NEXTWAVE Digital-First Production summit

[1st Nov 2025] This weekend saw NEXTWAVE breaking on the banks of the Saale at Halle, Germany 🇩🇪 a 1-day Digital-First Production summit to bring discussion & exploration of Digital First Content & Social Video to the heart of mainland Europe. It was organised by Documentary Campus , reflecting our championing of Digital within the mix of Documentary and our progressive approach to staying fully aligned with the realities of today’s market. The summit was expertly curated by Justin Crosby of TellyCast – the content industry podcast . The European broadcasters from Helsinki to Rome were deeply engaged with what was covered, ranging from The New Documentary Landscape (which I chaired, spotlighting Zandland, Quintus & Channel 4’s Untold online strand) to How To Launch & Build a Successful Factual Channel on YouTube by Rob Wilson of vidIQ . More to follow in 2026…

Special thanks to my old colleague at C4 Janine Thomas , Gerrit Kemming & Josh Reynolds for a sparky conversation about the future of docs; Justin Crosby for a brilliant programme & selection of speakers; Nils Franck for being a dynamic digital champion on Documentary Campus Masterschool this year; my colleague Ingrid Hübscher for excellent organisation of this landmark day; and Donata Von Perfall and Dr. Patrick Hörl for being so squarely behind the event and the direction of travel.

Are you still stuck in the disempowering rut of traditional TV?

Today [9th May 2025] I am chairing a fascinating debate at DOK Fest München documentary festival in Munich about the direction of travel for docs/factual TV entitled: ‘Reimagining Documentary’. It is looking at financing, editorial/storytelling/formats, distribution & audience building.

One of the key things TV and film people need to grasp is that our business is shifting from a Business-to-Business arena where producers supply broadcasters to a Business-to-Consumer realm.

Everything else we need to understand about the tectonic shifts of the last couple of years flows from that…
* it’s about building & ‘owning’ an audience (whose attention you can offer to brands in particular)
* it’s about community & ideally co-creation
* it’s about adopting a multiplatform mindset & understanding where value lies in the digital age (from merch to events & all things between) – it’s no longer just about the programme/series.

If you need help & insights evolving from Producer to Producer+Network (i.e. the essential journey for Now), message me & let’s future-proof your business.