This installment of realscreen magazine’s annual Radarscreen global pitch guide profiles Jennifer Dettman, executive in charge of production for factual entertainment

 WHAT SHE’S LOOKING FOR:

“As a modern public broadcaster, we strive to inform, enlighten and entertain, so we’re always looking for shows that tick those boxes,” says Dettman. For primetime, she’s looking for large-scale reality concepts and live event programming that can attract the broadest possible audience, with a specific focus on family viewing.

Dettman points to CBC’s Sunday night line-up, featuring skating competition Battle of the Blades (now in its third season) followed by the original music competition series Cover Me Canada, as indicative of the Ceeb’s primetime factual entertainment approach.

“We’re always seeking projects that have the ability to create a national movement, as we did with Village on a Diet and the off-shoot wellness initiative Live Right Now,” Dettman adds. “We’re also always looking to create original Canadian formats, in the reality, live event entertainment, talk, lifestyle, variety and game show realms.”

For the fall of next year, Dettman says the network will be looking for strippable, knowledge-based game shows for the 7 p.m. time slot. As for daytime, “we continue to look for strippable low-cost concepts that will complement our existing programming,” which includes Steven and Chris, Best Recipes Ever, and a new studio-based cooking show coming this fall, In the Kitchen with Stefano Faita.

“We’re not looking for programming that you’d normally see on specialty networks,” she adds. ‘If it’s too niche, it won’t work for our audience.”

HOW TO PITCH:

Dettman says a well-thought-out one-pager is “a good place to start.” A signed submission release has to accompany each pitch and can be found at the department’s independent producers’ website, //www.cbc.ca/independentproducers/genres/factual_entertainment/. You can also send materials directly to manager of development Jessica Schmiedchen via factualpitch@cbc.ca.

WHERE TO FIND HER:

Dettman attends the Realscreen Summit, Banff, MIPTV and MIPCOM.

Also available are guides to U.S. networks (part one and part two), as well as international previews with Current TV UK’s Lina Prestwood, France 2’s Fabrice Puchault,RAI’s Lorenzo Hendel, ORF’s Andrew Solomon and CBS Reality’s Sam Rowden.

with files from Barry Walsh