February 27-29, 2024 Lithuanian pubcaster LRT will host intensive creative workshops for content creators who want to learn how to create and successfully present attractive and relevant documentary television program formats to international audiences. LRT invites everyone who wants to gain experience from television format development professionals to register now, it announced on its website.

This creative workshop, also known as TV format incubator Horsepower, will take place for the first time in Europe. The creative workshop will be led by Philip Kalin-Hajdu, the Creative Director of the international television format creation and distribution company Media Ranch, founder of the TV format incubator Horsepower.

TV format incubator Horsepower was held for the first time in 2018 in Canada. It was organized by the international television format development and distribution company Media Ranch. During the three years of the incubator's existence, the television formats created by its participants were purchased by the American broadcaster CW, the French broadcaster TF1 and the internationally successful production companies UBISOFT (France) and DIGA STUDIOS (USA).

According to Philip Kalin-Hajdu, the secret of the success of television formats is the ability to adapt to the tastes and needs of local audiences in various countries. "The essence of television formats is to discover what connects different audiences and cultures, while at the same time creating conditions for the uniqueness of each culture to unfold. The success of the formats created in our incubator among broadcasters and producers of various countries shows that local talents of any country nowadays have the opportunity to create for a worldwide audience", the lecturer adds.

"According to the format recognition and protection association FRAPA, the television format industry in Europe alone generates more than 3 billion euros every year," notes Aistė Ptakauskė, the organizer of the TV format incubator Horsepower in Lithuania and a member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. “Although Great Britain still dominates the European television format market, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and other, smaller European countries are less and less lagging behind it. Unfortunately, Lithuania is almost invisible in the list of countries that export television formats. I really hope that the television format incubator Horsepower will provide Lithuanian creators with the knowledge and desire to create television formats that would be attractive to international audiences and broadcasters around the world."

The television formats incubator Horsepower in Lithuania is organized by the creative organization Pasaulio virtuvė (Ethnic Kitchen) together with the international television format development and distribution company Media Ranch, the Canadian Embassy in Lithuania and the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT).

"Every year, when we organize a TV program competition, we also organize special meetings with producers, we aim to discuss what we expect, what our audience likes and dislikes. New opportunities to get to know what television formats are being developed in foreign countries, and how they could be adapted to Lithuanian production, is a very valuable experience," says Andrius Korenka, head of the LRT Television Department.

At the end of the television formats incubator, the participants will present their developed television formats to representatives of LRT and the international television format development and distribution company Media Ranch, who will select the idea that, in their opinion, has the most potential to become a documentary television program format attractive to an international audience. The author of this idea will have the opportunity to implement his developed original television format together with LRT or to enter into a contract with the international television format development and distribution company Media Ranch for the distribution of this format to broadcasters all over the world.

Participation in the television format incubator in Vilnius is free, but the number of places is limited. Therefore, everyone who wants to participate in the creative workshop for the development of television formats at LRT (Konarskio St. 49, Vilnius) should register by February 4. Information about the incubator's program and registration is published on the web page vilhovirtuve.tv .