'The Pillars of the Earth' Reveals New World Order at MIPCOM 2010 Producers' Forum

'The Pillars of the Earth' Reveals New World Order at MIPCOM 2010 Producers' Forum

PARIS, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The partners of the ground-breaking eight-hour television adaptation of Ken Follett's bestselling novel "The Pillars of the Earth" will present a major case study on the innovative development model behind the epic TV miniseries, premiering on Starz and Channel 4. "The Pillars of the Earth" Master Class will be an integral part of the Producers' Forum programme which will take place at MIPCOM 2010 on 4 October 15.45 - 16.30.

The Master Class presentation will be given by Tandem Communications' Senior Partner and Managing Director, Rola Bauer and Scott Free Television President David W. Zucker. The duo will detail how the co-production deal was put together and look at the creative financial models and production strategies that were developed to make Follett's bestselling medieval thriller into a spellbinding TV series.

"The Pillars of the Earth" is a ground-breaking co-production that perfectly illustrates how producers are now operating across borders for creative collaboration," says Laurine Garaude, Director of the Television Division, Reed MIDEM. "This Producers' Forum case study is a good way for producers to understand the process that makes such inspiring programme ideas a reality, from concept to distribution."

"Ken Follett's masterpiece, 'The Pillars of the Earth,' became an instant worldwide bestseller," says Rola Bauer, Senior Partner and Managing Director, Tandem Communications. "It became our challenge to do our job equally well and make the adaptation live up to everyone's expectations. We did this in the worst worldwide economic crisis since 1929. Raising a US$40 million budget and making sure that it gets on screen was not an easy task, but that's what Tandem's core business model has always been about. It's not just understanding the most efficient way to put quality on screen, it's about earning the trust of the key networks worldwide and listening to their voice and finding the common ground that everyone can benefit from. This one was especially challenging, but so well worth it."

"We approached the production of 'The Pillars of the Earth' as if it were making a series of theatrical films, akin to 'Lord Of The Rings'; beginning with a single director for the entire series, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, whose vision provided a continuity of story-telling and cleverness in execution which was critical to both the quality and scale of the project," says David W. Zucker, President, Scott Free Television. "Particularly because of this economic time, there was nothing routine about the production. A new world order needed to be achieved, and working with an international company like Tandem, which is truly expert in navigating international waters, proved emphatically that it can be done...it is still possible to provide networks worldwide with highest-calibre event fiction entertainment."

The Producers' Forum will take place for the second year at MIPCOM. The initiative was designed to help producers develop their projects, fund production and identify new international business opportunities. It brings together key players from across the production value chain to rethink the production process, share knowledge and make connections and comprises a comprehensive series of conferences and matchmaking events. The Producers' Forum is organised in association with World Screen News, the international media publishing group and will take place at MIPCOM on 4-5 October.

ABOUT REED MIDEM

Reed Exhibitions is the world's leading events organiser, with over 440 events in 36 countries. In 2009 Reed brought together over six million active event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organised by 35 fully staffed offices.

Reed organises a wide range of events, including trade and consumer exhibitions, conferences and meetings. Its portfolio of over 440 events serves 44 industry sectors, including: Aerospace & aviation, automobiles, beauty & cosmetics, broadcasting, building & construction, electronics, energy, oil & gas, engineering & manufacturing, food service & hospitality, gifts, healthcare, interior design, IT & telecoms, jewellery, life science & pharmaceuticals, machinery, marketing, business services & training, medical education, printing & graphics, security & safety, sports & recreation, travel.

Working closely with professional bodies, trade associations and government departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field.

Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2009, Reed Elsevier made an adjusted profit before taxation of 1,279 million pounds on turnover of 6,071 million pounds.

For further information about Reed MIDEM visit www.reedmidem.com.

ABOUT TANDEM

TANDEM COMMUNICATIONS is located in Munich, Germany and was started in 1999 by Rola Bauer and Tim Halkin. In 2007 Jonas Bauer became a partner in the company and in 2009 Malisa Scott became a partner and Chief Operating Officer. From the beginning, their strategy was to build a vertically-integrated media company whose core business is international production and worldwide distribution. From the ground-breaking series Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth," now in post-production, to the Emmy® Award winner Frank Herbert's Dune to the Emmy® nominated Dragons' World to the Golden Globe® nominated The Company to the Nora Roberts Franchise, TANDEM continues to develop, produce and distribute high-quality projects.

TANDEM produced the DIVA Award-winning Ring of the Nibelungs and garnered excellent ratings on the SyFy Channel in the U.S., as well as internationally for its event movie, Lost City Raiders. Impact premiered successfully in the U.S. on ABC Network. In 2009, TANDEM launched the new Patricia Cornwell movie franchise with At Risk and The Front, based on her worldwide bestselling crime novels.

In 2010, TANDEM shot The Lost Future on location in South Africa, starring Sean Bean and directed by award-winning director Mikael Salomon.

www.mipworld.com

Source: Reed MIDEM

CONTACT: Reed MIDEM: Jane Garton, jane.garton@reedmidem.com, or Joanna
Kirk, joanna.kirk@reedmidem.com, or Adeline Anfray,
adeline.anfray@reedmidem.com, 33 (0)1 41 90 44 39 - 46 48 - 49 10

Web Site: http://www.mipworld.com/
http://www.reedmidem.com/

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