Looking In: An Update from ITVS Production

Managing Director of Production Richard O’Connell, provides the first in a series of updates on some of the latest initiatives for independents at ITVS.

Welcome to the first in a series of updates on the production side of the public media world at large — in particular at ITVS, where our production team is working with filmmakers on more than 150 programs scheduled for public television. Topics will range from technology advances to marketing strategies and trends, and to ITVS policies.

Our goal has always been to listen and serve producers in a spirit of collaboration, and so I hope you will share your ideas for continuing the partnership. Throughout the past few years, ITVS has been hearing from more and more of you about the enormous fiscal challenges of producing longitudinal projects. We have been studying the marketplace, reaching out to past and current ITVS-funded producers, conducting interviews, and looking for ways to help. Effective October 1, ITVS will allow recoupment of verifiable, approved, producer paid out-of-pocket expenses from first ancillary incomes. The change applies to open programs and newly funded programs in the future. 

Orientation 
This summer we brought 22 producers of 11 programs to San Francisco for a four-day intensive orientation workshop about working in public media and with ITVS.  The producer orientations are scheduled several times during the year as decisions are made about production funding/licensing.  Here are some highlights from our orientations in 2011:

Please look out for future blog posts on crowdfunding and its implications for producers working in Public Media, a webinar on rights clearances with archivist and filmmaker Kenn Rabin, and a closer look into our P360 Basic and Enhanced initiatives for funded filmmakers.