Morgan Spurlock addressed a packed house at MIPDoc this afternoon. After a keynote presentation, he was interviewed by Diego L Bunuel (left), Canal Group’s head of documentaries.
Leading with the theme « Brain over Brawn: How Dumb America caught up with Smart us« , Spurlock predicted that the future was ripe for non-fiction. Yes, he admitted, the context, especially in the US, started off badly. But now, « all US networks have their own quality drama series, » said Spurlock, remarking that even apparently marginal shows like Schitt’s Creek get 1 million views per episode.
So what about factual? After some examples that « make you want to shoot yourself in the face, » now, with series like Making a Murderer, said Spurlock, quality is back: « more people are watching non-fiction entertainment than ever before. Now, audiences want more, smarter, non-fiction content. »
Key to this growth, said Spurlock, is the fact that digital consumption of content is currently exploding, especially for younger demographics. Given that millennials spend 70% of their time on non-TV screens, 40% of Spurlock’s Company, Warrior Poets, is now focused on digital. As such, « your digital strategy should ne a natural extension of your current pipeline », said Spurlock; and furthermore, he added, « most networks don’t have digital strategies. And that’s where you come in as a content creator: to build a bridge to digital nirvana. »
How, exactly? « You should chase the holes in the marketplace », said Spurlock, adding that millennial women inparticular aren’t being catered for. Which is a shame, given that they represent $840bn in annual purchasing power, he pointed out.
This is why Warrior Poets is currently working on three women-focused programmes, with Disney-owned MCN Maker Studios:
- Present Tense, with Gillian Rose Reed, an immersion in different women’s issues, such as transexuals’ social integration
- Sexish, a « body-positive, sex-positive » show, according to Spurlock, who added « this show has so much potential »
- What We Teach Girls, a series on gender roles & education. « Empowerment isn’t just something we say, it’s something we control, » said Spurlock. « We need to be brave enough to put things like this out. Without Maker, we wouldn’t have been able to do this, » he added.
And then, for the ultimate question: « So how do we make money? That’s not what it’s about, » insisted Spurlock. « So long as you’re not losing money, you’re winning. » Furthermore, as projects, like so many of Warrior Poets’, can be multi-platform, they can make money in different ways on each platform.
On to the Q&A, with Canal Group’s Bunuel, which saw Spurlock share his views on other key topics:
on VR: « What I love about VR is that it enables you to be in a place that you couldn’t be; but it’s above all a liberty machine, which can allow you to understand what people go through on a daily basis. »
on Brands: « So long as you can tell a good story, brands are willing to go along on that ride. It’s all about story, and people understand that. »
on Factual: « All the networks now are betting on smarter non-fiction fare, and that’ll be the next thing that’s huge: there’s goiing to be a tsunami of a wave impact. »
on Women: « We have 20 women in important roles at warrior poets, » said Spurlock, answering a question that confirmed he’s all for women going behind the camera, as well as onscreen.
