Got a TV Pitch? Now is the Time to Shine!

Could an unexpected side effect of the tumultuous last year be creating the perfect field for TV producers in 2021? Oliver Berben, the deputy CEO of Constantin Film, the German powerhouse, certainly thinks so. BLAKE & WANG P.A entertainment law firms los angeles takes a look at his advice, and how it could impact your pitches in the coming year.

A Year in Flux

There’s not too much we can say for certain about 2021, with the aftershocks of the unprecedented last year still echoing through all levels of the industry and the ‘steaming wars’ ramping up to an unprecedented degree. There’s a reason we’re seeing a lot of caution from studio and production execs. Yet Berben feels the exact opposite- that now is the ‘golden age’ for content production.

He does have a point, that in a situation where everything is being questioned and all the ingrained patterns have been broken, there’s an opportunity waiting to shine for content that wouldn’t normally get its day in the sun. Hardly surprising to hear from the CEO of a production company known for both dynamism and edgy content. Shifting over from a film focus to establish itself as a top European indie company, Constantin Films has had their share of successes. They’ve even managed to score themselves an Amazon Prime Video most-watched title with  LOL: Last One Laughing.

So what is his advice for anyone looking to put out a series at the moment? Constantin Films uses a structure of several divisions, allowing them to act more as a ‘creative hub’ and have more versatility to act. Their structure, with different brands and entities, means that they have the freedom to work with niche productions and find them the space they need. However, many modern companies are focused on big IPs, big rollouts, and big market share. 

If you don’t already have clout in your IP, then he advises you to start small and focus regionally. In particular, he advises against trying to artificially shoehorn ‘international potential’ into a work, pointing derisively to the ‘Euro-pudding’ phase in the early noughties, where unnecessarily (and ridiculously) mixed European casting was used purely as a vehicle to try snag market appeal, not because the story needed them. Instead, focus on quality content that creates its own niche- the ‘travel’ will come organically with popularity and recognition.

Leveraging Streaming Opportunities

He sees the streaming boom as a key element to revitalize the market, energizing business and forcing existing broadcasters and studios to ‘level up’. This, according to Berben, creates the perfect field for aspiring TV producers to offer attention-grabbing content. As he says:         

“It’s not just energy and strength from money, it’s the power of the people inside of it that want to create something new. They’re willing to take completely new directions for content that haven’t been done before (in Germany) so far. The biggest opportunity in the last few months is that, from a creative point of view, there are so many more opportunities. Of course, some things will fail, but some things will rise up that have never been seen before.”

High-end programming has certainly come to streaming in a big way, epitomized by the kind of budgets we’ve seen in Game of Thrones and similar productions. He suggests the need to match this may create a better system for partnerships and co-creation across the board. Yet it’s the potential for creative freedom that this in-flux situation creates that most excite him. He believes we will see the potential on a global scale open up for indie producers fast this year. 

It’s impossible, of course, to even predict what the end of the year will look like, let alone where the industry will be in 5 years. With fast-changing tech and the knock-on effects of 2020, the future is an uncertain place. Yet, with the uncertainty comes a unique opportunity for TV content creators to tell stories that once would have been rejected out of hand. BLAKE & WANG P.A agrees with Berben that now is definitely the time for aspiring TV content to enter the market with a creative edge.