The inaugural Playback Innovations Forum in Toronto (Oct. 28) should save some time and airfare for local entertainment execs who want tips on creating compelling content for both the small and smaller screens.

Instead of making the expensive trip to the Cannes, Edinburgh or Las Vegas TV festivals, the forum offers a single afternoon of talks and pitches with creatives from top-draw series including Dexter and Mad Men and execs from RDF, CBC and more.

‘The idea behind it is there’s a large proportion of the industry that resides in Toronto, but with most of these events, you have to go far to get access to the pitches or to this level of speakers,’ says Playback publisher Peter Vamos. ‘This is for the people who go to those events – and also gives those behind the scenes who don’t an opportunity akin to going to L.A. or MIP.’

The forum kicks off after 1 p.m. at the Jane Mallett Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts with a conversation between TV critic John Doyle of The Globe and Mail and James Manos Jr., creator and exec producer of Emmy-winning series Dexter, which stars Michael C. Hall as an empathetic serial killer.

Manos Jr. will also explore his work on other top series, such as exec producing and writing on The Sopranos’ first season, as well as his role as a consulting producer for two seasons of The Shield.

‘This is the top show creator working in Hollywood right now, and our idea was ‘let’s go after the top creators of the hottest shows,” Vamos explains.

Vamos says reality series such as Wife Swap and Don’t Forget the Lyrics fall into this buzz-worthy category as well, which is why Playback lured RDF USA’s CEO Chris Coelen to speak on The Reality of Reality TV.

In this 40-minuter, Coelen promises to walk through the process of turning an idea for a reality format show into… well, a reality. Expect the talk to explore international requirements for series formatting, with anecdotes from his personal experience on series such as the U.S.-grown The Two Coreys and How to Look Good Naked, the British import to America’s Lifetime Television Networks. 

Later in the afternoon, screenwriters from a pair of top series, Mad Men’s Robin Veith and Flashpoint showrunner Tassie Cameron, will host a panel discussion on creating a one-hour dramatic serial script, with a focus on how to manage plot twists that don’t raise red flags with viewers.

At the same time, both green and seasoned producers will have three minutes to pitch their developing show to Canada’s top broadcasters, ranging from multi-platformer S-Vox to terrestrials CBC, Canwest and SunTV to cable channels W, HGTV, The Movie Network, Super Channel and Discovery in a speed-pitching event.

Closing the day, Steve Billinger, CBC’s executive director, digital programming and business development, and Digital Theory’s Kate Hanley will give delegates a leg up on the ever-changing interactive marketplace. 

The Innovations Forum is the first in a series of half-day conferences to come. Vamos says the next one is planned for March, and the long-term goal is for Playback to bring worldwide entertainment talent to Canadian TV and film execs every quarter.

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