for telling their stories has firmly established his non-fiction brand, Original Productions, as television’s number one creator of honest-to-goodness unscripted reality programming. Thom is the driving force behind the Primetime Emmy® winning “Deadliest Catch,” and “Ice Road Truckers".

 

• Keynote Address:  Paul Gibbs, Head of Programmes, BBC World News, UK. 

Paul Gibbs is Head of Programmes at BBC World News, the BBC’s commercially funded 24-hour international news and information channel. Paul is responsible for decisions across investment, commissioning, genre and programme development, and manages the growing business in commercial programming content. 

 

• Claire Aguilar, Vice President of Programming, ITVS, USA

Claire oversees all aspects of program initiatives, including programming strategy, funding calls, peer panel review and funding recommendations.

 

• Ewan Angus, Commissioning Editor, BBC Scotland

Ewan is responsible for all BBC television output produced for audiences in Scotland. In an average year this will include around 45 hours of new factual and documentary commissions. 

 

• Laura Annalora, Senior Manager, Development & Production,  National Geographic Channels International, USA

Laura is responsible for reviewing and developing story pitches and proposals for global programming. She serves as the primary Development Executive for vendors in Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and the United States

 

• Nathalie Applewhite, Associate Director, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, USA

Nathalie is the managing producer of their interactive narrative projects (including the Emmy award winning livehopelove.com) and oversees video production for the Center, as well as selection and management of reporting projects.

 

• Martin Atkin, Director, External & Media Relations, WWF International, UK

 

• Julie Campfield, Director of Development, ro*co films international, llc, USA

In addition to seeking new material for distribution, Julie is responsible for coordinating filmmaker relations and developing client services.

 

• Anais Clanet, Head of Sales, WIDE Management - International Sales and Production, France

Anais head the department of international documentary sales, and is interested in raising project funding, selling content, acquiring content and finding co-production partners.

 

• Maryanne Culpepper, Executive VP, Editorial & New Business Development, National Geographic Television, USA

A 12-year NGT veteran, in this role Maryanne develops content and coordinates cross-divisional planning throughout National Geographic, utilizing society-wide media, talent and marketing.  She is also responsible for editorial partnerships, corporate and foundation fundraising, new business development

 

• Silva Basmajian, Executive Producer, National Film Board, Canada

As Executive Producer of the NFB Ontario Centre, Ms. Basmajian oversees English-language production in the province. Since her appointment, she has explored innovative ways to tell Canadian and international stories, and championed cutting-edge projects. 

 

• Hans Robert Eisenhauer, Commissioning Editor - Head of Thema, ZDF/ARTE, Germany

Some examples of commissioned international coproductions, theatrical length are: Buena Vista Social Club, Wim Wenders - Nach Saison, Pepe Danquart - Super 8 Stories, Emir Kusturica - All about EU, Nick Fraser and Ben Lewis.

 

• Pat Ferns, President/Executive Producer, Ferns Productions, Canada

Pat has produced some of Canada’s finest award-winning programming and the world’s leading media events, including  his signature pitching sessions worldwide.  Ferns Productions Inc. specialises in blue-chip documentary-drama mini-series.

 

• Mark Francis, Executive Producer, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, Singapore

Mark Francis joined Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP) in 2004 and has executive produced a broad range of factual series and one-off specials for both Discovery Channel and Discovery Travel & Living – across genres that include engineering, history, biography, culture, adventure science, food, travel and lifestyle. 

 

• Flora Gregory, Editor, Witness, Al-Jazeera English, UK

Flora joined AJE prior to launch to set up the flagship documentary strand, Witness. The strand commissions and co-produces films for three 22 minute weekly slots, and acquires and co-produces for its once weekly 45 minute slot.

 

• Klara Grunning-Harris, VP/Commissioning Editor/International Acquisitions, Co-production & Fiction Executive, KUDOS Family - Film and Media Distribution, USA

Klara buys and sells films, creates strategies for world wide distribution and outreach. She also co-produces and co-finances independent productions with the intension to guide them into a successful and profitable distribution situation.

 

• Steve Hewlett, Managing Director, Big Pictures, UK

Steve is a regular contributor to, and presenter of, programs on Radio 4 and Five Live. He also runs Big Pictures Ltd, a television production company with commissions from Channel 4, the BBC and PBS, and is the Chair of DocFest

 

• Brian Hill, Managing Director and Filmmaker, Century Films, UK

Brian is an award-winning director of both drama and documentary. His films have been shown by all major UK broadcasters and in many other countries around the world. For the last twelve years he has been managing director of Century Films, one of the UK’s leading independent production companies.

 

• Diana Holtzberg, Vice President, Films Transit International, USA

Diana is based in New York and has been working with FTI since 2001. Each year the company takes on approximately 25 new films, and mainly looks for epic feature docs on large international subject matters that tell a unique story everyone can relate to; and urgent docs on strong, edgy, provocative, contemporary subject matters of political or social relevance 

 

• Kirsty Hunter, Producer, Lion Interactive, UK

Kirsty is one of the leading digital media executives in the UK and a multi-award-winning producer working across interactive and television projects.  In 2009 she received an International Digital Emmy (Non-Fiction) for Britain from Above (BBC)

 

• Brenda Kelly, Executive Producer, UNCOMMON Media, UK

Brenda produces large scale documentary events and international documentaries and current affairs television, often for global broadcast. She collaborates with filmmakers from various continents and also works as a broadcast and media consultant.

 

• Wendy Levy, Director of Creative Programming and Director, Producers Institute for New Media Technologies, Bay Area Video Coalition, USA
   

Wendy develops and oversees content partnerships for BAVC's production, exhibition, and distribution programs, grants and residencies for independent producers and public broadcasters. Wendy speaks regularly at festivals and conferences internationally.

 

• John Lindsay, Vice President/ Head of National-International Productions, KETV-TV, USA

An experienced production executive, John has produced/co-produced nearly 300 hours of national primetime programming including 191 hours for PBS.  John’s best known for a number of broadcast “firsts” linking US public television with US cablecasters and commercial broadcasters.

 

Debbie London, Director, Business Development, 
National Geographic Television, USA

Upon moving to the US in 1992, she worked as a production manager at NGT, eventually becoming the director of production management for NGC and NGCI. She then spent the next two years as director of production management for Discovery Networks International based out of London. 

 

• Michael McMahon, President & Executive Producer, Primitive Entertainment Inc., CAN
   

Over the last 20 years Michael has produced some of Canada¹s most daring and critically acclaimed documentary features and television series.  His feature documentary credits include The Falls, In the Reign of Twilight, McLuhan’s Wake, Four Wings and a Prayer, Lovable and I, Curmudgeon amongst others.
 

• Riitta Pihlajamaki, Channel Controller, YLE TV1, Finland

TV1 is a public channel for a wide audience.  Documentaries remain the very nucleus of the channels prime time programming. We are looking for docs about science, history, society, international politics and wildlife. All this docs are aired on prime time.

• Christine Reisen, Senior Commissioning Editor, ARTE France

For more then fifteen years Christine has been co-producing international documentaries for ARTE France, and her films have received many awards including the Prix Europa and Grand Prix Leonardo.

 

• Alan Rosenthal, Filmmaker, Israel

Alan has made more than fifty films, mainly in the United States, England and Israel. He helped train Israel Television’s film staff, and has written eight books on documentary and docu-drama.

 

• Greg Sanderson, Executive Producer, BBC Storyville, UK

Greg is the Commissioning Editor for Storyville, the BBC's flagship international documentary strand.

 

• Kevin Schaff, CEO & Founder, Thought Equity Motion, USA
   

Kevin leads the company’s corporate strategy, drives product direction and positioning, and generates awareness for Thought Equity Motion among industry analysts and potential partners.

 

• Kiho Seong, Executive Director, EBS International Documentary Festival (EIDF), South Korea

EIDF is one of Asia’s prestigious documentary festivals. It began in 2004 and has highlighted on the documentary films which were focused on Asia or were made in the Asian Continent. As years pass by, we extend our focus to a variety of countries from around the world.

 

• Geoffrey Smith, Producer/Director, Eyeline Films, UK

Winner of numerous awards, he has made over 22 films and is drawn to real life dramas where deep ethical and moral dilemmas abound. 

 

• Jonathan Smith, Producer/ Director, Close Up Films, UK

The Family was a ground breaking project that combined the technology of reality television with a documentary sensibility. The Hughes family were filmed around the clock for 4 months using remote cameras fitted in their home. Since then Jonathan has worked as Executive producer on the second series of The Family.

 

• Johathan Stack, Co-Founder and Director, Highest Common Denominator Media Group

Jonathan Stack is a multiple Emmy Award-winning and two-time Academy Award® nominated documentary filmmaker. During his career Jonathan has written, produced and directed over 25 films and 50 television programs including THE FARM: LIFE INSIDE ANGOLA PRISON. 

 

• Edwina Thring, Vice President, Acquisitions & Co-Productions,National Geographic Television International, UK

Edwina is Vice President, Acquisitions & Co-Productions and the focal point for National Geographic Television’s international co-productions and the key contact for the growing number of independent producers that NGTI represents.

 

• Esther van Messel, CEO, First Hand Films, Switzerland

First Hand Films specialises in international distribution of documentaries, TV series and fiction films. In 2009, the company represents more than 200 films and 150 producers from all over the world. First Hand Films also acts as executive producer for selected projects. 

 

• Naomi Wallwork, Assistant Television Manager, NZ On Air, New Zealand

Naomi currently works at the government funding agency NZ On Air in the Television Team. Previously Naomi was contracts manager for the BBC World Service in London.  Naomi has also made short films and documentaries that have screened at festivals in New Zealand. 

 

Sarah Whitehouse, Canadian Program Acquisition Manager, WNED Buffalo-Toronto, Canada

Sarah has worked in the documentary film and television industry for over 15 years as a commissioning broadcaster, acquisitions executive, and festival programmer.

 

Go Eun Yoon, Sales Assistant, Smiley Film Sales, New Zealand

Go Eun Yoon joined the sales team at Smiley Film Sales in 2009, assisting Managing Director Ewa Bigio with licensing and sales matters.