… Newen Studio's META PITCH CONTEST is back for an even more innovative Season 2!
For this 2nd season, we ask participants to send us a trailer of their TV Series project (max 3 min).
You are allowed (and we encourage you to 😉) use AI tools to create your trailer.
6 projects will be selected after viewing the trailer to pitch their project in our Metaverse in front of a jury, and a final round will take place at Series Mania.
Submit your TV Series project trailer*
Be one of the 6 selected to pitch your project to industry leaders in the metaverse of Newen Studios!
Advance to the final round and present your project live on stage at the prestigious Series Mania Festival in France!
See your project brought to life by Newen Studios and Newen Connect!
* See the conditions in our FAQ below
October 30th, 2023
Submissions open
January 14th, 2024
Submissions close
February 2nd, 2024
Announcement of the 6 projects selected to move forward
February 13th, 2024
Pitching session in the metaverse
February 17th, 2024
2 projects are selected for the Final Battle
March 19th, 2024
Final Pitching session & Award Ceremony
(during the Series Mania forum)
Upload your trailer on Youtube as an unlisted video
Go on the Meta Pitch Contest website and click on the "Submit now" button
Fill in your profile information and details about your original project (title, summary...) on the Google Form
Enter the URL of your video, and upload your one pager according to the format guidelines.
Submit your application by the deadline of 6pm (Paris Time) on January 14th, 2024.
Anna PUGACEWICZ
President of the Jury
Deputy CEO, NEWEN STUDIOS
Anna PUGACEWICZ
President of the Jury
Deputy CEO, NEWEN STUDIOS
Born in 1983, Anna Pugacewicz has both French and Polish citizenships. She is a graduate of the prestigious ESSEC Business School. She began her career as a Financial Auditor at EY France. In 2010, she became the Finance and Business Development Director of Télévista, an independent player in the pay television market. In 2013, Anna worked for Discovery as a Consultant on Eurosport’s post-acquisition integration. Early 2014, she joined Zodiak Media as Group Chief Financial Officer, and was also involved in the Zodiak-Banijay merger. In 2016, Anna Pugacewicz joined Newen as Deputy General Manager in charge of finances. In 2022, she was appointed Deputy General Manager in charge of support functions for the Newen Studios group. Since joining Newen, Anna has played a key role in the European growth of the group.
Rodolphe Buet
CEO
NEWEN CONNECT
Rodolphe Buet
CEO
NEWEN CONNECT
For several years, Rodolphe Buet has led the French and international distribution teams of major European Studios including Studiocanal (Canal+ Group) or Mediawan Kids&Family. A key figure at Studiocanal, Rodolphe Buet led business activities in fiction and cinema on various major projects: family and animated films (Paddington, Shaun the Sheep), arthouse films (Tinker Soldier Spy), action films (Non-Stop) and series (Baron Noir, Midnight Sun, The Five, Crossing Lines, The returned…) in coordination with TV production subsidiaries based abroad (Red in the United Kingdom, Sam in Denmark, and Tandem in Germany).
He has also contributed to the influence and growth of Studiocanal, establishing distribution operations in London and Beijing. CEO of Studiocanal Germany between 2012 and 2015 he managed successful international Ips such as Hunger Games and launched the German production arm with successes such as Heidi or My Blind Spot.
President of international films at Mediawan Kids & Famil from 2018 to 2020, Rodolphe Buet also led the strategic development of various animation projects.
In 2020, he was appointed as Managing Director of TF1’s distribution arm Newen Connect. Since his nomination, he has contributed to the international success of various IP’s (HIP, DNA, Christian, L’Opéra…) along with the development of the company’s slate, building partnerships with Newen Studios’ production companies (Izen, Flare Film, Ringside Studios…) as well as talented third-party producers (Andy Serkis’ The Imaginarium, UGC, Lucky Red, etc.).
Elliot Gustin
VP International Acquistions & Coproductions
NEWEN CONNECT
Elliot Gustin
VP International Acquistions & Coproductions
NEWEN CONNECT
Philippe Levasseur
Head of International
NEWEN STUDIOS
Philippe Levasseur
Head of International
NEWEN STUDIOS
Philippe Levasseur has headed Newen Studios' international productions since 2020. He headed Agence Capa, France's leading documentary producer, from 2015 to 2020. In 2007, he co-founded Babel Press, a production company established in India, then Afghanistan, the USA and Brazil, which he co-directed for 8 years.
A FIPA and FIGRA award winner and five-time finalist for the Prix Albert Londres, he has directed and produced dozens of documentaries, notably for Arte, France Télévisions, Netflix and Prime Video.
Fred Rolland
Head of EMEA Strategic Development for Digital Media Audio & Video
ADOBE
Fred Rolland
Head of EMEA Strategic Development for Digital Media Audio & Video
ADOBE
Fred has been working in the audiovisual post-production industry for over 20 years. He has held a number of strategic positions with major publishers such as Avid and Apple. He joined Adobe 11 years ago to develop Premiere Pro for Southern Europe (Benelux, France, Spain, Italy and Portugal). He currently heads up the Business Development team for Adobe's Digital Media audiovisual solutions (Creative Cloud, Frame.io, Express) for the European region.
Rémi Tereszkiewicz
CEO
BETASERIES
Rémi Tereszkiewicz
CEO
BETASERIES
Rémi Tereszkiewicz is an expert of OTT services and TV series marketing. Having served since 1994 as VP or SVP in sales and marketing positions for various companies such as Warner Brothers (2016), Lagardère Studios (2014), Netgem (2004) or Eurosport (1994), he led the creation and launching of numerous TV services and A/S/TVOD offers. He is currently CEO of Betaseries, a leading European media platform running recommendation services for a community of 6 million monthly TV series fans and analysing TV series & OTT usages to accompany the media industry with marketing solutions.
Stéphane Chirol
Vice President, Sales
TITRAFILM
Stéphane Chirol
Vice President, Sales
TITRAFILM
Stéphane Chirol has been working in the Entertainment industry, specifically in Media and Communication, for almost 30 years. He began his career in Chile and the USA. He joined TITRAFILM in 2003 as the Director of Sales for TV activities to build the dubbing activities and was appointed as Vice President of Sales for global activities in 2013.
TITRAFILM, the iconic inventor of subtitling in 1933 and based in Paris, now offers post production, global localization and deliveries for theatrical releases, TV, and platforms in multiple languages.
For 90 years, TITRAFILM has served major European and US studios, including Newen, Mediawan, ITV, Fremantle, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Universal, DreamWorks, and more recently, Disney, Apple, Netflix, Amazon.
Margaux Balsan
Producer
CAPA DRAMA
Margaux Balsan
Producer
CAPA DRAMA
With experience directing plays at the John Strasberg Studio in New York, Margaux began her career in France as Development Manager at One World Films in 2013, before becoming Associate Producer in 2016. In recent years, she has produced David Oehloffen's films Frères ennemis and Loin des hommes. At CAPA Drama, which she joins in 2021 alongside Claude Chelli, Margaux is producing season 1 of Marie-Antoinette for Canal+ and season 2, currently shooting.
José Velasco
President
IZEN
José Velasco
President
IZEN
Jose Velasco, founder and president of iZen, is one of Spain's most prominent film and television producers. He has produced some of the most original and emblematic television programs in our country in all genres: 'Inocente, Inocente', 'El Súper', 'Querido Maestro', 'Gran Hermano', 'Centro Médico', 'El Cid', 'Memento Mori' and 'Insiders', among others. Throughout his extensive and multifaceted professional experience, he has always been committed to the transformative power of narrative and storytelling.
Sara Fernandez-Velasco
CEO
IZEN
Sara Fernandez-Velasco
CEO
IZEN
CEO of the iZen Group, which in turn manages iZen International, with its offices in the United Kingdom.
She has produced and supervised the production of numerous renowned fiction and entertainment titles: 'El Cid' (Amazon Prime Video), 'Memento Mori' (Amazon Prime Video), 'Gala Inocente' (TVE), and more than 1000 episodes of the daily series 'Centro Médico' (TVE).
She has been part of the executive production of Netflix's first reality show in Spain: 'Insiders'.
Benjamin Andrey
Deputy Managing Director of Drama
NEWEN FRANCE
Benjamin Andrey
Deputy Managing Director of Drama
NEWEN FRANCE
Benjamin has been a part of the Newen Studios group for over 12 years. In 2021, he was appointed Deputy Managing Director of Drama Operations at Newen France, where he took on the responsibility of overseeing the business aspects of drama, including negotiations with broadcasters, talents, and the supervision of all productions, including daily soaps.
Today, as Deputy Managing Director of Drama reporting to Léonor Grandsire, Deputy CEO of Newen France, he leads the Development, Editorial, Business, and Production teams. His mission is to expand the Drama Division by enhancing the value of Newen France's programs and brands (15 labels and 20 producers) while supporting the growth of their line-up.
Joséphine Fontaine
Vice President, Acquisitions and Co-Productions
NEWEN CONNECT
Joséphine Fontaine
Vice President, Acquisitions and Co-Productions
NEWEN CONNECT
Josephine Fontaine, a former ITV Studios and BBC Studios executive, manages English-language scripted acquisitions across the UK, North America and Australia for Newen Connect, out of the company's London office.
The META PITCH CONTEST is a unique competition offering participants the chance to present their TV series project in a virtual environment (without headphones) specially designed for the occasion. Launched by Newen Studios in January 2023, the competition now presents its 2nd edition. This year, the competition pushes the limits of creativity by asking participants to create a trailer for their series project, lasting up to 3 minutes, using tools incorporating artificial intelligence. This evolution brings a new dimension to the competition, enabling participants to bring their vision to life in an even more spectacular way.
The 6 best trailers selected will offer their creators the exclusive opportunity to present their project in our metaverse to a prestigious jury of international producers, distributors, acquisitions executives and media professionals. Two finalists will be invited to pitch in a final IRL (In Real Life) battle at the Series Mania Forum in France, as part of the Series Mania Institute, next March. The winner will have the exceptional opportunity to receive support in developing his or her project. An audience prize will also be awarded on the final day. There are no format constraints for TV series projects, however, an inspiring theme will be unveiled at the opening of the competition, which takes place on October 30, 2023.
A pitch is a short, concise presentation of a film, television series or other creative project. Its purpose is to give a general overview of the plot, characters and main themes, as well as why it is different and interesting.
This contest is free and open to all, aged 18 and above. Are you a film/TV student or professional, a member of a film association, or simply creative ? Do you have a TV series project that you believe has the potential to be successful ? Wherever you come from, then this contest is for you. It is an opportunity to showcase your talent and get noticed by top industry professionals.
For more information, please read our terms & conditions.
The theme for this year's contest is “Lumiere !”.
Don't be afraid to use new technologies such as artificial intelligence or innovative immersive formats, and to break the conventions of the audiovisual world. We will reward boldness and ingenuity.
You may submit a project that is the result of the work of several people, but maximum 2 members of the team will be able to represent the team on the day of the pitch.
Only 1 submission by group/person is accepted.
To participate in Season 2, please send us two items:
You can submit those 2 elements through the Google Form link available by clicking on "Submit now" button.
If you're selected, you'll have 15 minutes to convince the jury to produce your project!
It is specified that in order to be considered valid for participation in the Contest, you must submit your application via the Google Form with the following 2 elements:
More specifically, you will need to respect the following format criteria:
For the trailer:
For the document:
You don't necessarily need to plan to shoot your project in English, but your pitch support document must be in English or French, and your oral presentation must be in English to be evaluated by our international jury.
Please note that during the presentation in the Metaverse, it will not be possible to play sound. Moreover, clickable links are not supported by our platform. Therefore, make sure not to include them in your presentation.
Let your imagination be your only limit and be bold in your ideas. We look forward to seeing your creative and innovative projects!
You will need to respect the following format criteria:
There are no other technical specifications required.
To upload an unlisted video on YouTube, you can follow the instructions provided by YouTube at the following address : YouTube Support.
You may send your trailer to other festivals and publish it on your social networks, using the hashtag #MetaPitchContest if you wish. However, the trailers submitted must not have been the subject of any option, assignment or authorization to exploit for the benefit of a third party prior to the start of the Contest and throughout the Contest Period. For further information on intellectual property, please consult the Competition Rules..
The Jury's decisions will primarily be based on the following criteria:
Evaluation of the competing films is holistic; no criterion takes precedence over another.
The logo is available HERE
Several awards will be presented during the Meta Pitch Contest: The Grand Jury Prize, the Public Choice Award, and the Special Jury Prize.
Among the prizes to be won:
For more information, please refer to our Terms & Conditions.
Since your trailer will not be commercialized, you are free to use AI tools that you find relevant, but we recommend using AI tools that respect the copyright of source images, like Adobe Firefly. We need to know the list of AI tools used in your explanatory PDF document accompanying your trailer.
Newen will reimburse, upon submission of the relevant receipts, transportation expenses up to a limit of 900€ per participant, and accommodation expenses up to a limit of 300€ per participant. Participants will be responsible for organizing and making their own travel arrangements.
In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we encourage participants to prioritize train travel.
For more information, please read our Terms & Conditions.
Newen Studios, a subsidiary of the TF1 group, is a major fast growing European player in audiovisual production and distribution, with a multi-genre strategy (drama, film, animation, TV movie, documentary, non-scripted…). It is the studio behind Marie-Antoinette, Plus Belle la Vie, Opéra, Ici Tout commence / Where it all begins, Mysterious Cities of Gold, Versailles, Insiders, Christian, Dough, El Cid, The Spectacular, White Sands and many more !
Deeply rooted in 11 countries, the group has more than 50 creative labels and a passionate overall team of 600 people each bringing their unique expertise.
Shows produced by Newen Studios are exported globally alongside a curated slate of third party programming, thanks to its distribution subsidiary Newen Connect whose activities help to shine a light on European content.
The Newen Meta Sky is the first immersive experience for creating, financing, and distributing programs. Launched during the Cannes Film Market last May, it is a virtual marketplace dedicated to European creators and producers. This Metaverse is a virtual space composed of several rooms for work and creation, located in a Zeppelin that flies in the sky of European capitals. As the first European Meta Hub for program production and distribution, this project is part of the desire of the group and its shareholder TF1 to accelerate access for our teams and partners to the dynamics of innovation that will drive the future of the audiovisual and film market. It is supported by the European Union's Europe Creative Media program.
Get on board our NEWEN META SKY and challenge your creativity in our metaverse by pitching your original short program project to a panel of professionals using your avatar.
This program is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Europe Creative Media. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Not at all !
We have created a virtual immersive universe, easy to access on a simple invitation, with only a laptop and an internet connection.
Warning : using Google Chrome is highly recommended.
You can contact us for additional requests at meta-pitch@newenstudios.com