Can platforms and TV work together? Speakers:
Ivar Køhn has been Head of Drama at the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) since 2013. Former professional experience includes Head of the Development and Production Department at the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI) and responsible for all public support to Norwegian film-and drama and co-productions, TV-drama & Film Commissioner at the Norwegian Film Fund, Co-owner and Development Producer at Maipo Film, Head of Development at Swedish Television Drama and Chairman of the Board at Nordic Film & TV Fund. He has also been a writer/creator for three TV-drama productions.
NRK is a significant player in Norwegian and Nordic TV drama. In 2020, 18 series are produced internally and externally for NRK, as an important part of the channel's strategic focus on streaming services. NRK has in recent years produced and co-produced Norwegian series such as Nobel (Prix Europa 2016), Mammon (International Emmy Award 2017), SKAM (Ros d'Or 2017), Home Ground (Best drama Nordic Serie Days 2018), State of Happiness (Best script CannesSeries 2018), Exit (Best drama International Panorama Series Mania 2019), and 22th of July (Best Drama Award 2020 Nordic Film-& TV fund).
Alex García is one of the most prolific movie producers and investors in Latin America today, having produced well over 100 projects throughout the American continent. His holding company, AG Studios (Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, US and Spain), Latam Pictures, his distribution and international sales arm and AG Content, an IP holding company. Under the AG umbrella, Garcia is able to cover development, production, postproduction and distribution.
Garcia is an integral shareholder in Anima Studios, Lemon Films, Bazooka Films, Altavista Films, Costa Films (Argentina), BN Films, Slated (a global company aimed at financing motion picture related projects), Mubi, Rappi, Mowies, Humanoids and Convoy among other companies. He develops multiple projects which seek funding and corporate support, physical production and distribution, contributing to the growth of local industries. His films have participated in renowned festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance and Tribeca, among others.
Some of the films Garcia has produced include Jose Padilha's TROPA DE ELITE, Guillermo Arriaga's THE BURNING PLAIN,and WORDS WITH GODS, REFUGIO, Oscar-nominated Demian Bichir’s directorial and writer debut (yet to be released) and Jonas (Gravity) Cuaron’s DESIERTO, produced with Alfonso and Carlos Cuaron, picked up by STX for domestic distribution. His Spanish-language slate has performed well throughout Latin America, U.S. and other territories.
On November 2016 during Los Cabos International Film Festival Alex Garcia was honored with Visionary Award, from Hollywood Reporter and Winston & Baker for his valuable contribution to the world of show business and his great vision of creating international alliances. On 2020 Alex Garcia continues to collaborate in different national and international projects.
Carolina Bilbao is VP of Programming and Development at Cinelatino, a Latin American movie channel available in over 15M homes across the Americas. She’s responsible for the channel’s programming acquisitions and development of originals. In recent years, she has Executive Produced numerous projects for Cinelatino and sister SVOD platform PANTAYA, including series and movies such as EL DESCONOCIDO: LA HISTORIA DE EL CHOLO ADRIÁN, EL JUEGO DE LAS LLAVES, SOY DE RANCHO and PATRICIA. Several of her productions have been co-produced or acquired by partners such as Netflix, Amazon, Viacom and Turner. Cinelatino’s current pipeline includes over 10+ projects in development to be produced in Mexico, Colombia, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Carolina was born in Guatemala to Argentine and Bolivian parents and grew up in Spain. She studied English Literature at Columbia University. Prior to joining Cinelatino, she worked for MTV Latin America, Cisneros Television Group, Telemundo, Lee Hunt & Associates and Oxygen.
Joyce Pierpoline is an independent film producer and founder of Pierpoline Films, best known for producing controversial, character-driven narratives that tackle issues of gender and sexuality. Her most recent film, THE TRANSFIGURATION premiered in Un Certain Regard-Cannes Film Festival, other films include Sundance award-winning cult favorite TEETH, HAPPY TEARS, ANGELICA, and IN THE COMPANY OF MEN. She currently serves on the board of BAFTA-NY where she is co-chair of the film and television committee, and recently joined the board of NYWIFT. She is member of the European Producers Club, the European Film Academy, and the Producers Guild of America where she was founding co-chair of the Women’s Impact Network, promoting gender equality in the industry. Joyce began her career in Paris as head of international press for the Cannes Film Festival.
Diego Piasek is a passionate entrepreneur inside the corporate world. Experienced media executive with domestic and international TV and film experience. Diego joined MGM in 2019 as Senior Vice President, International TV development to help kickstart their international co-productions and local language production business. Before MGM, he helped build divisions from the ground up at Viacom/Telefe and Ben Silverman’s Electus. Prior to that, he held key development, production and international sales roles at Fox and Shine (fka Reveille), upon moving to the U.S. from Argentina in 2010.
Paula Alvarez Vaccaro, born in Argentina, is an award winning journalist, scriptwriter, producer, and visual artist with over twenty five years of experience working in film, radio, printed media, TV and independent artistic practice. Based in England since 2000, she founded Pinball London in 2009, a production company based in London, UK, with an independent-cinema spirit at the heart to tell stories in all genres from an international perspective with a special emphasis on storytelling that focuses on gender, LGBT, human rights, immigration, minorities, class, and our planet. She has produced and/or written narrative and documentary features, TV series, and animated and narrative shorts in co-productions with the US, Latin America and Europe. She has worked with world known filmmakers such as Sally Potter (GINGER and ROSA), Emir Kusturica (MARADONA by Kusturica; ON THE MILKY ROAD), Guillermo Arriaga (WORDS WITH GODS), and with emerging talent such as Victoria Solano (SUMERCE), Ana Rocha (LISTEN), Agustina Figueras (BORA BORA), Edoardo de Angelis (MOZZARELLA STORIES), and Aaron Brookner (UNCLE HOWARD). As an artist her video art work has been exhibited at various European institutions including Barcelona's CCCB (Contemporary Art Centre) and The Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia.
Since 2004, she has provided training for filmmakers in Latin America and Europe in pitching, production, impact producing, gender and implicit bias in partnership with national and international organisations such as British Council, Eurimages, Circle Doc Accelerator, Montenegro Film Agency, FIDBA Buenos Aires, DocMontevideo, DocsSP, GoodPitch, Impact Lab DocsMx, Thessaloniki Forum, ProPro Austria, Los Cabos FF, BAM Bogotá, UNAM Mexico, and Documentary Campus.
Within Pinball London, she leads Pinball Audiences, providing impact producing consultancy, strategy and training. She is a Sundance Alumna, a mentor and member of EWA (European Women's Audiovisual Network), a member of the DPA (Documentary Producers Alliance), a UK member of the European Film Academy, and Vice-president of the European Producers’ Club, where she was the first woman to enter their board in 2018.