Lille, France: The shortage of writing, production, and directorial talent is being bemoaned by one and all at a time when demand for content is booming worldwide. WarnerMedia EMEA is doing something about it in France to start with. EVP & head of original production, EMEA Anthony Root at the content powerhouse- on 23 March - announced that it is going to be putting in a million dollars over the next three years behind an initiative SeriesMania Institute being pushed by fast growing TV series festival SeriesMania.
Present at the Series Mania Forum during the announcement were the festival’s founder & general director Laurence Herszberg, and Series Mania Institute project manager Pierre Ziemniak. HBO Max will be joining Newen (founding partner), France Télévisions, and Entreprises et Cités, The Series Mania Institute, launched last year, is an initiative devoted entirely to training the professionals of tomorrow's European TV series.
The organisation also benefits from the support of the Lille European Metropolis (MEL), the Hauts-de-France Region, and the CNC, as well as partnerships with some of the leading European schools, including La Fémis and Sciences Po Lille. Its European course Eureka Series is supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA programme of the European Union.
Herszberg says, “Since its creation, our mission with the Series Mania Institute has been to be the incubator for creating new talent and developing an impressive European network, while reinforcing the training of these professionals in the field of series and audiovisual content, including scriptwriters, directors, producers, and broadcasters. Now, thanks to HBO Max and their generous funding, along with all of our partners, we are well positioned to devote the necessary training to these new talents who will create the European series of tomorrow. I could not be prouder than to be making this announcement today.”
HBO Max EMEA General Manager Christina Sulebakk adds, “Europe is home to an incredible breadth and depth of talent and in partnership with the Series Mania Institute, we’re thrilled to provide the support and resources to nurture the next generation. At HBO Max, we recognise that programming is only as good as those who are empowered to make it and through this initiative, we’re excited to play a meaningful role in helping creatives to do their best work.”
Unit Audiovisual Industry and Media Support Programmes, European Commission head Lucia Recalde highlights, "Creative Europe MEDIA is proud to be a partner of the Series Mania ecosystem, first through Series Mania Forum, and now with Eureka Series, the European training programme of Series Mania Institute. HBO Max supporting the Institute marks an important step in the integration of international SVOD platforms to the European industry, and a major creative opportunity for European series professionals".
Opened in 2021, the Series Mania Institute is the first school entirely devoted to training future series professionals. The Institute is made up of three programmes, including: Eureka Series, an intensive three-month training course for emerging television drama series writers and producers from all over Europe, a Master’s Programme at Science Po Lille for future managers, and Le Tremplin/Springboard, a platform to help identify, initiate, and guide young talents in the Hauts-de-France region. Through these programmes and future initiatives, the Series Mania Institute delivers world-class training to creators and storytellers from diverse backgrounds and origins and develops the next generation of remarkable European series makers, contributing to a strong future for the European audiovisual industry.
