Latest news with #KellySouders
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Smallville' Co-Showrunner Kelly Souders Tells Producers: 'Don't Give Notes When Everybody's Gone Home'
Kelly Souders, the co-showrunner of Superman drama Smallville and co-creator of The Hot Zone, has had her say on the complicated relationship between producers and creatives. In a panel hosted by Deadline in Germany at Seriencamp yesterday, Souders railed against producers whose primary goal is imposing their will on a production without considering how to connect with their creative counterpart. More from Deadline Folivari International Takes Global Rights To 'Pil's Adventures' Spin-Off Series Major TV Events Continue In Cologne Despite Huge Evacuation While German City Deals With WWII Bombs BBC Studios Producer Reveals Why 'Ghosts' Is "Indebted" To 'Friends' - Seriencamp 'As a producer, you're constantly giving notes and you need to figure out your goal. Is it being right, or is it to get a tune out of someone?,' she questioned. Her key message to producers addressing issues with creatives was to figure out how to deliver an opening line. 'There are a lot of times I get notes in meetings that say, 'Okay, there is a lot of work to be done here.' Immediately, your front cortex shuts down and you go into fight or flight mode. I'm going to walk out, and without even trying I'll forget what you said,' she added. She also criticized producers who provide notes on scenes when a production is at edit stage. 'It would have been a great note when we were shooting, but now everybody's gone home,' she added. 'They don't like to read' Souders was talking on a panel alongside Noémi Saglio, the French TV and film writer behind 2019 Netflix series The Hook Up Plan, who stunned an excited audience with her own take on producers' pitfalls. 'They don't like to read,' she said. 'That is what producers really need to work on. Guys, the creative is the basis for the whole thing: If you don't like to read, I don't know what to tell you. We have to come back to the material, and they have to know it by heart and understand every sentence.' Both agreed that producers needed to make tough financial calls, but urged this to be a collaborative process informed by the script and not a decision-making process taken alone with an 'Excel spreadsheet,' as Saglio put it. Souders said she has had few entirely positive experiences with producers. The exception to the rule was Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions, whose staff had creatively supported her vision on The Hot Zone, a Nat Geo drama adaptation of Richard Preston's book about the ebola virus. Souders joined Smallville as a staff writer on Season 1 in 2001 before rising to become co-showrunner on the Warners-then-CW young adult drama. She remained with the show through its next nine seasons. She later went on to co-create and showrun Julianna Margulies-starrer drama The Hot Zone and was consulting producer and writer on Genius: Picasso and Genius: Einstein for the same network. She was also an executive producer on WGN's flagship show Salem, and consulted on CBS's Under the Dome and USA Network's Political Animals. 'You want desperately to find a creative producer who is going to elevate what you're doing, but instead a lot of times you are just arguing with them,' she said. Both Saglio and Souders noted they worked with the same creative team on most projects. 'Everybody on set is my family, and I never change that, but I change producers,' said Saglio. 'I haven't made two projects with the same producer. I don't fight with them, but I haven't found one who has brought enough to the table to do another one with them. I am so hands-on that it is so difficult to trust someone has the same vision.' Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, the American-Icelandic actor-producer, said that a good producer 'connects with the story, brings together the best creative people they think should make that story and then stay out of their way as much as they can, but be ready to pop in when needed.' He criticized how 'ego' can derail projects, and recalled an anecdote about Mel Brooks, who quietly organized Academy Award-nominated 1980 film The Elephant Man, directed by a young David Lynch. 'He was the producer, the one who bought the rights and the one who put it in the hands of David Lynch. But Mel Brooks' name isn't on the film, and the reason he gave was if it was, people would expect something different. It is an incredible thing to have the humility to tell yourself that, and that is the mark of a great producer.' Best of Deadline 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Latest ‘Impractical Jokers' Is Being Made In Lithuania
EXCLUSIVE: The following program will contain graphic stupidity, as four friends compete to embarrass one another – only this time in Lithuania. Impractical Jokers is being remade for Lithuania's TV3 as a 24-episode, half-hour series – a deal we can reveal as Eastern European content event NEM kicks off today in Dubrovnik, Croatia. More from Deadline Banijay Scripted Business Chief Says Lower Budgets Have Made Streamers "More Stable" - Seriencamp 'Smallville' Co-Showrunner Kelly Souders Tells Producers: "Don't Give Notes When Everybody's Gone Home" - Seriencamp Folivari International Takes Global Rights To 'Pil's Adventures' Spin-Off Series Production will begin later this year after TV3 closed a deal with format seller Warner Bros International Television Production. Reema Patel, Director of Formats at WBITVP, brokered the agreement. The hidden-camera prank shows sees four friends seek to embarrass one another through a series of outrageous dares, which could be anything from eating food from someone's plate to deliberately making a bad impression at a speed-dating event. The least successful team members in each episode endures a final punishment. The original TruTV series, created by comedy troupe The Tenderloins, has run to 11 seasons and more than 300 episodes, even surviving the exit of cast member Joe Gatto in 2021. Several international adaptations have been produced, including in the UK, Greece, Mexico, Sweden and Australia, where The Inspired Unemployed (Impractical) Jokers, produced locally by WBITVP Australia, returns for a third season on Paramount+ today. The Lithuania cast will comprise Antanas Sadauskas, a comedian and cultural innovator who also runs a successful comedy club; Markas Žukauskas, a fast-thinking stand-up comedian who thrives in unpredictable situations; Simanas Žurauskas, a stand-up comedian and high-profile content creator known for his takes on everyday life; and Viktoras Balykovas, who is known for his sharp humour, relatable storytelling and strong presence on social media. 'Impractical Jokers is the 'gold standard' of hidden camera prank shows, so we are delighted to have struck this deal with WBITVP,' said Arvydas Rimas, Creative Director at TV3 Group. 'Lithuania It is exciting to have four such high-profile, popular and witty comedians already on board, so we look forward to moving into production and getting the first pranks underway.' TV3 previously adapted WBITVP's diving format Celebrity Splash. It has also produced local versions of X Factor and Got Talent among others. 'TV3 Group Lithuania has consistently set a standard for the country by presenting the most relevant and up-to-date global formats, so we have high hopes and every confidence that Impractical Jokers will quickly become an important 'must-watch' title for a wide audience,' added Rimas. 'We're delighted to see Impractical Jokers heading to Lithuania and welcome TV3 into the global pranking family. The format is evergreen, highly adaptable, and a lot of fun to produce,' said André Renaud, Global VP of Format & Finished Sales at WBITVP. 'We've seen titles like The Bachelor and Cash or Trash perform consistently well across Central and Eastern Europe, and we believe Impractical Jokers offers something equally compelling in primetime: a strong sense of friendship and playfulness that resonates with audiences everywhere. I'm looking forward to seeing our Lithuanian pranksters bring this format to life.' Renaud has been overseeing global format sales for WBITVP since November, following his switch from BBC Studios, which we revealed in September. The Warner Bros Discovery-owned WBITVP also hired James Collins as Head of Format Sales for Australia in February. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery Tony Awards: Every Best Musical Winner Since 1949 Tony Awards: Every Best Play Winner Since 1947
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Banijay Scripted Business Chief Says Lower Budgets Have Made Streamers 'More Stable'
Banijay Entertainment's co-head of scripted has given his assessment of the current scripted market, suggesting that the budgeting challenges of the post-peak TV could give rise to better television. In an on-stage interview with Deadline at Seriencamp, he added that the upside to streamers lowering their spend is that their budgets are now more 'stable' and simpler to plan around. More from Deadline 'Smallville' Co-Showrunner Kelly Souders Tells Producers: "Don't Give Notes When Everybody's Gone Home" - Seriencamp Folivari International Takes Global Rights To 'Pil's Adventures' Spin-Off Series Major TV Events Continue In Cologne Despite Huge Evacuation While German City Deals With WWII Bombs 'You can talk about the streamers decreasing investment, but there is now a plateau, and it is a little more stable way for them to work, which is great as we then know how they work and what their budget limits are,' he added. 'As long as we know the rules, it's easier to work in this environment. 'It wasn't purely a great time during peak TV, because everything could be done, and one or two things weren't that great. In the long-term we need to produce great things, because that's the only way audiences will come back to us. We're not just competing against each others, we're competing against games and social media, so we have to be on the top of our game.' Tax breaks versus levies Banijay claims it is now the largest independent producer of scripted in Europe, giving Jensen and Matthews a birds-eye view on dozens of production companies working in multiple territories. It is a market wrestling with how to finance programs and ensure the streamers who pushed prices up dramatically during the peak TV era continue to invest. Jensen said while tax breaks are vital to the new European TV world, he wasn't completely supportive of streaming levies. He noted that while France had landed 'a lot of productions' from its system, Denmark had seen streamers cut back on spend after introduction a mandatory spend system. 'It can go both ways,' he said. 'I'm not that much for putting a tariff on things, but I believe people locally want to watch local things, so if you enter a market, you probably want to do local shows. The streamers pulling out and not spending will probably see they lose some subscribers locally.' Tax incentives on the other hand, can change the shape of a market, but need to be introduced in a methodical way. 'Locally, we'll probably need to have rules between broadcasters and streamers,' said Jensen. 'Tax breaks need to be reliable and understandable. It's benefitting the local territory when you do that, and there are numerous examples of it.' Jensen also used his appearance in Cologne to spell out how Banijay treated investments in scripted, playing down the idea that super-indies push their subsidiaries in certain directions. 'Creativity is the most important part,' he said. 'Banijay is a group that has been acquiring companies and making a lot of talent deals over the years, but what we don't do is go in and put producers in a box. We want the entrepreneurial person running that scripted company to do their thing. We wouldn't go for the talent if we didn't want what they do.' Jensen took on his new role in January, when he and Steve Matthews – who is Head of Scripted, Creative – were upped from their roles as CEO of Banijay Nordics and Content Partnerships Executive, respectively. He described their roles as like a 'door opener to the international market to local producers.' Jensen and Matthews can work with indies to access Banijay's scripted fund to help finesse scripts, strike talent deals or land IP, while they try to add more formalized systems into place. Jensen paid tribute to former HBO Europe exec Matthews for his 'reputation as a great, great creative' who could provide an outsider's view on local productions. Jensen was talking a day after Banijay Entertainment CEO Marco Bassetti sowed some market confusion around Banijay's interest in ITV Studios. While it's been reported several times that Banijay – one of the most active consolidators in the market – has spoken with ITV, Bassetti told a SXSW London audience, 'We're not buying ITV Studios' before going on to talk about the need for scale in the globalized entertainment market. Jensen didn't address the M&A situation, but talked about how scale had been important for Banijay, which claims to be the largest independent scripted producer in Europe through companies such as Kudos, Banijay Studios in several territories, Grøenlandia, Jarowskij/Yellow Bird, Rabbit Track Pictures and The Forge. 'I hope that people think we are a place where they can collaborate,' he said. 'When you look at the current market situation, my feeling for some time now has been you have to be big, like us and some of our competitors, or small, where you're not dependent on constantly selling shows and you control everything yourself. They're two different paths to the same thing.' Jensen also addressed how producers can work with Banijay companies on co-productions – with the current state of the market, strategic partnerships and clever financing models have been the talk of the week here in Germany. He admitted Banijay would prefer to keep co-productions within its ranks if possible, but pointed to cop drama Weiss & Morales – which is made by Banijay Espana's Portocabo, Nadcon and ZDF Studios for RTVE in Spain and ZDF in Germany – as an example of a production with third parties. 'We are really open to it,' he said. 'We want to have the best IP and be a great place to go to. If your idea resonates in the Nordics or Spain, we can facilitate that and we'd love to have more collaborations.' Jensen noted Banijay has seen 'much less money' coming from the States into European productions in recent years and said this is playing into the way shows are being built. 'We don't known about the Trump tariffs – we will keep an eye on them – but we do know there was less money from the U.S. even before those talks, and that there is momentum for us here. We need to build Europe stronger in general, and in the media industry as well. That is about collaborating between borders, but also internally. You don't need to own everything forever, so you can find ways of financing and working together.' Further back in his career, Jensen was among the original producers of unscripted format Survivor in Sweden. Asked what scripted producers could take from unscripted, he said: 'When you are pitching a show, you person you're pitching to is not the one who makes the decisions. That is knowledge the unscripted guys have known for a long time. There is a business knowledge in unscripted that we could learn in scripted. He also suggested there could be more IP developed in 'parallel' with the unscripted world, pointing to how unscripted shows such as The Traitors had been influenced by murder mystery dramas and suggesting this could work in reverse. Best of Deadline 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
