CynCity

Speaking of TD Jakes

TD Jakes just premiered on OWN, right after its syndication launch.  Stephanie Drachkovitch, President & co-founder of 44 Blue Productions, explains how this show stands out from the pack (thanks, Oprah!). Cynopsis: How is TD Jakes different from other shows?   Stephanie Drachkovitch: The show is different because of TD Jakes himself – there is no […]

The OTT Future is Now: People and EW Go Over the Top

Time Inc. has just launched a new, free ad-supported Video-on-Demand OTT platform: the People/Entertainment Weekly Network. Network GM Susanne Mei talks about navigating from the “OTT future” to “OTT present.” Cynopsis: How long ago did the process start for the EW/People project? Susanne Mei: We built the programming and all the apps in nine months […]

Passionate About Public Television

When fall season rolls around, public television shows don’t usually get the buzz of their broadcast brethren, but there are jewels aplenty. Two standouts: PBS’ Time for School: 2003-2016 follows five kids in five countries for 12 years as they struggle for a basic education. The program airs as part of PBS’s “Spotlight Education Week” […]

Advertisement

Univision’s Randy Falco: The Presidential Debates Are Missing Something

Not long after the Commission on Presidential Debates released a list of the moderators for its upcoming events that didn’t include a Hispanic journalist, Univision President & CEO Randy Falco pressed Janet H. Brown, Executive director of the organization, to reconsider. Here is his letter in its entirety.   Dear Ms. Brown, I am writing […]

At Mattel, Barbie’s Just the Beginning

In advance of accepting his Content Leadership award at the 2016 !magination Awards on September 27, Christopher Keenan, Mattel Creations SVP, content development and executive producer, chatted with Cynopsis Kids editor Cathy Applefeld Olson about the evolution of Mattel Creations into a content-driven company developing properties to engage audiences through character and story.   […]

Reality vet Mark Cronin puts the emphasis on “real”

Mark Cronin knows a little something about reality shows. The co-founder of 51 Minds, now heading up a new venture, Little Wooden Boat Productions, has a slew of series to his credit. But while the creator of Bravo‘s Below Deck (launching season four on September 6) admits every show has its issues, shooting on a […]

SVOD Success Means Using Advanced Data to Get Personal

According to a recent report from IBM Cloud Video about the state of streaming video, leveraging data is the key to making consumers happy. David Mowrey, Vice President of Strategic Planning & Global Alliances at IBM Cloud Video, talks password sharing, pain points and best practices. Cynopsis: Were you surprised by anything the report revealed? […]

Nat Geo WILD Dives Into Digital

Nat Geo WILD recently launched its first major foray into the digital space, a new web series called wild_life with Bertie Gregory. The series follows the titular Bertie Gregory, a young wildlife photographer, as he tracks down and films predators on Vancover Island. Cynopsis Digital recently asked Nat Geo WILD EVP & GM Geoff Daniels about […]

Branded Content Studio Courageous Is Off to a Roaring Start

CNN‘s Courageous branded content studio has moved quickly since launch one year ago. Now, Courageous is producing the Human By Design conference, exploring the current state of human augmentation, at NYC’s Paley Center for Media on August 3. Otto Bell, head of Courageous, explains how the conference came about, and what sets the studio apart. […]

CynCity

Cynsiders

Instagram