NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 15 Nat Geo taps the A-list for its latest premium play, ‘Breakthrough’ CANADA POST AGREEMENT NUMBER 40050265 PRINTED IN CANADA USPS AFSM 100 Approved Polywrap USPS AFSM 100 Approved NUMBER 40050265 PRINTED IN CANADA POST AGREEMENT CANADA US $7.95 USD Canada $8.95 CDN Int’l $9.95 USD G<ID@KEF%+*-* 9L==8CF#EP L%J%GFJK8><G8@; 8LKF ALSO: VR – THE BIG PICTURE | AMY BERG TALKS JANIS GIJIKJK; A PUBLICATIONPUBLICATION OF BRUNICOBRUNICO COMMUNICATIONSCOMMUNICATIONS LTD.LTD. Realscreen Cover.indd 2 2015-11-09 4:33 PM Are you our next winner? Celebrating excellence in non-fi ction and unscripted entertainment Awards will be presented at the 2016 edition of Realscreen West, Santa Monica CA, June 9, 2016 Final entry deadline: Friday, February 5, 2016 To submit your entries go to awards.realscreen.com RS.27203.27200.RSARSW.indd 3 2015-11-10 10:05 AM contents november / december 15 DiscoveryVR intends to teach 13 viewers How to Survive in the Wild 22 through immersive content. BIZ Vice pacts with A+E, Rogers for cable channels; Montgomery set to lead ITV Studios U.S. Group ................................. 9 INGENIOUS Legendary rock icon Janis Joplin is the focal point of Amy Berg’s latest, Janis: Little Girl Blue. Amy Berg celebrates Janis Joplin .......................................................13 SPECIAL REPORTS 26 SCIENCE FOCUS Three science projects that tackle breakthroughs and big questions; a chat with Science Channel’s Marc Etkind ......................16 Couldn’t make it to Realscreen London? See what you VFX/ANIMATION missed in our photo page. Looking at the big picture for virtual reality content; Rebuilding history with CGI ..............................................................22 “It’s so diffi cult now to REALSCREEN LONDON deliver visual spectacle The scene at our UK conference’s second edition .............................26 that makes your eyes AND ONE MORE THING open again.” 18 Chris Evans talks Top Gear ................................................................ 27 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 15 on the cover National Geographic Channel’s global doc strand ‘Breakthrough’ tackles topics from aging to Nat Geo taps the A-list for its latest premium play, ‘Breakthrough’ advances in biotechnology. CANADA POST AGREEMENT NUMBER 40050265 PRINTED IN CANADA USPS AFSM 100 Approved Polywrap NUMBER 40050265 PRINTED IN CANADA USPS AFSM 100 Approved CANADA POST AGREEMENT Photo: courtesy of National US $7.95 USD Canada $8.95 CDN Int’l $9.95 USD G<ID@KEF%+*-* 9L==8CF#EP L%J%GFJK8><G8@; ALSO: VR – THE BIG PICTURE | AMY BERG TALKS JANIS 8LKF GIJIKJK; A PUBLICATIONPUBLICATION OF BRUNICOBRUNICO COMMUNICATIONSCOMMUNICATIONS LTD.LTD. Geographic Channel 003 Contents.indd 003 2015-11-10 9:56 AM OF VICE AND November + December 15 Volume 19, Issue 2 ITS VIRTUES Realscreen is published 5 times a year by Brunico Communications Ltd., all knew one during our formative years, and some of you may have 100- 366 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 1R9 Tel. 416-408-2300 Fax 416-408-0870 www.realscreen.com been fortunate enough to be one – the Cool Kid who would saunter We nonchalantly through the high school corridors, all eyes cast enviously upon him or her. Some of us would be invited into the Cool Kid’s inner circle and, as the VP & Publisher Claire Macdonald [email protected] loyal entourage, would not only get to bask in the Kid’s glory, but would also have a little Editor and Content Director Barry Walsh [email protected] bit of the shine rub off on us as well – or so we would hope. News Editor Manori Ravindran [email protected] Research Editor Kelly Anderson [email protected] For some time now, Vice Media has been the modern media equivalent of the Cool Kid. Staff Writer Daniele Alcinii [email protected] Whether it’s been through Vice’s virtual cornering of the millennial market, its ability to Contributors Chris Palmer, Kevin Ritchie, John Smithson develop monetization models that work in the online content space, or the canny deal- Associate Publisher Carrie Gillis [email protected] making prowess displayed by CEO Shane Smith, the Vice brand has been inextricably Senior Account Manager Kerry Lanctot [email protected] linked to two trains steaming their way through the content and media industries today Account Manager Kristen Skinner [email protected] Marketing & Publishing Coordinator Aimee Ross [email protected] – disruption and expansion. Creative Manager Andrew Glowala [email protected] Both of those trains can actually run in tandem with each other, and don’t have to be Art Director Mark Lacoursiere [email protected] on a collision course, and the recent deals struck by Vice Media in the television sector Production/Distribution Manager Robert Lines [email protected] – outlined on page 9 – illustrate that. Sure, many believe that Vice – with its stable of Event Producer Tiffany Rushton [email protected] 11-and-counting online channels – is leading the charge in sounding a digitally-driven death knell for television. But anyone who has followed the moves made by the company Webmaster Farhan Quadri over the years – from its beginnings as a free, alternative publication based in Montreal, audience services to its forays into books, fi lms, music and eventually, TV content via its programming for Manager, Audience Services Christine McNalley [email protected] HBO – knows that multimedia penetration has always been a top priority. corporate And while some recent stats and studies concerning viewership, cord-cutting and cord- President & CEO Russell Goldstein [email protected] VP & Editorial Director Mary Maddever [email protected] nevers may provide digital doomsayers with ammunition for proclaiming that linear is VP & Publisher, Kidscreen Jocelyn Christie [email protected] dead – or even worse, irrelevant – the dealmakers and their dollars tell a different story. VP Administration and Finance Linda Lovegrove [email protected] If, as speculated, Vice is moving towards an IPO, then amassing more cash and scale Senior Director, Events and Creative Services Brenda Wilford through myriad international TV deals – be they cable or free-to-air – won’t hurt the [email protected] cause. As Smith told the Financial Times in late 2014, in advance of the “deal spree” of this Senior Director, IT and eBrunico Eddie Ting [email protected] year, “There’s no time in the foreseeable future when Vice will not be doing a major media deal.” Sounds rather platform-agnostic to me. All letters sent to realscreen or its editors are assumed intended for And while some may argue that the joint ventures with A+E in the U.S. and Rogers in publication. Realscreen invites editorial comment, but accepts no Canada point towards a “cash for cachet” bid by the more traditional media companies, it responsibility for its loss or destruction, howsoever arising, while in its offi ce just might prove to be smart business for them to be aligned with a brand that possesses or in transit. All material to be returned must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part such intense loyalty from a coveted, hard-to-reach demographic. without the written permission of the publisher. It is true that some newer millennial-focused networks have struggled to break through with big hits, and while Vice’s “voice” continues to connect with growing audiences ISSN number 1480-1434 © Brunico Communications Ltd. 2015 worldwide online, one might wonder how its irreverent style (sample Vice story: “Inside London’s Hedonistic, Polyamorous Unicorn Movement”) will translate on a 24-hour cable U.S. Postmaster: Send address changes or corrections to realscreen, PO Box 1103, Niagara Falls, NY, 14304 | Canadian Postmaster: Send undeliverables channel. One might also ask how the proliferation of deals could dilute Vice’s “outsider” and address changes to realscreen, PO Box 369, Beeton, ON, L0G 1A0. status among its core audience. Canada Post Publication Agreement No. 40050265 Printed in Canada But I view this cross-pollination with excitement and a little bit of hope. From a programming perspective, a little infusion of digital daredevilry could do wonders for To subscribe, visit www.realscreen.com/subscribe, email linear. If the Cool Kid wants to come over to hang, why would you say no? [email protected], call 416-408-2448, or fax 416- 408-0249. Subscription rates for one year: in the US, US$59.00; in Canada, CDN$79.00; outside the US and Canada, US$99.00. Cheers, Barry Walsh ™ Realscreen is a trademark of Brunico Communications Ltd. Editor and content director realscreen 004 November / December ‘15 Editor.indd 004 2015-11-11 2:22 PM IMPACT "ROADCASTs4HEATRICALs$IGITALs/UTREACH SCIENCE MEDIA FOR ALL AUDIENCES www.biointeractive.org www.tangledbankstudios.org RS.27114.Tangled.indd 1 2015-11-10 10:09 AM COUNTDOWN TO THE SUMMIT ow! It feels like just a couple of months ago I was updating you all UPCOMING ADVERTISING on the 17th edition of the Realscreen Summit, and here I am to fi ll & SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Wyou in on the next one – just a couple of months away. We’re moving back to our old ‘hood in Washington DC via our new home JANUARY/FEBRUARY in the Marriott Marquis, which is kitty corner to our long-time location, the Stock Footage and Archive Report Renaissance. Located in Penn Quarter, there’s a wonderful variety of restaurants and watering holes within walking distance. Realscreen’s Trailblazers Once again, we’re fortunate to have the support and counsel of a stellar Development and Commissioning advisory board that is working closely with Barry Walsh, realscreen’s editor and Report content director, and conference producer Tiffany Rushton to develop content that aligns with the evolving face of the international non-fi ction and unscripted Bonus distribution business. Helming the board are Jana Bennett, president and general manager, NATPE, Realscreen Summit, History, and Brent Montgomery, CEO, Leftfi eld Entertainment.