28th October 2024
After nearly 25 years in the broadcast industry, I had heard of MIPCOM many times, but I’d never been given the opportunity to attend, so I jumped at the chance to head to Cannes with Joff, Mark, and Steve, to see what I had been missing out on.
When I arrived at Gatwick on Sunday afternoon, Mark was calmly waiting for our flight at Starbucks. Even before we left the coffee shop, a fellow industry professional overheard us talking and started pitching to us a new interactive way to watch a television programme through your phone. MIPCOM had started and we hadn’t even taken off.
The next morning, I was greeted not just by the beautiful sunshine of the French Riviera, but also by the excitement of hundreds of TV industry folks bustling about with their oversized accreditation passes. In stylish restaurants you could see and overhear quick coffee meetings, people catching up with old friends, with others trying to finalise new TV deals.
With strong support from Channel 4 for “Chateau DIY,” and the announcement of two new series the previous week from the channel, many professionals were quick to offer generous compliments about the large order. Throughout the two days we met with everyone from distributors, composers, to channel executives to explore future opportunities for Spark. Some were “Chateau,” shaped while others were not. While I can’t disclose every meeting I attended, I can say there was a real buzz around “Chateau DIY” and the various global opportunities for Spark. As we are currently completing final post on series 8 and have begun filming on series 9 as well as working on five Christmas specials, I was thrilled to discuss in our various meetings everything that my talented team is currently working on.
On the second day, after enjoying a lovely lunch right on the beachfront with company friend Phil Gurin, I managed to get access to the main MIPCOM event. Through our partners at Cineflix, I was thrilled to receive accreditation to enter the main festival itself. Inside, there were countless booths from companies worldwide showcasing their various idea’s formats and features and finished programmes. The world had turned up and everyone was there from Japan to Canada to Turkey. The highlight for me, though, was seeing the Cineflix team promoting “Chateau DIY” series 8, the show that I have been overseeing for the past year. After nearly 25 years in this field, being surrounded by so many creatives buying and selling, was truly eye-opening.
Yes, I also enjoyed some incredible meals, savoured delicious rosé, and was even treated to a late-night strawberry daiquiri. Above all, this experience highlighted Spark’s ongoing support for my career, reaffirming why they are such a fantastic company to work for in the industry.