Running Shows! Filmstiftung-backed Master Class on developing series began in Cologne at the weekend

Three years' work developing compressed into four days: held under the banner of "Running Shows" from Saturday, 18 June, to Tuesday, 21 June, in Cologne, the Entertainment Master Class (EMC) reveals what constitutes the production process for a series and the successful work of a showrunner.

Under the direction of the renowned producer, format developer and Emmy winner Ran Tellem („Homeland“) and accompanied by another ten top experts and showrunners from the USA, Great Britain, Israel, France, Sweden and Germany, 30 selected participants are learning about how to develop a series – from the first idea through to the series bible, from the pilot to casting, from budgeting and financing through to production and marketing around the globe. Funded by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, the Entertainment Master Class is being held for the sixth time in Cologne.

„Apart from successful series, TV movies and mini-series for linear television, NRW producers are currently intensively involved in the development of horizontally narrated series for all platforms,“ says Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. „With this Entertainment Master Class, we want to give producers, and particularly young creatives from NRW, the opportunity to discuss their ideas for series as well as projects with international top experts to be more competitive. We wish the participants many new insights and already thank the experts and the Entertainment Master Class at this point for their commitment."

"A master class can only ever be as good as the participating talents. We are very pleased with the long-standing partnership with the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. Not least because it constantly shows a sure hand with the selected talents who want to turn convincing ideas into reality", says EMC managing director Christoph Fey. "Seeing experts and talents coming together in a curious and open way in order to collaborate on ideas and their realisation is what the success of a master class is all about. It just makes sense that this is now happening for the sixth time in the entertainment stronghold of Cologne."

Ran Tellem (Mediapro, Spain/Israel/USA) was joined at the "Running Shows" Master Class by a number of prominent speakers including Paul Tyler (Handling Ideas, Denmark), Anna Winger (author, „Deutschland 83“), Tatjana Andersson (SVT, Sweden), Matthias Puschmann (Vast Media, Germany), Jens Richter (Fremantlemedia, England/UK), Nino Cirone (Showtime, USA), Christian Munder (Sony Pictures, Germany), Tony Gregory (Channel Four, England/UK) and Klaus Zimmermann (Dynamic Television, France).

The Entertainment Master Class was founded in Berlin in 2008 as an international network of globally successful format specialists. The idea: selected young talents from all over the world receive training from masters in their craft. The master classes cover all of the key areas of format and content development through to company strategy. Workshops have since been regularly staged in New York, Cambridge, Berlin and Cologne.

Information about EMC at www.entertainment-masterclass.tv

For further information: Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Tanja Güß, Tel.: 0211-93050-24,