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Today’s episode is coming to you straight from the waiting area of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport! Why? Because we just attended RealScreen 2019, and we’ve got some stuff to share. What is the RealScreen Summit? Well, according to their site: The Realscreen Summit is the definitive global market and conference for the business of unscripted and non-fiction entertainment. That’s a fancy way of saying a lot of big players in the unscripted industry are there. As well as lots of new and aspiring producers hoping to connect with working professionals. There are panels with industry experts, great speakers, and lots to learn. Plus, tons of networking and parties. Since we know many of you couldn’t make it, we’ve pulled together our top three takeaways from RealScreen 2019, plus some totally honest observations and a little emotional support for all you creatives.
RealScreen 2019 Summit
It was a great year for RealScreen. Set against the French Quarter in New Orleans, this summit had a little more of a casual vibe. That lead to some great networking. Lots of good restaurants were in walking distance, and in general we saw a lot more executives out and having fun.
We’ve been to a handful of RealScreen summits over the last six years. And of course, we were flattered (so maybe a little biased) when RealScreen covered us in this Joke Productions story. It’s a good organization that works hard to support our industry.
But it’s a lot to navigate.
Many new producers are there for the sole reason of pitching their projects. A lot of production company owners are there hearing those pitches (we heard quite a few.) Attendees are also there to learn from the in-depth panels. There’s a lot of action to juggle, but it’s worth it.
That said, because it can be expensive (over $1000 to attend, not including hotel and travel) a lot of people just can’t make it. So in this episode we’re sharing some RealScreen “behind the scenes” info, and our top three takeaways from the summit.
Some of what we cover today:
- How things are (and aren’t) changing in the industry.
- The curse of positive feedback (sometimes, not always)
- Why some pitches are dismissed out of hand, even if they’re great
- What role production companies play in new producers’ careers
- Two of our TV projects airing in the next month
- And…a very controversial statement from Joke about a favorite New Orleans dessert!
Click that giant “Play” button at the top of the page to listen now, and get your 2019 underway with a bang!
Helpful and Related Links
At RealScreen and other events, you can pay an admission fee, which gives you access to pitch to many people in one day. Is it worth it? How do you make the most of it? We share it all here: Pitch Fests: Should You Pay to Pitch? 4 Rock Solid Rules for Pitch Fests.
All about how our company, Joke Productions, works with Producing Unscripted to find and team with new filmmakers and talent (We met with many of you at this year’s RealScreen! Thanks to those who took the time to reach out.)
Reach out to us on Twitter! We try to respond regularly, and have actually met a lot of good people there.
Let’s Make some TV Together
Looking to become a TV producer? Pitch your own projects? Thinking about pitching to us and our company Joke Productions?
Here’s what you need to know: