The final day of NEM Zagreb welcomed Frank Spotnitz, a Golden Globe winner for his work on The X-Files, Allan Starski, an Oscar winner for his work on Schindler’s List, Billy Campbell, Cardinal lead actor and Emmy nominee and many more. Some of TV industry's key decision makers shared their input on quality content creation.

Discussing the role of production in executing an original idea at the panel “Developing your world of atmosphere”, Oscar winner Allan Starski pointed out the impact production can have on creating a great atmosphere in a show or a movie. “Director, director of photography and product designer should work together on designing the look of a film. My first step is talking to the director about his view of the design and presentation of the movie. My work is finished on the last day of shooting and the director should make sure that the original ideas are preserved”, Allan Starski explained.

Billy Campbell, lead actor and Emmy nominee, shared first-hand impressions on filming “Cardinal”, as well as his excitement about the season four premiere in 2020. “It really wasn’t difficult to get into the role of John Cardinal. After the second page of reading I could have seen myself playing the role, which doesn’t happen often. Being nominated for the project is very gratifying”, Campbell shared with the audience and also pointed out his love of the Scandinavian noir genre.

Ankica Jurić Tilić, a Croatian producer and recent winner of the prestigious Eurimages Co-Production Award, participated in the panel “Developing your world of characters”. Being a filmmaker primarily, she emphasized her interest in TV shows: “My passion for TV series originated from my passion for character development. I find it the most interesting and important part of the process which motivates me.”

During his keynote speech, Frank Spotnitz, X-Files writer and producer, offered a glimpse into his cooperation with the Alliance, a co-production between three leading European national broadcasters. “Streaming platforms and new technology bring change at a breathtaking pace and the Alliance is trying to meet these challenges. Thanks to these global platforms, shows in different languages can reach a wider audience. We should find specifics to the story that can appeal to a lot of people,” Spotnitz pointed out and commented on the fundamental difference between American and European television adding that broadcasters need to do their part, accept and listen to creative voices in Europe.

Larry Namer, the co-founder of E! Entertainment Television, shared his experience with producing content in China during his Q&A “Filming in the Adria Region: From Croatia to China”: “Foreign content regulations are tough in China, but having Chinese characters can help. Television has a lot of influence and people there trust it. They also enjoy travel shows and watch them closely as a form of getting to know other cultures.”

Danna Stern, managing director at yes studios, gave a further insight into Your Honor after its premiere at NEM Zagreb. She commented on the TV industry transformation and shared more information about new projects: “In 1999 it was all about movies. In the early 2000’s, series started attracting wider audiences. Fauda was produced first and foremost for the Israeli audience and then it became one of the first foreign language series on Netflix. Local viewers are getting educated while watching international shows. During her Q&A, she also shared her recipe for success: “Conferences like NEM Zagreb are a great opportunity to show your content and connect. Being in the right place at the right time is the way to success in this industry”, Stern pointed out.

The day reached its peak by announcing TV Writing Contest winners. After pitching ideas to top TV industry experts, winners of NEM’s TV Writing Contest were announced from both scripted and unscripted categories.

Matej Merlić with his project Travel Bug won the unscripted category and Daria Keršić with Dream Hackers won the scripted category. The main prize was 5.000 euros along with a 6-month license to WriterDuet Pro screenwriting software.

The first NEM Zagreb was officially closed at a big Christmas Show followed by a party organized at the Croatian Radio Television.

In other news, TVP’s recently appointed head of international co-productions and formats Jarosław attended the first edition of NEM Zagreb. The executive was scouting for content that could be remade locally or co-produced with international partners. The broadcaster has launched an international co-production division, which will work with its array of channels including flagships TVP1 and TVP2 to curate programming with global partners.

Burdek is a media specialist from Poland with almost 25 years TV experience. He is known as a journalist, producer and manager. He has been involved in building innovative projects on Polish TV market, in cooperation with the international environment, since 1997, starting as a programming and music manager in the first Polish music television in a history – Atomic TV. Then he performed the same role plus overlooking on the production in MTV Poland and another local music TV station, i.e. 4Fun TV.

In 2019 TVP created a new department of international co-productions and Jaroslaw became a leader of this project. The unit has already 10 projects in the pipeline, with the goal of both searching for international projects for adaptations and co-production and also developing original content that could travel abroad.