Series Maniabrings the world of drama together every year in March in Lilles, France.
It has public screenings and competition strands spanning various types of scripted TV.
You spend the year getting Series Mania together, whats changed since last time and how will you adapt?
Series ManiaSeries Mania
We consider ourselves as a tool, a toolbox for the industry.
The industry has changed a lot.
Now, its about producing less, but producing better and to being able to reach your audience.
Deadline: Where does Series Mania Forum fit into the TV calendar?
This has been our positioning since the beginning.
LH:The American strikes had an impact.
A lot of season twos were canceled.
And a lot of projects, you know, went away.
The industry was reshaping itself.
Deadline: With budgets under pressure, co-production has become more important.
How have the Co-Pro Pitching Sessions evolved?
LH:The Co-Production Pitching sessions have evolved into something that extends beyond co-productions.
You have, of course, producers, but now you have everyone.
Thats a change in the industry.
Deadline: Given the focus on co-production, are there more attendees from different countries?
It shows something about their interest in establishing bridges with Europe and the rest of the world.
These are examples of how the business is becoming more and more global.
LH:Were not in need of series or projects on both sides the Festival or Forum.
We see that this world is changing.
Are you ever tempted to widen the selection, to let more in?
We want to be sure that we believe in the content that is pitched during our events, basically.
What are you observing based on the projects you have seen this time?
LH:People are focusing more on families.
Although these series arent always just about happy families, they also include conflicts, often across generations.
LH:Yes, the other reason is the unexpected success ofSuccession.
Deadline: Has non-English-language drama gained ground and are there territories submitting projects for the first time?
We can enjoy shows in Korean, likeSquid Game, or in Spanish, likeMoney Heist.
I think that its especially true for younger audiences, and its partly thanks to the streamers.
And that the industry understood that.
Deadline: You are expecting over 4,000 people for the Forum, which is up year-on-year.
Do you want to grow the industry piece dramatically?
LC:Its very difficult to resist, because everyone wants to be in, its difficult.
How can you say to someone No.
We have also a lot of other countries coming, you cannot kill the doors to those people.
So, what we did is add 3,000 square meters of space.
But its not a battle of figures.
I dont want to just to say every year, We have more and more people.
I want this to be a quality rendez-vous.
What can we expect?
It will probably save time and money for a lot of producers and writers.
I dont think that it will replace human beings… maybe later, but not in any near future.
LH:We all work online, but we need to gather, we need human contact.
Whether its the broadcaster or producer, they want to be reassured that the team is the right one.
