For our next in-person session, we have invited Tom Pullen, a Commissioning Executive for Chanel 4, Akemnji Ndifornyen, BAFTA-winning showrunner of BBC’s Famlam and Black Ops and Dhanny Joshi, the co-founder and managing director of BAFTA winning & Emmy nominated Production company, Big Deal Films.

The session will explore the current digital and Television landscape of short and long form series across documentary, drama and comedy. Ultimately, breaking down the process of taking an idea from script, development and screen.

What are the genres, cultural resonant programmes and target audiences broadcasters and streaming platforms are looking for? How do you navigate a structured development and pitch process? What role does branded content play in the short-form digital space?

This session will also cover the process of creating treatments, one-page documents and presenting your ideas and pitch packages to commissioning editors. For scripted and unscripted, how can you develop and realise ideas that can cut through the increasingly crowded Digital and TV content market?

This session is for filmmakers, producers, writers, anyone interested in exploring a career in short and long-form series.

TOM PULLEN

Tom Pullen is an accomplished Digital Commissioning Executive for Channel 4 with a versatile background in scripted drama, comedy and documentary content. His expertise in branded content has seen him work with Google, Intel, Coors Light and many more on award winning projects such as Disability Works, which took gold at the Media Week Awards. 

His recent commissions includes the doc, IN TOO DEEP which uncovers the ease at which people can access blue prints for plastic firearms in the UK. Tom recently commissioned the three-part scripted series BETH, Channel 4’s first digital original drama to broadcast on its YouTube, as well as streaming and linear.

AKEMNJI NDIFORNYEN

Akemnji Ndifornyen is a writer, freelance producer, composer and performer who won the 2019 BAFTA award for Breakthrough Talent. He is best known for showrunning the hit BBC sketch comedy series FAMALAM, for which he also writes, composes and has appeared in the programme as an actor.

Akemnji is also a writer, director and co-creator of the award winning BLACK OPS (2022-) which is currently prepping to shoot its third season.

DHANNY JOSHI

Dhanny co-founded Big Deals Films, the BAFTA, Brodcast and Emmy nominated production company from London that produces bold and compelling content for leading UK Broadcasters.

Big Deal Films are one of the UK’s leading diverse production companies committed to championing inclusive talent and breaking barriers in TV. The company also has a first look distribution deal with BBC Studios. Their most recent project is BBC & A24’s Dreaming Whilst Black.