Globalising your development slate

As part of our Step Up strand, we're offering training to help individuals coming back into the industry after a break, moving into a new role or responsibility level, or improving skills in unscripted TV. 

This 2-hour interactive session will guide you through how you can expand your development slate to make it more appealing to a global market. The focus of the session is to provide you with a range of tools and knowledge to help you broaden your focus from just the UK - to the US streamers and international markets.

You will be provided with a comprehensive overview of the key channels and decision makers – and how to access them. There will also be exercises that will teach how to brainstorm and develop for an international market, and how to make your slate “flippable” between streamers. What makes an idea truly global? And what are the different funding models to help you survive this challenging market?

The session will also cover the often-intimidating American pitch process, with examples of sizzles, decks and pitch scripts. It will demystify the concept of packaging, how to harness IP – and how to approach big name talent.

Who it's for

These sessions are aimed at development assistant producers, development producers, development executives and heads of development, who are keen to broaden their knowledge base in order to pitch globally.

The majority of the Unscripted Skills Fund (USF) online short course offering is for those at early career stage and above. As a result, we generally require applicants to have at least three credits (unless working in a traditionally uncredited role). If you strongly feel you would still benefit from the training, please email USF@screenskills.com so we can assess if an exception should be made.

We are committed to ensuring all our courses are accessible to everyone. This course is designed to be as interactive as possible. Please email the above address if you have any access requirements and we will be delighted to help, be that clarifying the form such interaction is likely to take or discussing reasonable adjustments.

What it covers

• The lay of the land – who owns who and what do they want? Demystifying the streamers and an overview of what they are looking for.
• A mixed ecology – different funding models For different channels/genres
• Show me your materials – sizzles, decks and pitch scripts
• To agent or not to agent – the best way to pitch?
• Packaging is everything – how to harness IP, directors and talent
• Idea-led not channel-led – a flippable slate is a healthy slate

Speaker

Nicky is head of development at HiddenLight, an independent production company founded in 2020 by Hillary Clinton, her daughter Chelsea and Sam Branson, specialising in documentaries and scripted programming for an international audience. HiddenLight’s programmes include Gutsy, an AppleTV+ series presented by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, featuring the world’s most inspirational women, from Amy Schumer to Jane Goodall. They have also made the award-winning feature docs In Her Hands (Netflix), which has been nominated for three Emmys - and Lyra (Channel 4) which has just been nominated for a Grierson.

HiddenLight was previously known as Sundog Pictures, where Nicky ran development for over four years. They were known for their talent-led programming; they made 13 films with Reggie Yates and a documentary special for YouTube with Priyanka Chopra Jonas – celebrating International Women’s Day. Nicky has worked in production as well as development; she was the Producer on The Murder Workers, a Cutting Edge feature documentary for Channel 4 which was nominated for a Grierson and a Broadcast Award.

How to apply

This session will take place online via Zoom. Click ‘apply now’ at the top of the page and follow the instructions to apply for your place: you must login or register before you are able to complete your application.

If you need additional support to complete your application or require the application form in an alternative format please contact USF@screenskills.com

Places on these free online courses are limited and applications are often highly competitive. To stand the best chance of securing a place, please be sure to consider the following:

• When asked to list your three most recent credits, please include the programme title and your job role.
• When asked what you hope to gain from the course, please be concise but ensure you cover the specific elements of the topic you would like to gain knowledge of and what gaps in your skillset you believe the course may address. A rewording of the course title or a general comment on career progression does not tell us much about how this course would benefit you.

If you are no longer able to attend, we ask you to please use the 'decline ticket' function on the right hand side of the page so that we can release your place. Our sessions are often oversubscribed, so we’d like to give other freelancers the opportunity to fill available spots. Thank you for your consideration.

This session is supported by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund which invests in training for the unscripted workforce thanks to contributions from broadcasters, SVoDs and production companies.

This course would normally cost participants to attend, but thanks to this support, we are able to offer it to you for free. If you fail to attend, we reserve the right to request reimbursement of costs, unless your place can be taken by someone else.