Paris – Modern Family co-creator and executive producer Steven Levitan is to keynote at MIPTV 2015, spearheading a bevy of comic talent appearing as part of the drama at MIPTV line-up.
As a writer, producer, director and creator, Levitan has been making television comedies for more than 20 years. His credits include Wings, Frasier, The Larry Sanders Show, Just Shoot Me (Creator) and Greg the Bunny. For his MIPTV address on 13 April at 11.30am, Levitan will focus on the success of Modern Family, how the show has managed to continue being so successful both stateside and worldwide for so many years, and how it is now traveling as a scripted format.
This will be followed by the Comedy Masterclass: A Serious Savoir-Faire on Monday at 12.10pm. MIPTV will welcome on stage producers, commissioners and comedic talent who have developed some serious savoir-faire and learned how to take their originality to wider audiences, moving seamlessly from local to global, and from web to TV in the new arena of comedy. Panelists confirmed are: Joe Lewis, Head of Comedy, Amazon Studios; Jill Offman, MD Comedy Central UK, and SVP Comedy, Viacom International Media Networks; and Ash Atalla, Managing Director & Executive Producer, Roughcut Television (The IT Crowd, The Office).
These two comedy sessions are part of Drama at MIPTV, a two-day track split into showcases from producers and broadcasters, off-stage events and matchmaking sessions, as well as international screenings. During these two days, some of the world’s most influential executives shaping the future of drama will reveal their business and editorial strategy, sharing their success stories and discussing upcoming projects and co-production opportunities.
“Drama and scripted format keep booming, with ever-increasing demand for original and ground-breaking concepts. Bold and innovative scripted series, especially comedies, strongly appeal to the Millennials. Drama at MIPTV aims to explore how original creations allow broadcasters and producers to stand out from the crowd, how they can promote their creative value and seize new business opportunities,” said Laurine Garaude, Director of the Television Division at Reed MIDEM.
