TV Real Festival Schedule Released

Taking place virtually from June 18 to 20, 2025, the second edition of the TV Real Festival will feature keynotes and panels with leading executives and creatives discussing the world of unscripted, including National Geographic’s Tom McDonald, Curiosity’s Clint Stinchcomb, Lion Television’s Richard Bradley, BossaNova’s Paul Heaney and Muck Media’s Mariana van Zeller and Cristina Costantini. Register for free here.

ONLY those registered will receive access to our Exclusive White Paper on factual trends, featuring key intel from the event in a compact, easy-to-digest format.

Wednesday, June 18

• National Geographic’s Tom McDonald
  The second edition of the TV Real Festival will kick off with an opening keynote conversation with Tom McDonald, the executive VP of global factual and unscripted at National Geographic.
• Lion Television’s Richard Bradley
  Richard Bradley, co-founder and chief creative officer at All3Media-owned Lion Television, will tell TV Real Festival viewers about how the company is curating its eclectic factual slate and building upon its successful co-production models.
• BossaNova Media’s Paul Heaney
  To get an understanding of where the business of factual distribution is today and where it’s headed, we’ll chat with Paul Heaney, CEO and founder of BossaNova Media, about meeting buyers’ needs and maximizing returns to producers.

Thursday, June 19

• Factual Independence
  Exploring the unique positioning of boutique independents, we’re enlisting the expertise of TVF International’s Poppy McAlister and Albatross World Sales’ Anne Olzmann.
• Curiosity’s Clint Stinchcomb
  Clint Stinchcomb, president and CEO of Curiosity, will discuss the recent milestones at the company, which was founded by documentary television pioneer John Hendricks.
• Muck Media’s Mariana van Zeller & Cristina Costantini
  Mariana van Zeller, the host of National Geographic’s acclaimed series Trafficked, and director and producer Cristina Costantini will join the TV Real Festival to share how their company Muck Media, founded by five friends, has assembled a portfolio of some of the buzziest factual shows on linear and streaming.

Friday, June 20

• Bringing UNIVERSUM to the World
  Highlighting the unique role played by pubcasters, this session will feature Gernot Lercher, head of natural history at ORF’s landmark UNIVERSUM strand, and Marion Camus-Oberdorfer, director of acquisitions and distribution investment at ORF-Enterprise, on how they collaborate to bring high-end wildlife to Austrian and global audiences.
• Documentary Channel’s Tom Neff
  We’ll hear from Tom Neff, president and chief creative officer at Documentary Channel, about curating a streaming home for indie docs.
• 11:11 Media’s Bruce Robertson
  The TV Real Festival will wrap with a keynote conversation with Bruce Robertson, the chief storyteller at 11:11 Media, the media company launched by reality television icon Paris Hilton and Bruce Gersh.